FAQs

Not sure what you need? Worried about warning signs from an electrical appliance? Confused about which security system or air conditioning unit best suits your setup?

You've come to the right place.

We've put down our experience and knowledge in these Frequently Asked Questions, so you might find the answer to your question here. Otherwise, feel free to pop across to our Contact page and ask away!

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Electrical

All things Electrical - your questions answered!

How can I tell if the electrician is licensed?

For almost all electrical work, it is illegal to have work done by electricians that aren’t licensed. You should ask to see their licence and indemnity insurance policy, which all practicing electricians should have. This covers you if their work causes damage. If you have any doubts, call your state’s Fair Trading department or visit their website to check they are valid.

NSW: Fair Trading
VIC: Consumer Affairs
ACT: ACCC
WA: DOCEP
QLD: Fair Trading
NT: Consumer Affairs
TAS: Consumer Affairs

I want some great lighting ideas.

One of the most effective ways to bring both indoor and outdoor spaces to life is smart lighting. Here are a few techniques that really work:

Spot lighting
Highlight a statue, fountain, trees or even unique plants. Usually, you will only want to spotlight one or two items, as this creates a very strong focal point in a room or landspace.
Grazing
Shining a sharply angled light across a surface to highlight the texture. This can be a very effective backdrop technique when used on stone, stucco or plastered walls.
Silhouetting
A concealed light source reflects off a vertical surface behind a chosen object, creating an outline haloed in light.
Uplighting
The light source is in the ground or angled upward at the foot of an object. A very dramatic effect for accenting a tree or statuary.
Cross lighting
Two or more light sources from below are angled to shine on an object from different sides.
Downlighting
A fixture has the bulb angled or the shade designed to shine light down towards the ground. This is a subtle effect that imitates natural moonlight.
Shadowing
Placing a light source in front of object to cast a shadow on a vertical surface behind.

Is this an emergency?

If you smell smoke or are worried about the electricity, don’t be afraid to get your family out of the house and call 000. The fire brigade will typically come out, check the situation and make it safe to go back in the house. Call an electrician immediately (you can visit our Electrical section to find out more), to have the problem fixed and get your home safe again.

My electricity goes out when something is turned on / the circuit keeps tripping! What’s happening?

This is often caused by a faulty electrical appliance. The best solution is to unplug all of your appliances, then plug them in one by one. When you plug in the faulty appliance it will trip the safety switch and you have identified the faulty appliance.

If trying each appliance one-by-one doesn’t track down the issue, you may be inadvertently overloading your circuits with too many appliances and straining your electrical system. Over time this will wear and stress your mains wiring to the point where it permanently fails or creates an electrical fire. If you’re having this issue, it’s a good idea to talk to a licensed Electrian (like us!) about solutions – or check out our Electrical Mains Supply Upgrade page.

My light is not working.

You’d be surprised how often electricians get called out for what simply turns out be a blown light bulb. To save yourself the hassle, time and money, it’s a good idea to check the bulb before you call. If you still need help you can always call a licensed electrician – give us a call by visiting our Contact page.

My Power Point won’t work! (It’s tingly or hot to touch). What do I do?

If your power point is hot or tingly to touch then it is a fire and electrocution hazard.

Bad wiring and poor installation often occurs at connection points within your electrical system. These symptoms indicate that your power point is electrified or the system is overloading. Call an electrician - you can visit our Contact page to get in touch with an Electrician straight away, or refer to our Power Points page for more information.

If your power point doesn’t work, but doesn’t seem tingly or hot to touch, the appliance plugged into the power point could be the issue. Check the power point by plugging in something else, say a lamp. If it works, it’s probably the appliance that needs replacing or repair.

My switchboard has Circuit Breakers – does this protect my staff from electrical shock

The fuses or circuit breakers in your switchboard are not designed to protect you from electrical shock. These are designed to protect the circuit wiring of the building from overload, which will cause fire. An RCD (Safety Switch) will reduce the severity and likelihood of your family or staff experiencing serious electric shock.

My Circuit Breakers – are they compliant?

The fuses or circuit breakers in your switchboard are not designed to protect you from electrical shock. An RCD (Safety Switch) will reduce the severity and likelihood of your family or staff experiencing serious electric shock and are compliant

What should I expect from the electrician’s quote?

A licensed Electrician should provide a total estimated cost of the job, which typically includes the electrician’s labour as well as materials for wiring. More expensive items like circuit boxes and fittings should be separate. Don’t be afraid to ask the electrician to find out their hourly rate and an estimated time of completion.

What standards can I expect from the electrician?

The very least that a customer can expect from their electrician is that they are safe and have carried out their work in accordance with electrical standards. But you should ask for more.

