Before the storm
- Test your safety switches. Press the test button. If one does not trip, have it checked.
- Look at outdoor fittings. Cracked power point covers and old garden lights are where water gets in. See why safety switches trip in the rain.
- Think about surge protection. Grid surges and nearby lightning can damage TVs, computers, appliances and solar inverters. Surge protection at the switchboard is cheap insurance.
- Keep a torch and a charged power bank where you can find them in the dark.
- Know your numbers: Energex faults and emergencies 13 19 62, and our 24/7 line 0487 259 697.
Fallen powerlines: stay well clear
Energex says to always assume fallen powerlines are live, stay at least 10 metres away and warn others. Report them straight away on 000 or 13 19 62, then wait for Energex to make the area safe. This includes lines tangled in trees and fences. Do not try to move branches off them.
If water has been through your home
- If it is safe to reach the switchboard, turn off the main switch. Never touch it if you are standing in water or the board is wet.
- Do not use appliances, power points or switches that have been wet.
- We strongly recommend having a licensed electrician check the wiring, power points and switchboard before the power goes back on. Floodwater leaves silt and moisture inside fittings, and faults can show up days later.
- Throw out wet power boards and extension leads. They are not worth the risk.
Who to call
- Whole street out, powerlines down, or damage to Energex poles and lines: Energex on 13 19 62 (000 if anyone is in danger).
- Just your home out, or one circuit keeps tripping: check our power-out checklist, then call us.
- Damage to your own wiring, switchboard, solar or the service line to your house: call us. We can make it safe and organise repairs.
Generators
Never plug a generator into a power point or wire it into the switchboard yourself. It can feed power back into the street and injure line workers. If you want to run your home from a generator, a licensed electrician needs to install a proper changeover switch.
From our job sheets
Every storm season brings the same jobs: hail-damaged solar panels needing inspection reports for insurers, appliances and inverters damaged by power surges and brownouts, and water through ceilings into downlights. We write insurance reports with photos and clear findings.
What it costs with us
After-hours emergency attendance and the first hour is $249 inc GST. Standard attendance and the first hour is $149 inc GST. See 24/7 emergency electrician and surge protection.