Electrician Newcomb
Switchboards, safety checks and fault finding for Newcomb home owners, by CabledIN
CabledIN Electrical Solutions is the licensed electrician Newcomb home owners book for switchboard upgrades, safety inspections and fault finding, working from our base in North Geelong. Behind every job sit our registration, REC 30925, and more than 20 years' experience.
A safety inspection or a fault call is usually a single visit. A new main switchboard is a larger job, because an independent inspector has to inspect it before the power goes back on. No job is priced sight unseen.
- Licence
- REC 30925
- Most common job here
- Switchboard work
- Council
- City of Greater Geelong
- Emergencies
- 24/7 call-outs on 1300 025 555
Electrician Newcomb: what our job records show
Newcomb has a clear pattern in our records. Across more than 10 jobs, switchboard work appears in seven of every ten, and much of the other work connects to it.
| Type of work | Share of our Newcomb jobs | What it usually involves |
|---|---|---|
| Switchboards | 7 in 10 | Upgrades, repairs and combined circuit breaker and safety switch units, circuit by circuit |
| Safety switches | More than half | Protection added to circuits that never had it |
| Fault finding | More than half | Tripping circuits and power points that have stopped working |
| Inspections | More than a quarter | Electrical safety inspections |
| Power points | More than 4 in 10 | Weatherproof outdoor outlets and double power points indoors |
Other jobs have covered appliance connections, ovens and cooktops among them, smoke alarms, outdoor power and after-hours work when the power has gone off.
Mid-century houses, and why the switchboard comes first
Newcomb sits about 3 kilometres south-east of central Geelong, and the council describes it as affordable family housing close to the city and to Eastern Park, which runs down to the bay. It was called West Maloop until 1956, grew quickly through the 1960s, and gained primary and high schools in 1959 and 1969. Most of its houses are mid-20th-century homes, many now more than 50 years old, and there is little room left for new estates. Instead, some larger blocks have been subdivided for units, so original houses and much newer homes sit side by side. At the 2021 Census, 16.5 per cent of occupied dwellings were semi-detached, terrace or townhouse homes.
A house of that era was wired for far fewer appliances than a household runs today. Its switchboard can still have rewireable fuses, or circuit breakers with a single safety switch (RCD) on the power points and nothing on the lighting. Energy Safe Victoria counts an old switchboard, especially one without a safety switch, as a warning sign, and wants the wiring in any house over 30 years old checked.
That is why so many of our Newcomb visits start at the board. Where the existing circuit breakers are sound, we usually add safety switch protection circuit by circuit. Where the board has fuses, no spare room or signs of heat, a switchboard upgrade is the better fix, and the new board is inspected by an independent licensed electrical inspector before the power goes back on.
Talk to a licensed Geelong electrician (REC 30925).
Rented homes in Newcomb
At the 2021 Census, 41.4 per cent of Newcomb's occupied homes were rented, well above the Greater Geelong figure of 28.0 per cent. Owners and property managers can book three kinds of work with us here:
- Electrical safety checks. A licensed electrician checks all switchboards, wiring and fittings, working to section 4 of AS/NZS 3019, and the owner or manager receives a written report of the results.
- Safety switch and switchboard work. Where the board already has circuit breakers, safety switches can usually be added to the power and lighting circuits without replacing it. An old fuse board may need replacing, and then every circuit needs protection, including cooking and hot water.
- Smoke alarm checks. Each alarm is tested and its date checked, and any alarm that needs replacing is priced for the owner before it is changed.
We can do the electrical check and the smoke alarm check in one visit, with access arranged through the renter or property manager. See electrical safety inspections for what is tested.
What is behind a tripping circuit or dead power points in a Newcomb home?
More than half of our Newcomb jobs have involved fault finding. The call might be a safety switch that trips and will not stay on, or a group of power points that has gone dead. Leaking current makes a safety switch trip, and the leak can be in a power point, the wiring or an appliance, so the electrician tests circuit by circuit.
Safe checks before you call:
- Ask a neighbour whether their power is on. A dark street is Powercor's to fix, on 13 24 12.
- If only your home is affected, unplug what is on that circuit and try the safety switch again. One that refuses to reset needs a licensed electrician.
- A tap or appliance that gives you a tingle should not be touched again; ring Powercor on 13 24 12 at once. For fire, call 000.
Powercor treats frequent fuse blowing or tripping as a reason to have the wiring and appliances inspected. Our guide explains why a safety switch keeps tripping.
Not every Newcomb call comes during the working day. Our records include after-hours work and power outages where part or all of a house had lost power, which is why our emergency repairs and electrical power restoration service runs 24/7 in Newcomb, on 1300 025 555.