The first important thing is that you feel comfortable with the electrician and/or their business. They should answer all of your questions politely and respectfully. They should also give you a firm start date and estimate of how long it will take.

If for any reason they have to do additional work, on top of the original quote, they must tell you before it happens and how much more it will be. If you have a problem or are unhappy with how they’re working or what they’re doing, feel free to speak up and talk to them – remember you’re the boss. If you can’t resolve the problem, call Fair Trading in your state or territory. They can help.

NSW: Fair Trading
VIC: Consumer Affairs
ACT: ACCC
WA: DOCEP
QLD: Fair Trading
NT: Consumer Affairs
TAS: Consumer Affairs

Why are Double Adaptors dangerous?

A double adaptor rarely includes overload protection. If the two items using the two outlets suddenly draw more current, the double adaptor could overload and an electrical fire could result. The propensity for electrical fire increases further when double adaptors are “piggy backed” to provide more outlets.

Double adaptors are extremely dangerous, and Energy Safe Victoria does not recommend using double adaptors in any environment.

Why is it dangerous to “piggy back” Powerboards?

A single powerboard (4 outlet, 6 outlet, 8 outlet) with overload protection is an effective and safe method of temporarily providing additional power outlets for your appliances. However, Energy Safe Victoria do not recommend the “piggy-backing” of Powerboards, as there is a greater possibility of overload and electrical fire.

It is important to note, should the items utilising the outlets draw greater than expected current at the same time, the powerboard may overload and power may be switched off to those appliances. An example of this is when fridges and freezers are plugged in to the same powerboard and the compressors of each appliance start at the same time.

If you frequently need to plug in additional items, Energy Safe Victoria recommend engaging a licensed electrician to install more power points. Snapper Group can help - if you want to install more power points, or any other electrical service, please check out our Electrical section.

Air Con

There are lots of options when choosing the right air conditioning system. These tidbits of information are aimed at helping you make an informed decision.

What is Split System Air-Conditioning?

Split system air conditioners can be used to cool separate rooms, which gives you the ability to choose which rooms you want to heat or cool and at what time. That also gives you control over how much you spend on running costs. If you just want to do a lounge room on a hot day then the rest of the house can be closed off, saving the amount of space that needs to be cooled. At night, bedrooms can be cooled while the rest of the house is closed off.

Split systems work by transferring hot and cold air from one place to another. The outside unit (compressor) pressurises refrigerant gas, which acts like a sponge when super heated under pressure. It absorbs any hot air inside and transfers it outside whilst also absorbing cool air from outside and transferring it inside.

What is a ducted Air-Conditioning system?

Ducted air conditioners are also known as ducted split systems. These are just like a wall split system except they are capable of air conditioning your whole home.

Ducted air conditioning units are generally mounted in the roof or under the house and send warm or cool air to each room through ducts and grills. They cost more to install than evaporative cooling or ducted heaters, but would be around the same price as having both of those systems installed to heat and cool.

They can also have zone motors installed in the duct work to give you greater flexibility over the rooms you want to heat or cool.

What air conditioner should I purchase?

You have lots of different options. Split Air-Conditioning is the cheapest and easiest option to use. Primarily this will only heat/cool one room.

Ducted systems can do the whole house/business with different zones.

You can contact us to go through the different options and choose the best for you.

Security

It takes a little know-how to pick the right Security system, so here are some tips to get you thinking.

Why do I need a security camera system?

An alarm can go off and tell you that someone is robbing you, but a camera system can catch them in the act and give evidence to the police.

Why do I need a security system?

If you care about the safety of your family then the simple answer is a resounding yes! You do need a home security system. A burglar can steal your jewellery but a home invasion can go terribly wrong and end up with people getting hurt or killed.

It is important to keep in mind that no home security system is fail-safe. Home security systems can simply help to put the odds more in your favour.

Data

If you have a Data question, you might find the answer here.

Sep 27

FlashView IP Camera

Check out our NEW FlashView IP camera that reports to your smart phone instantly. Simple and easy to set up. You can buy off us today and we can even install it for you. Call us today!!!!!

Just go to our SECURITY SECTION

Jun 07

Queen's Birthday Weekend

Great long weekend. Hope you all had an enjoyable one. Happy to be back at work.

Jun 02

Dodgy Wiring

Went to a client’s house today, we found that the last electrician that re-wired it years ago had done a dodgy job. He had put new wiring in and still in use was a lot of old wiring.

There are very few trades people that you can rely upon. Snapper have provided us with lighting, data cables, air conditioners and rewiring. Marty Drill, Get Started

With doing lots of work place interiors, having a good reliable Electrician that also does security and air-conditioning is very important for ...
Director, Office Boy

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