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Burnie, Tasmania

Electricians in BurnieDamp winters and creeks that rise without warning.

Burnie gets rain on 158 days a year, its wettest months are in the middle of winter, and its creeks can flood with little warning. That makes heating circuits, damp outdoor fittings and post-flood checks the electrical jobs to watch. TasNetworks handles shocks, sparking and fallen lines on 132 004, and we match the work in your home with one licence-checked local electrician, where we have one.

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Panorama of Burnie and its port on the coast, seen from the hills above town.
Photo: NAPARAZZI, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped

What's different about Burnie

Cool and damp

The Round Hill station averages 947.4 mm of rain on 158 days a year with at least 0.2 mm. July and August are the wettest months, the average daily maximum is 16.9 degrees and afternoon humidity averages 67%.

Floods with little warning

Tasmania SES records floods in 2016, 2011 and 2008. In 2011 Cooee Creek flooded businesses and buildings near Cambria Rd, and in 2008 Romaine Creek flooded properties in South Burnie. There are no formal flood warning river levels for these waterways.

CBD flash flooding

The SES says heavy local rain can flash flood many parts of the CBD, with minor flooding reaching Jones Street, North Terrace and Marine Terrace.

TasNetworks

Shocks, sparking, fallen powerlines and life support faults: 132 004, 24 hours. Outages are on TasNetworks' online map, with a form for any that aren't listed.

Mostly houses

At the 2021 Census, 90.2% of occupied homes in the council area were separate houses and 31.9% of homes were rented. Burnie's population peaked at the 1986 census.

If water's coming in

Heavy rain warnings can come as little as an hour ahead, so know where your main switch is. The SES advises turning off the electricity if you can do it safely, and having anything flood-affected tested by a licensed electrician before it's switched back on. Report a fallen line to TasNetworks on 132 004.

The jobs that come up here

Heating circuits. Cool, damp months keep heat pumps and heaters running. A breaker that trips every evening, or a power point that runs warm behind a heater, needs an electrician, not a bigger power board. Power keeps tripping helps you work out what's happening first.

Outdoor fittings in the wet. Water in an outdoor power point or light is a common reason a safety switch trips after rain. Weatherproof fittings in the right spot fix it for good. See outdoor power points.

Older boards. If yours still has fuses or no safety switches, a switchboard upgrade is the usual answer.

Rentals. A Tasmanian landlord can't start, extend or renew a lease unless the power points and wiring are safe and supply electricity. Faults noted as not working on the condition report are the exception.

What you should get when the job's done

In Tasmania, all electrical work must be done by a licensed electrical practitioner. Once the work is energised, the person responsible has to give you a copy of the record in an approved form as soon as practicable. Ask for both the practitioner and contractor licence numbers when you book.

Our take for Burnie

If a safety switch trips after rain, we'd note which one, when, and what was outside getting wet, then have an electrician trace it in a dry spell. Near Cooee Creek, Romaine Creek or the low CBD streets, we'd keep a torch by the meter box so the main switch can go off fast if water's on the way.

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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.

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Questions

Straight answers.

Who do I call when the power's out in Burnie?

TasNetworks. Check its outage map online, and use its form if your outage isn't shown. Shocks, sparking and fallen lines go to 132 004, and 000 if someone's in danger. If it's only your home, check the switchboard and then call an electrician.

Why does my safety switch trip when it rains?

Usually water is reaching something outside: a power point, a light, a pump or a joint in a cable. Don't keep resetting it. An electrician can test each circuit to find which one is leaking to earth.

Is there a flood warning for Burnie's creeks?

Not a formal river-level one. The SES says warnings come from Bureau of Meteorology heavy rain forecasts, which can arrive anywhere from 1 to 24 hours ahead.

Ready for a sparky in Burnie?

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Related help

Helpful next

Why does my power keep tripping?Safety switch or breaker keeps tripping? How to find the faulty appliance, and when it's wiring.Outdoor and weatherproof power pointsWeatherproof outlets for the deck, carport, pool or EV cable: what to look for and where to put them.Switchboard upgradesOld fuses, no safety switches or no room for a charger: when to upgrade and what changes.Storm, flood and surge damageAfter a storm, flood or lightning strike: what not to touch, who to call, and how the power gets back on safely.Electricians in DevonportPost-war homes, windy springs, Don River floods and TasNetworks' fault line in Devonport.Electricians in TasmaniaTasmanian practitioner and contractor licences, the record of work, smoke alarms, rentals and TasNetworks.

Where this information comes from

Rules change, so check with your state regulator if something matters to your job. How we write and check these pages.

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