Safety switch installation and testing

The full details

A safety switch, also called a residual current device or RCD, is one of the most important pieces of electrical safety in your home. It watches the current going out on a circuit and the current coming back. If those two numbers do not match, some of that current is going somewhere it should not, possibly through a person, and the switch cuts the power almost instantly.

Flowstate Electrical Co installs and tests safety switches for homes across Warilla, Shellharbour, Wollongong, Kiama and nearby suburbs. If your home has none, or only one protecting a single circuit, it is worth a look.

What is included

• Installing RCDs on lighting and power circuits at the switchboard
• Combination RCD and circuit breaker units (RCBOs) where space allows
• Testing existing safety switches to confirm they trip as they should
• Fault finding when a safety switch keeps tripping
• Advice on how many RCDs your home needs and how circuits are spread across them

Signs you need it

• Your switchboard has no buttons marked "test" or "T"
• You have an older home with ceramic fuses
• One safety switch covers every circuit, so one fault blacks out the whole house
• Your safety switch trips often, or never trips when you press its test button
• You are adding a pool, spa, sauna or outdoor power
• You are selling, renting out or renovating the property

Why more than one matters

Older installs sometimes put every circuit behind a single safety switch. It is better than nothing, but it means a faulty kettle can plunge the whole house into darkness at night, including the lights you need to find the switchboard. Spreading circuits across several RCDs, or giving each circuit its own RCBO, keeps a fault contained. Our guide what is an RCD and how many do I need explains the thinking.

How the job runs

Look at the board

A photo of your switchboard sent to 0424 400 346 usually tells us whether safety switches can be added to the existing board or whether the board itself needs an upgrade. Ceramic fuse boards generally need replacing to fit modern RCDs.

Test the circuits

Before fitting new RCDs, we test the existing wiring. A circuit with a hidden earth leakage fault will trip a new safety switch straight away, so it is better to find and fix that fault first than to leave you with a switch that will not stay on.

Install and test

New safety switches are fitted, every circuit is labelled, and each RCD is tested with proper equipment to confirm it trips within the required time. We also show you how to use the test button yourself.

When a safety switch keeps tripping

A tripping RCD is doing its job. It has detected leakage somewhere. The cause might be a worn appliance, moisture in an outdoor power point, a damaged cable or a failing hot water element. Customers have told us we fixed a problem that other electricians could not resolve, and nuisance tripping is often that kind of problem. It takes patient, methodical testing. Read why does my safety switch keep tripping and how to reset a tripped safety switch for what you can safely check first.

Coastal homes and outdoor circuits

Homes near the beach at Windang, Shell Cove or Gerroa see more corrosion on outdoor power points and garden lights. Salt and moisture get into fittings, and a safety switch will often be the first thing to tell you. If your outdoor circuits trip after rain, that is a strong hint. See our outdoor and security lighting page for fittings that suit the coast.

Related services

• Switchboard services
• Emergency electrician and fault finding
• Pool and outdoor power

Book a safety switch check

If you are not sure what protection your home has, text a photo of your switchboard to 0424 400 346 or give Kalani a call. We are open 24 hours for emergency call outs if a switch will not reset.