If your neighbours have power, nothing in your switchboard has tripped, and the house is still completely dead, the service fuse is one of the first things to suspect. It is a part most people have never heard of, and it is not something you or a regular electrician can replace.
What the service fuse is
The service fuse sits between the street supply and your meter. It protects the cable running from the network connection to your meter box, and it is the last protective device before your own installation starts. Depending on the age of the home it is at the point of attachment on the house, on a private pole, or inside the meter box. A three-phase property has one for each phase.
Signs it has failed
- The whole house has no power, but the neighbours are fine
- Every switch and safety switch in your switchboard is still in the on position
- The meter display is blank
- On three-phase, part of the property works and part does not, or large appliances run badly
- There was a bang, a flash or a burning smell at the meter box or where the line meets the house
What to check first
- Look at your switchboard. If the main switch or a safety switch has tripped, that is a different problem and any licensed electrician can help.
- Check whether the neighbours and the street lights are out. If they are, it is a network outage, so check your network operator’s outage map.
- Look at the meter. A blank display with everything switched on points to no supply reaching the meter.
- Look, from the ground, at where the line meets the house. Do not touch anything. Scorch marks, a melted fitting or a hanging wire are worth photographing.
If a wire is down, something is sparking or burning, or anyone has had a shock, keep well clear and call your network operator’s emergency line straight away: Ausgrid on 13 13 88 or Endeavour Energy on 131 003. Call 000 if there is a fire or someone is hurt.
Who is allowed to replace it
The service fuse is on the network side of your meter, so it is not ordinary electrical work. It can be replaced by the network operator’s own crew or by an Accredited Service Provider Level 2 authorised in that network area. A standard electrician is not permitted to pull or replace it, and you should not let anyone try.
In practice the network operator will attend a loss of supply and will often replace a fuse that has simply failed. Where they find the cause is on your side, such as a burnt fuse holder, damaged consumer mains or a fault in the meter box, they will make it safe and leave it to you to have it repaired. That repair is Level 2 work, and it is where we come in.
Why service fuses fail
- Age and heat: an old fuse carrier with a loose or corroded connection overheats until it burns out
- Overload: a home that has added air conditioning, an EV charger and induction cooking on a supply sized decades ago
- A fault on the consumer mains between the fuse and the meter
- Water getting into the fuse or the meter box, common near the coast and on weathered fascias
- Storm damage, a fallen branch or a vehicle hitting a private pole
A fuse that blows once from a storm is bad luck. A fuse holder that has burnt, or a fuse that goes again, is telling you the supply is too small or something upstream of your switchboard is damaged. Replacing the fuse without finding the cause just sets up the next outage.
What the repair can involve
- Replacing the service fuse and its carrier
- Renewing burnt or undersized consumer mains
- Repairing or replacing the point of attachment
- Upgrading the supply, sometimes to three-phase, where the load has outgrown it
- Replacing a damaged meter box or an asbestos meter panel
If the network crew has been and told you the fault is on your side, text us a photo of the meter box, the point of attachment and any note they left. We are a Level 2 ASP in both the Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy areas and can usually tell you from the photos what the repair is.