Is My Electrician Doing The Dodgy?

soupiejr on 06/07/2021 - 04:01

Sorry if this is in the wrong forum. My insurance company is replacing my kitchen benchtop and when the contractor came by to measure things, he agreed to put in more power points in the new benchtop.

Due to a miscommunication, the sparky they hired initially refused to add more power points after hearing what I was going to use it for (air fryer, juicer, and bread maker), stating that my house has only got 2 circuits and he'll need to poke holes into the wall to try and get a 3rd circuit in place to carry all that new amperage I'm going to need.

Anyway, a few days later, the contractor reconfirmed again that the electrician will come and do it, but now the electrician says he'll just need an hour to do the extra power points. I'm suspecting he's just going to pull a cable from the dishwasher's power point and plug in a few power boards instead of putting in a 3rd circuit. Am I right to be worried? Will I end up having power drop outs everytime I use those new power points?

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • whitelie on 06/07/2021 - 04:39
    +2

    I'm no Sparky but my understanding is there isn't a rule as to the number of GPO's you can have on a circuit but what they are used for should be taken in to consideration so as to not overload the circuit.

    If the second guy doesn't know what you're intending on using it for like the first one then it may well trip the breaker when you start running everything. It's not dodgy per se, just may not do what you want it to do and you'd have to put in another circuit like #1 was saying.

    • doctordv8 on 07/07/2021 - 00:43
      -1

      There are Rules regarding the number of GPOs fitted to each circuit. It is based on the max Amps per GPO per Circuit as available from the Meter Box., and it has to comply to Australian Standards.
      Whether you use a GPO for 2A or 10A, it is counted at the maximum Amps the GPO is rated at, being 10A or 15A pending the Circuit being dedicated or not.

      • whitelie on 07/07/2021 - 01:14

        I believe the limit is technically 20 x 10A GPO's but if you're running a heap of high powered devices at the same time, I think you can trip this with even 5 or less GPO's. Hence why the first guy said it will need another circuit as the air fryer, juicer, bread maker and dishwasher all running together off the same circuit would likely be quite high current and is only 4 GPO's out of the maximum.

  • Gotchas on 06/07/2021 - 05:57
    +7

    Off topic but what happened to your bench?

    • jv on 06/07/2021 - 11:06
      -2

      "Is My Electrician Doing The Dodgy?"

      • Drakesy on 06/07/2021 - 12:19
        +6

        Should be Is my Electrician Doing the Doggy

        Hence the need for the new bench

  • garetz on 06/07/2021 - 06:04
    -2

    Are you in a house or unit ? If its a house then you need work done on your electrical box to get that 3rd circuit, which i very much doubt this electrician will touch. The amperage at the box will determine how much total power you can use in your house. Even if you get a 3rd circuit, unless the box is upgraded it might make very little difference.

    If you are in a unit then its a totally different situation all together, as the total power is shared across all the units, and adding another circuit could bork the entire electrical usage shared amongst everyone. So i would be very careful there.

    • timthetoolman on 06/07/2021 - 12:07
      +2

      You have much to learn about main switches

    • brad1-8tsi on 06/07/2021 - 13:35
      -1

      If you are in a unit then its a totally different situation all together, as the total power is shared across all the units, and adding another circuit could bork the entire electrical usage shared amongst everyone. So i would be very careful there

      What a load of cobblers

      • havebeerbelywillsumo on 06/07/2021 - 13:57

        For those who don't know (like me) why is it a load of cobblers?

        • brad1-8tsi on 06/07/2021 - 16:25
          +2

          Because in an apartment block you have a feeder (usually 3 phase) come in to a main distribution board.

          Where I live (8 apartments and Common Property):

          This main board has the isolation switches and meter for each apartment and the common property. It also has the breakers for the common property and the test board for emergency lights.

          Each meter feeds through to the individual apartments where there is a sub-board that splits into the various sub-circuits. My 3 level place has:
          sub-board isolator
          safety switch
          oven isolator/breaker
          3x power circuit breakers
          2x light circuit breakers
          1 blank
          (yes it is cheap and nasty like the rest of the block)

          Once you come out of the main board each apartment can do what they want within the capacity of the apartment feed wire and the sub-circuits. It doesn't affect the load on the other apartments.

