Electrician in Byron Bay, NSW
Electrical work around Byron Bay
Our work in Byron Bay sits in three very different places. There are the beachside streets around Jonson Street and Lawson Street, where apartment blocks, shops and holiday lets sit close together. There is the Arts and Industry Estate, with workshops, studios and small businesses sharing sheds. And there are the houses on the slopes toward Cape Byron and Wategos, where blocks are steep and shaded by trees. Each one has its own wiring problems, and salt air is the thread that runs through all of them.
Access in town is mostly about parking and who holds the key. A holiday let may be empty between guests, so the job depends on a manager letting us in and on the dates around a changeover day. Apartment blocks keep their meters and boards in a common room or a locked riser, usually held by the strata manager. Up toward Wategos the streets are narrow and the driveways are steep, so we often carry gear in from a distance. Tell us where to park and who can open the gate.
Housing here runs from old fibro and weatherboard cottages to renovated beach houses and newer apartments. The older cottages often still have ceramic fuses or a small board with no safety switches, and the cable in the roof space may be rubber or early plastic that has aged. Salt air eats at exposed connections, outdoor power points and switchboard enclosures, so rust and green corrosion are common finds. Newer places have the opposite problem, with every circuit loaded by air conditioners, pool pumps and chargers that the original board was never sized for.
What we do here most
What Byron Bay keeps needing
Salt air and heavy seasonal use wear out switchboards, outdoor fittings and old cable faster than people expect, and most of these jobs start there.
Switchboard Upgrades
Rusted switchboard in a beachside cottage
A fibro cottage a few streets back from the beach has a metal board on the outside wall. The cover is rusted at the hinge and the screws are seized. Inside, there may be old fuse holders and no safety switches. We open it up, check the main switch and the earthing, and replace the whole board with a sealed enclosure that suits salt air.
Commercial Electrical
Arts and Industry Estate unit fitout
A small maker takes over a unit in the Arts and Industry Estate and finds one power point and a single fluorescent tube. The job is a new sub-board, extra circuits for machines or a kiln, and proper lighting over the work bench. We talk through what will run at once before sizing the cable. The roof of a shed is usually where the cable path gets decided.
Smoke Detector Installation
Smoke alarms in a short-stay rental
A holiday house near Lawson Street has alarms of different ages, some missing from bedrooms and some chirping with a flat battery. Guests change every few days, so nobody notices. We fit interconnected alarms wired to the mains, so when one sounds they all do. The job is done around the changeover day and the manager's keys.
Lighting Installation
New lighting for a Wategos deck
A house on the slope above Wategos wants lights along the steps and under the deck. The cable has to run through damp, shaded ground and past tree roots. We use outdoor-rated fittings and conduit, put the circuit behind a safety switch, and keep the connections off the ground where salt and moisture sit. A photo of the steps and the nearest power point is a good start.
If it is urgent
If the power drops at Wategos
- 1Look at your switchboard and see whether a safety switch or breaker has tripped, then switch it back on once only.
- 2Leave corroded fittings, damp power points and any board with a burnt smell alone, and keep your hands off the cover.
- 3Tell us your street, whether it is a house, apartment or shed, and who holds the key if the place is a rental.
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 Byron Bay, NSW
Every service we offer comes down to the same thing in Byron Bay: wiring and equipment that has to live with salt air, damp and heavy seasonal use.
Also nearby
We work in these suburbs too
Local, and on the phone
Send us your Byron Bay job
Send a photo of your switchboard with the cover closed, and tell us the street. If it is an apartment or a rental, add the name of whoever holds the keys. That is enough for us to plan how the visit will run.
0468 051 006Monday to Friday 7:30am to 4pm
Not urgent? Send us the job instead