Emergency Electrician North Brisbane
Burning smell, sparking, tripping or no power? Licensed electricians 24/7, usually on site within 60 minutes from North Lakes to Caboolture.
Reviewed by Lee Gundenswager (Lead Electrician, Connex Lic #92217) and Darren Standring (Owner). Last updated 2026-10-22.
Smell burning or see sparks? Turn off the main switch now.
If you can't safely reach the switchboard, leave the house and call us from outside. Don't investigate the source yourself.
Emergency electrical problems we fix every day
Electrical emergencies don't wait for business hours. These are the urgent callouts we attend across North Brisbane every day.
Safety switch tripping
Our most common call. Often a faulty appliance, water after rain, or degraded wiring in older homes.
Burning smell
From the switchboard or power points: overheating, melted insulation or arcing. Turn the main switch off.
Sparking or smoking outlets
Loose connections, damaged wiring or overloaded circuits. Stop using the outlet.
No power at all
If neighbours still have power, the fault is on your side: main switch, meter box or service cable.
See every emergency we handle
- Safety switches tripping repeatedly: a faulty appliance, water ingress after rain, or degraded wiring insulation in older homes.
- Burning smell from switchboard or power points: overheating connections, melted insulation or arcing. Turn off the main switch and call us.
- Sparking or smoking power outlets: loose connections behind the faceplate, damaged wiring or overloaded circuits. Don't use the outlet.
- Complete power loss: if neighbours have power, it could be a main switch failure, meter box issue or severed service cable.
- Partial power loss: some rooms working, others dead. Usually a tripped breaker, failed neutral or damaged circuit wiring.
- Hot switchboard or melting plastic smell: overloaded circuits, corroded connections or undersized breakers. A fire risk needing immediate attention.
- Storm damage: lightning strikes, fallen branches on overhead lines, water entering switchboards or roof spaces.
- Exposed or damaged wiring: from renovations, rodent damage or age. Exposed live conductors are immediately dangerous.
We service emergency jobs across North Lakes, Mango Hill, Kallangur, Murrumba Downs, Redcliffe, Caboolture, Burpengary, Narangba, Deception Bay and surrounding suburbs.
How much does an emergency electrician cost?
Standard hours callouts are $220 for the first hour including GST, covering travel, fault-finding and diagnosis. Most emergency repairs are finished within that first hour. After-hours rates are quoted on the call.
We give you a fixed quote before starting any work beyond diagnosis. No surprises.
What's included and how extra time is charged
Standard callout (Mon to Fri, 7am to 4pm): $220 first hour incl. GST, covering travel, fault-finding and diagnosis.
After-hours (evenings, weekends, public holidays): same service and quality, rate quoted on the call.
Additional time: charged at our standard hourly rate. Parts: at cost plus a small markup. We carry breakers, safety switches, GPOs and cable on the van, so most jobs are done in one visit.
| Common emergency jobs | Typical price (incl. GST) |
|---|---|
| Standard hours callout, first hour | $220 |
| After-hours callout | Quoted on the call |
| Safety switch replacement | $220 to $280 |
| Faulty circuit breaker replacement | $220 to $320 |
| Power point replacement (sparking or damaged) | $220 to $250 |
| Switchboard fault diagnosis and repair | $220 to $450 |
| Storm damage assessment and temporary repair | $280 to $600 |
| Full switchboard upgrade (if required) | $1,320 to $3,850 |
No callout fee on booked work. See all prices.
How fast can you get here?
For genuine emergencies we aim to arrive within 60 minutes in the North Lakes to Caboolture corridor. After-hours, our on-call electrician typically arrives in 45 to 90 minutes depending on location and traffic.
We're based at 173 Campbell Drive, Mango Hill, so North Lakes, Mango Hill and Griffin get our fastest response.
| Area | Typical response |
|---|---|
| North Lakes, Mango Hill, Griffin | 20 to 30 min |
| Narangba, Dakabin, Deception Bay | 20 to 35 min |
| Kallangur, Murrumba Downs, Petrie, Lawnton | 25 to 40 min |
| Caboolture, Morayfield, Burpengary | 25 to 40 min |
| Redcliffe, Scarborough, Margate, Clontarf | 30 to 45 min |
| Chermside, Aspley, Bridgeman Downs, Everton Park | 35 to 50 min |
What we typically find in each area
Kallangur, Murrumba Downs, Petrie, Lawnton: a high proportion of older homes with ceramic fuse boards and degraded wiring that generate frequent emergency calls.
Redcliffe, Scarborough, Margate, Clontarf: coastal properties with accelerated corrosion on switchboard connections and outdoor wiring from salt air.
Caboolture, Morayfield, Burpengary: older acreage properties with long cable runs alongside newer estates with builder-grade switchboards.
Narangba, Dakabin, Deception Bay: storm damage to overhead service lines and safety switch trips from water ingress in low-lying areas.
Chermside, Aspley, Bridgeman Downs, Everton Park: older established suburbs with many homes needing switchboard upgrades and rewiring.
What's causing your electrical problem?
Most emergency calls fall into predictable patterns based on the age of the property. Lee and the team know the local housing stock, switchboard types and common failure points.
Homes built before 1990 (Petrie, Kallangur, Lawnton, Strathpine)
Older homes here commonly have ceramic fuse boards, undersized wiring (1.0mm twin on power circuits) and no safety switches. Insulation degrades over time, especially in roof spaces that exceed 60°C in summer. Common emergencies: insulation breakdown causing earth leakage trips, overloaded circuits from modern appliances on old wiring, and corroded connections in junction boxes.