  • winmye on 06/07/2021 - 06:51
    +2

    There is a limit on how much GPO's you can have per circuits depending on the size of the circuit wiring and circuit breaker standards.

    The first sparky may have done the right thing and counted the GPO. The second sparky sound like will just add a power point without adding a circuit cause it usually take longer than an hour to run cable to the meter box, add circuit breaker and power point.

    If it's just adding an extra power point your circuit may trip more often and you may need to change the breaker down the line.

  • Overclocked91 on 06/07/2021 - 07:03

    There is a requirement of how many GPOs you can have on a final subcircuit. They can add in another power circuit depending on what appliances the client would like to run off them. Sometimes that is the better option so you don't have tripping from overload. These are things your electrical contractor should run through with you and see what the best option for you is. Also, make sure they are definitely a licenced electrical contractor as we have seen a lot of work completed by people who are electricians and NOT licenced contractors.

    • Krankite on 06/07/2021 - 09:14
      +4

      AS3000 table C1 (b.i) is pretty generous when it comes to 10A GPOs for a single dwelling "10 A for 1 to 20 points + 5 A for each additional 20 points or part thereof" meaning you could theoretically run 40 points of a 16A breaker. The first electrician is making an assessment based on your requirements that you may trip the breaker in normal use. I would personally prefer a separate circuit for the kitchen but it is not a requirement by default.

      Given this is an insurance job they are perfectly entitled to return it to the state it was previously so long as it meets current standards so you won't be getting a new circuit added for free.

      • Overclocked91 on 07/07/2021 - 06:55
        +1

        Ok, but there is still a limit and it's only 20 doubles (40 points) is not a lot in new housing anymore. And like I had said you would risk tripping especially how OP wants to run air fryers and such on this new GPO. However, your electrician will advise you on this and if it's an insurance job the option to add in a new circuit as your running high drawing appliances should be on the table to reduce the risk of accidental tripping/overload.

        • Krankite on 07/07/2021 - 10:42

          Not going to disagree, If it was a new build you would almost certainly have the kitchen on its own circuit.
          Without looking into the details there is no way of knowing whether Electrician A is giving good advice or just gold-plating to get a bigger job. Similarly Electrician B may be deliberately ignoring the details to keep the price low or may be doing the correct thing.

  • EightImmortals on 06/07/2021 - 07:55
    +3

    "I was going to use it for (air fryer, juicer, and bread maker)"

    If you aren't going to be using them all at the same time you should be OK.

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 06/07/2021 - 09:03

      Kettle, and toaster as well?

      • EightImmortals on 06/07/2021 - 09:16
        +1

        We have most of that stuff on a power board so we boil the kettle first and then use the toaster. :)

        Adapt or perish!

        • havebeerbelywillsumo on 06/07/2021 - 14:00

          "first and then use" which says to the uneducated me not running at same time so irrelevant.

  • gumbo45c on 06/07/2021 - 08:40
    +1

    Just make sure the work is certified as it should be, they need to be able to sign off that its safe for insurance purposes.

  • AndyC1 on 06/07/2021 - 11:01

    Be aware that the total power on a normal house circuit for GPO is 20amp and if youy exceed this on the circuit you will trip the breaker. As such try to figure out if the fridge and/or stove and/or cook top and/or dish washer is on the same circuit as the new powerr points and if it is then you are going to trip the circuit allot and I would pay the sparky to put in an extra circuit.

  • jv on 06/07/2021 - 11:03
    +6

    Is My Electrician Doing The Dodgy?

    Why, is your wife behaving strangely lately?

  • DarthAntz on 06/07/2021 - 11:50

    Request another power point to exclusively cook steak in a toaster while you go and buy chips

  • crashloaded on 06/07/2021 - 12:52

    If you're worried pay for another electrician to give you an opinion?

  • netjock on 06/07/2021 - 13:26

    Get a certificate of compliance (believe you are in Victoria), if you house burns down you get a pay out.

  • doctordv8 on 07/07/2021 - 00:46
    -1

    There are Rules regarding the number of GPOs fitted to each circuit. It is based on the max Amps per GPO per Circuit as available from the Meter Box., and it has to comply to Australian Standards.
    Whether you use a GPO for 2A or 10A, it is counted at the maximum Amps the GPO is rated at, being 10A or 15A pending the Circuit being dedicated or not.

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