Earthing is the part of your electrical system you never see and rarely think about, but it's what allows protective devices to operate when a fault puts voltage where it shouldn't be. In older homes it's often degraded, disconnected or missing.
Ring 0421 772 661 to arrange a test. We're a licensed electrician in Hurlstone Park checking and upgrading earthing in homes across the Inner West and Sydney.
In a typical Australian home, a main earthing conductor runs from the switchboard to an earth electrode (a rod driven into the ground), and the earth is connected to the neutral at the main switchboard under the system used here. From the board, an earth conductor runs with each circuit to the metal parts of appliances, fittings and outlets.
If a fault makes a metal case live, the earth path gives the fault current a low-resistance route back, so a circuit breaker can trip and an RCD can detect the problem. Without a good earth, that metal case can stay live and wait for someone to touch it. Safety switches add a strong layer of protection, but they work best alongside sound earthing rather than instead of it.
Earthing problems rarely announce themselves, which is why testing matters. These situations are good reasons to have it looked at.
A tingle from a tap, appliance or metal fixture is urgent. Stop using it, turn power off if safe, and call. See tingling tap or electric shock.
Pre-war houses may have earths connected to old water pipes that have since been replaced with plastic.
Swapping metal pipes for plastic can unknowingly cut an earth path that relied on them.
Rods disturbed by landscaping, paving, drainage work or corrosion.
Older circuits often have no earth conductor at light points or outlets.
Earthing is part of any thorough pre-purchase electrical inspection.
We start at the switchboard and meter box: locating the main earth conductor, checking its size and connections, and following it to the electrode. We then test earth continuity on circuits and at outlets and fittings, and check equipotential bonding where it applies. Readings are compared with what AS/NZS 3000 expects, rather than judged by eye.
Typical upgrades include installing a new earth electrode, replacing a corroded or undersized main earthing conductor, restoring a broken connection, adding bonding where needed, and running earth conductors to circuits that lack them. If a circuit has no earth and is too old to upgrade sensibly, partial rewiring may be the better answer, and we'll explain why.
After the work, the installation is retested to confirm the earth path and protective devices work as intended. We lodge a CCEW for the upgrade and give you a plain summary of what was found and fixed.
Terraces and Federation cottages in suburbs like Marrickville, Dulwich Hill and Petersham were often wired long before modern earthing practice, then altered piecemeal over decades. It's common to find an electrode buried under later paving, an earth clamped to a pipe that's no longer metal, or a mix of earthed and unearthed circuits. These homes also tend to have narrow side passages and tight sub-floors that affect access.
Cost depends on what testing finds. A tightened connection or a new electrode is a modest job. Running earths through multiple old circuits is more involved and may overlap with rewiring or a switchboard upgrade. We test first, then give you a written quote for the work needed.
You can't tell by looking. It takes testing with proper instruments at the switchboard, the electrode and the circuits.
RCDs are an important layer of protection, but they're designed to work alongside a sound earthing system, not replace it.
It's worth checking. Older installations sometimes relied on metal water pipes as part of the earth path.
Treat it as urgent. Stop using it, turn off the power at the main switch if safe to do so, and call an electrician. Call 000 if anyone is injured.
Yes, we lodge a CCEW for earthing upgrades and give you a copy.
NSW Electrical Contractor Licence 332956C · Fully insured · Since 2016 · Based in Hurlstone Park
Excellent electrician Blue Link Electrical was honest, knowledgeable, and took the time to answer my questions The work was completed quickly without rushing and everything works perfectly Will be using them
Very professional and reliable service. Blue Link Electrical were punctual, friendly, and knew exactly what they were doing. The job was completed to a high standard and the place was left clean. Highly recommend to anyone needing electrical work.
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