HI everyone, After some opinions on if the below would be characterised as an urgent repair or not. Background: Shortly before the 8th of Feb of the light switching in the living room fell through the socket and is currently pushing back about an inch. It is the top switch of a 3 switch light switch with the bottom 2 switch still in tact. Looking in the switch it appears the plastic bracket within has snapped. 8th of Feb - Had an inspection where this was pointed out to the PM. Advised will arrange to be fixed. 15th of March - Followed up via email asking for update as switch still not fixed. 16th of March - Advised will be fixed when tenant next door moves out in a week (live in a duplex - same owner) 16-24th March - Start noticing some bad voltage drop through the house. Lights dim to barely visible for 5-10 mins at a time. Fridge starts beeping with a loss of temp warning even though it hasn't been open recently. Washing machine constantly trip the circuit. Ceiling fan noticeable slows down. I do some checks with a Multimeter and see the voltage on a few power points throughout the house regularly dropping from 230v to below 200v. Obviously a drama somewhere, no idea if related to the light switch problem, but probably not. 24th March - Again email PM with update Voltage drop problem 25th March - Emailed back, Have advised owner and will get back to you shortly. So I am still stuck with the same problems, some (Light switch) close to 2 months after initially reporting them. From some research I have read that is a possibility that appliances such as fridges and washing machines can be damaged from lack of voltage, as they attempt to draw more current to keep themselves running, resulting in more heat which can damage the motor. Would this be sufficient reason to organise my own electrician to investigate the problem? I will again email the PM, but this is starting to get ridiculous.
You're in NSW, the owner's contact details are on the lease. Send them the emails and the agent's excuses - cc: the agent so there's no hiding.
The light switch is an electrical safety issue, this needs immediate repair. Contact the emergency electrical contact on your lease and get it done. The voltage drop issue is most likely a supply issue, contact your local supplier to get them to investigate. If it was related to the switch, you would have an electrical short happening at the back of the switch plate this could cause a fire due to arcing. Once again get in touch with an electrician. Replacing a wall plate is 10mins work.
