Electrician in Bangalow, NSW
Electrical work in Bangalow village
Bangalow is built around Byron Street, which slopes down from the Bangalow Hotel at the top to the showground at the bottom. Shops, cafes and small offices line the street, and the cottages sit on the streets behind. Past the village, the work moves out to farmhouses, acreage homes and converted barns in the hills, which is where most of our longer cable runs and generator jobs come from.
In the village, parking is tight on market weekends and the Bangalow Showground fills the streets nearby, so we plan around that. On acreage, the driveway is often dirt and steep, with a gate that may be locked. Tell us who holds the key, and mention creek crossings or wet patches that stop a work vehicle in rain. Meter boxes on old cottages can be hidden behind plants or under a verandah.
Many Bangalow cottages are timber, built long before modern safety switches existed. The wiring in the walls and ceilings can be old rubber or cloth cable, and the roof spaces are often tight. Heritage rules in the village can affect what shows on the outside of a building, which matters for lights and switches. Timber houses also mean we pay close attention to cable routes and smoke alarms.
What we do here most
What Bangalow cottages keep needing
Old timber buildings with new demands is the pattern here, from verandah lights to smoke alarms to a failed circuit in a farmhouse.
Lighting Installation
New lights for a timber verandah
Queenslander-style cottages in Bangalow have wide verandahs that suit wall lights and downlights under the eaves. The cable has to find a way through timber framing without cutting structural members. We look at the roof space and the wall cavity first, then choose fittings that suit the age of the house.
Electrical Repairs
Dead power points in a cottage
When power points stop working in an older timber cottage, the cause is often a joint in the ceiling or a worn section of cable. We test circuit by circuit to find where the supply breaks, then repair or replace that part. If the cable itself is old and brittle, we say so and talk through rewiring the circuit.
Smoke Detector Installation
Smoke alarms in a timber cottage
A timber house with a tight roof space is the kind of building where a working smoke alarm matters most. Alarms are placed in the hallway and near sleeping areas, and interconnected so that one sounding sets off the rest. We run the cable through the roof space and into the existing circuit.
Emergency Electrical
Power fault at a hillside farmhouse
A farmhouse in the Bangalow hills can lose power from a storm, a tree on the line or a fault inside. Start by checking whether the neighbours are out too. If it is only your place, the fault is on your side of the meter, and we work from the board outward to find it.
If it is urgent
If a Bangalow farmhouse loses power
- 1Look at the switchboard. If a switch has dropped, flip it back once. If it drops again, leave it off.
- 2Do not touch a fallen line or a tree against the wires, and keep the board cover closed and your hands dry.
- 3When you call, tell us whether you are in the village or in the hills, the road name, whether the driveway is dirt or has a creek crossing, and who holds the gate key.
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I send before someone visits?
A short description of what is happening and which suburb you are in is the main thing. A photo of the switchboard with the cover closed, and one of the spot where the work is needed, lets us see the age of the installation and the layout. If an appliance or unit is involved, send its make and model.
How do I describe a fault over the phone?
Say which room or circuit is affected and what you noticed first, such as lights flickering, a switch tripping or a smell of burning. Mention whether it happens all the time or only when a particular appliance is running. If there is smoke, fire or someone has been hurt, call 000 first.
What days and hours are you open?
We are open Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 4pm, and closed on Saturday and Sunday. You can call 0468 051 006 or email enquires@switchedonelectrical.com.au. If you email, put your suburb and what is going on in the first lines.
Which areas do you cover?
We are based in Ballina and work across the Northern Rivers. That includes Lennox Head, Skennars Head, Alstonville, Wollongbar, Byron Bay, Bangalow, Lismore, Mullumbimby, Woodburn, Evans Head and Broadwater. If you are somewhere nearby, call and ask.
What does a switchboard upgrade involve?
The power is switched off, the old board is taken out and a new board goes in with the circuits moved across. Safety switches are fitted to the circuits and each circuit is labelled. Older boards sometimes hide extra wiring, which becomes visible once the cover is off.
Can a power point be added where I need one?
Usually, yes. It depends on where the nearest circuit is, whether that circuit can carry the extra load, and how the cable can reach the spot through the roof space, the wall cavity or under the floor. A photo of the wall and a note of what you want to plug in is enough to start.
What if my safety switch keeps tripping?
Unplug everything on the affected circuit and reset the switch once. If it holds, plug appliances back in one at a time, since a faulty appliance is a common cause. If it trips again with nothing plugged in, leave it off and call us, because the fault is in the wiring or a fitting.
What do I need to know about smoke alarm basics?
Alarms belong in hallways and near bedrooms, and interconnected alarms sound together when one detects smoke. Mains powered alarms with a battery backup are common in newer homes. Most alarms have a date printed on the back, so check it, and call us if yours is old or does not sound when tested.
How are data points run?
A network cable, usually Cat6, runs from a central point such as a patch panel or a rack to a wall outlet in each room. It goes through the roof space or wall cavity, is terminated at both ends and is tested. Tell us which rooms need a point and where the router or rack will sit.
Do you work with solar and batteries?
Yes. Solar system installation and battery installation are both on our list of work. Both connect through the switchboard and meter box, so a photo of those and the make of any inverter or battery you have in mind is a useful start.
What is involved in an EV charger install?
The charger needs its own circuit from the switchboard, and the cable has to run from the board to wherever the car parks. We look at the board for spare space and at the distance to the garage or carport. Send a photo of the board and the make and model of the charger.
What should I know before an air conditioner install?
Decide which room the unit serves and where the outdoor unit can sit, since the pipes and cable have to connect the two. The switchboard needs a circuit with enough capacity for the unit. Send the make and model if you have chosen one, and a photo of the board and the wall where the indoor unit will go.
Everything we do here
Services in Bangalow, NSW
These services suit old timber cottages and hillside farmhouses, where the wiring is older and the driveways are long.
Also nearby
We work in these suburbs too
Local, and on the phone
Send us your Bangalow job details
Tell us whether the house is in the village or up a dirt road, and send a photo of the switchboard or the driveway. That decides how we get in and how we plan the day.
0468 051 006Monday to Friday 7:30am to 4pm
Not urgent? Send us the job instead