Electrical fuse/meter board backing
Description
Older electrical switchboard mounting panels and meter panels manufactured from an asbestos/resin or asbestos/coal tar pitch composite.
The panels are usually a dark brown or black colour, have a rough fibrous or wood like surface finish and may have a strong tar smell.
Hardie’s marketed a product named Dilex from 1933 as ebonised asbestos insulating board. In the 1950s New Dilex was introduced and advertised as unpolished, matte or polished.
Some may also be lined with AC sheeting.
Brand names may appear on rear of panel.
Brands/products
- Lebah
- Zelemite
- Miscolite
- Ausbestos
- New Dilex
- Dilex
Years of production/use
Most installed prior to 1990
Residential uses
- Meter boxes
Industrial uses
- Switch boards, electrical partition panels
- Mains electrical grid infrastructure
Be aware
Drilling, cutting, sanding or water blasting these panels may release asbestos fibres.
Meter boxes fitted with such panels may contain friable asbestos dust/debris inside.
The inside of front covers of older electro-mechanical Watthour meters may have been sealed with asbestos sealants/compounds.
