PAT failure

[SUNRAY]

Having just shown a colleague another thread, he went to the van and brought this in
View media item 42272 having removed it from a 140A arc welder during repair following PAT

Apparently it was tripping RCD's and the owner thought that is always the case with welders because you use the earth to weld with.

 

[SUNRAY]

Initially he was just going to relace the blue ceeform, but
View media item 42271the burns meant the cable needed replacing too.

 

[SUNRAY]

it gets worse
View media item 42273
note:
the lack of strain relief,
the polarity of the wiring in the blue ceeform,
unsleeved 13A pin,
widow maker format,
earth wire detachted.

I'm sure somethings been missed

And the owner didn't think there was anything wrong

at least the 13A plug is fitted with a proper fuse.

 

[timbim]

I can't work out exactly what anyone thought they might be able to use that for - why would you ever want to interchange between 240V and 110V?

 

[SUNRAY]

I can't work out exactly what anyone thought they might be able to use that for - why would you ever want to interchange between 240V and 110V?

I don't think they were, this was the extension lead on a 240V welder.
I don't know any of the history but guess this was done at some time in the past as a quick botch to make something work and has not been put right till now.

 

[AndyPRK]

i didn't know you could plug yellow into blue or has a keyway been cut off ?

 

[efiste2]

The fact that this item was submitted to a PAT test raises a few concerns.....

 

[SUNRAY]

i didn't know you could plug yellow into blue or has a keyway been cut off ?

Yes its been removed, I didn't think to mention it earlier as its such a common thing

 

[SUNRAY]

The fact that this item was submitted to a PAT test raises a few concerns.....

It was a full set of PATS at a building company, this was on a van so got tested. But yes I agree its scary.

 

[plugwash]

Yes its been removed, I didn't think to mention it earlier as its such a common thing

Presumably people take the keyways off so they can use the same extension leads for both voltages?

 

[SUNRAY]

Yes its been removed, I didn't think to mention it earlier as its such a common thing

Presumably people take the keyways off so they can use the same extension leads for both voltages?

That sort of thing, yes

 

[SimonH2]

I can't work out exactly what anyone thought they might be able to use that for - why would you ever want to interchange between 240V and 110V?

I've seen yellow connectors used on 240V (ie yellow plug on 240V equipment, and yellow socket on the extension lead it was used with) - presumably because that's what someone had to hand.

And am I seeing things right - there's a blue plug wired to a 13A plug, so a widowmaker as well ?

 

[SUNRAY]

I can't work out exactly what anyone thought they might be able to use that for - why would you ever want to interchange between 240V and 110V?

I've seen yellow connectors used on 240V (ie yellow plug on 240V equipment, and yellow socket on the extension lead it was used with) - presumably because that's what someone had to hand.

This is usually bcause the yellow connectors can be half inched from the building site where he works

And am I seeing things right - there's a blue plug wired to a 13A plug, so a widowmaker as well ?

Yes widowmaker, see my second post.

There was a blue socket on the welder.
The 'extension lead' has a 13A plug at one end and a yellow plug the other, with a yellow socket as the join in the middle.