Electrical fault finding in Melbourne

First: is anyone in danger?

Energy Safe Victoria's warning is blunt: electricity can kill in an instant. If lives are in danger, call 000.

If someone has had an electric shock, Better Health's first aid advice is to switch off or disconnect the power if you can, and not to touch them until you're sure it's off. Even a mild shock needs medical attention, to check whether the heart has been affected. Electrical incidents can be reported to Energy Safe on 1800 000 922.

Stay more than 8 to 10 metres away from fallen powerlines and treat them as live, even when they're broken. Call your electricity distributor (below) and the police. Storm damage covers powerlines down after a storm.

No power: your home, or the street?

Check whether your neighbours have lost power too. If they still have it, the problem is probably in your home: look at your switchboard to see whether a safety switch has tripped.

If the street is out, it's a job for your electricity distributor, the company that owns and maintains the poles and wires, which restores power. Report the outage to your distributor or on the faults and emergencies number on your latest bill, and check its website or outage map for updates. If you don't know your distributor, the Victorian Government's number is 136 186.

• CitiPower: 13 12 80
• Powercor: 13 24 12
• AusNet Services: 13 17 99
• Jemena: 13 16 26
• United Energy: 13 20 99

A safety switch that trips

A safety switch (an RCD) cuts the power when it detects a fault, which is what it's for. Energy Safe's advice: unplug or turn off all your appliances and equipment, then reset the switch. If it won't reset, call a licensed electrician.

If it resets and trips again, note which appliances were on and which rooms lost power before you call: it's the information an electrician needs to find the fault. Don't try to fix it yourself.

Test your safety switches with the test button: Energy Safe recommends every three months. If pressing it doesn't cut the power, call a licensed electrician straight away. Switchboard upgrades covers homes that don't have safety switches on every circuit.

Signs your wiring needs checking

Energy Safe lists these as signs that household wiring may be faulty. The insulation on wiring breaks down over time and can leave bare wires exposed, so if your home is more than 30 years old, consider getting the wiring checked.

• Flickering lights
• Sparks from the switchboard, switches or power points
• An old switchboard, particularly one without a safety switch

Who can find and fix the fault

Electrical work isn't a DIY job in Victoria, even something as small as changing a power point or light switch. Book a Registered Electrical Contractor, and ask to see the electrician's licence: they carry an identification card. Contractors must show their REC number on their advertising, and you can check both on Energy Safe's public register. How to check a tradie's licence walks through it.

After electrical installation work, the electrician must give you a Certificate of Electrical Safety: within 30 days for work that doesn't need an inspection, or within 4 days of the certificate being completed for work that does. They can't refuse to issue one over a payment or contract dispute, and if you don't get one you can complain to Energy Safe.

Fault finding often takes time before anyone knows what the repair is. Ask how the inspection or fault-finding time is charged, separately from the repair, and what happens if the fault isn't found on the first visit.

Renting?

A dangerous electrical fault, or electricity that isn't working, is an urgent repair: see rental repairs for who calls the electrician and when a renter can. Rental providers must have the electrical installation checked by a licensed or registered electrician every two years. Since 29 March 2023, in most rentals (agreements that started, or became month-to-month, on or after 29 March 2021), every power outlet and lighting circuit must be connected to both a circuit breaker and a safety switch.

What to tell the electrician

• What happened and when: a trip, a flicker, a smell, sparks or no power
• Which rooms or circuits are affected, and whether neighbours have power
• What was running when it happened, and whether the switch resets
• Roughly how old the house and switchboard are
• A photo of the switchboard with its cover closed

Example brief

“Safety switch on the kitchen and laundry circuit in a 1970s house in Clayton has tripped three times this week, usually in the evening. It resets each time. Neighbours have power. I've unplugged the kettle and toaster and it still happened once. Please quote a fault-finding visit, how it's charged, and when you could come.”

Before booking an electrician

• 000 first if anyone is hurt or in danger
• Neighbours checked: your home or the street
• Appliances unplugged before resetting a safety switch
• A Registered Electrical Contractor, licence sighted
• Fault-finding time priced separately from the repair
• A Certificate of Electrical Safety afterwards

Ready to describe it? Start a job request or browse electrical jobs. For an urgent fault, see emergency tradies. Availability depends on real postings, and registration must be enabled to submit.