Outdoor power points and the fused mains box
Weatherproof outdoor power points, single and twin, come up in our Newcomb records, along with extra double power points indoors where power boards have taken over. We check the circuit and the switchboard before adding an outlet, and every one comes with a certificate. See power point installation.
On the supply side, we replace fused mains boxes. A defective or loose fused mains box is one of the defects Powercor names on its defect notices, and because it sits on the owner's side of the point of supply, replacing it is the owner's job to arrange. We replace it, lodge the Powercor paperwork and issue the Certificate of Electrical Safety. Our mains upgrades and Powercor defect repairs page covers the rest.
Not sure what you need? Tell us what is happening and we will talk it through.
Smoke alarms, appliances and EV chargers
Smoke alarms wear out: whichever type you have, plan on a new one at the 10-year mark. Most Newcomb houses predate 1 August 1997, so battery alarms are their legal minimum, while a house built after that date needs 240 V alarms on the mains with a backup battery, and only a licensed electrician can install or replace a hard-wired alarm.
Oven and cooktop installation and other appliance connections are part of our Newcomb work too. An EV charger is electrical installation work like any other, done by a licensed electrician and certified. We check the switchboard and supply first, because Powercor lists EV chargers among the common reasons a home needs a supply upgrade.
Booking: what to tell us when you call
Phoning 1300 025 555 is quickest. A few details help us prepare:
| Your situation | What helps |
|---|---|
| Old switchboard or fuses | A photo of the switchboard and the rough age of the house |
| Safety check of a rented home | The date of the last check, if known, and who arranges access with the renter |
| Powercor defect notice | A photo of the notice, the meter box and the line into the house |
| A fault or tripping | What stopped working, when, and whether the safety switch will reset |
We book a time, the electrician checks the job before starting, and you approve the price before any repair begins. Testing comes before anything is switched back on.
Neighbouring suburbs
On the council's map Newcomb touches East Geelong, Whittington, Moolap and Thomson, and our electricians work across all four. Nearby Leopold is one of our busiest suburbs. The Geelong electrician hub has the full list of places we go.
Recent electrical jobs in Newcomb
Frequently asked questions
Can you do a safety check on my Newcomb house?
Yes. A licensed electrician checks all switchboards, wiring and fittings and records the results, including any repairs needed, in a written report for you. The smoke alarms can be tested and dated during the same visit, so the home is only visited once.
Will a Newcomb house built in the 1960s need its switchboard replaced?
Not automatically. If the board has circuit breakers in good condition, adding safety switch protection may be all it needs. A board with rewireable fuses, no spare room or signs of heat is usually better replaced.
Half the power points in my house have stopped working. What should I check?
Look at the switchboard for a tripped safety switch, unplug everything on that circuit and try to reset it. A switch that stays off, or drops out again soon after, means it is time to call a licensed electrician. Do not open the switchboard or attempt a repair yourself.
Who pays to replace a faulty fused mains box?
The property owner. It is on the owner's side of the point of supply, so Powercor issues the defect notice but does not repair it. The owner books a registered electrical contractor, who fits the new box and forwards the Certificate of Electrical Safety to Powercor.
Can you add weatherproof power points outside?
Yes. Weatherproof switched outlets, single or twin, come up in our Newcomb records. We check the circuit and the switchboard first, the new outlet goes on a circuit with safety switch protection, and you receive a Certificate of Electrical Safety once it has been tested.
Will a new switchboard be inspected?
Yes. A new main switchboard is prescribed work in Victoria, which means an independent licensed electrical inspector has to check it, and we book that inspection. Until the inspector has signed it off, the new board cannot be switched on, so we plan the day around it.
When should the smoke alarms in a Newcomb rental be replaced?
Every alarm, hard-wired or battery, should be replaced after 10 years, or sooner if it fails its test. We read the date on each alarm during a check and price any replacement for the owner or property manager, and a hard-wired alarm is replaced by a licensed electrician.
Does an EV charger at a Newcomb house need a supply upgrade?
Not always. A larger charger can need more supply than the house has, so the switchboard and the supply are checked before anything is fitted, and any upgrade is arranged with Powercor. The charger itself is installed by a licensed electrician and comes with a Certificate of Electrical Safety.
Electrician Newcomb: do you come out when the power goes off at night?
Yes. After-hours call-outs and power outages both appear in our Newcomb records, and 1300 025 555 is answered 24/7. Check first whether the street is dark: if it is, the outage is Powercor's to fix. If only your house is off and the safety switch will not reset, we come out to find the fault and restore power safely.
Still have a question? Ask the CabledIN team.