PAT Tester

[Brad93]

I want to get a PAT tester, one of the bakeries i visit, the bakers like to have a go with the old electrical screwdriver, three quite bad bodges discovered today.

I think a PAT tester would be a good idea (plus the course to say I'm competent) to be assured that there are no deadly faults with the machines.

I've seen this used machine on ebay, seems to do a lot for the money.

Items tested are gonna be mostly metal bodied, and all in a commercial/industrial setting.

 

[nickk]

I watch with interest as I should be doing my hand tools every year I suppose.

 

[Brad93]

I watch with interest as I should be doing my hand tools every year I suppose.

Yes i'd like to do mine also in-house

 

[Shedendman]

Tadge off topic(as you do),was in a charity shop today and noticed a bigger than normal slow cooker,thought,ooooooooo,£18 it was,got it off the shelf had a look over it,and asked it working ok,yes came the reply,PAT tested?,sorry?
has it been PAT tested,you know checked over,oh we dont do that she said,oh really,ok,as i put it back on shelf
Surly it has to be,NO?

 

[Endeleus]

I have the PAT400 series, which is model up from that one… it’s great in terms of being all singing, all dancing, have it hooked up to a brother label printer to print barcoded pass labels, saves results and multiple client details and import / export data via usb stick (can tidy up inventory on Excel and re-import).

However… it’s heavy and an absolute PITA to move around the site, sometimes I wish I’d bought a smaller hand-held unit. If you’re going to be set up at a desk and all the items come to you, then would be a good buy at that price (think mine was north of £1k new)

I often test around warehouses and commercial, so tend to take the tester to the appliance, rather than being bench based. You mentioned bakeries, so if you’d be using it to trail around a site to test appliances in situ, you may find like me that you can’t fault the functionality, but the bulk and weight can become tiresome compared to a smaller tester.

 

[voipio]

I wouldn't have thought any high street retail outfit, charity, or otherwise, would be geared up to perform portable appliance tests. Visually check the wire and plug for damage (part of normal PAT procedure anyway), and general condition. If the shop lets you plug it in, and the shop sockets stay on, that's a nother good sign. If you have one of those 13A power consumption measurement devices, use that to see how much power it consumes, and if that figure tallies with the ratings plate.

 

[Dragnet]

The number of things I've had that have been thrown away for 'failing PAT', which turned out to be a nick in the insulation an inch or so from the casing. Open up, shorten cable until the nick is not a problem, hey presto. I wonder if testers could be bundled with a repair strategy so that innumberable otherwise faultless pieces of equipment can be safely fixed rather than dumped because of a lack of simple knowledge and a few quid of flex.

I have a hand-cranked Megger I use for insulation testing, which is quite heavy but satisfyingly needs no batteries and is beautifully wooden.

 

[willie.macleod]

I wouldn't have thought any high street retail outfit, charity, or otherwise, would be geared up to perform portable appliance tests.

Our local hospice charity shop does PAT tests on all the electrical items they sell.

 

[sparkysy]

i have two the older version of this for at the bench testing

Martindale EasyPAT 1600 PAT Tester

Completes Earth Bond tests at 25A, 8A and 100mA Push button functions make the EasyPAT 1600 simple to use Capable of testing at 110v and 230V depending on the supply voltage

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And one of these for around and about!

Martindale HPAT600/2 PAT Tester | ISSWWW.CO.UK

The new look Martindale HPAT600/2 entry level PAT Ttester. Updated for 2019 representing fantastic value for money. Buy now from ISSWWW.CO.UK

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Both been extremely useful instruments over the years.
I also have one of these

Kewtech Portable Appliance Tester Adaptor Box - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. Enables easy portable appliance testing with an insulation / continuity or multifunction tester. Covers all the mandatory tests demanded by the Code of Practice. The new Code of Practice allows for 250V insulation tests. This can be a replacement for leakage tests...

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Very handy if only a few items as my multifunction tester is always on the van!

It's not pat anymore either it's isitee!

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.isitee.co.uk/&ved=2ahUKEwiMhaee-ZmDAxVCgFwKHecoB_EQFnoECBYQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3T-dVjFvAc26SerrUdmpje

Get on a course it's mostly common sense, most importantly learn and know your tester well!
To above, some companies I test for require as much to be fixed while being tested as is possible the rest is replaced.
Some of them I test and their staff repair and I retest.

Sy

 

[brightspark]

second hand it would probably need a calibration cert

 

[willie.macleod]

@Brad93 make sure whatever machine you buy can do high current earth bond test, the machine you linked can do 25A tests which is good.

 

[voipio]

Our local hospice charity shop does PAT tests on all the electrical items they sell.

I gather a lot of charity shops won't accept mains powered electrical goods because they don't have the facilities to test them.

 

[Brad93]

@Brad93 make sure whatever machine you buy can do high current earth bond test, the machine you linked can do 25A tests which is good.

Thank you willie, I have read about this. Seems you need a mains powered unit in order to do it

 

[brightspark]

i was asked to do pat tests at the local charity shop as they dont take electrical items and cant sell them. i declined

 

[Robotstar5]

One of the office ladies bought a heater in that belonged to her partner, asked me if I could put a PAT sticker on it for him

 

[Jack_K]

One of the office ladies bought a heater in that belonged to her partner, asked me if I could put a PAT sticker on it for him

View attachment 429801

probably didn't say it had to be a pass sticker

 

[Brad93]

second hand it would probably need a calibration cert

Probably another £100 if RS prices are anything to go by

 

[Endeleus]

brightspark said:
second hand it would probably need a calibration cert

Probably another £100 if RS prices are anything to go by

In that ballpark for most of the testing centres, but ask around the local electrical wholesalers (C.E.F., Eddisons, Rexel, etc) if they have any drop-in "calibration days" coming up, and will be more likely £20 - £30

 

[brightspark]

brightspark said:
second hand it would probably need a calibration cert

In that ballpark for most of the testing centres, but ask around the local electrical wholesalers (C.E.F., Eddisons, Rexel, etc) if they have any drop-in "calibration days" coming up, and will be more likely £20 - £30

it used to be about 30 quid ten years ago dont know now

 

[charliecambs]

My daughter runs an exotic animal sanctuary and hence loads of tricky to reach electricals.
So as an electrical engineer now retired we bought a UniT tester. Think it was maybe £300 then and included a testers guide and online test and certificate.
We get it calibrated each year and test the "handheld" stuff at 6 months in between ( realise its determined by use etc but its easier to put date in calendar)

I think i had it calibrated "while i waited" last time and it was maybe £75 and an hour. You can post and wait a few days and its cheaper i think.

Tester was Uni-T UT528 battery powered so no true 25A Earth bond check and calibration was Testermans Ltd, Regal Road Wisbech.

Obviously no affiliation to either Uni-T or Testermans but might be worth a look??