Electrician in Koo Wee Rup, VIC
Electrical work in Koo Wee Rup
Koo Wee Rup sits on the old Koo Wee Rup Swamp, which was drained by a network of drains, much of it dug by hand, and the main works were finished around 1905. The town runs along Rossiter Road and Station Street, with the Royal Hotel of 1915, the Presbyterian church of 1896 and the historical society museum at 325 Rossiter Road. Around it, farms grow potatoes and asparagus, and new houses have been built in town since 1985.
The town is flat and low. Floods in 1934 and 1937 put water through Rossiter Road and Station Street, and the railway embankment was blamed for holding the water in town. Houses and sheds here sit close to the ground, so we look at how high the meter box and the outdoor points are before anything else. On the farms around town, driveways are long, gates are shut and the board is often on a shed.
The soil under and around the town is peat, which has lost a large part of its volume since the swamp was drained. We do not assume what that means for an underground cable or an earth stake, so we test earthing and do not take it as fitted. Houses built from 1985 are a different job from the older ones, with modern boards and newer cable, and the farmhouses are different again.
What we do here most
What a flood plain town keeps needing
Water has been through this town before, and farm sheds sit a long way from the house. Most of the work is about keeping power points and boards out of the wet.
Electrical Repair
Power lost after floodwater has been through
After a flood, the danger is water in places the owner cannot see: conduit under the floor, the back of power points, the base of the meter box. We switch off what is wet and test circuit by circuit as the building dries, instead of turning the whole house on at once. Appliances that stood in water are checked before they are connected again.
Electrical Inspection
Checking low boards and outdoor points
A board mounted low on an outside wall, or a power point near the floor in a garage, is the first thing water reaches. We open the board, test the safety switches, and look at what sits low in the house, the garage and the sheds. If something should be higher, we say so and show you where.
Electrical Installation
Power to a farm shed on drained swamp land
Farm sheds on the flat land around town can be a long way from the house, and a cable between them lies in wet, peaty ground. The cable runs buried in conduit to a board in the shed, with its own protection. In a shed that may get wet, outlets are placed away from the floor and from where water gathers.
Residential Electrical
Adding circuits to a house built since the 1980s
Houses built in the town since the 1980s have newer boards, and the work tends to be additions: a split system, a second living area, an outdoor kitchen. Each addition is a new circuit with its own breaker, and the board needs a spare way for it. If it does not have one, we say what changing the board involves.
If it is urgent
If the power drops after heavy rain
- 1Look at your board for a tripped safety switch, and check whether the neighbours' lights are out too.
- 2Stay out of water that reaches a power point, a meter box or a cable, and do not switch a wet circuit back on.
- 3When you call, tell us the street, how high the water is, which rooms or sheds are wet, and which way in is open. We answer the phone at any hour, every day.
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What electrical services do you provide?
We do domestic and commercial electrical work. That covers repairs, circuit breaker replacement, switches, outlets, lighting, appliance installation, switchboard upgrades, safety inspections, car chargers, renovations and new builds. The services page lists each one.
What happens when I call?
You describe what is going on: which room, what the power was doing, and whether a breaker has tripped. We ask a few questions and tell you what we think it is and what the next step is. If it is urgent, we say so and deal with that first.
Do you do emergency callouts at any hour?
Yes. We answer the phone at any hour, every day, and emergency callouts run at any hour too. If something smells hot, a switch is sparking or the power will not come back, call rather than send a message.
Do you handle new builds and renovations?
Yes. For a new build we work through the electrical from the switchboard out, including power points, lighting and cabling for appliances, data and security. For a renovation we work around what is already in the walls, and we coordinate with the builder where there is one.
Can you upgrade the switchboard in my older home?
Yes. Older switchboards often struggle with the load of modern appliances and can be a safety risk. We open the board, look at what is there and tell you what needs replacing, whether that is a few breakers or the whole board.
How often should I have an electrical inspection?
About every 5 years for a standard home. Have one sooner when you are buying a property, when the home has outdated wiring, or when breakers trip often. We check the wiring, the switchboard and the circuit breakers, and you get a plain report with recommendations.
Can you install an electric car charger?
Yes. We start with a consultation on your property's electrical system to decide where the charger should go and what suits your car. If the switchboard or wiring needs work to carry it, we do that as part of the job, then test the charger and show you how it works.
Do you install and replace lights?
Yes, inside and out. That includes downlights, pendants, wall lights, LED upgrades, and outdoor and garden lighting. We can also fit switches and dimmers to go with them.
Can you add or replace outlets and switches?
Yes. We fit new outlets where you need them, swap worn or faulty ones, and replace switches. If an outlet keeps failing, we check the circuit behind it rather than just changing the faceplate.
Do you connect ovens, dishwashers and other appliances?
Yes. That includes ovens, cooktops, rangehoods, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers. Some need their own circuit or a hardwired connection, and we set that up and test it. We can take the old appliance away on request.
What should I send with an enquiry?
Photos help. A shot of the switchboard with the cover open (only if you can do it safely), the faulty fitting, or the room where you want the work done. Add a line on what happened just before it stopped.
Which areas do you cover, and what if my suburb is not listed?
We work across Melbourne and the surrounding areas: the south-east, Casey and Cardinia, plus Box Hill, Hampton and South Yarra. The service areas page lists the places we work most often. If yours is not there, call and tell us the suburb, because the list is not a boundary.
Everything we do here
Services in Koo Wee Rup, VIC
These are the services we offer around Koo Wee Rup, planned here around low ground, wet soil and farm sheds a long way from the house.
Local, and on the phone
Electrical work in Koo Wee Rup
Tell us whether the job is in town or on a farm, and whether the board or the power points have ever had water over them. That decides what we test first.
0432 167 19624 hours a day, 7 days a week
Not urgent? Send us the job instead