Greg Rowell - Electrical

27/05/2023

He everyone.

Due to a number of factors (one being health), I have had to make the decision to close my contracting business.

I haven't taken on any new customers, nor new work for the last twelve months. I have been working on another project for some time, and I am now in a position to move forward into that.

I still have a few jobs unfinished, which will be completed.

I may still do a few emergencies for locals, but from this point forward I won't be taking on any more electrical work.

It has been nice to work locally for the last 6 years, while living in Westleigh. It's been a pleasure to help so many people living locally and to get to know so many of you.

Best wishes into the future.

07/04/2023

I'm often criticised in my local community for campaigning about non-compliance and dodgy work. I've been complaining for 30 years now.

Some people suggest that I'm putting my peers down to benefit myself - but I'm not.

I just don't want to see my neighbours have the following happen - but few listen 🙆

There are always consequences with dodgy work, or when contractors cut corners. Sometimes there are fires, short circuits, water or gas leaks....
..and sometimes deaths or near deaths...

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-07/three-people-escape-collapsing-south-west-sydney-house/102200814
..but few will listen until more people die...

Three people had a lucky escape in the early hours of Easter Friday morning after part of their south-west Sydney home collapsed.

11/01/2023

Nice outcome for a family who have lived with poor lighting for years. 😁

02/12/2022

Working in a roof space this week, I was a quite horrified at some recent electrical work that had been done in a customer's new bathroom.

Whoever did the work (I understand him to be an electrical contractor with a bathroom company) had completely cut through a top plate. That entire wall has now lost its structural integrity.

The risk now is that the entire wall, roof structure and roof integrity could be compromised.

I have no idea why the contractor did what the did, but clearly they did not know anything about house structures, nor what the rule book says.

In essence, we drill the smallest hole possible to get a cable through, but it MUST be smaller than a specified percentage of the timber width.

Unfortunately this poor customer must now get a carpenter to repair the timber framing in the roof space - adding a massive cost to the bathroom upgrade.

This is totally unacceptable, but largely seems to be the new norm in NSW 😞

I bet the customer didn't get supplied a compliance certificate by that electrician either.

17/05/2022

Just because your new LED globe says that the expected life is 56,000 hours, don't expect to ever get that.

The electronics get too hot and they blow up well before that.

The bigger the lumens (lm) the hotter they get, the shorter the lifespan.

This one is a good example. This would have gone bang, as most of the components have exploded.

20/04/2022

I have just attended a seminar discussing the updated Australian Standard AS/NZS 4836. It will cover ALL electrical work on anything that is attached to the electrical network - including plumbing and air con components.

As it stands at the moment the standards specify that a competent person MUST be on site supervising an electrician - including plumbers and air con mechanics (doing disconnect/reconnect) at all times where electrical work is to be carried out.

As an example of the extent that this will go, under the new rules, an electrician (plumber/air con mechanic) will NOT be allowed to change a powerpoint, light fitting, switch, or other basic electrical item (water heater, air conditioner), without being supervised by a competent person.

This will impact ALL electrical work, by ALL trades. , ,

Costs to customers will double, if not tripple, and many electrical businesses (such as my own) will effectively be put out of business the moment this standard is implemented.

Other changes will immediately increase costs, such as new testing equipment requirements (to change from Cat III to Cat IV), new safety requirements, and mandatory supervision for all work on switchboards.

Watch this space as these changes will have massive implications should they be implemented.

See below for the draft
https://memberarea.necawa.asn.au/Images/Uploads/ContentPages/DR_AS_NZS_4836_2022.pdf

17/03/2022

As home owners, we don't always know whether our homes have asbestos in them or not.

Even some tradespeople have no idea, or don't care enough about the risks.

Here's a sad story to try to get that message across - particularly now that we have had so many recent natural disasters.

Always consider the risks, be very careful around anything fibro, and don't let others take risks at your home.

From the ABC.
Flood clean-up could cause asbestos disease spike in coming years, experts warn
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-17/qld-flood-clean-up-could-cause-asbestos-disease-spike/100913612

More info on asbestos.
There are many products that could contain asbestos - not just fibro. For more information see https://asbestosawareness.com.au/

Julie and Don Sager are horrified at the number of people pulling potentially cancer-causing rubble onto footpaths in flood-stricken areas and want to prevent others from asbestos-related diseases like their son had.

04/02/2022

Dear customers.

I know that some of you haven't heard from me for a while, some of that has been caused by COVID shutdowns and delays.

Unfortunately I've also been having a few minor health problems in recent months which now force me to stop work for a short period.

That will also mean that I will not be taking on any further work for a few months.

Thank you all for your support over the last few challenging years.

I'll write an update when I am fit to return to work. In the mean time best wishes through these difficult times.

Greg.

18/10/2021

Have you checked your appliances lately?

Electrical appliances need maintenance, just like our homes.
Plugs, sockets, power boards, power packs, plug packs etc. they deteriorate, get banged around, cracked, loose and damaged.

The story below is a typical story of a near miss because of a damaged appliance. 40% of all home fires are also caused by electrical faults.

Don't take the risk, check your plugs, sockets, transformers regularly. If it doesn't quite look right, ask?

10-month-old made contact with live parts of a damaged power supply Parents urged to regularly check condition and location of electrical items RCDs do not protect against all electrical faults

16/10/2021

Do you have smoke detectors fitted to your home? Have you tested them? Is the battery new - changed yearly?

House fires due to electronic equipment is increasing. The news report below shows how battery charging causes 20 fires each and every year.

Do you have a smoke detectors where you charge your batteries?

Lithium battery warning after fire destroys Perth family's dream new Broome home

Just a month after Alexandra Townes signed the paperwork for her new home, she got a call from her friend who lives next door telling her it had burnt down.

14/10/2021

Does your home contain asbestos? How do you know?

Asbestos causes lung disease. Do you know if your home has it? How can you be certain? If I am going to do any major work on a home that is likely to contain asbestos, I have it tested. If the samp…

10/09/2021

Compliance certificates and new costs.

As many of you would be aware, a Compliance Certificate of Electrical Work (CCEW) is required whenever electrical repairs, alterations or additions occur.

Up until recently there has been no charge by the distributor to receive and process a CCEW and send out an inspector.

That has now changed.

As of 30th September all CCEWs that have to be submitted to some distributors (Essential at this stage) will require fees.

As I write this Essential will now be charging $55.68 for every CCEW, and between $46 and $223 per service work notification.

As a result of increased compliance requirements and extra payments and processing costs, I will now be charging $15ex where submission of a CCEW is required to be sent to the distributor.

Compliance certificates are mandatory in NSW, but the good news is that with every compliance certificate comes traceability, accountability and some certainty that you have had a decent job done.

Download a copy of the Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW)