Electrician Norlane
Safety switches, switchboards and rental checks for Norlane homes, by CabledIN
Our electrician work in Norlane often starts at the switchboard. Across more than 15 Norlane jobs in our records, safety switches and power points have come up most, followed by switchboards, lighting and smoke alarms. CabledIN, Registered Electrical Contractor REC 30925, is based in North Geelong, right beside Norlane.
Adding a safety switch to a circuit, or a new power point, is usually a single visit. Replacing the whole switchboard takes longer, because the new board has to be inspected before the power goes back on. Every job is quoted after we have seen it.
- Postcode and council
- 3214, City of Greater Geelong
- Most common jobs
- Safety switches and power points
- Licence
- REC 30925
- Emergencies
- 24/7 call-outs on 1300 025 555
Electrician Norlane: what our job records show
Our Norlane work is spread right through the house, but two kinds of job lead the list:
- Safety switches. About a third of our Norlane jobs. Most often we fit a combined circuit breaker and safety switch to one circuit at a time, where the board has room for it. See safety switch installation.
- Power points. The same share. Old single outlets swapped for doubles, extra points added, and weatherproof switched outlets fitted outside. See power point installation.
- Switchboards and lighting. Each in more than one job in four: old boards replaced, LED downlights fitted, and new switches and dimmers.
- Smoke alarms. More than one job in five. Hard-wired alarms replaced, and smoke alarm checks in rented homes.
- Everything else. Electrical inspections, TV antenna points and wall-mounted TVs, exhaust fans, ceiling fans, data points, an oven replacement, a bathroom heater, and a fused mains box replaced after a Powercor defect notice.
Norlane's Housing Commission houses, 70 years on
Norlane was built quickly. The Housing Commission began building here in 1947, the busiest years were 1951 to 1957, and by 1976 there were 2,464 Commission houses, more than 1,200 of them prefabricated units imported from Holland and France.
At the 2021 Census Norlane had 8,682 residents and 4,305 private dwellings, and 84.8 per cent of occupied homes were separate houses. A house from the busiest building years is now around 70 years old, and its original wiring was planned for a 1950s household. In houses of that age we often find:
- A switchboard with rewireable fuses and one safety switch, or none.
- Lighting circuits with no safety switch protection at all.
- A black or dark brown meter panel. Panels installed before 1990 can contain asbestos, so never drill, cut or sand one.
- Too few power points, so power boards end up doing the job of extra outlets.
Energy Safe Victoria advises having any house more than 30 years old checked by a licensed electrician, and counts an old switchboard with no safety switch among the warning signs of faulty wiring. An electrical safety inspection tells you which of these apply to your house and which do not.
Talk to a licensed Geelong electrician (REC 30925).
Safety checks for rented homes in Norlane
More than half of Norlane's occupied homes were rented at the 2021 Census (54.1 per cent), so much of our work here is booked by owners and property managers rather than by the people living in the house. This is what that work looks like:
| Job | What we do in a Norlane rental |
|---|---|
| Electrical safety check | We check the switchboards, wiring and fittings and send a written report to the owner or property manager. |
| Smoke alarm check | Each alarm is tested and its age checked, at the same visit if you want. |
| Safety switch upgrade | On a board with sound circuit breakers we add safety switch protection to the power and lighting circuits. An old fuse board may need replacing. |
| Access | We arrange a time with the household directly or through the agent. |
| Repairs | Quoted to the owner or property manager, and started only once approved. |
If you rent and something has stopped working, the owner or agent can book us to look at it. Owners and property managers: see electrical safety inspections for what the check covers.
Safety switches: one circuit at a time, or a new board
A safety switch (RCD) watches for electricity leaking out of a circuit and cuts the power within 0.03 of a second. It only protects the circuits it is connected to. Circuit breakers and fuses are not safety switches.
In Norlane we usually take one of two routes:
- Add protection to the existing board. If the board already has circuit breakers and space, adding safety switch protection to the power and lighting circuits is usually enough. Installing safety switches and circuit breakers is not prescribed work, so no independent inspection is needed, and your certificate is due within 30 days.
- Replace the switchboard. An older fuse board may need replacing instead. A replacement main switchboard is prescribed work: an independent licensed electrical inspector must check it before power goes back on, and every final circuit must then have safety switch protection. See switchboard upgrades.
Once they are in, press each test button every three months, as Energy Safe Victoria advises. If anything stays powered after you press it, the switch may have failed, so ring a licensed electrician.
