PAT testing equipment. What brand and how much?

[EarthElectrics]

I'm considering taking a PAT testing course. How much would be a resonable amount to pay for

a) the testing equipment

b) the C&G course

And finally.. How much would be a typical charge per unit for testing? I've heard between £1-£2

 

[Pensdown]

I'm considering taking a PAT testing course. How much would be a resonable amount to pay for

a) the testing equipment

Unless you need glasses - nothing.

b) the C&G course

Goggle "PAT courses" and you'll find loads of training companies who are funded by the tax payer (based on bums on seats) for ridiculous courses.

And finally.. How much would be a typical charge per unit for testing? I've heard between £1-£2

How much would you pay me for testing the PC you're using?

PS....I'm not a fan of PAT

 

[ericmark]

I'm considering taking a PAT testing course. How much would be a resonable amount to pay for

a) the testing equipment

The price varies a lot and much depends on what you want it to do for you. If you want all singing and dancing or very simple but easy enough to Goggle.

b) the C&G course

I was flabbergasted when I went to take the C&G2382 as the 2381 had cost £65 in 2002 and now the 2382 costs £275 from same collage. But again cost is not be all and end all as some collages do run better courses than others and area also makes a big difference to cost.

And finally.. How much would be a typical charge per unit for testing? I've heard between £1-£2

I had a top of range Robin PAT tester and I tried to see how quick I could do the tests and I did 40 in 6 hours which was a lot less than I expected mainly due to waiting for machine to boot after each move. My son who had a manual machine could do a lot better around double but at £1 each with top of range machine you will just about get minimum wage but with manual at £2 you will get quite a return.

But what are you doing for the £2? I have seen firms who stick a new label on with each PAT test and take no notes on previous number so there is not record of trend and they will not look for anything they just test what is presented.

Others will issue a sheet telling the customer which items have been missed which were tested last year and because they keep the existing ID it shows where items have moved from room to room.

Next is what is PAT tested again I have seen where only items which are strictly portable are tested and others where items like hand driers in loo's are also tested.

The time to disconnect an item from a FCU test and re-connect can be prohibitive doing testing by the item at fixed price would make you no money if there are half a dozen items which need to be removed to test.

To a lesser extent you have items like a fridge which to test must be running and you can end up waiting 5 minutes for motor to cut in.

To me most of the firms who offer PAT testing at a price per unit cheat. They may tell their employees to do a good job but then expect 200 units a day to be tested and by time you include travel the only way to do that is to just stick labels on most and only test those you expect will fail.

Some firms consider it as a loss leader and rely on repairs generated by PAT testing to make their money.

I has also to be considered who will manage the PAT testing? If you also manage the testing then all in-service electrical equipment will need testing which could include some specialist items which you may need to sub-contract for example a washing machine where there are a number of motors etc which can only be tested with some dismantling of the machine.

And of course insurance. If you miss a fault and kill someone or worse injure them so they can't work you may have to pay out up to 1/2 a million. So you must insure. And you may find the insurance companies want more than a C&G on PAT testing before they will insure you.

If one is an electrician one has to PAT test any items you repair so you will normally have access to a machine. The tests don't have to be on an exact day so to have some people who you do PAT testing for fills in when business is slow. And it keeps you in the clients eye which can also generate work so it is well worth their time PAT testing even if it does not make money. In the same way as a garage may do MOT's as well as general repairs. Although there are some garages doing only MOT's and some firms doing nothing but PAT testing the amount of work required to only test is massive.

My son worked for a firm doing this and could be in Scotland one day and South Wales the next. This also included PIR's as well and when one considered the nights out and hassle it was not worth it. He lasted 6 months than gave it up. He learn a lot doing it. But he is far happier working in a Zoo on the re-wire of mono rail. Even though his earning were high one week there could be three weeks where because to travel involved he was only really on basic wage.

I would not recommend it as something to get into.

 

[Weavertronix]

If you're testing a load of equipment across a large area eg in an office, i would recommend getting a handheld tester - i used a non-handheld one and it was a pain to keep unplugging it, moving it and plugging it in again.

