Cost of upgrading socket to 13amp

[Mamee & Co]

Just wanting to check what types of prices people have had for upgrading a socket to 13amp for the tumble dryer. We were quoted $250 today and said that we would have to think about it.

Given that we are currently managing with an airer and a log burner part of me does not see the point of paying this in rental accomodation. If we owned it I might.

What have others been charged?

[benandclare]

Drop NickBraddock a pm, he's a self employed electrician and did an excellent job when he put in our heat transfer system on back

[Mamee & Co]

Thanks Ben and/or Clare. Will do.

[Georgebulldog]

We paid between $50 & $75, needless to say we have used our electrician again, still waiting for the bill for the last job he did but I know he doesn't over charge

[BigRod]

We paid between $50 & $75, needless to say we have used our electrician again, still waiting for the bill for the last job he did but I know he doesn't over charge

The price depends on what else in on the circuit with the outlet and what the rating of the wiring is. Also bear in mind that the Electricity Regs 2010 came into force, and a new circuit will require RCD protection, not just MCB. For $250 I would expect a new circuit, and probably a combined RCBO to be fitted.


..... so depends on what the sparkie has to do for the price.

[ple60]

I hv been house hunting in NZ recently.
For the renovated houses (pre '90) I saw fuses at the distribution board, not sure if I saw an ELCB, fairly primitive but it works, if ur earthing is good enough.
For the cost of a socket outlet, I think the price of $250 is gross, there must be a way to do things cheaper, it must be a loop circuit as your tumble dryer will be on maybe for 30 minutes a day if u wash every day.
Then material cost is maybe minimal (leftover cables being used etc), hey everything is manpower cost, try DIY

[Mamee & Co]

Thanks BigRod...that makes it more understandeable..I'll get some quotes. I think I will probably need a 13A for the washing machine too..so they can share the cost, and it will have to be done....just have to use one at a time. I can cope without a TD(have done for the last 7 weeks, and its winter) but not a washing machine!

[catt]

Maybe a silly question but why do you need a 13amp for your tumbler?

Our house is a 1980 build tumbler is a Bosch bought here and plugs into the normal socket in the laundry room...........yes we had a fuse wire circuit board when we moved in but it was changed over to a a switch type for a couple of hundred dollars..........interestng question for me as our sparky didnt make any remarks when he checked it over as the circuit board is in the laundry room and i am sure he would have done so if it had been necessary.

[newarrival]

i have not a lot of knowledge, electricity wise, but we have a Miele washing machine and dryer and use them both, sometimes at the same time, since we came to New Zealand without any special fuses, as far as I can tell.
We have rented houses for the past 5 1/2 years, from old-old with wire fuses to newish...., our own now was built in 1995 and it has got switch type fuses.

[Duncan74]

It's not a question of the fuse blowing, it's one of the wiring itself not being able to cope. In theory, the worst case scenario is the wires themselves burn through, set fire inside the wall and the whole house goes up in flames. In reality there's a fairly low chance of that, as you're assuming that the drier is consuming all of the 13amps it's rated at, and the house wiing was only safe up to the 10 Amp rating, and that extra 30% load was enough to go from safe to fire.
The higher the current the more the resistance of the wires produces heat. Feel the extension cable after you've been mowing the lawn (doesn't work with petrol mowers!) and you'll feel the heat, especially with a cheap cable. Same principle, but now we're talking about the cables between the socket and the main board.