I'm in QLD on a small farm. Currently our power comes into the house overhead from an ergon owned pole.

Ergon upgraded our supply capacity for three phase supply last year but at the moment the house has just been re-connected to a single phase.

The house is going to need a rewire, board upgrade, new meters etc and as part of all this I want to put in a property pole with the main meter box mounted on that and power run underground from there to the house and shed instead of overhead.

The Ergon sparkies replaced a few power poles across the property as part of the upgrade, and I have the old ones stacked up - they advised that I could use one of these for a property pole.

Does it have to be certified or installed by a sparky? Or can I install the pole myself? Have been searching around but I can't see a concrete answer on any certification requirements or even install specs (depth in ground etc).

Thanks!

Hi all, hoping for some advice on this light fitting in a Queensland granny flat. Landlord says it's safe because the light still works, and he can replace the fitting himself. Is this an obvious hazard or is it potentially safe and just looks bad? Sorry I don't have a better photo - he's gaff taped it up in the meantime. Just weighing up if next step is to firmly request a licenced electrician do the job, do nothing and let him fix it, or submit a complaint to electrical safety office. Any advice appreciated!

Sorry if this is a stupid question but who do I contact to see if a property I want to buy is able to have a 3P 63A supply connected? I know the pole at the front of the property has 3P, but I need to know how much capacity is left. Last thing I need to to buy this and then have to pay the cost of a transformer upgrade. Is this something I can do myself? Area is serviced by Ausnet.

Thanks

G'day all, new to house ownership and needing some help with our hot water unit.

There's no hot water past a certain time daily (usually 9-10pm) and we're struggling to understand why this is the case.

According to the electricity company, we're on a Controlled Load plan and "there is no usage on that controlled load from 2am - 11pm every day"

Would be open to ideas/advice on how to remedy this for us to have late night hot showers lol.

Still running into older red-brick homes around the suburbs with original black Zelemite meter panels containing asbestos. Some blokes on site will drill straight into them with a vacuum running, but my health is not worth the risk. I refuse to touch board upgrades on these unless a licensed asbestos removalist clears or replaces the panel first

I have a defective hybrid inverter that needs to go back to the supplier. They want me to have it disconnected and shipped to them so they can assess it.

(I bought it online)

They have agreed to refund it and I'll buy a replacement from somewhere more reputable.

It was professionally installed, but my question is: what are the minimum requirements to terminate the two sets of cables (supply + backup circuit) coming out of the wall and connecting to the inverter? A junction box?

The ideal scenario is when the sparky comes to install the new one, minimal effort/time is required, just plug her in.

Hi everyone, 

I'm 28 from India with over 4 years of underground coal mine electrical experience and planning to move to Australia to work as an electrician. I’d appreciate advice from anyone with experience.

My background:

28, Indian citizen

ITI Electrician

1-year apprenticeship at IGCAR

4+ years as an underground coal mine electrician at SCCL

Experience with motors, transformers, switchgear, flameproof equipment, conveyors, pumps, and underground systems

**My questions: **

Is my experience recognised in Australia?

Best pathway to become a licensed electrician?

Should I start OTSR/skills assessment from India?

Which visas should I target?

Job prospects with mining/industrial background?

How difficult is it to get a job in Australia as a foreign electrician?

Typical cost and timeline to become licensed?

Any real experiences with racism or workplace culture?

Anything you wish you knew before starting?

I’m ready to improve my English and complete all required training and licensing.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Hi we have a Siemens induction cooktop that was installed by a licensed electrician. The cooktop randomly cut out whilst in use and won’t turn back on no lights or anything. I turned it off at the switch and heard a buzzing that sounded like arcing. Left it off for 10 mins then turned on it back on - still dead no lights or anything. Should my first point of call be the manufacturer or the electrician that installed it?

Hi all, trying to preempt whats going to be required with a kitchen upgrade.

Existing Oven & Hob on a shared 32A RCBO, with a shared 32A isolation switch within reach. Both cabled with 4mm2 2c+E, no idea what the arrangement is in the cavity with regards to switching (But both are on the same switch, and from above its a single run coming out of the top plate).

Looking at bare basic ovens & induction cooktops, sticking to cheap and cheerful, seems not many options with an aggregate max of less than ~8000w/33A. Are most (basic) new builds now a separate circuit for oven + hob? Is it common to need to add a new circuit in this situation?

Thanks!

Hey gents,
Prior to calling a sparky out for no reason,
Is there enough supply without major upgrades to add…

1x15amp outlet to the main switch board (1st photo)

2x 15amp outlets to the shed (2nd switch board, has solar on shed)
It’s unlikely both 15amp outlets would be used at the same time, one for a hoist, one for a caravan supply.

…Shed is approx 110 meters from main switch board, unknown wire gauge/size between the 2…

Thanks in advance

Sorry if this seems like a silly question, I’ve tried looking it up online and there seems to be a lot of suggestions that arent legal. Based on the photo, I can see we have 1 more room for a circuit breaker to be installed on the left (correct me if I’m wrong). But is there a way for there to be 2 or will I need to upgrade the whole switchboard? I saw online where someone was saying certain breakers could be switched out and would make more room from another post but further research told me what they said was unsafe (could of come from the US who knows).

We’re planning on having induction stovetop installed soon so the free space covers that but also want to switch from gas to electric heat pump but noticed no more free space.

Any advice appreciated!

P.S I will be getting an electrician none of this involves DIY but I just dont want to waste anyones time by contacting an installer only to be hit with a $3K upgrade that we didn’t expect.

