Adding outlets and fitting safety switches are the two most common jobs I do, and between them they solve most of the everyday electrical frustrations in a house: never enough points where you need them, and no protection on the circuits where it matters most.
Neither is a large job. Both are worth doing properly — a power point is only as good as the connection behind it, and a safety switch is only useful if it is actually protecting the circuits you think it is.
Signs worth acting on rather than waiting out.
A reliable sign there are not enough outlets. Stacked adaptors concentrate load on one point and are a common cause of overheating.
Many older installations have an RCD on the power circuits but nothing on lighting or other circuits.
Leads run through doorways or under rugs are a trip and damage risk, and are not a substitute for a fixed point.
Loose accessories mean loose connections. Warmth means resistance.
Damaged accessories should be replaced, not painted around.
Anything outdoors needs a weatherproof, appropriately rated accessory.
A five-minute conversation about how you use the room usually changes at least one position for the better.
Adding an outlet to an already loaded circuit is not always the right answer. Sometimes the correct job is a new circuit.
Where the cable will run, and what that means for walls and access.
Including whether any switchboard work is needed.
Level, secure, correctly terminated, with cuts kept minimal and the area cleaned up.
Polarity, earth continuity and RCD operation verified, with a CCEW where the work requires one.
Work is carried out to AS/NZS 3000. Current Wiring Rules require RCD protection on final subcircuits, and RCD-protected outlets are required in wet areas and outdoors. A safety switch operates on residual current — it detects the difference between the current flowing out and returning, and disconnects in around 30 milliseconds if roughly 30 milliamps is leaking to earth. Work is done under Licence No. 221442C and certified with a CCEW where applicable.
Every job is quoted after I have seen it — these are the things that move the number:
It depends far more on access than on the outlet itself. A point added back-to-back on an existing one in a plasterboard wall is straightforward; a point on the far side of the house, in double brick, on a new circuit, is a different job. I price it once I can see the run.
Current Wiring Rules require RCD protection on final subcircuits, which for practical purposes means the circuits in your home should be protected. Many older installations have partial protection at best. Testing what your board actually covers is quick and worth doing.
Press the test button on the RCD at your switchboard — it should trip immediately. Doing this every few months is worth the trouble. If it does not trip, or will not reset afterwards, it needs looking at.
Yes, using a weatherproof outlet with an appropriate IP rating and RCD protection. An indoor accessory fitted outdoors, even under an eave, is not acceptable and will not survive.
Yes. Higher-load appliances generally warrant a dedicated circuit rather than sharing an existing one, which usually means work at the switchboard as well. That gets included in the quote up front.
Based in Kellyville and working right across Sydney. These are the areas I am in most often.
Power Points & Safety Switches in Kellyville, NSW
Power Points & Safety Switches in Rouse Hill, NSW
Power Points & Safety Switches in Castle Hill, NSW
Power Points & Safety Switches in Baulkham Hills, NSW
Power Points & Safety Switches in Bella Vista, NSW
Power Points & Safety Switches in Norwest, NSW
Power Points & Safety Switches in Parramatta, NSW
Power Points & Safety Switches in Blacktown, NSW
Tell me what you need and I'll come back to you with honest advice and an upfront price. No obligation, no pressure.