Understanding Switchboards: Age, Safety, and When to Upgrade
Your switchboard is the heart of your home's electrical system. Here's how to tell how old yours is, what to look for, and when it's time to upgrade.
Most people only think about their switchboard when the power goes off. But your board tells a story about your home’s electrical health — and in South Auckland’s older housing stock, that story is often worth hearing before it becomes an emergency.
What to look for:
- Ceramic fuse holders — these are old and need replacing. They’re identifiable by the screw-in porcelain fuse elements. When they blow, you replace the fuse wire, which means most people just put in thicker wire. That’s a fire risk.
- No RCDs — RCDs (residual current devices) are the safety switches that save lives. If your board doesn’t have any, this is the most important upgrade you can make.
- 30-amp main fuse but no circuit breakers — common in state housing from the 1960s. The protection isn’t granular enough for modern loads.
- Discolouration or burn marks — if you see any scorching inside the board, call an electrician today.
When to upgrade:
If your board has ceramic fuses, no RCDs, or is more than 30 years old without a recent service, talk to us. A modern board with proper circuit breakers and RCDs is safer, more reliable, and required for some home insurance policies.
We’ll quote the job honestly. Switchboard upgrades for a typical South Auckland home range from $800–$2,000 depending on what’s there now.
Full guide coming soon. In the meantime, contact us or call 09 392 0055 with questions about your switchboard.