Switchboards
Switchboard upgrades for Ponsonby homes and shops
The switchboard is where every circuit in a building begins, and in many older Ponsonby houses and shops it is the oldest part of the electrical installation still working. A switchboard upgrade in Ponsonby replaces rewireable fuses with circuit breakers, adds protection the old board never had, and gives the building room for the circuits it needs today.
From the street to your switchboard
Power reaches a Ponsonby property along Vector's lines as far as the point of supply, usually an isolating fuse on the boundary or on the nearest pole. The service line from there to the meter belongs to the property owner, and the meter is the electricity retailer's responsibility. Then comes the switchboard: the main switch, and a fuse or circuit breaker for each part of the building's wiring.
Everything from the switchboard onwards is the owner's installation and an electrician's work. In a shop with a flat above, a converted house or a block of apartments there may be several boards, sometimes in a shared cupboard or out the back, and part of any upgrade is working out which board feeds what.
Fuses, circuit breakers and RCDs
A fuse and a circuit breaker do the same job: when a circuit is overloaded or develops a fault, they cut it off before the cable overheats. The difference is what happens next. A breaker is reset with a flick of a lever. A rewireable fuse has to be pulled out and rewired with fuse wire of the right rating, in the dark, often by someone who is not sure which rating that is. Put in wire that is too heavy and the circuit can carry more current than it was ever meant to, which is how an overload turns into a fire.
That is why WorkSafe advises, where possible, replacing the fuses in a switchboard with plug-in circuit breakers of the same rating, because they are safer to use and do not require replacing. A full switchboard upgrade goes further. It can add residual current devices, which WorkSafe describes as turning the power off when things go wrong and reducing the risk of a fatal electric shock, and every circuit gets a label, so the next person to open the board knows what each one does.
A new board is also the point where a building gets room to grow. If you are planning a heat pump, an induction cooktop or a new kitchen, those circuits have to land somewhere, and a board that is already full of old fuse carriers has no space left.
When a new switchboard makes sense
When the work must be inspected
Switchboard work is one of the places where New Zealand's electrical regulations ask for a second set of eyes. The Electrical Workers Registration Board explains that installing a higher-capacity board to cater for increased use is an alteration classed as high-risk work, and so is relocating a board where that means extending, jointing or rerouting the mains. High-risk work must be inspected. Replacing a damaged or faulty fitting like for like, on the other hand, is low-risk repair work and does not need an inspection.
The electrician you employ is responsible for arranging the inspection, so you do not have to find an inspector yourself. Where your upgrade needs one, we arrange a licensed electrical inspector, and once the work is tested you receive the certificate for it along with the inspection record. Keep both with the property's papers.
Switchboard questions
Can I just swap my fuses for circuit breakers?
Sometimes. Plug-in circuit breakers of the same rating can replace rewireable fuses in some older boards, and WorkSafe recommends it where possible. Whether that is the right fix, or whether the board itself needs replacing, depends on its condition and what the building needs from it.
Will you move my meter?
The meter is your electricity retailer's responsibility, so any change to it goes through them. We can talk you through what is involved if your switchboard upgrade makes moving it worth considering.
Will the power be off while the board is replaced?
Yes, for part of the job, because a switchboard cannot be changed while it is live. We will tell you beforehand roughly when the power will go off, so you can plan around it, or for a business, choose a time when you are closed.
Do you do the inspection yourselves?
No. When the work needs inspecting, it is done by a licensed electrical inspector, and the electrician you employ is responsible for arranging that. We arrange the inspection for you.
Our board has no labels. Is that a problem?
It makes every fault slower to deal with. Labelling every circuit belongs in any switchboard upgrade, and it is worth asking for whenever an electrician is working on an older board.
Power out, or a job to plan?
Call 021 156 4005 at any hour, or send us the details and an electrician will get back to you.
Other services for Ponsonby
Emergency electrician and fault finding
Call-outs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to find and fix the fault that has cut your power.Villa and house rewiring
Rewiring for cottages, villas and bungalows whose wiring was never meant for the appliances in them today.Lighting
LED, interior, garden and outdoor lighting for homes, shops and venues.Commercial and hospitality electrical
Electrical work for the shops, bars, restaurants and offices along Ponsonby Road.Heat pump installation
Heat pumps sized for the room and installed with their own circuit.Data and fibre cabling
Wired data points, fibre and network cabling for homes and offices.Enquiries
Contact us
Call 021 156 4005 at any hour, or tell us below what needs doing and where, and an electrician will get back to you.
021 156 4005- Auckland
- Call-outs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week