Your switchboard is the heart of your home’s electrical system — and in a lot of older Adelaide homes, it’s quietly overdue for an upgrade. Here are five signs yours might be ready for attention.
1. Ceramic or rewirable fuses
If your switchboard still has the old ceramic fuses — the ones with fuse wire you rewind by hand — it’s a generation or two behind modern safety standards. These offer no protection against electric shock and are a clear sign an upgrade is due.
2. No safety switches
Safety switches (RCDs) cut the power in a fraction of a second when they detect current leaking to earth — the kind of fault that can be fatal. If your board doesn’t have them, that’s the single most important reason to upgrade. (Not sure? See our guide on how to check for safety switches.)
3. It gets warm, buzzes, or smells
A switchboard should sit there quietly doing nothing noticeable. If yours is warm to the touch, buzzing, or you catch a faint burning or plastic smell, that’s a warning sign of loose connections or overloading — and worth getting looked at promptly.
4. Lights flicker when appliances turn on
If your lights dim or flicker every time the kettle boils or the air conditioner kicks in, your system may be struggling to handle the load. Sometimes it’s a simple fix; sometimes it’s a sign the board needs upgrading to cope with modern demand.
5. You’re adding load
Installing an EV charger, ducted air conditioning, or solar? These add significant demand, and an older switchboard often isn’t set up to handle them safely. It’s the perfect time to bring the board up to standard as part of the job.
What an upgrade involves
A switchboard upgrade typically means replacing old fuses with modern circuit breakers, fitting safety switches across your circuits, and making sure everything meets current Australian Standards. Most upgrades are done in a day, and we’ll quote you a fixed price up front so there are no surprises.
Think your switchboard might be due? Send us a photo or call 0417 852 582 for honest advice.
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