Short Electrician Training for DIY Work

BigLeviathan on 20/05/2020 - 08:33
Last edited 31/05/2020 - 14:30

Hi all,

With smart home and smart switches getting more popular, how do people here change their dumb light switch? calling an electrician or DIY?

Having to grow up in Asia where we don't have a ground cable in the AC cable (I learned microelectronic back in high school, thus understand the concepts); can someone please suggest an official training (and certification) that allows me to fully understand the AUS cabling and allows me to change the dumb light to be smarter, while at the same time not afraid of breaching any home insurance policy.

Ideally to have a short course, don't think it's ideal to spend 4 years electrician training for DIY work

Thanks

Update: thanks everyone for the responses, based on this vlog no way to do a DIY electrical work in Australia without going through the formal 4-years electrician training, perhaps we should write a petition to have this requirements relaxed

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • Fergy1987 on 20/05/2020 - 08:39
    +11

    Seems discriminatory to tall electricians………thanks I'll show myself out

  • dizzle on 20/05/2020 - 08:47
    +1

    I may be wrong, but I think to be a qualified electrician you also need to serve an apprenticeship of at least 1 year on top of whatever qualification you attain. It's not just about having the technical know how, but also about being shown what to do by a qualified person.

    This wouldn't be worth it to most people.

  • EFC94 on 20/05/2020 - 08:49
    +12

    You can't do DIY work for electrical in Australia, it's illegal. Call an electrician or complete a 4 year apprenticeship to do it yourself.

  • Bargain80 on 20/05/2020 - 08:54

    changing lights doesn't need training.
    but if you mean working or changing the wiring, you need to be licensed electrician.

  • macrocephalic on 20/05/2020 - 09:35
    +8

    While I think it's stupid, there's no (legal) way around it in Australia.

    Funnily enough, in New Zealand they have all the same electrical standards as us (they are AUS/NZ standards), but they are allowed to do their own small jobs. They have a lower accident rate than Australia. The theory is that if people are allowed to do small things themselves then they'll fix problems, but in Australia you're likely to avoid fixing things because you know it will cost you a $200 electrician call-out.

    • JimmyF on 20/05/2020 - 10:08

      I do agree its crazy, but they are the rules here and legally thats all we can say to do. I do wish we are a bit more like NZ :)

    • xrailgun on 20/05/2020 - 17:00

      how will anyone find out if you DIYed? Do the electricians maintain a centralised photographic logbook of every electric outlet/light in the country? Or do they leave behind some kind of tag? Or what?

      • dizzle on 21/05/2020 - 08:57

        It mostly comes out when there is an issue. If you make a mistake doing the wiring and it kills someone/burns the house down, I'm sure they would look at what the source was. If they find out, there goes your insurance cover as well.

        You can always say, that wouldn't happen to me, but that's what accidents/mistakes are.

        • juzza87 on 21/05/2020 - 09:00
          +1

          Honest question though, how would anyone know the work was done by yourself and not a shoddy electrician? Any time a sparky comes in to do anything do you need to get them to provide a certificate or receipt or you'd be liable?

          • EFC94 on 21/05/2020 - 09:54

            @juzza87: If something happens I'm sure you could contact whichever electrician you used for evidence.

          • dizzle on 21/05/2020 - 13:04

            @juzza87: When you pay an electrician, you get a receipt and that would likely have the licence number on it. If not, then the electrician could be dodgy or getting cash in hand to avoid taxes.

            Even if an electricians out of business, showing receipts/payments would validate it. Otherwise a paper trail (emails, texts, phone numbers, quotes, electronic payment) would be used to track them down.

            If you didn't have any way to identify the electrician, they would likely assume it was done by someone not licenced.

      • andocom on 21/05/2020 - 14:49

        In truth I don't think there is really any way to know. I have a 100 year old house, I've had probably 6 or 8 different electricians work on it in the 10 years I have owned it, including a major renovation (lift & build in under), add AC, solar etc. No way I remember all the people I've had work on it let alone before I owned it.

        I also agree that NZ's system of like for like repairs makes sense, if you can't change a light switch or GPO fair enough, but to think you need 4 years training to undo screws and plug some bare wires into the correctly marked hole is a bit over the top.

  • JimmyF on 20/05/2020 - 10:06
    +4

    how do people here change their dumb light switch? calling an electrician or DIY?

    Legally you can only use a electrician, there is no DIY in this country at this stage.

    don't think it's ideal to spend 4 years electrician training for DIY work

    Then don't, call an electrician out to do it for you.

  • Switchblade88 on 20/05/2020 - 10:12
    +2

    There is indeed a Restricted Electrical Licence and corresponding TAFE course you can do.

    NSW relevant Fair Trading Page

    HOWEVER - this is only for external appliances and does NOT cover and internal/fixed wiring such as lights, switches powerpoints. So it's not real useful for DIY smart home purposes.

    • fantombloo on 20/05/2020 - 10:38
      +2

      Anyone can legally repair / make external appliances - no qualifications required at all. (If something goes wrong obviously quals may provide recourse in mitigating liability).

      • macrocephalic on 20/05/2020 - 10:44
        +1

        So obviously the safe and legal solution to not having enough powerpoints is to wire up a 50M extension lead and put a bunch of surface mount plugs along it at desired points. You can then drape this extension lead around the perimeter of your room - but be careful not to attach it to the wall or floor in any way as that would make it a fixture and would require an electrician's licence. Also, you can run the cable from one room to another, but you can't poke it through a hole in the wall or run it through the ceiling - for the same reason that you can't affix it to anything.

        Because our rules all make sense.

  • Will Mcdonald on 20/05/2020 - 10:13
    +2

    Purchase the AS 3000 Standards and read them, they show you how to do things like that. I'm not advising you to install it yourself as you may kill yourself or someone else but if u want to learn how to wire a standard light switch. Use the standards

  • Zephyrus on 20/05/2020 - 10:47
    +1

    For the thing you're actually trying to do, you can get smart light switches which are either battery powered, plug into mains or use piezeo generation.
    You then have the smart light always on (at the wall) and place the smart light switch over the regular switch. You don't have to do any actual electrical work this way.

    • BigLeviathan on 21/05/2020 - 14:33

      yea, that's what I've been doing; attached SmartThings button to the wall using 3M at the moment…

      • Zephyrus on 21/05/2020 - 14:45

        I'd personally recommend continuing to do this. Also if you move you don't have to mess around replacing light switches, if one breaks, you still have the regular back up switch as well.

  • wallet72 on 20/05/2020 - 12:01

    the follow on question for this, is how do we get it changed to allow the same kind of do it yourself that NZ has?

    • [Deactivated] on 20/05/2020 - 16:42

      By not entertaining the protectionism agenda being peddled by those that obviously stand to gain from it.

  • bargainhuntingcouple on 21/05/2020 - 12:46

    What is the country you come from? I came from India where they use an older British system but that has the ground wire.

    • BigLeviathan on 21/05/2020 - 14:31

      Indonesia; it has 2 prongs with earth on the side, but when I grew up (and studied microelectronics at school), it has never been an emphasis about this earth/ground connections at all.

      • bargainhuntingcouple on 21/05/2020 - 15:33

        You have two types. C & F . Type F has earth wires in it.

        https://www.iec.ch/worldplugs/typeF.htm

        BTW there are DIY guides for other countries and as long as you are not running heavy loads on thin wires, overheating stuff or have cables in a corrosive/Wet environment, YOU SHOULD BE OK.

        BTW what was the project you were trying to do? I may be able to see if I have a NZ guide.

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