Electrician East Geelong
Safety inspections, switchboards and lighting for older East Geelong homes, by CabledIN
East Geelong homeowners call CabledIN, a licensed electrician, for safety inspections of older houses, switchboard upgrades, safety switches and lighting. We are a Registered Electrical Contractor (REC 30925) based in North Geelong, and we work right across postcode 3219.
An inspection of a typical house takes one visit, and you get a written report of what was found. Repairs, such as adding safety switches or replacing an old switchboard, are quoted separately after we have seen the board, so you decide what happens next.
- Licence
- Registered Electrical Contractor, REC 30925
- Most common work here
- Switchboards, safety switches and lighting
- 2021 Census
- 4,012 residents, City of Greater Geelong
- Emergencies
- 24/7 call-outs on 1300 025 555
Electrician East Geelong: safety inspections for older homes
East Geelong is one of Geelong's longer-settled suburbs. It began as farmland, and its first primary school opened in 1857. Building picked up after the high school opened in 1916 and electric trams were extended between 1912 and 1924, and in the early post-war years the State Housing Commission built an estate here. Much of the housing is decades old as a result.
Energy Safe Victoria advises having the wiring checked by a licensed electrician if a house is more than 30 years old, and checking any home built before the 1980s before you move in. Inspections make up three in ten of our East Geelong jobs. They suit four groups of people:
- Buyers who want to know the state of the switchboard and wiring before they commit.
- Sellers who would rather find a problem before a buyer's inspector does.
- Owners of rented homes and their property managers, who want the switchboards, wiring and fittings checked and a report on file. About three in ten East Geelong homes were rented at the 2021 Census (30.7 per cent).
- Long-term owners who have never had the wiring looked at, or who have noticed a warning sign such as flickering lights or sparks from a power point.
An electrical safety inspection tests the switchboard, safety switches, earthing, power points, light fittings and visible wiring, and the written report separates urgent items from the rest.
What our East Geelong job records show
Half of our East Geelong jobs have included switchboard work, half have included safety switches and half have included lighting. The three often turn up together: an inspection or a fault leads to the switchboard, and the switchboard leads to safety switches.
- Switchboards and safety switches. Repairs and upgrades, and existing circuit breakers changed for combined circuit breaker and safety switch units, one circuit at a time.
- Lighting. Old oyster ceiling lights replaced, LED downlights fitted and worn switches renewed.
- Inspections. Safety checks of older houses, from the switchboard to every circuit.
- Ceiling fans. New fans with light kits and wall controllers.
- TV work. Wall-mounted TVs, new antenna points, fresh coaxial cable and splitters.
- Mains work. Repairs on the owner's side of the supply, between the street connection and the switchboard.
Less often we fit power points, smoke alarms and exhaust fans, connect appliances and repair electric hot water.
Talk to a licensed Geelong electrician (REC 30925).
Old switchboards, and adding safety switches
The switchboard is where an older house shows its age. Energy Safe Victoria lists old switchboards, particularly those without a safety switch (RCD), among the tell-tale signs of faulty wiring. An older East Geelong board can still have pull-out fuses, or circuit breakers with a single safety switch on the power points and none on the lights.
| What we find | Usual fix |
|---|---|
| Circuit breakers in good condition, few or no safety switches | Safety switch protection added to the existing board, often as a combined unit on each circuit |
| Pull-out fuses, a full board or a damaged enclosure | A switchboard upgrade with safety switch protection on every circuit |
| One failed breaker or safety switch | That part replaced like for like |
Replacing a main switchboard is prescribed work. An independent licensed electrical inspector, arranged by us, must inspect it before the power goes back on, and the Wiring Rules require safety switch protection on every final sub-circuit of the new board. Adding safety switches to an existing board, or swapping one part, needs no inspector, but it still comes with a Certificate of Electrical Safety.
One caution: older meter and switchboard panels, usually black or dark brown and mostly installed before 1990, can contain asbestos, so do not drill or cut near yours.
Lighting, ceiling fans and TV points
Most of our East Geelong lighting work is renewal rather than new wiring: old oyster fittings and tired switches replaced, and LED downlights fitted where the ceiling space allows.
Ceiling fans are a common addition to these houses. We fit the fan, its light kit and a wall controller, and we can install a fan you have already bought. See ceiling fan installation for more.
TV work is the other regular request: TV wall mounting on a flat or tilting bracket, with a power point and antenna point behind the screen.
Mains, meter boxes and Powercor defect notices
Some of our East Geelong work is on the supply side of the house: the consumer mains, the fused mains box, the service hook where an overhead line attaches, and the meter box. Everything on your side of the point of supply belongs to the owner, so when one of these parts is worn or damaged, the repair is yours to arrange, not Powercor's.
Sometimes the prompt is a Powercor defect notice. The defects Powercor names include a missing or loose service hook, a defective fused mains box and a meter box with a missing door or broken hinges. The notice gives the date the repair is due. We repair the defect, issue the Certificate of Electrical Safety and send it to Powercor, and if your supply was cut, Powercor reconnects it free once the repair is done. Our page on mains upgrades and Powercor defect repairs sets out each step.
Not sure what you need? Tell us what is happening and we will talk it through.
How an inspection or repair visit works
- Call 1300 025 555 and tell us roughly when the house was built and why you want the visit. A photo of the switchboard helps.
- We book a time. For a rental, we arrange access with the renter or the property manager.
- The electrician inspects and tests, starting at the switchboard, then each room, the roof space where it can be reached safely, and outside. The power goes off for short periods while circuits are tested.
- You get the findings in writing, with urgent items listed first.
- Repairs are quoted. Small items can often be fixed during the same visit if you approve them.
- Repairs are tested and certified. Before a certificate is issued, the electrician must test earthing, insulation resistance, polarity, circuit connections, earth fault-loop impedance and safety switch operation. Repairs are covered by our lifetime workmanship warranty.
If the power goes off in East Geelong
We take 24/7 emergency call-outs in East Geelong. Before you ring, a few safe checks:
- Ask a neighbour. If their power is off too, it is a network fault: call Powercor on 13 24 12.
- If only your home is out, look at the switchboard. If a safety switch has tripped, unplug the appliances on that circuit and reset it. If it will not reset, call a licensed electrician.
- If a tap or appliance gives you a tingle, do not touch it again. Call Powercor on 13 24 12 straight away, then have an electrician investigate. For fire, or anyone in danger, call 000.
To stay ahead of faults, test each safety switch every three months with its test button. If the lights or appliances on that circuit stay on, the switch may have failed: call a licensed electrician straight away.
Suburbs around East Geelong
East Geelong's neighbours are central Geelong, South Geelong, Thomson and Newcomb, and we work in all of them from our base in North Geelong. For the rest of the region, see our page for home electricians across Geelong.
Recent electrical jobs in East Geelong
Frequently asked questions
Do you do pre-purchase inspections in East Geelong?
Yes. Energy Safe Victoria advises having a home built before the 1980s checked before you move in. Our report tells you the condition of the switchboard and wiring, and which upgrades to plan for, in plain English.
My East Geelong house dates from the post-war years. Does it need rewiring?
Not necessarily. Age alone does not decide it; testing does. An inspection tests each circuit and tells you which parts are sound and which need work, and often the switchboard and safety switches are the first priority.
Is an inspection report the same as a Certificate of Electrical Safety?
No. The report records the condition of the whole installation. A Certificate of Electrical Safety covers a specific piece of electrical work, so any repair after the inspection comes with its own certificate.
Can you inspect an East Geelong rental property?
Yes. Owners and property managers book us to check all switchboards, wiring and fittings. We arrange access with the renter, and the written report lists the urgent items first.
Could my old switchboard contain asbestos?
It can. Older meter and switchboard panels, usually black or dark brown and mostly installed before 1990, can contain asbestos. Do not drill or cut near the panel, and mention the age of the house when you book.
Can you install a ceiling fan I have already bought?
Yes. We can fit a fan you supply or one we supply, along with its light kit and wall controller. The installation is tested and comes with a Certificate of Electrical Safety.
Can you wall-mount a TV and add an antenna point in one visit?
Usually, yes. We fix the bracket to the studs or brick and fit a power point and antenna point behind the screen.
I have a Powercor defect notice for my meter box. Who fixes it?
You arrange the repair through a registered electrical contractor. The meter box, fused mains box and service hook on your side of the point of supply are the owner's responsibility. We repair the defect and send the certificate to Powercor.
Still have a question? Ask the CabledIN team.