Port Douglas · Douglas Shire · Cairns Northern Beaches
Generator changeover switches that keep the street safe
A generator without a proper changeover switch can push power back into the street and kill a line worker. Here is what a changeover does, what installing one involves, and how we do it.
- 5.0 on Google
- 24/7 emergency callout
- Licence 82270
What stops a generator putting power back into the street?
If you own a generator and there is no changeover switch on your switchboard, the only safe way to use it is extension leads straight off the machine. Do not let anyone wire it into the house. Backfeed is what happens when a generator is connected into house wiring, through a power point or a plug someone has cut into a circuit. That power runs back out through the meter and up the street to the transformer, which steps it up to full network voltage. A line worker who has isolated that line and tested it dead can be killed by your generator. In cyclone season, those crews are out on the wires within hours.
A changeover switch removes that possibility mechanically. The generator and the mains cannot be connected at the same time, because the switch physically will not allow it. That is the whole point of the device.
Manual or automatic
A manual changeover is the common one for houses, sheds and small shops. Power goes out, you start the set, you walk to the board and turn the switch. Fewer parts, less to go wrong, easy to explain to whoever is home. An automatic transfer switch senses the loss of supply, starts the generator and moves the load across. When the mains return it moves the load back and shuts the set down. That is what you want where nobody is standing next to the board at 2am: cold rooms, comms racks, sewage and irrigation pumps, aquaculture aeration, resort lifts and fire systems. We look after gear at a couple of the larger resorts, and at a barramundi farm where a few hours without power is not an inconvenience, it is stock loss.
What the job actually involves
- A look at your switchboard and the space in it. Some boards take a changeover easily, some need a small board beside them.
- Working out what genuinely needs backing up. Most people do not need the whole house, they need lights, fridge, fans, water pump and a few power points on an essential services section.
- Sizing the switch to the generator and the actual load, not to the badge on the machine.
- Siting the inlet socket somewhere you can reach in driving rain, undercover, and away from salt spray if you are on the coast.
- Getting the earthing arrangement right for a portable set, which is not the same as the earthing for your mains supply.
- Labelling, testing and showing you how to use it before we leave.
Why this matters more up here
Far North Queensland loses power in ways the rest of the country does not. Trees come down across the Captain Cook Highway, the Daintree ferry stops, and properties north of it can sit for days. Plenty of blocks out that way have no mains connection at all and run a generator as the main supply, not the backup. Salt air chews outdoor enclosures at Craiglie and Port Douglas. Ants and geckos get into outdoor changeover enclosures and cause real faults here, regularly, not as a one-off story. We seal and site the gear accordingly. We also look after the electrical on the buildings at the Low Isles lighthouse, 15km offshore, which we get to in our own boat.
Who is doing the work
QLD Electrical Contractor Licence 82270, fully insured, four electricians and two apprentices, 24/7 emergency callout, and a Same Day Service Guarantee for commercial customers who ring by 2pm on a business day.
Before the next big blow, know this. If your installation is damaged by storm or flood, verification testing is required before it can be reconnected. A licensed electrician has to do that work, and a certificate of test is what allows your electricity distribution entity to reconnect your service. A changeover switch means you can keep the lights on while you wait for that to happen.
Source: Electrical Safety Queensland, electrical safety during storms.
What we install
We fit NHP, Clipsal, Schneider Electric and Kraus and Naimer changeover gear, all of it stuff we can get parts for out of Cairns instead of waiting three weeks on a special order.
- NHP
- Clipsal
- Schneider Electric
- Kraus and Naimer
Who we do it for
We do this work for homeowners, businesses, resorts and body corporates.
How a changeover actually works
Three parts, and the wiring between them is the job
Buying a generator is the easy half. Getting its power safely into the house, without back-feeding the street and without a spaghetti of leads through a window, is the part that needs an electrician and a certificate.
-
01The generator
Yours or one we specify. What matters is the socket on it and the load you actually need to run, which is usually smaller than people expect once you stop trying to power the whole house.
-
02The inlet
A weatherproof appliance inlet mounted outside, on a wall you can reach in the rain with a torch. One lead from the generator to here, and that is the only thing you handle.
-
03The changeover at the board
A changeover device in the switchboard, labelled, so the house is fed by the grid or by the generator and never by both. That interlock is the whole point, and it is what keeps a lineman safe on your street.
Straight answers
Generator Changeover Switches: your questions
Can I just wire my generator into a power point with a double-ended lead?
No. That is the backfeed situation, and it is the one that kills line workers. A lead with a plug on both ends also leaves live pins exposed at one end the moment the generator is running, so it is a risk to whoever is holding it. No sparky will sign off on an installation that has one in use. If you are not ready to fit a changeover yet, run appliances directly off the generator on normal leads and leave the switchboard alone.
Do I need an automatic changeover, or is manual good enough?
Manual is good enough for most homes and small businesses. If someone is on site and can walk to the switchboard, a manual switch does the same safety job for less gear and less maintenance. Automatic earns its keep when a 3am outage with nobody there costs you real money or real risk: cold rooms, aquaculture, pump stations, comms, lifts, fire and exit systems. Tell us what happens in the first hour without power and we will tell you which way to go.
What size generator do I need?
Work backwards from what you want running, not from the generator. List the essentials, usually lights, fridge or freezer, fans, water pump, internet and a few power points, and we will add up the running load and the starting surge. Motors like bore pumps and air conditioners draw far more on start-up than they do running, and that is what catches people out. We size the changeover switch to that load and to the generator, so the two match. Bring the generator's plate details if you already own one.
What does a generator changeover switch cost?
A generator changeover is priced on whether your board has room, how far the generator inlet is from the board, whether you want an essential services section split out, and whether it is manual or automatic. We do not publish rates, because no two switchboards are the same. We will look at the board, ask what you need running, and give you a written price before any work starts. If you want a rough idea over the phone, ring (07) 4099 3497 and describe your board.
Can you fit a generator changeover switch to my existing switchboard?
Usually yes. Older boards in this region are often full, so the practical question is space rather than anything else. If there is no room, the normal fix is a small enclosure next to the existing board carrying the changeover and the generator inlet, which costs less than a full board upgrade. We will tell you which option applies to your place before we quote, and if the board is at the end of its life we will say so and let you decide.
Where
We do this from Cape Tribulation down to Smithfield
Generator Changeover Switches comes up most often at Wonga Beach and Cow Bay . Every area we cover has its own page with the access and the local conditions on it.
Need a licensed electrician who turns up?
Leave us a number and we will ring you back, or send the whole job through and we will quote it.