The Seaward range look to be some of the better ones.
If you're going to be testing the same equipment every time it might be worth going for one with a barcode reader such as the Europa, (around £1k) if not then one of the Primetest range (around £500).

The course is around £300.

A reasonable price to charge would be around £1 - £3 depending on how many you're doing.
If you're just going to be setting up as a PAT only company you'll be up against cowboy companies charging 75p per item for slapping a load of stickers on things.

I've done PAT as an extra service to existing customers, but wouldn't/couldn't do it all day every day - it would drive me mental.

 

[ericmark]

The speed of a PAT tester is a very important factor. I have issued the top of the range Robin which when plugged in does a self check and also tests the supply and aborts if earth not good enough etc. It also runs through a check list and you wait for question then answer as a result I did a workshop and office and timed myself to see how fast I could do the tests and was rather surprised to find it took 6 hours to test 32 items.

This would vary slightly according to how many times you need to plug in the tester and how many items are class I and how many are class II but if you look at 50 items in an 8 hour day at £1 per item that is rather low wages. I also have a pure manual Robin tester is this is a completely different story and one could complete a 100 tests in 8 hours without really pushing ones self now the income looks more reasonable. Also items like lead sets can be tested with the item it supplies so one test does two items so with minimum records you could do 150 items per 8 hours with some luck.

However get one hand drier which needs isolating and disconnecting to test and your times go haywire and one can't really pick and chose what you test most contracts want you to do all in-service inspection and test of electrical appliances and although one can back heal some like the coke machine as it should be under contract you will get your fair share of nasties hand held equipment feed from a fused connection unit is a PAT testers nightmare.

Then you have that phone call "We have just take delivery of xxxx can you come and PAT test it" well your on contract so can't say no and it has take you with detour parking signing in etc half an hour to test one item.

And you are competing against the sticker man. He walks around with hand held tester and a role of pre-printed pass tickets where someone is watching he tests and if not they just stick on the label they note number of first label and of last and charge for items tested in bulk with no paper work issued per item and claim to have tested 300 items per day.

How the manager can claim he thought they had been done properly with 300 items per day claimed I do not know. If something goes wrong the firm sacks the tester and says it will not happen again but of course it does.

As a loss leader to get ones foot in the door PAT testing can pay as it leads on to more work. But on it's own it can only pay if you are prepared to cut corners and cheat. Sorry but better you know real facts.

 

[STI]

Although i agree with almost everything the previous respondents have said, i wouldnt dismiss PAT's as a business/service out of hand.

A course is around the 200-300 mark and like everything else, see if you can get some references from the providers,as some of the courses out their are run by cowboys. Ensure you know what you come out of the course with is it G&G or is it only similar to a C&G qualification.

The equipment as previously stated, for good stuff which will enable you to provide a good PAT service 500-1000. I also agree with the comment about a handheld tester, i have the europa plus (not a hand held), a great machine but a pain to get into awkward positions and needs to be rebooted each time it switched on. But fantastic in that not only does it check the appliance it also gives some basic checks on the supply it uses. I found in one company all their sockests had been wired in reverse polarity.

Does it pay. Ericmarks comments are spot on about the fixed appliances , the specials etc. but i would say to do the job properly, with a full formal visual included, you have to say each item takes on average 5-6 mins. This allows for stripping down the plug, gaining access to the appliance and wiring and fatigue and i would say to do more than 80 items in a day is pushing it. So how much do you need to make a day, you decide, divide it by 80 theres your rate.

Is it competitive, only you can know that in the area you operate.

Dont forget to keep in mind you need to have your equipment calibrated every year at about £60 a go. You probably wont be working every day of the week if you are self employed, this needs to be built in, cost of labels, insurance (personally i question if professional indemnity is needed as you are purely reporting not advising, however public liability is a must) Time taken to produce the reports and therfore not testing/earning.

So it can pay dependent upon your personal circumstances and yes it does often lead to other work but again very often you need qualifications to do that.

 

[golfpaul]

Christ, you guys are slow at testing!

