Water been through the house? Keep the power off
Don't switch anything back on that's been under water, including the switchboard, power points, appliances or the hot water system, until a licensed electrician has tested it. If a line is down in your street, treat it as live, keep well clear and call Energex on 13 19 62, or 000 if a life is at risk. The SES takes storm and flood calls on 132 500.
What's different about Ipswich homes
A city of old houses
Ipswich's house styles run from Victorian homes built from 1850 through to the Queensland Bungalow, built until 1935. Timber houses that old have often had their wiring added to in stages, decade by decade.
The Bremer River floods
The river peaked at 20.7 metres in January 1974 and 19.5 metres in January 2011, when Goodna and Gailes were the worst hit. In March 2025, ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred brought major flooding to the Bremer again.
Hail as well as floods
The 31 October 2020 storms dropped hail up to 9.5 cm at Amberley, and the SES took more than 2,900 requests for help across the Ipswich and Logan council areas.
Renters in the old centre
At the 2021 Census, 55.0% of homes in the suburb of Ipswich were rented, against 33.1% across Queensland. Across the whole city it was 39.4%.
Energex supply
Energex runs the poles and wires here, as it does from the NSW border to Gympie. Outages go to Energex on 13 62 62.
The jobs that come up most in Ipswich
Testing after a flood. Wet switchboards, power points and underfloor wiring need checking before they're used again. An electrician who does storm and flood repairs knows what has to be replaced and what can be dried out and tested.
Old boards in old houses. Plenty of older Ipswich homes still run on boards from before safety switches were common. Dark backing boards made before 1987 can contain asbestos, so leave yours closed and mention it when you book.
Landlord work. If a rental has no approved safety switch on the power points, Queensland law gives the owner 90 days from the start of the tenancy to have one fitted. New and renewed leases also need interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms.
What we'd do in Ipswich
If yours is one of the old timber houses, we'd have the switchboard and wiring looked at before storm season, not after the next flood. Ask the electrician which circuits run under the floor or near ground level, so you know what's most at risk if water comes up. Keep the certificate of testing and compliance with the house papers.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.