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We are in the Ausgrid area of Sydney. We need to replace a common-property switchboard which has been found to contain asbestos. The electricians will of course need the power off. This apparently requires that the main Service Protection fuses be pulled out during the work. The fuses are fitted with seals to prevent tampering. Where can I find a clear statement of what a Level One electrician can do and what requires Level Two, if that’s higher. Or is One higher than Two? Are there other levels? Once the fuses have been pulled and replaced, who puts new seals on them? Needless to say, different units get their power from different retailers (thanks, Nick), so don’t refer me to “the retailer”.
I asked Ausgrid but their reply refers me to a web page that doesn’t help.
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I hold a new electrical contractors licence so can answer this with confidence
The common garden variety electrician is a level one electrician. They can work on anything after the house fuses and meters.
You need a level two electrician to pull the house fuses.
Having said that, what many level one electrician do is get a level two electrician to pull the fuses. The level one then does the work and the level two comes and reconnect and seals the fuses. They also check that it’s safe to connect the house to the system.
There are also some electrians which will do domestic work who also have a level two qualification.
Your electrician will sort all this out, so no need for you to engage two electricians.
My understanding is that an electrician who is a Level 2 accredited service provider has qualifications exceeding those of a Level 1 electrician and that those additional qualifications relate to their training and ability to connect or disconnect network services – underground and above ground. In addition to having this training they would need to have been approved by the Distributor ( not retailer) as well as the NSW Dept of Industry.
The Level 2 electrician would therefore have the authority to remove & replace the main fuse.
Unsealing and resealing of meters would be authorised by the appropriate metering provider.
if you are trying to pull more than 100amps from a service fuse ,will it blow the service fuse or hust give you low dimming power?