Commercial switchboards and distribution across south-east Melbourne
A tenancy that cannot open because the distribution board will not carry the fitout, or a board that was extended four times by four different contractors. Commercial boards fail commercially long before they fail electrically.
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The board is where a commercial site's problems become visible
Capacity, discrimination and documentation. A commercial board usually fails on one of those three long before it fails electrically.
- A fitout has stalled because the available capacity will not carry the equipment.
- A board that has been added to repeatedly, with no current schedule of circuits.
- Circuits that trip under normal load, particularly on hot days.
- Rewireable fuses or obsolete protective devices in a commercial installation.
- No residual current protection on circuits that clearly require it.
- A board with no spare ways and a tenant wanting to add equipment.
- Signs of heat: discolouration, a smell, or breakers warm to the touch.
- A thermal imaging report that has flagged a connection.
What a commercial switchboard upgrade actually covers
Staging matters more than the hardware. Most sites cannot lose power for a day, so the sequence is part of the scope.
- Capacity assessed against the load you intend to run, before anything is committed.
- Board replacement or extension, with spare ways for what comes next.
- Distribution boards added where running everything from the main board no longer makes sense.
- Protective devices correctly rated and discriminated, so a fault drops one circuit rather than the site.
- Residual current protection to current requirements.
- Every circuit identified, tested and labelled, with a schedule left on the board.
- Staged changeover so the site keeps trading, including temporary supply where needed.
- Testing, independent inspection where the work is prescribed, and certification.
About Switchboards and distribution boards
Commercial boards fail commercially first
A commercial switchboard rarely fails electrically before it fails you in another way. It runs out of ways, so a tenant cannot add equipment. It has no schedule, so every job on it starts with an hour of working out what feeds what. Or it has no discrimination, so a fault in one tenancy takes out the whole site.
All three cost money long before anything trips.
Capacity before commitment
The most useful call you can make is before a lease is signed or a fitout is ordered. We check the available supply, the board and what the previous tenancy was provisioned for, against the equipment you intend to run.
It is a short visit and it has saved clients from committing to a space that could never have carried their kitchen. Finding out afterwards means a supply upgrade, a distributor application and a delayed opening.
Discrimination, and why it matters
Discrimination means a fault trips the smallest protective device closest to it rather than the one upstream. On a properly coordinated board a fault in one tenancy drops that tenancy. On a poorly coordinated one it drops the main and the whole building goes dark.
It is worth asking about on any multi-tenancy site, because the difference only becomes visible on the day something fails.
The schedule is not optional
A board nobody has documented costs money every time anyone works on it. We identify, test and label every circuit, leave a current schedule on the board and give you a copy. On a site with several boards that single document is the difference between a half hour job and a half day.
Staging the changeover
Most board work can be staged so the site keeps trading, with temporary supply where an area cannot lose power. Where an outage is unavoidable we schedule it outside trading hours and tell you in advance exactly how long it will be.
Alterations to mains and switchboards are prescribed electrical work, so the job carries a Certificate of Electrical Safety and an independent inspection by a Licensed Electrical Inspector.
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.
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Standards this work is held to
Installations are wired and tested to AS/NZS 3000, and switchboard assemblies to the AS/NZS 61439 series. Alterations to mains and switchboards are prescribed electrical work, which means a Certificate of Electrical Safety and an independent inspection by a Licensed Electrical Inspector.
The part that gets skipped is the circuit schedule. A board nobody has documented costs money every single time anyone works on it, because the first hour goes on working out what feeds what. We leave a current schedule on the board and a copy with you.
Discrimination is worth asking about. On a poorly coordinated board a fault in one tenancy can take out the main, which turns a small problem into a whole-site outage.
How long it takes
- Assessment
- A site visit, usually within the week. Free.
- Quote
- Two to three business days, including the capacity assessment.
- Board replacement
- One to three days depending on size, staged around your trading hours.
- Certificate
- After independent inspection, usually within a few days of completion.
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Symon did a brilliant job replacing my bathroom fan. He quoted me $700 when another company quoted me over $2k for the same job! Symon was easy to communicate with, performed the job quickly and tidied up after himself. Would…
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We recommend Simon unreservedly. Tired of overpriced superficial service and competency? Don’t look any further than Simon @ STL Electrical. And to boot, he’s a good guy. Simon will now be our go-to sparky.
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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…
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Switchboards and distribution boards questions we get asked
Can you check capacity before we sign a lease?
That is the single most useful call you can make. We check the available supply, the board and what the previous tenancy was provisioned for, against what you intend to run.
Do we have to shut down?
Rarely for the whole job. Most of it can be staged, and where an outage is unavoidable we schedule it out of trading hours and tell you how long it will be.
Why does the board need a schedule?
Because without one, every future job starts with an hour of working out what feeds what, and you pay for that hour every time.
What is discrimination and do we need it?
It means a fault trips the smallest device closest to it rather than the main. On a multi-tenancy site it is the difference between one shop dark and the whole building dark.
Who pays, landlord or tenant?
Usually the lease decides, and base building versus tenancy is the line. Worth establishing before the work is ordered rather than after.
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Talk to an electrician now
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03 9889 3341Not urgent? Send the details and we will come back to you within one business day.