What’s Hiding in Your Switchboard?
Most homeowners don’t think twice about their switchboard — until something trips or starts to smell like it’s burning. In this post, I’ll show you what we actually find hiding inside switchboards every week across Adelaide’s northern suburbs — and why it might be time to get yours checked.
🐍 What We Commonly Find Inside Old Switchboards
These are real problems we see regularly:
Ceramic fuses that won’t protect you from electric shock
Melted wires and overloaded circuits
Rodents or insects nesting behind panels
Dodgy DIY connections or unlicensed additions
No RCDs or RCBOs
Burn marks or signs of arcing
We’ve even found switchboards full of dead spiders, dust buildup, and loose neutral connections. Not something you want hiding behind your wall.
🧼 What a Safe Switchboard Should Look Like
Neat layout with labelled circuits
Every circuit protected by RCBOs
No exposed, loose, or melted wires
Properly earthed and enclosed
Compliant with South Australian standards
If you’re not sure what’s behind your cover — it’s worth having it checked.
📍 Where This Is Most Common
If you live in or around the following areas, you might have an older fuse box that’s long overdue for replacement:
Northern Suburbs of Adelaide:
Elizabeth (South, Vale, Downs, East)
Salisbury North, Heights, Park
Munno Para
Smithfield
Craigmore
Hillbank
Regional Areas & Towns:
Gawler
Freeling
Roseworthy
Kapunda
Two Wells
Angle Vale
Barossa Valley homes (especially 60s–80s builds)
Many of these homes still have their original switchboards, installed 30–50 years ago — before RCBOs were even invented.
🧠 What’s an RCBO?
An RCBO (Residual Current Breaker with Overcurrent) is a modern safety device that:
Trips in the event of an electrical fault or short
Cuts power if a person receives an electric shock
Combines an RCD and a circuit breaker into one
We install RCBOs on every circuit during a switchboard upgrade — no exceptions.
🧰 What Happens During a Switchboard Inspection?
Here’s what we do:
Open and inspect all internal wiring and breakers
Check for overheating, loose connections, or poor workmanship
Test the safety trip time on any RCD/RCBO devices
Take clear photos of any issues
Provide honest, pressure-free advice
You’ll walk away with clarity — and if nothing’s wrong, we’ll tell you that too.
📸 Why We Always Take Before & After Photos
It’s not just for show — it’s part of the job:
You get proof of what was done
It keeps everything transparent
If we find issues, we show you
It’s helpful for landlords, real estate agents, or insurance
📞 Ready to See What’s Hiding Behind Yours?
If your home’s 20+ years old, or you’ve never had your switchboard inspected — it’s time.
We’ll take a look, explain everything in plain English, and show you the photos.
👉 Book Online Now
📞 Call or text Ben: 0490 383 605