DB board upgrades in Sunninghill — what we actually find
Sunninghill's townhouse boards are typically small, full, and installed when the unit was built. Adding anything — solar, a battery, a heat pump — needs space that does not exist, and in many units the earth leakage arrangement no longer meets current requirements. Where the board is on a common wall, the managing agent may need notifying before the work is scheduled.
Property stock in Sunninghill
Sunninghill is dominated by townhouse complexes and office parks built through the 1990s and early 2000s. That means shared walls, shared drain runs and geysers sitting in roof spaces above living areas — so a failure that would be a nuisance in a freehold home becomes a ceiling and a neighbour's ceiling here. Most units are now at the age where the original geyser and its valves are all due together.
Complexes here almost always require the managing agent to be notified for anything touching a common drain or a shared wall. We arrange that before the visit rather than on the day.
Faults that cluster in Sunninghill
- Roof-space geysers over living areas with inadequate or blocked drip-tray drainage
- Shared drain runs where one unit's blockage surfaces in another
- Original 1990s and 2000s geysers and valves all reaching end of life at once
- Overflow pipes discharging into the roof void instead of outside
How DB board upgrades works
A distribution board needs upgrading if it is more than about twenty-five years old, still uses re-wireable fuses, has no earth leakage protection, or predates current SANS 10142 layout requirements. It is also effectively a prerequisite for solar, an EV charger or any significant renovation, because the new work has to be certified and an old board will not support it. A board that buzzes or smells hot is not a scheduling matter — that is how board fires start.
- Full board replacement to current SANS 10142 requirements
- Earth leakage protection where none is fitted, and correct circuit separation
- Surge arrester installation, which matters on the Highveld more than most places
- Load surveys before adding solar, an EV charger or renovation circuits
- Electrical COC issued in the registered person's own name on completion
Our process on a Sunninghill call-out
- 1Inspect the existing board, its protection devices and the circuit layout
- 2Measure actual load per circuit rather than assuming the original design still fits
- 3Quote the board, protection, surge arrester and certification as itemised work
- 4Replace and re-terminate, torque-checking every connection
- 5Test each circuit and issue the Electrical COC
DB board upgrades in Sunninghill — frequently asked questions
Other work we do in Sunninghill
Need DB board upgrades in Sunninghill?
Owner-managed by Garth Blair. We pick up the phone and book you in personally.
Speak to Garth directly.
Owner-managed means you reach the person who's accountable. Phone, email or WhatsApp — whatever's easiest for you.
- Call now082 886 9119
- WhatsApp082 886 9119
- Emailgarth@appleplumbing.co.za
- Service areaSandton, Midrand & Northern JHB
- HoursMonday to Saturday, 07:00 – 17:00