Power point installation across south-east Melbourne
Extension leads running under rugs and a double adaptor doing the work of four outlets. Adding power points is the smallest job we do and the one that most often uncovers a circuit that was never sized for what the room now holds.
- 5.0 from 216 Google reviews
- Registered Electrical Contractor REC 20101
- 25 years trading
Extension leads are a symptom, not a solution
Double adaptors and leads under rugs are how a house tells you it does not have enough outlets in the right places.
- Double adaptors and power boards carrying the load in one room.
- Extension leads run under rugs, through doorways or out to the garage.
- No outlet where the desk, the bed or the kitchen bench actually is.
- Outdoor power taken from an internal point through a window or a gap in the wall.
- Two-pin outlets, or outlets with no earth, anywhere in the house.
- A circuit trips when the heater and the kettle run together.
- USB charging is being done off a tangle of adaptors on a bench.
- A new appliance needs a dedicated circuit and there is nowhere to put one.
What adding power points actually covers
A new outlet on an existing circuit is quick. A new circuit from the board is a different job, and which one you need depends on the load.
- The existing circuit checked for capacity before anything is added to it.
- Single, double and quad outlets installed, including USB combination points.
- Weatherproof outdoor outlets with the correct ingress rating and RCD protection.
- Dedicated circuits run where an appliance warrants its own, rather than loading an existing one.
- Outlets for garages, sheds and studios, including the submain where one is needed.
- Cable concealed in walls and ceilings where practical, with the route agreed first.
- Existing two-pin or unearthed outlets replaced and the circuit earthed properly.
- Testing and a Certificate of Electrical Safety where required.
About Power point installation
The real problem is rarely the outlet
Somebody rings because they want another power point by the desk. The useful question is what the circuit feeding that wall is already carrying, because adding an outlet to a circuit that is already at its limit moves the problem rather than solving it.
We check the circuit before adding to it. Often the answer is straightforward. Sometimes the honest answer is that the room needs its own circuit, and we would rather tell you that before the work than after the breaker starts tripping.
What we install
Indoor outlets
Singles, doubles and quads, including USB combination points for bedside and bench positions. Cable concealed in walls and ceilings where practical, with the route agreed before anything is cut.
Outdoor and weatherproof
Outdoor points need the correct ingress protection rating, correct mounting and residual current protection. An internal outlet inside a plastic box is not compliant and will not survive a Melbourne winter.
Dedicated circuits
Some appliances warrant their own circuit rather than sharing: workshop tools, a second fridge or freezer, a home office with a lot of equipment. A dedicated circuit costs more than an outlet and saves the nuisance tripping that otherwise follows.
Sheds, garages and studios
An outbuilding usually needs a correctly sized submain rather than a lead run out the window. Voltage drop over a long undersized run is why appliances behave oddly at the far end of a block.
Bathrooms, kitchens and zones
Outlets near a bath, basin or shower sit within defined zones that decide exactly where they can go. Those distances are not negotiable regardless of where the joinery was designed to sit, and a compliant position can usually be found if we are asked early enough.
Two pin and unearthed outlets
If any outlet in the house has two pins rather than three, or the circuit has no earth conductor, that is not a quirk to work around. It means part of the installation predates requirements that exist for good reason, and it should be dealt with rather than extended.
We quote the job in front of us
No rate card, because the honest number depends on things nobody can see from a website. Estimates are free.
03 9889 3341Not urgent? Send the details and we will come back to you within one business day.
Standards this work is held to
New socket outlets come under residual current protection, which AS/NZS 3000 requires for final subcircuits in domestic installations. If the circuit you are adding to has no RCD, that gets dealt with as part of the work rather than left for later, because adding outlets to an unprotected circuit makes an existing problem bigger.
Outdoor outlets need the right ingress protection rating and correct positioning, not an internal outlet in a plastic box. Anything in a bathroom or near a sink has zone requirements that decide where it can physically go, and those are not negotiable regardless of where the joiner wanted it.
How long it takes
- Quote
- Over the phone for straightforward work, once you can describe the room and the wall.
- A single outlet
- An hour or two, depending on access and whether the wall is brick.
- A room's worth
- Half a day, usually.
- New dedicated circuit
- Half to a full day, depending on the run back to the board.
Rated 5.0 across 216 Google reviews
-
Highly recommend Simon and STL Electrical. One of our mains tripped during a freak thunderstorm resulting in no power to part of our kitchen (incl fridge) and internet. Simon was a lifesaver and kind enough to respond to an after…
Nat Chen, Google review
Power point installation questions we get asked
Can you add a point without opening the wall?
Usually, if there is roof or subfloor access and the wall is not solid brick. We will tell you what patching is likely before starting, not after.
Is a double adaptor really a problem?
One, occasionally, no. Several stacked, or one carrying a heater, yes. They concentrate load at a single point that was designed for far less, and heat at an outlet is how fires start.
Can I get an outlet in the bathroom?
Sometimes, and it depends entirely on distance from the bath, basin or shower. There are defined zones and they decide what is allowed where. We will tell you what is possible on site.
Do outdoor points need anything special?
Yes. Correct ingress rating, correct mounting, and residual current protection. An internal outlet in a weatherproof box is not compliant and will not last a winter.
What does it cost?
It depends on the run back to the circuit and the wall construction, which is why we look first. A point on the other side of an existing outlet is a very different job to one at the far end of the house.
Related
Talk to an electrician now
Fastest way to get an answer is the phone. It is answered 24 hours a day, seven days.
03 9889 3341Not urgent? Send the details and we will come back to you within one business day.