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Home / Services / Safety Switches

Safety Switches & RCDs.
The 30-Millisecond Difference.

A safety switch cuts your power in about 30 milliseconds when it senses electricity leaking to earth - fast enough to stop a shock before it stops your heart. Many older homes around Cowra and the district have fuses or breakers but no RCDs at all. We install, test and fault-find safety switches across Cowra, Canowindra, Grenfell, Woodstock and Boorowa - and the safety-switch check is free.

RCDs on every circuit Free safety-switch check Licensed & insured
Switchboard fitted with RCD safety switches by H1 Electrical & Air in Cowra
Protects People
Neatly wired switchboard with safety switches installed on every circuit by H1 Electrical & Air in Cowra
What's Included

Protection That Watches Every Circuit.

An RCD - a residual current device, the technical name for a safety switch - constantly compares the current flowing out on a circuit against the current coming back. If even a small amount goes missing, it's leaking to earth, usually through a person or a faulty appliance. The RCD trips in about 30 milliseconds. A circuit breaker won't catch that; it only reacts to overload. Here's what a safety-switch job with us covers.

Free safety-switch check - we open the board, test every RCD, and tell you straight what's protected and what isn't.
RCDs or RCBOs fitted to power and lighting circuits - the current NSW expectation of protection on all final subcircuits.
Nuisance-tripping fault-finding - we isolate the circuit or appliance that's tripping your switch instead of just resetting it.
Trip-time testing - each RCD tested with proper equipment to confirm it actually cuts power fast enough to protect you.
Certificate of Compliance issued for the work, emailed across with your invoice for your records.
When To Call

Six Reasons To Sort Your Safety Switches.

Any one of these is worth a free safety-switch check - it costs nothing to know where you stand.

No Safety Switches

If pressing the test button does nothing - or there's no test button to press - your circuits have no shock protection at all. This is the one to fix first.

Keeps Tripping

A safety switch that trips over and over is warning you of a real fault. We find the circuit or appliance causing it rather than leaving you flicking it back on.

Renovating Or Selling

A house with modern RCD protection is safer, easier to insure and one less thing for a buyer to knock you on. Cheap peace of mind at sale time.

Rental Compliance

Landlords across Cowra and Boorowa need working safety switches to meet their duty of care to tenants. We test, fit and document for the property file.

Old Fuse Board

Ceramic fuses pre-date safety switches entirely. If that's your board, RCDs can't just be bolted on - a switchboard upgrade is the right move.

Adding A Circuit

New power points, a shed circuit, air-con or a hot water changeover - any new work is the natural time to bring the rest of the board up to RCD protection.

Not sure if your home is protected?

Press the test button - if nothing trips, or there's no button to press, give us a call.

How A Safety-Switch Job Runs

Checked, Fitted, Tested, Certified.

Most safety-switch work is a short, same-day job. If we find the board needs upgrading first, we'll tell you straight before doing anything.

Step 1

Free Check

We open the board, test every existing RCD, and tell you exactly which circuits are protected and which aren't. No cost, no obligation.

Step 2

Quote The Fix

Add RCDs to a board with room, or upgrade the board if it's full or running ceramic fuses. Either way, an itemised quote in writing.

Step 3

Fit & Fault-Find

Safety switches fitted to each circuit. If yours has been nuisance-tripping, we track down the faulty circuit or appliance while we're there.

Step 4

Test & Certify

Every RCD trip-tested to confirm it cuts power fast enough. Certificate of Compliance issued and emailed with your invoice.

Safety Switch FAQ

Common Questions

They do two different jobs. A circuit breaker (or an old-style fuse) protects the wiring - it cuts power when a circuit is overloaded or short-circuits, so the cable doesn't overheat and start a fire. A safety switch, or RCD, protects people - it watches for current leaking to earth, the kind that happens when someone touches a live wire or a faulty appliance, and cuts power in about 30 milliseconds. That's fast enough to stop a shock becoming fatal. Plenty of older Cowra homes have breakers or fuses but no RCDs - so the wiring is protected but the people in the house aren't.
A tripping safety switch is almost always doing its job - it's detected current leaking to earth somewhere and shut the power off to protect you. The trick is finding the source. It's usually a single faulty appliance (kettles, old fridges, pool pumps and worn power tools are common culprits) or a circuit with moisture or damaged insulation. We work through it methodically - isolate circuits and appliances one at a time until the fault shows itself - rather than just resetting it and hoping. If yours won't stay on, don't keep forcing it; give us a call.
Every three months. There's a T or TEST button on the front of each RCD - press it and the switch should trip off instantly. Flick it back on and you're done. If it doesn't trip when you press test, the RCD itself has failed and needs replacing - it's giving you no protection at all. It's a 30-second check worth putting a quarterly reminder on. We test every RCD as part of our free safety-switch check too.
NSW now expects RCD protection on all final subcircuits - the power and lighting circuits in the home. RCDs have been required on new work and on power circuits for many years, and the standard has broadened over time. For rentals, a landlord's safety obligations make working RCDs effectively non-negotiable, and buyers and insurers increasingly ask. If your board pre-dates safety switches, adding them is straightforward and one of the cheapest safety upgrades you can make.
Usually, yes. If your board has spare capacity we can fit RCDs or RCBOs (a combined safety switch and circuit breaker in one unit) to protect each circuit. Where the board is full, still running ceramic fuses, or has no room to work safely, the honest answer is that a full switchboard upgrade is the better spend - you get RCDs on every circuit plus a modern board in one go, rather than paying twice.
Adding RCDs to a board that has room for them is an affordable job - it depends on how many circuits need protecting and whether we fit standard RCDs or individual RCBOs. If the board is full or needs replacing first, that changes the picture, which is why we look at it and quote properly rather than guess over the phone. The free safety-switch check tells you exactly where you stand at no cost.
Other Services

Closely Related Work.

Safety switches often go hand in hand with a couple of other jobs - especially if the board itself is due for attention.

Get A Free Quote

Tell Us About The Job.

Fill this in and Hayden will get back to you - usually same day. The more detail the better the quote. Prefer to talk? Phone 0401 362 936 any time.

Free, itemised quotes No obligation Replies same day