I work on a big contract which lasts a year, IT stuff is visually tested every 3 years - i can easily do 3000 per week which equates to about 1200 pounds.
Happy days.

 

[joinerjohn]

The last company I worked for, had me doing the PAT testing at HQ. Workshop and canteen were easy. Offices were harder as it was almost impossible to get anyone to log off their computer for long enough to allow anything to be tested. The design dept was the worst though. They had umpteen extension cables plugged into sockets, extension leads plugged into extension leads. It was a nightmare and potentially dangerous (But you can't tell these IT lot anything can you??)

PS Golfpaul,,,Re the IT stuff,,,, I reckon I could visually inspect 3000 per week, but that would only be a visual inspection, not a full PAT test. !!!!!!!

(and don;t you dare suggest they only need a visual)

 

[skenk]

Visually tested? Don't think so mate!

 

[MalcofArabia]

Christ, you guys are slow at testing!

I work on a big contract which lasts a year, IT stuff is visually tested every 3 years - i can easily do 3000 per week which equates to about 1200 pounds.
Happy days.

So if you worked 12 hours a day 6 days a week that is nearly 42 units an hour.

That is bar scanning each unit if that is what they use, and not writing into a log. If it's a new unit creating a base history for it. Carry out a visual, do the insulation test as it's class 2, printing the label or writing it out, 42 every hour ..................that is impressive!!!!!

 

[ericmark]

Christ, you guys are slow at testing!

I work on a big contract which lasts a year, IT stuff is visually tested every 3 years - i can easily do 3000 per week which equates to about 1200 pounds.
Happy days.

My relation for a short time worked for one of the firms that issue one with roles of pre-printed labels, a PDA phone and PAT tester and one is sent off to companies far and wide to do testing. With 100's of miles a day travelling the only way to make the bonus payments was to do quick visual check and stick on label and only if the item looked as if it might fail was it tested and it was not unknown for lads to claim 350 items per day. And by time one includes travel that means 6 hours testing. That's one item per minute and clearly they were not fully tested. Turn over of staff was high. The firm had a simple method if caught out they sacked the tester and claimed it was one rouge operator who had been dismissed. They tried to get people to work self employed if they could so it was not their own insurance but that of the lads testing. (If they had any) And it was purely to make loads on money. The PIR reports were given more time and although still pushed they was enough time to find most faults and the inspectors would hunt for fault as once a circuit is failed testing on circuit stopped. My son was mainly doing PIR tests but did have to do some PAT testing and as he rightly said if there are loads of class II items then really all that was required was a visual check and bang a label on. Hand driers were no considered as portable appliances were not tested. Everything has 12 months what every the IET book says as recommended period and really it was no more than any user should have given to the item before using.

He got out as quick as he could. He was not proud of what he was doing but one has to live. They refused to pay him his final weeks wages so he kept the test gear. Cheap nasty stuff and he had his own anyway and I am sure the wages they held cost more than the test sets. They will find I am sure loads of guys who are desperate for work and will continue to trade blaming any faults on the guys doing the work. I am sure they are not the only firm to work like that and at the end of the day it would rest on the building manager to explain how he thought a guy could possibly test an item a minute.

 

[Grizzly]

If you're testing a load of equipment across a large area eg in an office, i would recommend getting a handheld tester - i used a non-handheld one and it was a pain to keep unplugging it, moving it and plugging it in again.

I think it's worth mentioning that handheld, battery-powered testers will only perform tests such as earth bond continuity and insulation resistance powered only from the batteries.
If you require to do 'mains powered' tests such as protective conductor/touch current measurements, the tester still needs to be plugged into a mains supply.
This is certainly true of the Seaward Primetest 350, and I'd assume the same for other battery-powered testers.

The Seaward range look to be some of the better ones.
If you're going to be testing the same equipment every time it might be worth going for one with a barcode reader such as the Europa, (around £1k) if not then one of the Primetest range (around £500).

The Primetest 350 can be used with a Bluetooth barcode reader, to give the same functionality as the Europa.