Power Out? What to Check Before You Call

Quick Checks

Four Things to Check, in Order

1. Is it just you?

Look out the window. Are the neighbours' lights on? Are the streetlights on? If the whole street is dark, it's a network outage. Check Western Power's outage map or call them on 13 13 51. There's nothing an electrician can do until they've fixed it on their end.

2. Check your switchboard

Open the switchboard and look for a switch that's flipped down or sitting halfway. That's usually a safety switch (RCD) or a circuit breaker that has tripped.

• Push it fully off first, then back on.
• If it stays on, you're back in business.
• If it trips again straight away, something on that circuit has a fault.

Never force a switch that won't stay on. And if your board still has old ceramic fuses, don't try to repair a blown one yourself. That one's a job for an electrician.

3. Find the culprit

If the safety switch keeps tripping, unplug everything on that part of the house. Reset the switch, then plug things back in one at a time. If it trips when you plug in, say, the kettle or the fridge, you've found the problem appliance.

If it still trips with everything unplugged, the fault is in the wiring, or in something that's wired in, like an oven, a hot water system or the air con. That's when you need an electrician.

4. When to call us

• A switch that won't stay on.
• Power is out at your place but not next door.
• A burning smell, buzzing, or a power point or switchboard that feels hot.
• Lights flickering or dimming for no obvious reason.

Call us on 0415 203 286. There's no call-out fee, and our emergency electrician service runs 24/7.

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