Solar and electrical contractor in Mullumbimby, NSW
Working in Mullumbimby, from Burringbar Street out
Mullumbimby sits at the foot of Mount Chincogan, where the two arms of the Brunswick River meet, only about six metres above sea level. Burringbar Street is the main street, lined with shops and offices in older buildings, and the houses spread out behind it between the old railway line and the river and creek. Our work here splits in two: the shopfronts along the main street, and the homes on the flat ground around them. Flood height shapes how electrical work gets planned in this town more than anywhere else we cover.
Jobs on Burringbar Street mean working around trading hours, shop awnings, rear lanes and shared roofs, with a switchboard that is often in a back room or a cupboard. In the older residential streets the blocks are narrow, the driveway runs beside the house and the meter is on the front or side wall. Out on the edges of town the blocks open up and gates and longer driveways appear. Tell us where the meter box is and which side the ladder can stand, and we plan parking around that.
A lot of the older housing is timber on stumps with an iron roof, and switchboards that have been added to over the decades. The low ground along the Brunswick River and Mullumbimby Creek has flooded more than once, and the 2022 flood is fresh in most people's minds. That decides where we suggest a new switchboard, an inverter or a battery goes, and how high the cable runs. A sound roof with few trees over it suits solar, but we look at the roof before we say anything about it.
What we do here most
What Mullumbimby keeps needing
Most calls come from either a main street shop with a tired switchboard or a house on low ground that wants its power equipment higher up the wall.
Electrical
Switchboard moved higher on a low-lying house
A house on the flat streets near the river or creek often has its meter box and switchboard low on the wall, where water reaches first. We look at where the board sits, what level you remember the water getting to, and whether it can move up the wall. Moving a board is a bigger job than it sounds, because the cables behind it have to move too.
Commercial
Main street shop with a crowded switchboard
A shop in one of the older Burringbar Street buildings may have a switchboard in the back room that has been added to by several tenants. Fridges, lighting, a till and a coffee machine can share a circuit that was never meant to carry them. We work around opening hours, trace what runs from where, and mark every circuit clearly for the next person who opens the board.
Solar
Solar on an iron roof under old trees
Streets close to the town centre have big established trees that shade part of a roof for part of the day. Before we talk about how many panels fit, we watch where the shade falls across the roof at different times and check the roof sheets and fixings underneath. Sometimes the right answer is panels on only one face of the roof.
Batteries
Battery placed above the old flood line
A household in a flood-affected street that wants battery backup has a placement question as well as a size question. A battery sitting on a garage floor is the first thing water would reach. We talk through wall positions that are higher, clear of the garage door and away from where the car parks, and tell you straight when a spot will not work.
If it is urgent
If the power fails in Mullumbimby after rain or a flood warning
- 1Look at your switchboard without opening anything, and note whether the main switch or a single circuit switch has dropped, and whether any water has reached the meter box or the board.
- 2Leave the switchboard, the meter box, any inverter and any battery alone if there has been water near them, and do not stand in floodwater to look. Keep everyone out of the garage or shed until it has been checked.
- 3When you call, tell us the street, whether the house is on low ground near the river or creek, how high the water came and whether the solar system and any battery are mounted on the lower or upper wall.
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Which areas do you cover?
The Northern Rivers of New South Wales, from our base at Dorroughby, between Lismore and Byron Bay. Twenty places have their own pages on the service areas page, but they are a starting point rather than a boundary. If you are not sure we reach your address, call and we will check.
Do you answer the phone after hours?
Yes. The phone is answered at any hour, every day, on the number at the top of this page. Call with your address and what you are seeing, and we will tell you what to leave alone and what happens next.
Do you work on farms and businesses as well as homes?
Yes. The work runs from a single house roof to sheds, workshops, shops and farm buildings, on mains power and off it. Tell us what the building is used for and when it is busy, because that decides when the work can happen.
What should I send when I enquire?
A photo of your switchboard with the door open, a photo of the roof or the spot where equipment would go, and a recent power bill if you have one. If you already have a system, add a photo of the inverter and any error on its screen. Photos let us give you straight answers before anyone visits.
Will my solar keep working in a blackout?
A standard grid-connected system switches itself off when the grid goes down, even in full sun, and that is a safety feature. To keep some power on during an outage, the system needs a battery set up with a backup circuit. Which circuits go on that backup is decided with you before the work starts.
Can I add a battery to the solar I already have?
Often yes, but it depends on the inverter you have now and how the system is wired. Some inverters take a battery as it is, and others need replacing or adding to first. Send a photo of the inverter and we will tell you which it is likely to be.
What is the difference between grid-connected, hybrid and off-grid?
A grid-connected system works alongside the street supply and has no battery. A hybrid system uses one inverter to run the panels and a battery together. An off-grid system has no street connection at all, so the panels, battery and a backup generator input carry the whole property.
Can you work on a system someone else installed?
Yes. The first step is finding out exactly what is there, which means opening the switchboard, checking the cabling and reading what the inverter reports. After that we tell you what can stay, what should be repaired and what should be replaced.
Why does my solar system keep switching off or showing an error?
There are many possible causes, from a failing part to a loose connection or a fault on one string of panels. We trace the fault step by step and read the error codes before anything is replaced. Send a photo of the inverter screen and tell us when it happens.
What should I do if I see damage or smell burning near electrical equipment?
Keep clear of it and keep children and pets away. If there is fire or smoke, call emergency services first. Then call us, tell us what you saw and where, and leave the equipment alone until it has been checked.
Will the power go off while you work?
For most solar, battery and switchboard jobs the power is switched off for part of the day. We tell you when it will go off before we start, so you can plan around fridges, medical equipment and anything else that needs to keep running. Ask about it when you book.
Do you work on properties with no mains power?
Yes. Off-grid work starts with a list of what you run and when, because that decides the size of the panels, the battery and the inverter. We also look at the site itself, including shade, access and how far the equipment sits from the house.
Everything we do here
Services in Mullumbimby, NSW
Across the twenty things we do across the Northern Rivers, the ones that matter most in Mullumbimby are the ones that depend on how high the water can come and how old the main street wiring is.
Also nearby
We work in these suburbs too
Local, and on the phone
Solar and electrical work in Mullumbimby
Send us the street, and tell us whether the switchboard is on the lower wall of the house or the shop. That one detail decides what we bring and whether the first visit is about height as well as wiring.
0417 415 47424 hours a day, 7 days a week
Not urgent? Send us the job instead