Power point installation, indoors, outdoors and weatherproof

Most power point jobs we do are one of three things. You have run out of points where you actually need them, an old one has gone loose or scorched, or you want a weatherproof point outside that will survive on a coastal block. All three are straightforward, and most are done in a single visit.

What we do most

We have logged 1,957 power point jobs since 2020, alongside 8,840 fault finding calls, so we see both ends of it: the new install and the mess that shows up years later. Typical work is adding a double power point to a bedroom or garage, running a dedicated point for a fridge or a pool pump, swapping tired old points for Clipsal Iconic, putting USB points beside beds and desks, and fitting weatherproof outdoor points on patios, sheds and pontoons.

If you are renovating, tell us early. Deciding where power points go at rough-in stage costs nothing. Deciding after the gyprock is on means chasing walls. We do 1,701 kitchen renovation jobs and 1,211 bathroom jobs. The ones that go smoothly are the ones where someone stood in the room with us first and said what goes where.

Outdoor points up here

Salt air is the difference between Port Douglas and anywhere south. An outdoor point on an exposed eastern wall in Craiglie or on the Port Douglas beachfront sits in salt-laden air every day, and cheap fittings corrode from the inside out. We use properly rated weatherproof enclosures with the lid and seal intact. We mount them so water runs off rather than pools, and not where the afternoon squalls drive straight in.

The other one nobody warns you about is ants. Green ants and small black ants nest inside outdoor enclosures and pack them out with debris that holds moisture. Geckos get in behind the plate. It is one of the more common causes of a tripping outdoor circuit in Far North Queensland. If your outdoor point is dropping the safety switch after rain, that is usually where we look first.

Old points, and when to stop patching

A power point that is loose, browned around the pins, warm to touch or crackling when you plug something in needs replacing now, not next month. Loose connections make heat. Same goes for a plug that falls out under its own weight. Cracked plates and painted-over points are cosmetic until they are not.

If the whole house is on old wiring and you are replacing points one at a time, we will tell you honestly whether you are better off doing the circuit properly. We are not going to quietly keep patching something that needs a rewire.

Safety switches

Adding power points is a good moment to check what protects them. In Queensland, owners must have approved safety switches on general purpose socket-outlets within 90 days after becoming the owner, or after a residential tenancy they entered into starts. For rentals, every power point circuit must have a safety switch. We do 1,353 safety switch jobs, so if your switchboard needs sorting we can do it in the same visit rather than sending you to someone else.

Working with us

BH Electrics is a licensed electrical contractor, QLD licence 82270, fully insured, based in Craiglie. Brad and Leanne Sims run it, with four electricians and two apprentices. Our Port Douglas work runs from single houses to the biggest resorts in town. Every installation gets a Certificate of Testing and Compliance from us, which is your record that the work was done properly.

Sources: Electrical Safety Office, safety switches and WorkSafe Queensland, 2024 amendment regulation.