Safety switch and RCD installation in Sydney
A circuit breaker protects the wiring. A safety switch protects the person. They are not the same device, and plenty of Sydney homes only have the first.
Burning smell, sparking switchboard or no power?
Do not touch it. Call us — 24 hours, every day.
Safety switch (RCD) done once, done properly.
An RCD compares the current flowing out against the current coming back. When some of it goes somewhere it should not — through a person, through water, through a damaged cable — it cuts the supply in a fraction of a second. That interval is the difference between a fright and a fatality.
Fuses and circuit breakers do not do this. They protect the cable from overload, not you from electrocution. If your board has no safety switches, or one covering only the power points, it is worth an hour of an electrician's time.
Standard
AS/NZS 3000 Wiring Rules
Typical duration
Under an hour
Covers
Power & lighting
Paperwork
Certificate of Compliance
Everything in the price, listed.
Board inspection
What protection you currently have, and what each device actually covers.
RCD installation
Safety switches fitted to power and lighting circuits.
Combination devices
RCBOs where the board layout suits one device per circuit.
Trip time testing
Every device tested against the required trip current and time.
Nuisance tripping faults
Tracing the appliance or circuit causing an RCD to trip repeatedly.
Certificate of compliance
Issued on completion with the test results recorded.
You need this if
- Your board has fuses or breakers but no safety switches
- Only the power circuits are protected and the lights are not
- The test button on an existing RCD does nothing
- An RCD trips repeatedly and someone has simply stopped resetting it
- You are renting the property out
- The house has never had an electrical inspection
Nuisance tripping is information, not a nuisance
An RCD that trips repeatedly is usually detecting a genuine leakage fault — a failing appliance, water in an outdoor point, a nail through a cable, or degraded insulation in old wiring.
The wrong answer is to remove it or wire around it. The right one is to find the fault, which is a straightforward process of isolating circuits and appliances until the source shows itself.
- Existing protection identified circuit by circuit
- RCDs or RCBOs installed to the required circuits
- Each device tested for trip current and trip time
- Any existing leakage fault traced and reported
- Results recorded and compliance certificate issued
24/7
Emergency callout
2
Networks accredited
$0
To quote your job
401213C
NSW licence
Four steps, no mystery.
You call or send the form
Tell us what's happening. If it's dangerous we tell you what to switch off.
We quote it in writing
Fixed price where we can, hourly where the fault is unknown.
We do the work
On the agreed day. Anything that changes the price gets your approval first.
You get the paperwork
Certificate of Compliance, plus any network notification we lodged.
Safety switch (RCD) questions we get asked.
What is the difference between a circuit breaker and a safety switch?
A breaker protects the wiring from overload and short circuit. A safety switch protects a person from electric shock. Most homes need both.
How often should I test mine?
Press the test button every three months. It should trip immediately. If it does not, call us.
Are safety switches a legal requirement?
Requirements apply to new work and to rental properties, and vary by circumstance. Regardless of the rules, a board without one is worth fixing.
My RCD keeps tripping. Can you just remove it?
No — it is doing its job. We trace the fault instead, which is usually a specific appliance or circuit.
How long does installation take?
Often under an hour where the board has space. A full board with no room may need an upgrade first.
Often booked at the same time.
Get a written quote before anything starts.
Free quotes, 24/7 emergency, and a real person on the phone.