The heart of power distribution lies in electrical switchboards of residential and commercial buildings. Moreover, people in all walks of life rely on this power for work, lifestyle, and more. Hence, a small power interruption may affect daily living or worse, pose severe electrical hazards.

While most switchboards have few moving parts, it doesn’t mean that nothing could go wrong. Besides, you need to implement routine maintenance to ensure continuous and power-efficient operation.

Aside from your switchboards, electrical wiring and components are also vulnerable to faults. Over time, insulations and fixtures experience wear and tear, increasing the risks of electrical emergencies.

Moreover, a faulty electrical system can also damage your appliances and equipment that operate in the circuit. For you to avoid dealing with electrical issues frequently, conducting maintenance to the whole electrical system is an urgent action that needs to be addressed.

That said, here’s how often you should do electrical system maintenance and why doing so is beneficial for you.

Electrical Maintenance Schedules

In the NSW Fair Trading Electrical Safety, every householder is legally obliged to keep their home safe from using electricity. Mainly, properties over 25 years old should implement electrical maintenance to ensure a safe and hazard-free wiring system.

Either old or new properties, it is advisable to have a regular basis of electrical maintenance. It is essential to keep your electrical wirings, appliances, switchboards, fittings and earthing connections in good working order. 

Also, the maintenance of your electrical system is not a DIY project. It is crucial to seek assistance from Level 2 electricians or your local energy distributor. Aside from the maintenance should be done annually, doing it every six months is also advisable.

Every six months

Doing an overall inspection mid-year includes checking your meters, indicators and instruments for proper operation. If using a thermostat or heater, you can verify its operation while securing all panel bolts.

Also, check for any noise or vibration in your devices. It might come from loosening bolted connections. While it can happen in the switchgear, make sure water cannot enter the switchboard.

Every 12 months

Meanwhile, annual maintenance involves the inspection of your entire electrical system. Any discoloured insulation indicates an overheated connection and thus needs fixing.

Furthermore, inspect if all cables are in tight connections. If there are signs of wear and damage to the control wiring, then you need a licensed electrician to replace it promptly.

Any device has its maintenance regulation, and following it can help you avoid damages. It is also essential to inspect the mechanical ‘on or off’ of the devices to ensure it’s in good order and operating correctly.

Moreover, some adjustments to your interlocks and padlocking devices can ensure correct operation. The circuit breaker also needs manual conditioning to operate its mechanisms freely.

Of course, the whole system is plugged off because the statutory requirement for carrying out maintenance doesn’t allow working with live wirings. After this, a qualified electrician can do the following post fault maintenance to make everything work back normally.

  • Diagnostic- Qualified electrician needs to remove any fault conditions before operating the circuit breakers back.
  • Cleaning- Everything should be in order and verified; no other damaged wires.
  • Mechanism- The operation mechanism of the circuit breaker should be checked.
  • Insulation test- It is essential to test the insulation resistance before putting the switchgear back into service.

Electrical Maintenance Guarantee

The NSW Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act 2004  opts any properties to have the maintenance of the electrical system to ensure the following:

  • The electrical system shouldn’t be impaired by interference, damage or wear
  • Live parts of the electrical system are insulated against contact of any person
  • Earthing system operates effectively
  • Operating limits doesn’t exceed its design or installation
  • Electrical system doesn’t cause a fire in the surrounding

Electrical Issues Needing Maintenance

Aside from old houses and properties having a high chance of a faulty electrical system, other modern homes are not exempted from risks. This is why everyone needs to have electrical system maintenance. 

You might need immediate electrical system maintenance and inspection after the devastation of severe storms. Also, there are some signs that you need to have electrical maintenance: 

  • Frequently blowing fuses, lightbulbs
  • Frequent tripping of circuit breaker
  • Flickering lights when using other appliances (e.g. oven, furnace, air-condition)
  • Regular power outages
  • Damaged cords and older style plugs

How Electrical Maintenance Benefits You

It might cost you some money in the maintenance of your electrical system. But the benefits of maintenance far outweighs any cost in doing it. Here are some of its benefits:

Reduced Energy Cost

Letting a qualified electrician perform maintenance work regularly is keeping your electrical system and item work in the best condition. This resulting efficiency uses less energy, thus cost you a smaller electrical bill.

Protects Appliances

Whatever appliance you have in your home, you don’t want anything wrong to happen as you’ve spent a good amount of money on buying it. As each piece of equipment has its maintenance instructions, following it can protect your appliances from any damage.

Hazard Safety

Outdated electrical systems and faulty wirings can trigger home fires. So having annual maintenance makes sure that the power source, installations, electrical lines, and outlets are functioning correctly and up-to-date to avoid problems.

Safety of Occupants

Aside from fire, electrocution and explosion of fuses and other electrical equipment are fatal to anyone’s lives. When electrical maintenance is neglected, injury and even death are possible. And no one wants it to happen in either your home or workspace.

Conclusion

In summary, electrical system maintenance is a must in every household. As much as you want to savour the comfort that electricity brings, it is essential to conduct regular maintenance work for power to work smoothly and uninterrupted. 

An annual and mid-year maintenance of the electrical system includes inspection of the wirings to all your appliances. It ensures that all faults and hotspots are diagnosed and repaired so that everyone in your family is safe and secure every day from any electricity-related accidents.

Gordon Powers will comb through your electrical system and isolate faults before they harm your equipment. We offer electrical system maintenance to keep your family and home safe from the possible danger that electricity brings. 

Partner with our level 2 electricians today, call us at (02) 9199 7480.