Line down, pole leaning or sparking? Stay back and call the network
Treat any fallen or sagging line as live, and anything it's touching too. Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy, Essential Energy and Western Power all say to stay at least 8 metres away, and Evoenergy says at least 10. Keep everyone back, call 000 if anyone is in danger, then call your network's fault line from the table below. An electrician can't help until the network has made it safe.
Fault lines for fallen lines and damaged poles
| State | Fault and emergency line | |
|---|---|---|
| Ausgrid | NSW | 13 13 88 |
| Endeavour Energy | NSW | 131 003 |
| Essential Energy | NSW | 13 20 80 |
| CitiPower | VIC | 13 12 80 |
| Powercor | VIC | 13 24 12 |
| Jemena | VIC | 131 626 |
| United Energy | VIC | 13 20 99 |
| AusNet Services | VIC | 13 17 99 |
| Energex | QLD | 13 19 62 |
| Ergon Energy | QLD | 13 16 70 |
| Western Power | WA | 13 13 51 |
| Horizon Power | WA | 13 23 51 |
| SA Power Networks | SA | 13 13 66 |
| TasNetworks | TAS | 132 004 |
| Evoenergy | ACT | 13 10 93 |
| Power and Water | NT | 1800 245 090 |
Moving your supply underground
People move an overhead service line underground to clear a driveway, a pool or a second storey, to tidy up a renovation, or because trees keep growing into the line. It means a trench and conduit from the network's pole or pit to your meter box, a new underground cable, and often a new meter panel or main switch at the same time.
The network has to agree first. On CitiPower and Powercor, moving an overhead supply underground, where that's available at the same pole, can only be applied for by a Registered Electrical Contractor through eConnect. Jemena takes pole-to-pit requests through its Electricity Portal, and Evoenergy treats the change as a modification that starts with a Basic Design Application.
In New South Wales, the service line side is contestable work for a Level 2 Accredited Service Provider. On Ausgrid's network the ASP also needs Ausgrid's own authorisation, which isn't valid in any other distributor's area, and Ausgrid requires the company to guarantee its work against defects for 3 years.
When it's done, you get your state's certificate. In Victoria that's a Certificate of Electrical Safety, after an inspection, because new consumer mains are prescribed work. New South Wales issues a CCEW, and in Western Australia the contractor gives you an Electrical Safety Certificate within 28 days.
Whole streets are a different thing. Western Power has moved more than 100,000 properties on the main WA grid to underground power since 1996. If your street is in a program like that, ask the network what's done at your property before you hire anyone.
Private poles and lines on your land
If your power crosses your land on poles before it reaches the house, some of those poles and lines are probably yours. Ausgrid, SA Power Networks and Western Power all say private poles and lines beyond the network's connection point are the owner's responsibility, and in Tasmania they generally start at the first pole on your property.
Inspections differ. Western Power inspects the first private pole that carries its supply cables, TasNetworks inspects private poles on a five-yearly cycle, and Ausgrid patrols private poles and lines in bushfire prone areas. SA Power Networks recommends a licensed inspector or authorised electrician checks yours every year before bushfire season, after major storms and whenever you suspect damage.
If the network finds a defect, you'll get a notice. On Ausgrid's network, NSW law gives owners 30 days to respond, and Ausgrid points them to Level 2 ASPs for repairs to private poles and wires. Our guide to private power poles goes into more detail.
Signs a private pole or line needs a look
- A pole that leans, or is cracked or rotting at ground level.
- Lines sagging lower than they used to, or clashing in the wind.
- Branches touching or growing towards the line. TasNetworks says to keep vegetation at least 3 metres from overhead powerlines.
- Sparking, buzzing or scorch marks where the line meets the pole or the house.
- A service hook on the house that's loose or pulling away.
What owners can do, and what's licensed work
You can
- Look over your poles and lines from the ground after storms and before summer.
- Book an authorised contractor for any tree work near the lines.
- Respond to a defect notice by the date on it.
Leave to a licensed electrician
- Inspecting, repairing or replacing a private pole or line.
- Running the underground supply cable in conduit to the meter box.
- The network application and, in New South Wales, the Level 2 ASP work.
- Any meter panel or main switch change that comes with it.
What to ask before you agree to a quote
- Where does the network's responsibility end at my property, and where does mine start?
- Who applies to the network, and how long is their wait?
- In NSW, which Level 2 ASP will do the service work, and are they authorised by my distributor?
- Who digs the trench, and who restores the driveway, lawn or garden afterwards?
- Will the meter board or main switch need upgrading at the same time?
- Which inspection and certificate come with the job?
If it were our property
If the overhead line runs over something we care about, like a pool, a driveway or a big tree, we'd get the underground option quoted while other work is already happening, such as a renovation or switchboard upgrade, so the trench and the meter panel are done once. For private poles, we'd find out exactly which ones are ours, book an inspection before bushfire season, and act on any defect notice straight away.
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.