Storm season in South East Queensland and the Northern Rivers usually builds from late spring through summer, and it brings lightning, damaging winds, heavy rain and, in some areas, flooding. Each of those can affect your home’s electrical system in different ways.
This guide covers the practical steps to take before the season starts, what to do during a storm, and how to handle the aftermath safely.
Before the season: get your home ready
Consider surge protection
Lightning strikes on or near the network can send voltage spikes through the power lines and into your home. These surges can damage sensitive electronics such as TVs, computers, modems, smart appliances, pool controllers and air conditioner boards.
A surge protection device installed at the switchboard offers a first line of defence for the whole house. Plug-in surge protection boards add a second layer for expensive electronics. Neither can guarantee protection from a direct strike, but they significantly reduce the risk from common surges. Surge protection at the switchboard must be installed by a licensed electrician, and it’s a straightforward addition during a switchboard upgrade.
Test your safety switches
Press the test button on each safety switch. It should trip immediately. If it doesn’t, get it looked at before storm season. Safety switches are critical when water and damaged wiring are in the mix. If yours trip regularly in wet weather, our article on why a safety switch keeps tripping explains the likely causes.
Check outdoor fittings
Look at outdoor power points, lights and switches. Cracked covers, missing weather seals and rusted fittings let water in, and storms drive rain sideways into places it doesn’t normally reach. Replacing a tired outdoor fitting before the storms is simpler than chasing a fault afterwards.
Trees and powerlines
Keep trees on your property trimmed back from the service line running to your house. Branches that brush the line in a strong wind can bring it down. Don’t trim near powerlines yourself. Contact your network provider or a qualified vegetation contractor authorised to work near live lines.
Plan for outages
Keep a torch and spare batteries handy, charge phones and power banks when a storm is forecast, and know where your main switch is. If someone in your home relies on medical equipment, talk to your energy retailer and network provider about registering for life support notifications, and have a backup plan.
During a storm
- Unplug sensitive electronics you aren’t using if a severe storm is approaching and it’s safe to do so
- Avoid using landline phones with cords and stay away from taps and baths during lightning
- Don’t go outside to check the meter box or switchboard in the middle of a storm
- If the power goes out, switch off major appliances so they don’t all start at once when power returns, and leave one light switched on so you know when it’s back
Fallen powerlines: stay well clear
Treat every fallen powerline as live, even if it isn’t sparking and even if the power in the street is off. Energex advises staying at least 8 metres away from fallen powerlines and anything touching them, such as fences, cars, trees or puddles.
- In a life-threatening situation, call 000
- Energex (South East Queensland) emergencies: 13 19 62
- Essential Energy (Northern Rivers NSW) emergencies: 13 20 80
Keep children and pets inside, and warn others to stay away. If a powerline falls on your car while you’re inside, stay in the car unless there’s a fire, and wait for help.
After a storm: water and wiring
Water getting into electrical equipment is dangerous, and it isn’t always obvious. If your home has been affected by flooding, a roof leak into the ceiling, or water through wall cavities:
- Don’t enter a flooded room if power could be on
- If it’s safe to reach, switch off the main switch at the switchboard. If the switchboard is wet or you’d need to stand in water, don’t touch it
- Don’t use any power points, switches or appliances that have been wet
- Have a licensed electrician inspect and test the installation before power is restored
Appliances that have been submerged usually need to be checked by a qualified repairer or replaced. Don’t assume they’re safe once they’ve dried out. Salt water, which can reach homes in low-lying coastal areas during storm surge, is particularly damaging to electrical components.
Portable generators
Generators are handy during extended outages, but they need to be used safely:
- Never connect a generator to your house wiring by plugging it into a power point or wiring it into the switchboard. This is known as back-feeding, and it can energise the network and kill line workers repairing the lines.
- If you want to run parts of your house from a generator, have a licensed electrician install a proper generator inlet and changeover switch
- Run generators outdoors only, well away from doors and windows, because of carbon monoxide
- Plug appliances directly into the generator using suitable outdoor-rated leads
When to call an electrician
Call a licensed electrician if, after a storm, you notice:
- Safety switches tripping repeatedly or not resetting
- Burning smells, buzzing or scorch marks at the switchboard or outlets
- Power points, lights or appliances that have been exposed to water
- Partial power, flickering or dimming lights
- Damage to the point where the service line attaches to your house
Anything on the network side, including the service line from the pole, is the network provider’s responsibility, so contact them for that. For problems inside your property, our emergency electrician page explains how to reach us, and our fault finding service covers tracking down storm-related faults. We cover the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Logan and the Northern Rivers.
Safety note: electrical work in Queensland and NSW must be done by a licensed electrician. This article is general information, not advice for your specific property. If something looks or smells wrong, switch off at the main switch if it’s safe to do so and call an electrician.