Martindale Easy PAT 2100 Portable Appliance Tester

[thebigbadpad]

Hello again people,
I have been doing P.A.Testing for the first time as some of you know.
The tester i have is a Martindale Easy PAT 2100.It seems quite the alrite little tester actually.
Theres just 3 things im not too sure about.

-There is a black lead supplied with the tester, which has a crocodile clip on one end and 3 pins on the other which plugs into the tester and next to where it plugs in it says "Earth to appliance".I have gatherd that this is to test the metal work on class 1 equipment by clipping the crocodile clip onto the metal work.is this correct? and if so what sort of results should i get to pass?
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=ma...rt=32&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:32&tx=78&ty=72
-The flash test with the flash gun .In training i was told not to use this as it can be very dangerous he explained it injects a high voltage into appliances or somthing or another.Could any1 expand on this ?

-Also another thing, i have P.A.Tested a 3 gang extension lead.In last years test it was tested by a P.A.Testing company and for contiuity it got 0.8ohms and now when i press the test it gets around 1.5 ohms.why would this happen?is this acceptable?

Cheers guys Much Obliged

 

[ericmark]

Not used that machine but likely the black lead is to test the Class I equipment most will have a wandering lead of some type which needs attaching to some earthed part. Fans was the problem item where often the only earthed part was the shaft and 25 amp test could cause pitting on bearing so with those although not IT equipment use IT equipment test.

The flash test is for when an item has been re-built. It is used to check if any screws have been put in wrong holes and are as a result too long and likely to penetrate through to a live component so is only used when testing re-built equipment where the operator is fully aware of when and where it is safe to use. It's not used for in service equipment.

Extension leads are a problem. I will try to return to basics. What we want is when there is a fault for the power to be automatic disconnected. With a fault to earth with a 13A fuse table 41.2 of 17th Edition says the resistance must be less than 2.42 ohms. If we consider a socket with a B32 MCB will need 1.44 ohms then the lead should be no more than 1 ohm for the fuse to blow.

But there are more than fuses which will auto disconnect a RCD will also auto disconnect and also it may have a B16 MCB supplying socket or a D32 MCB which means the resistance may need to be above or below the 1 ohm. If the premises are compliant with 17th Edition then all sockets will be protected by a RCD.

Now you as the tester can decide that this location needs a higher or lower reading because of local conditions only you can answer that.

However if it has changed so much either there is a fault or a machine is out of calibration or false readings were recorded in order to pass the item. Not unknown for a tester given three extension leads to test the same lead three times. Again you as tester have to make the decision as to if to pass or not.

I hope that helps.

 

[Spark123]

Not sure on your actual tester as I only use AVO PAT4 testers, however some of the questions posed are pretty straight forward which I would have expected to see in the manual.
The earth bond lead connects to the metalic part on a class 1 appliance for the continuity test. Pass bands depend on the lead length, it's CSA, and what is protecting it. Have a look in the in-service inspection and testing of electrical equipment.
On some testers the earth bond lead is also required to be connected to exposed metalwork on class 2 appliances, have a read of your manual.

Flash testing involves high voltages which are only required after repairing the appliance, usually up to 3kV. It is in essence a more vigerous insulation test. The gun is only required for appliances where there are non earthed parts such as the metal chuck on a class 2 drill.

I wouldn't be happy with a 1m lead reading as high as 1.5ohms and would indicate to me something isn't quite right. I take it you are using an IEC lead for this test? If so, make sure it is made out of 1.5mm flex and kept as short as possible, the one I made for my tester is only around 20cm long.

 

[Grizzly]

There is a black lead supplied with the tester, which has a crocodile clip on one end and 3 pins on the other which plugs into the tester and next to where it plugs in it says "Earth to appliance".I have gatherd that this is to test the metal work on class 1 equipment by clipping the crocodile clip onto the metal work.is this correct?

Have you read the instruction manual of the tester you are using?
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/DataSheets/Martindale/EasyPAT2100_rev2.3.pdf

and if so what sort of results should i get to pass?

Have you got a copy of this? http://electrical.theiet.org/books/inspection-test/in-service-inspection.cfm will detail what sort of results you should be looking for, among many other things.

The flash test with the flash gun .In training i was told not to use this as it can be very dangerous he explained it injects a high voltage into appliances or somthing or another.Could any1 expand on this ?

Your training was quite correct, although it doesn't sound like you paid quite as much attention to it as maybe you should have.
Again, look in the IEE Code of Practice for your answers.

Also another thing, i have P.A.Tested a 3 gang extension lead.In last years test it was tested by a P.A.Testing company and for contiuity it got 0.8ohms and now when i press the test it gets around 1.5 ohms.why would this happen?is this acceptable?

A jump from 0.8 Ω to 1.5 Ω would indicate that something was amiss, and would need further investigation.

 

[thebigbadpad]

I have only just got the tester last month.There was no Instruction Manual with it.Would anyone know where i could get one of these?

The test instrument was issued with a certificate of conformity which says they recomend that the instrument is returned for calibration 12months after date of purchase.
Yes i have a copy of the IEE code of practice for inservice inspection and testing of electrical equipment 3rd edition.When i flick to earth continuity on page 74 table 15.1 the results dont come anywhere near what i have got for it.
I can understand insulation resistance on page 75 table 15.2 just the earth continuity boggles me.I always understood earth continuity as a bleep on a continuity tester which meant the two points tested where in connection with each other.
So am i correct as to say a earth bond lead test on metal parts for contiuity should be high.And the IEC lead into the socket should be low?
HELP!![/quote]

 

[Grizzly]

I have only just got the tester last month.There was no Instruction Manual with it.Would anyone know where i could get one of these?

Erm, try clicking the link I included in my post, maybe?
Found by Googling "Martindale EasyPAT 2100 manual", no less...

The test instrument was issued with a certificate of conformity which says they recomend that the instrument is returned for calibration 12months after date of purchase.

And has it been calibrated? Do you have a certificate of calibration that is dated within the last 12 months? If not, I'd suggest getting the unit calibrated if you're serious about using it.

Yes i have a copy of the IEE code of practice for inservice inspection and testing of electrical equipment 3rd edition.When i flick to earth continuity on page 74 table 15.1 the results dont come anywhere near what i have got for it.

Then you're either not performing the tests correctly, or you've identified a load of fail results

I can understand insulation resistance on page 75 table 15.2 just the earth continuity boggles me.I always understood earth continuity as a bleep on a continuity tester which meant the two points tested where in connection with each other.

So a bleep will determine that there is a connection, the next stage is measuring how good that connection is...

So am i correct as to say a earth bond lead test on metal parts for contiuity should be high.And the IEC lead into the socket should be low?
HELP!!

Oh dear no.
I think you need to get some more training/instruction before you try to do any more, as you appear to have a very poor understanding of some very basic concepts.