Solar and electrical contractor in Newrybar, NSW
Newrybar and the farms around it
Newrybar is a very small village, about sixteen kilometres south of Byron Bay and roughly 120 metres above sea level. Settlers arrived in 1881, and some early buildings still stand, including the community hall from 1899 and the bakery building beside it. Almost everything else is farm, acreage and bush. Most of our work here means a drive out along a rural road to a single property, with the village as a landmark.
Properties around Newrybar are reached by long, sometimes unsealed driveways with gates and cattle grids. Meter boxes are often at the front boundary, with the house and sheds a long way in. Street numbers on rural roads are hard to see, so give us a clear description of the turn off. On a working property, the right time to cut the power depends on stock and pumps, so tell us what has to stay running.
Housing is spread out: old farmhouses, timber cottages and newer homes on acreage, with sheds close by. Shed roofs are large and often well placed for solar, and the distance from the pole is usually the difficult part. The village sits across both the Ballina and Byron council areas. Where a place runs on tank or dam water, the pump is a big motor on the switchboard, and the cable out to it matters.
What we do here most
What Newrybar keeps needing
Large sheds, long driveways and pumps. The jobs out here are about spreading solar across big roofs and keeping a farm running when the line drops.
Solar
Putting panels on a large farm shed roof
A shed roof is usually bigger and simpler than a house roof, with one or two long slopes. We check the roof sheeting, the purlins underneath and how the shed is wired. Often the shed has no board of its own, so we plan a new supply from the house first and mount the panels after that.
Off-grid
Planning off grid power for a farm cottage
Where the nearest pole is a long way off, off grid starts with a list of what the place actually runs. Pumps, fridges, workshop tools and lights all count. We add up when each is on, then look at panels, a battery and a generator to cover the wet weeks.
Electrical
Cable runs and boards for a machinery shed
A new barn or machinery shed needs a supply, protection and earthing sized to what will run in it. We look at the distance, the soil, and whether the cable crosses a paddock or a track. The route is marked before anyone digs, and anything buried along it is found first.
Repairs
Finding the fault after storm damage on acreage
After a storm, a line can be down, a pole can be damaged and a pump can stay dead. We start at the switchboard and work outward, separating faults on your side of the meter from faults on the network side. A line on the ground belongs to Essential Energy, so stay back and report it to them.
If it is urgent
If the power drops on a Newrybar property after hours
- 1Look at the meter box at the front boundary and at the main switchboard, and check whether neighbours down the road still have power.
- 2Leave alone any line on the ground, any branch hanging on a wire and any pump or shed wiring that is wet, and keep stock and children well away.
- 3Tell us the road, the turn off, the distance from the gate to the house, and whether a pump, a bore or a coolroom has stopped.
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 Newrybar, NSW
The twenty things we do across the Northern Rivers all apply on Newrybar farms and acreage, where the distances and the sheds are bigger than in town.
Also nearby
We work in these suburbs too
Local, and on the phone
Tell us about your Newrybar property
Send us the road name and a description of the turn off, and tell us how far the house is from the front gate. On rural land, that is what decides how the visit is planned.
0417 415 47424 hours a day, 7 days a week
Not urgent? Send us the job instead