What to do in an electrical emergency in SE QLD (the 60-second checklist)
Sparks, burning smell, total power loss, water hits the switchboard? Here's the exact 60-second checklist before you ring an emergency electrician.
If you're reading this in a hurry, this is the order. The reasoning is below.
The 60-second checklist
- Smell smoke or burning plastic, or see sparks? → Switch the main switch off. Leave the room. Ring 000 if there's visible flame, then ring me on 0411 054 811.
- Total power loss? → Check if your neighbours have power. If they do, it's probably your main switch or RCD; if they don't, it's an Energex outage.
- Power loss in only some rooms? → Open the switchboard, find the tripped breaker / RCD, identify what's on that circuit, unplug appliances, try once to reset. Don't keep retrying.
- Water near the switchboard, ceiling or any outlet? → Switch the main switch off. Ring me. Don't touch anything until we arrive.
- You've had a storm and parts of the house won't come back on? → Switch the relevant circuit off at the board. Don't plug anything in until we've looked.
Burning smell or sparks
This is the one. A burning-plastic smell at a powerpoint, light switch or the switchboard means something is melting somewhere. Sometimes it's an over-loaded GPO, sometimes it's a loose terminal that's been arcing for months. Either way, the wiring around it is fatigued and the next 30 minutes matter.
Switch the main isolator off. Get the kids and pets to a different room. Ring 0411 054 811. We'll be on-site fast and we'll make-safe before we leave, even if the full repair takes a follow-up visit.
Total power loss
The first move is to look outside, is the streetlight on? Are your neighbours' lights on? If not, it's an Energex network outage, ring 13 62 62.
If your neighbours have power and you don't, the issue is between the meter and your main switch. Common causes:
- Main switch / RCD has tripped (open the switchboard and check)
- Fuse in the meter has blown (Energex's job, but we coordinate)
- Service neutral disconnected (rare, dangerous, ring us straight away)
Don't reset the main switch more than once. If it won't hold, leave it off.
Water + electrics
A roof leak that drips into the meter box. A flood that's gone over the bottom row of powerpoints. A pipe burst that's soaked the kitchen rangehood. All three are stop-and-isolate situations:
- Main switch off
- Don't touch the wet thing
- Ring us
We can isolate the affected circuit, dry the fitting, megger-test the cable and replace anything compromised. Insurance covers most of these, we provide the report.
What an after-hours call costs
Voltech's after-hours emergency call-out is a fixed $165, including the first 30 minutes on-site. We tell you the cost of any further work before we start it. There is no "double time" nonsense, emergency rates are emergency rates because we get out of bed, not because the labour is more skilled at 2am.
If you're in our core suburbs, we're typically on-site within 60 minutes of the call. Outside that, we'll always give you a real ETA on the phone.
, John
I'm John, local Camp Hill sparky, fully licensed, fixed-price quotes, lifetime workmanship warranty. Ring me direct on 0411 054 811 or send a quick message.
Keep reading
Why does my switchboard keep tripping? (Brisbane troubleshooting from a sparky)
The four common reasons a Brisbane switchboard trips, what each one means, and the order to investigate them in, without making it worse.
Burning smell from a powerpoint? Read this first.
A faint burning-plastic smell at a powerpoint is one of the most common pre-fire warnings in Brisbane homes. Here's what to do in the next 60 seconds.
Storm damage and your home's wiring: a SE QLD safety guide
Brisbane storm season is brutal on home wiring. Here's what to check after a storm, and what to never, ever touch.