Homes built 1990 to 2010 (North Lakes, Mango Hill, Griffin)
These usually have modern switchboards but may have early-generation safety switches that nuisance-trip. Common issues: failed RCDs (safety switches have a 10-year recommended replacement cycle), overloaded circuits from home offices and EV chargers added after construction, and water ingress to outdoor power points.
New builds and estates (Caboolture South, Burpengary East, Mango Hill)
Even new homes have emergencies, typically from builder defects, connections that weren't properly torqued during construction, or too few circuits for the actual load. We regularly find undersized switchboards in new townhouses where the builder installed only the minimum required circuits.
Why you should act immediately
- Fire risk: electrical faults cause approximately 40% of house fires in Queensland. A burning smell, warm switchboard or sparking outlet can escalate within minutes.
- Electrocution: exposed wiring, failed safety switches or faulty appliances can deliver a lethal shock, especially in wet areas and during storm season.
- Property damage: voltage spikes from loose neutrals destroy electronics and appliances. One loose neutral caused $10,000+ in appliance damage on a job we attended.
- Insurance: if damage results from a known fault that wasn't addressed, your insurer may reduce or deny the claim.
- Escalating costs: a $220 callout to tighten a loose connection today prevents a $3,000+ switchboard replacement or rewire next month.
Emergency switchboard and storm repairs
A large share of emergency jobs involve the switchboard, and Queensland storm season (October to March) brings a surge in calls. We carry replacement breakers, safety switches and switchboard parts on every van.
If a switchboard upgrade is the right long-term fix, we'll explain exactly why and quote before any extra work starts.
Switchboard faults we fix
- Faulty breakers: trip as soon as they're reset or won't stay on. Usually an internal failure or a genuine fault on the circuit.
- Overloaded circuits: too many appliances on one circuit, especially older homes where kitchen, laundry and living room share one 20A circuit.
- Failed safety switches (RCDs): rated for about 4,000 operations or 10 years. Failed units trip constantly or, worse, fail to trip.
- Corroded connections: common in Redcliffe, Scarborough and Margate where salt air speeds corrosion. Resistance creates heat and fire risk.
- Water ingress: rain entering outdoor switchboards through damaged seals or conduit entries.
- Undersized switchboards: old 8-pole boards crammed with extra circuits that need a modern 24+ pole board.
Storm damage repairs
- Safety switches tripping from water: we find the entry point, dry and repair the connections, and seal against future ingress.
- Lightning strike damage: we assess the full switchboard, replace damaged components and test all circuits for insulation breakdown.
- Fallen branches on service lines: we coordinate with Energex for the supply side and handle everything on your side of the meter.
- Power surges after outages: we install surge protection at the switchboard to protect against future events.
After a storm: if your safety switch has tripped, try resetting it once. If it trips again immediately, don't force it. Call us, as it's protecting you from a genuine fault.
What to expect when you call
- Immediate phone assessment: we help you decide if it's safe to wait or if you need to turn off the main switch now
- Clear pricing before we arrive, with no surprises on the invoice
- Fast dispatch, typically on site within 60 minutes from North Lakes to Caboolture
- Licensed and insured: Lic #92217, $20M public liability
Related services
Once the emergency is sorted, these are the most common follow-up jobs.
Emergency electricians in 26 suburbs
- North Lakes
- Mango Hill
- Griffin
- Kallangur
- Dakabin
- Petrie
- Lawnton
- Rothwell
- Deception Bay
- Murrumba Downs
- Narangba
- Burpengary
- Morayfield
- Caboolture
- Redcliffe
- Scarborough
- Margate
- Clontarf
- Chermside
- Aspley
- Bridgeman Downs
- Everton Park
- Moreton Bay
- North Brisbane
- Strathpine
- All locations →
Based in North Lakes, serving North Brisbane and the Moreton Bay region 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Emergency electrician FAQs
How quickly can you get here for an emergency?
For genuine emergencies (burning smell, sparking, complete power loss), we aim for a 60-minute response in the North Lakes to Caboolture corridor. After-hours response is typically 45 to 90 minutes depending on location.
Do you charge more for after-hours emergency calls?
Yes. After-hours callouts (after 4pm weekdays, weekends and public holidays) cost more, and we quote the rate on the call before we come out. Standard hours callouts are $220 for the first hour incl. GST.
My safety switch keeps tripping. Is that an emergency?
If it trips once and resets, unplug recent appliances and monitor. If it trips repeatedly or immediately after reset, there's an active fault, so call us. Never tape or hold the switch in the ON position.
Should I turn off the main switch if I smell burning?
Yes. Turn off the main switch at the switchboard immediately. If you can't safely reach the switchboard, leave the house and call us from outside. Don't investigate the source yourself.
Can you fix my power if Energex says the fault is on my side?
Yes. When Energex confirms supply is live to your meter but you have no power inside, the fault is between your meter and switchboard or within the switchboard. We diagnose and repair these faults same-day.
Do you carry parts on the van for emergency repairs?
Yes. We stock safety switches (RCDs), circuit breakers, GPOs, isolators and cable, so most repairs are finished in one visit without a return trip.
What if my whole street has lost power?
That's an Energex issue. Check their outage map at energex.com.au or call 13 62 62. If only your property is affected while neighbours have power, call us.
Is a hot switchboard dangerous?
Yes. A warm or hot switchboard indicates overloaded circuits, loose connections or failing breakers, which is a fire risk. Turn off non-essential circuits and call us immediately.
Call now for an emergency electrician
Electrical faults don't improve with time. Burning smell, repeated tripping, partial power loss or anything that feels unsafe: call now. Lee and the team are ready to help, 24/7.
Electrical Licence #92217 · ARC #AU42842 · $20M Public Liability · ABN 37 665 474 537 · View our Google reviews