Private Power Pole Installation and Replacement in Grafton

This is the one that catches property owners out. If there is a power pole on your land carrying supply past the network's point of supply, it is your pole. Essential Energy will not maintain it and will not replace it. Maintaining it, replacing it when it reaches end of life, and dealing with it if it fails are all your responsibility — and only a Level 2 ASP can do the work.

• Grafton and surroundsOn-site quotes, free
• Wired to AS/NZS 3000Certified with a CCEW on completion
• Mon to Fri, 7am to 3pmEmergencies outside that where we can

How to check your pole

Worth walking out and looking at properly, particularly on rural blocks where poles are often out of sight and have not been looked at in twenty years.

• Lean. Any noticeable lean that was not there before, or that has increased.
• Base condition. This is where timber poles fail — at and just below ground level. Look for splitting, cracking, fungal growth, or timber that feels soft or punky when you press it firmly.
• Termite activity. Mud tracks running up the pole. Common in this region and frequently missed.
• Rust staining bleeding down from the fittings, cross-arm or attachment point.
• Sagging conductors — wires lower than they used to be, particularly over a driveway or a working area.
• Charring from a past fire, which weakens timber even where it looks structurally intact.

Replacement, and what it involves

Pole replacement is a coordinated Level 2 job.

1. Assessment — the pole, the conductors, the attachment and whether the location is still the right one. Sometimes it is worth relocating, or converting to underground, rather than replacing like for like.
2. Pole selection — timber, concrete or steel, sized for the span and the load. Concrete and steel cost more and outlast timber substantially, which on a rural property is often the better long-run economics.
3. Outage coordination with Essential Energy, and disconnection.
4. Removal, installation and re-termination.
5. Reconnection and lodgement of the Notification of Service Work.

Access matters for cost. A pole a truck can reach is straightforward. A pole in a paddock behind a creek crossing is a different proposition, and we will tell you that honestly when we quote rather than discovering it on the day.

We also serve these areas

This service is available across Grafton and the surrounding suburbs and villages. These are the areas we are asked for it most.

• Grafton

Frequently asked questions