Exposed Wires: The Complexities Of Electrical Installation
Will You Home Need Switchboard Upgrades To Power Your Pool?
Loretta Hughes
If the brutal summer heat is getting you down, installing a swimming pool on your property can give you a great place to cool off. However, modern swimming pools are fitted with an array of pumps, heaters and lights, and all of this electrical equipment will require a substantial amount of power.
Your home's electrical infrastructure and supply system may not be up to the job of powering a full-size swimming pool, especially if you live in an older property. Professional electrician services can keep your swimming pool dreams alive by upgrading your home's electrical systems. In many cases, a home's switchboard will need to be replaced and upgraded before a swimming pool can be constructed.
What Does Your Home's Switchboard Do?
The switchboard lies at the heart of any home's electrical infrastructure, and all the wiring that feeds power to your power outlets and hardwired appliances passes through it. Every electrical circuit that passes through the switchboard is fitted with a breaker (or a fuse in older switchboards).
When problems with the electricity supply threaten to overload one of these circuits, the breaker or fuse automatically cuts the power supply, protecting your appliances and electrical equipment from serious damage.
Why Might You Need An Upgraded Switchboard For Your New Pool?
Because the switchboard is connected to every electrical appliance and power outlet in your home, it has to be able to handle a lot of power. The more electricity passes through a switchboard, the more electrical resistance is generated. Too much resistance will cause the switchboard to overheat, tripping the master switch and leaving your entire home without power.
As home appliances become more powerful and digital equipment becomes more essential to daily life, the average home uses significantly more power than it did twenty or even ten years ago. If your home's switchboard was installed more than a decade ago, it may already be functioning close to its maximum capacity.
Add a power-hungry swimming pool into the mix and you have a recipe for disaster. Modern swimming pools are more energy efficient than ever, but they will almost certainly require more power to operate than any other appliance in your home. To safely power a new swimming pool, your old switchboard will need to be upgraded.
How Are Switchboards Upgraded?
It goes without saying that replacing your home's switchboard with an upgraded model is not a DIY job. You will need to call in an electrician service that is qualified to work on switchboards. These services can replace your home's switchboard with a newer model quickly and efficiently, and connect your new swimming pool to the new switchboard to get it powered up.
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Jonathon here. I am currently completing my electrical apprenticeship and I have to say, it has been a challenge. Before I started, I didn’t realise that there was so much involved in wiring a house or building. Safety, efficiency, aesthetics and costs all have to be taken into account. My boss is so patient. One customer asked us to leave electrical wires exposed because he wanted an “industrial effect”. My boss explained that it would be illegal and they compromised. I have really learnt that electrical installation is one area in which people should not take short-cuts or undertake home handiwork. This blog should help you to gain a little more insight into electrical installation and its intricacies. I hope you find it enlightening. Thank you for stumbling into my corner of the blogosphere.