Powercor defect notices and fused mains boxes
One recent Norlane job was a fused mains box replaced after a Powercor defect notice. A defect notice means part of your own installation is unsafe or does not comply, and fixing it is the owner's responsibility, not Powercor's. Common items on a notice include a defective or loose fused mains box, a damaged meter box, an insecure service hook and a faulty switchboard.
The process runs like this: a Registered Electrical Contractor repairs the defect, issues a Certificate of Electrical Safety and sends it to Powercor, and if your supply was cut, Powercor reconnects it free of charge. The notice itself sets the date the repair is due. Replacing a single fused mains box like for like is not prescribed work, but it still needs a certificate. Our guide explains what a Powercor defect notice means in more detail, and our mains upgrades and Powercor defect repairs page covers the repair itself.
Not sure what you need? Tell us what is happening and we will talk it through.
Booking an electrician in Norlane, step by step
- Ring us on 1300 025 555, or fill in the contact form. Tell us what has gone wrong or what you want added. If you rent, tell us who manages the property.
- We agree a time. Unsafe faults are treated as emergencies, at any hour.
- The electrician looks first. On an older Norlane house that means the switchboard and the meter panel before anything else.
- You approve the quote. Nothing starts until you, or the property manager, have agreed to it.
- We do the work and test it. Every circuit we touch is tested before a certificate is issued.
- You receive a Certificate of Electrical Safety. Victoria requires one for every electrical installation job, however small, so keep it with your house papers.
What we can do in a Norlane home
Everything we offer across Geelong is available in Norlane. Beyond the safety switch, power point and switchboard work above, that includes smoke alarm installation, LED downlights and dimmers, bathroom heaters and exhaust fans, ceiling fans, oven and cooktop replacements, electric hot water repairs, circuit breaker repairs, surge protection, house rewiring, TV mounting and antenna points, data points, CCTV and EV chargers.
Small jobs are welcome. One power point, one smoke alarm or a light that has stopped working is worth a call, and the electrician can look over the switchboard while there.
Nearby suburbs: Corio, North Geelong and beyond
Norlane borders two suburbs we know well. Corio shares Norlane's Housing Commission history, with estates built from the late 1950s, and North Geelong is where CabledIN is based. We also work in North Shore, Bell Park, Bell Post Hill and Lovely Banks. For the rest of the region, see our Geelong electrician page.
Recent electrical jobs in Norlane
Frequently asked questions
Do you offer a 24 hour electrician service in Norlane?
Yes. CabledIN takes emergency call-outs in Norlane around the clock on 1300 025 555. If your whole street has lost power, the fault is on Powercor's network: ring 13 24 12. For fire, or if anyone is hurt, call 000.
Is an electrical inspection worth it before buying a Housing Commission house in Norlane?
Yes. Energy Safe Victoria advises that homes built before the 1980s should have their wiring checked before you move in, and many Norlane houses were built by the Housing Commission between 1947 and 1976. An inspection covers the switchboard, the circuits and the safety switches.
Who receives the report from a Norlane rental safety check?
The person who booked it, usually the owner or the property manager. The written report lists what was checked, what was found and any repairs needed, with the urgent items first.
Can you replace a faulty smoke alarm in a Norlane rental?
Yes. Once the owner or property manager approves it, we replace the alarm, test it and leave a written record. A hard-wired alarm must be fitted by a licensed electrician.
What is a combined safety switch and circuit breaker?
It is one device, often called an RCBO, that does both jobs for a single circuit: it trips on an overload like a circuit breaker, and on leaking current like a safety switch. It is the device we fit most often in Norlane when adding protection to an existing board.
Powercor sent a defect notice for my Norlane house. Who fixes it?
You arrange the repair through a Registered Electrical Contractor. The electrician fixes the defect, issues a certificate and sends it to Powercor, and Powercor reconnects free of charge if the supply was cut. The notice gives the date the repair is due.
Can you replace an oven or bathroom heater in Norlane?
Yes. Both are on our list of recent Norlane jobs. Hard-wired appliances like these have to be installed and connected by a licensed electrician, and the work comes with a Certificate of Electrical Safety.
Do you also cover Corio and North Geelong?
Yes. CabledIN is based in North Geelong, and we work in Corio, North Shore, Bell Park, Bell Post Hill and Lovely Banks as well as Norlane.
Still have a question? Ask the CabledIN team.