Fibro house or old board? Assume asbestos until you know
The Victorian Government's Asbestos Hub says a home built or renovated before 1990 likely contains asbestos, and switchboard backing boards are a typical place for it. Don't drill, cut, sand or break fibro sheeting or an old board. Tell the electrician what the house is made of when you book. WorkSafe Victoria says an asbestos electrical panel that has to come out must be replaced with a non-asbestos one, following the asbestos removal rules.
Ferntree Gully's homes, weather and network
Fibro beginnings
Victorian Places says cheap land and fibro houses with wood stoves let low-income families make a living here, until the State Government brought in planning controls on subdivision in 1954.
The estate years
Mountain Gate opened on 17 October 1959, Johnson Park and Fairhills mostly filled in during the 1960s, and Kent Park followed later that decade.
Big family homes
88.0% of occupied homes were separate houses in 2021, and 32.2% had four or more bedrooms.
Hail and bushfire
The 6 March 2010 storm dropped cricket-ball hail from Ferntree Gully to Lysterfield. Part of the suburb near the national park is a high fire risk area.
AusNet's fire-safety substation
AusNet fitted a rapid earth fault current limiter at its Ferntree Gully zone substation in June 2022, technology that limits the energy from line faults to reduce fire starts. Faults go to AusNet on 13 17 99.
What a 1960s estate house usually needs
Sixty years on, the original board may still have fuses and no safety switches, while the house has gained a new kitchen, air conditioning and a home office. An upgrade gives each group of circuits proper protection and leaves room to grow.
Hail can crack solar panels, outdoor lights and power points. If a storm has damaged anything electrical outside, keep away from it and have it checked before it's used again.
If it were our place
In a fibro or 1960s house, we'd find out whether the switchboard backing contains asbestos before booking the upgrade, so the removalist and the electrician can be lined up together. It saves a second visit and a second shutdown.
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.