Australia today uses modern electric switchboards, which are far more straightforward than those of yesteryears. They come with a set of miniature circuit breakers and in the least a single safety switch and a main switch that you can use in case of an electrical problem.

Below, we discuss a few DIY things you can use the switchboard for when faced with electrical problems at home.

When Power Goes Off

Depending on what may have caused it to go off, you may not be able to fix the issue. The first thing is to peer into your neighbours’ properties to see whether their lights are on, and other signs that they may still have electricity.

If the entire street is dark, then you have to wait for power to be restored, however, if your neighbours have electricity go to your switchboard and check to see whether the main switch of off. If it has, switch it back on again.

If it goes off again, call in an electrician to assess the situation. If you had replaced the switchboard recently, call the supplier and seek for advice. At times the issue could be the main fuse, and they will send over a technician to replace the unit.

When Appliances Quit

If your lighting, appliances or PowerPoints fail, more so, if the lights keep going on and off, but other electrical points are working, this could signify a circuit issue. The breaker could have tripped, a problem that you can fix with ease.

Go to where the switchboard box is located, open it, and check to see the switch that has tripped. Switch it back on.

Caution: the switch may trip again, and in such a situation, you can either try to find out what appliance is overloading and causing the breaker to trip. If not, you should phone in a licensed electrician to find out whether you’re experiencing an electrical fault.

Labelling

Remember when we were young, and we were taught to label things? Labelling comes in handy, especially when you want to make your switchboard useful. Unfortunately, most time switchboard labelling is done poorly, thus leaving you to guess where the power points, stove circuit, or hot water switches are. There are certain times where you’ll come across several miniature circuit breakers labelled as lighting; another group will be labelled power.

These will narrow down the confusion for you, and if you’re lucky, you will find a few power points labelled. If the switchboard has many circuit breakers, they will often be labelled in line with the controlling MCB.

Final Thoughts

Switchboards are usually located in dark places. Having a source of light such as a rechargeable torch of using the light source from your smartphone will make it easy to identify the circuit breaker that has tripped.

In any instance that the lights keep going off, or flickering, and anything you do doesn’t help, kindly make an appointment with an electrician.

He will come round to your place, carry out investigations and give you proper advice. You may find that time has come to change the whole switchboard unit or a few circuit breakers.