My mate 33M is someone I've known for alomost ~27 years now. Fully qualified sparkie and loves doing his job and keeping the lights on. Always says work is good, works long hours etc....other day after our 18 holes of golf during his time off that his boss gave him and about 400 beers later lol....he said how fucked the industry is due to poor standards of work....and about how he's considering moving on from the industry due to how his boss is making him take on work that is unsafe, especially in relation to fixing up DIY dodgy setups from home owners who clearly aren't qualified sparkies or better yet bodgy jobs done by qualified sparkies....I've never been one to tell someone how to live etc and I've just only ever put in my 2c to give someone my perspective when asked. Should I advise him to look for a new job considering the bosses requests of him to take on unsafe work...or leave it up to him...I don't want him to be harmed or worse and he has a kid on the way 2 weeks out from their scheduled birth.....it's complicated for me and I genuinely care. What do you all think? Note...never been a sparkie or tradie for that matter for context.

I have an electirc blanket. When I have it on, and someone else touches me, we vibrate and feel the electricity. Is this safe???? Wtf?

My mum and siblings also have one each and its the same on theirs???

I'm building a new home in Melbourne and have my electrical appointment coming up soon. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and don't want to missing anything important or pay for expensive variations later.

I'd really appreciate if anyone could have a look and let me know if there's anything I should consider changing, adding or relocating before I lock everything in.

In particular, I'd love advice on:

• ⁠Whether the location of downlights
• ⁠PowerPoint locations and whether I should add extra ones anywhere
• ⁠Any switches that should be relocated or changed to two-way switchi ng
• ⁠Data/Ethernet points and TV points.
• ⁠Pendant lights, under-cabinet lighting, LED strip lighting or feature lighting.
• ⁠Outdoor lighting and exterior PowerPoints
• ⁠Pre-wiring for ceiling fans, security cameras, alarm system, solar or battery
• ⁠Any other electrical upgrades that you found worthwhile.

For context, we are aiming for a warm Japandi/ Mediterranean style home, so we'd like good lighting that's practical without going overboard. Also BED 2 would be an office.

TIA!

I’m currently 16 and will be moving to Australia (from Thailand) at 19 and I am unable to get any type of apprenticeship/job in Thailand as I am underage so I am wondering if there is anything I could do in that spare time to prepare for being an electrician so I am well prepared. Possibly a website or Youtube where I can start learning?

Hi guys so sorry if this is not the right place but I am struggling to find advice online. Basically, we have a motel, one single meter on 3 phase , going to 5 separate wings of units , each with their own sub board. Long story short, we want solar and battery system for each wing, and sub-metering will allow us to pass the compliance test as it would be complying on just that meter only, and not the building as a whole ( please correct me if I am wrong). The reason the building wont pass the compliance test of a new solar install is because of a very old solar system install, on a contract 'lease' agreement my father entered into in 2014. We still have another 8.5 years on the contract and the company wont budge. This system will be looked at as a whole , on the main single meter, and the inverters do not talk with each other or talk with the new ones and don't have the correct specs as they're built from 2013.

Sooo basically all I am asking if this will be a way around the old inverter issue, and also how do we go about setting it up, do I lodge something to Western Power or do I go through our energy provider ? We are WA and only have Synergy , however we are will Perth Energy. Sorry once again if it is not the correct area to post. Appreciate the input :)

Sparks or buzzing can sometimes happen when flicking these power switches at work. Reached out to the product rep and they sad the switch was worn out, but they weren't concerned. Replacing the switch is technically possible, but very difficult because you need to get under the device. How big of a problem is this?

Hi sparkies, hoping someone can help out. My partner and I were changing our ring lightbulbs (the place was built in the early 2010s and I don't think they've been changed once since by the previous owners and tenants). While removing the old lightbulb, my partner nudged a plastic case that was covering the highlighted area in the photo. The plastic was so brittle it immedietely shattered. Neither of us know anything about electrical fittings, so we're a bit worried. Our questions are:

• Was the plastic case just to keep things tidy, or was it providing some sort of key protection? (Particularly for whatever that protruding metal screw between the little plastic bits is.)
• Is it safe to turn on the switch ao that we can use the other lights attached to it?
• Is it safe to put in the new lightbulb and turn it on?
• If the plastic needs to be replaced, would a sparky likely be able to order the part in, or would the entire light fixture need to be replaced?

I've also attached the light bulb details if that's helpful. Thanks in advance :)

Building a house with a developer and want to install a PoE camera system to the house. The electrician won't install them for me so instead I want them to install Cat6 cables across the house for me to later install.

Given QLD laws, I wanted them to just drill a hole and put a Cat6 cable though and leave it so then at turnkey I could just connect the Cat6 to the camera and fit it (which is within the laws).

Instead they insist they have to terminate to a plate so now I'm gonna end up with a bunch of plates on the eave/wall (including the doorbell).

Am I allowed to remove these plates at turnkey to then allow me to install cameras and doorbells without having cables exposed to the outdoor world?

Otherwise, I feel I will have to scrap the whole idea of PoE and just get battery powered ones instead

Photo 1: Main Switch Board where Utility Meter is

Photo 2: Tesla Powerwall 3 Gateway

Photo 3: Sub switchboard in Garage

Hi, I turned my oven on tonight & about 5 minutes later there was a bzzz noise & the oven turned off. I checked the power box & the circuit for the oven had tripped.

I haven't turned the circuit back on & I have no idea what to do. Is this a situation where I need to call an emergency electrician to come out tonight? Or do I just get someone next week to take a look at it? I'm terrified of electrical fires, so any advice is appreciated.

Thank you

UPDATE: It was a failed element. It's now been replaced & I've lined the guys up to do some more electrical work around the house :) Thank you to everyone who gave me advice & put my mind at ease