Pat testing

[Toolbox]

Started a new job and I may be doing Pat testing. Please could you recommend a book or CD so I can get up to speed be for I go to a college course. I have basic electrical knowledge and have passed my 17th edition last year. thanks

 

[Taylortwocities]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb...testing+books&sprefix=PAT+test,stripbooks,363

You could have done that

 

[Toolbox]

Thanks did search and seen so many books with both good and bad reviews at varied prices. This forum offers the best advice

 

[ericmark]

The big issue with "Inspection and testing of in service electrical equipment" is knowing your own limitations. The IET (was IEE) do a book of that name and it is the bible as far as how to do the job. Likely you will need to buy that book before taking the exam.

In service electrical equipment is split into a number of sub groups like "Hand Held", "Portable", "Movable equipment", "Stationary equipment", "Fixed equipment", "equipment for building in", and "Information technology equipment (business equipment)". Great for the book but not really any good to work out what you have to test what we really need is to split it into three groups.

Equipment which only needs a visual inspection.

Equipment which you can test with a PAT tester.

Equipment which needs to be part dismantled to test or has some other reason why you should not use a PAT testing machine.

The 18 kg limit which defines what is portable and what is not does not really make any difference to if one can test it or not.

The main problem is temperature switches and timers which can stop one from testing all functions. However it has to be considered with for example a frost free freezer does one test the easy bit as that's better than no testing or does one say I can't test the de-frost heater without dismantling so I'm not testing it?

I had an issue with hired vending machines where my boss wanted me to test them but I had no keys to be able to fully test. After some discussion it was agreed it was up to the hire company to test them.

The law does not say everything has to be PAT tested it just says we need a system in place to ensure there is no dangerous electrical equipment. This could be a maintenance contract.

The exam is in two parts. The testing and the management of the testing. If one is responsible for the latter then you have to decide who or how it is inspected and/or tested.

What many want is move the responsibly from their shoulders to some one else. They have no desire to follow rules and regulations and when one asks for the equipment register and get the blank look you realise it's just a watch my back exercise.

I would be very wary of taking on PAT testing if not fully trained.

 

[plugwash]

The main problem is temperature switches and timers which can stop one from testing all functions. However it has to be considered with for example a frost free freezer does one test the easy bit as that's better than no testing or does one say I can't test the de-frost heater without dismantling so I'm not testing it?

I had an issue with hired vending machines where my boss wanted me to test them but I had no keys to be able to fully test. After some discussion it was agreed it was up to the hire company to test them.

I'm not an electrian but i'd think the appropriate thing to do would be to test it and note down the limitations of the test.

IMO with class 1 appliances (especially stationary ones) the most important thing is to test both the fixed wiring and the appliance to ensure there is a satisfactory earth to the case. If the case is properly earthed then most internal faults are unlikely to result in a shock hazard to the user.

I would also note that if the appliance uses single pole switching then a P+N to E IR test should reach most components via the neutral wire.

What many want is move the responsibly from their shoulders to some one else. They have no desire to follow rules and regulations and when one asks for the equipment register and get the blank look you realise it's just a watch my back exercise.

Sad but true, too many people regard "pat testing" as nothing more than a box to be ticked to get the "health and stop-it" guys off their back. So they contract it out to the lowest bidder.

Really ensuring your electrical equipment is safe has to be a holistic process involving everyone in in the equipments lifecycle. IMO two of the most important things are

1: Buy from reputable vendors. It is quite possible to make a device that will pass a PAT test but does NOT meet safty standards for protecting a user from the mains and the Chinese are quite happy to apply all manner of fraudulent safety markings. A pat tester WILL NOT tell you that a bare live wire is millimetres from touching the metal case of a supposedly class 2 appliance or that there is only one layer of thin tape preventing contact between the primary and secondary of a transformer that is being relied on for safety isolation.
2: Create a culture where users report faults and get them fixed ASAP, where people are aware of basic principles like putting the socket on the side sourcing power and the plug on the side sinking it and where any nessacery adaptors are available so people don't have to bodge stuff (i'm thinking here of the welder mentioned in another thread recently).