Rewiring versus a DB upgrade
A DB upgrade replaces the consumer unit and is already priced: S$480 to S$780 for a typical HDB 12-way to 18-way board, S$780 to S$1,150 for a larger overhaul. Rewiring replaces cables in the walls. This site does not publish a separate whole-flat rewire figure.
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The board is not the cable
If one appliance trips its own way, the published fix may be a dedicated circuit at S$220 to S$450, not a new house wiring. If the RCCB itself is faulty, the published device swap is S$160 to S$280. If the enclosure is full, cracked, or unlabelled, the board bands apply.
Rewiring is the job you need when the cables are undersized, cooked, or illegally jointed in the ceiling. An electrician diagnoses that from the board and the symptoms. Accepting a rewire because a brochure said so, without that diagnosis, is how people pay for cables they did not need. We will not invent the price of that diagnosis.
Lights and fans on sound existing points stay on their own pages: a slab ceiling fan is S$120 to S$180.
Checklist
- List what trips, and whether the smell is hot plastic.
- Photograph the DB. Do not remove the cover yourself.
- Price a device, a circuit, or a board from the DB page first.
- Only talk about rewiring if the electrician shows you why the cables are the fault.
Use these published bands
DB page only: S$160 to S$280, S$220 to S$450, S$480 to S$780, S$780 to S$1,150. Fan page: S$120 to S$180 on a slab. No rewire total.
Rewiring versus a DB upgrade: access and preparation
Rewiring versus a DB upgrade stays on the circuit that is already in the board unless the load needs a new way. A like-for-like lamp, a faceplate, or a 30mA device swap is an electrician’s visit. A new circuit, a DB change, or an EV charger is EMA-licensed electrical work and is not a DIY extension lead.
Access to the board, the length of a new cable, and whether the building requires an LEW test change the visit. A condo may restrict drilling of the riser. An HDB flat still follows SS 638 and the EMA 30mA rule. Landed houses add distance from the intake to the point.
- Photo of the DB door and the schedule
- Note which appliance was on when it tripped
- Do not reset a burning smell
- Clear a path to the board
- Say if the home is HDB, condo or landed
What Rewiring versus a DB upgrade includes
Rewiring versus a DB upgrade stays on the circuit that is already in the board unless the load needs a new way. A like-for-like lamp, a faceplate, or a 30mA device swap is an electrician’s visit. A new circuit, a DB change, or an EV charger is EMA-licensed electrical work and is not a DIY extension lead.
Photograph the DB schedule with the cover on, the symptom (a trip, a dark room, a warm switch), and the appliance nameplate if a hob, oven or heater is involved. Do not reset a breaker that smells of burning. Prices already printed on this page are the bands to use. This note does not add a second rate.
Homey Furnishing Pte. Ltd. (ACRA UEN 202018148K), 27 Mandai Estate, #06-10 Innovation Place, Singapore 729931, carries permit-exempt work. V On Construction Pte. Ltd. (ACRA UEN 201611708H), listed on the HDB Directory of Renovation Contractors, carries any scope that needs an HDB renovation permit.
Plan Rewiring versus a DB upgrade
Confirm which rooms die, and whether the trip happens in the rain or with one appliance.
Isolate before the cover comes off. The test button on a 30mA device is a homeowner check. Opening the board is the electrician.
Replace or repair the fitting that matches the fault. Do not bridge a protective device.
Label the way, test, and leave the cover on.
| Access | HDB | Condo | Landed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | Many HDB boards are 12-way and already full. | MCST may require the licensed electrician’s form and quiet hours. | The intake and the sub-board can be far apart. Measure the run. |
| Protection | EMA 30mA protection applies, including pre-1985 flats. | The same device rule. The management office may ask for notice. | Outbuildings and wet outdoor points need the correct enclosure, not an indoor faceplate. |
| New circuits | A new cable is electrical work, not a handyman spur. | The building may ban surface trunking in common corridors. | A charger or a workshop circuit is designed, not tapped off a socket. |
- Photo of the DB door and the schedule
- Note which appliance was on when it tripped
- Do not reset a burning smell
- Clear a path to the board
- Say if the home is HDB, condo or landed
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a DB upgrade a rewire?
No. The upgrade is the consumer unit, at the bands on the DB page. Rewiring is the cables. This site does not publish a whole-flat rewire price.
What if only the water heater trips?
That may be the heater circuit, published as a dedicated circuit at S$220 to S$450 when a new way is required, or a heater repair on the heater page. It is not automatically a rewire.
Who tests the new board?
An EMA licensed electrician, with an LEW test when the job requires one. Ask before you book.
Who carries rewiring versus a db upgrade?
Electrical work is an EMA licensed electrician. Homey Furnishing Pte. Ltd. UEN 202018148K coordinates the visit. A new circuit is not an HDB hacking permit by itself, and it is not a task for an unlicensed reset.
Should I keep resetting the breaker?
No. One reset after you unplug the wet appliance is a check. A breaker that trips again, or smells hot, stays off until it is tested.
Will you invent a price if this page has no table?
No. Use the price rows on this page when they exist. Otherwise the reply points at the DB or light-repair page that already publishes a band.