Posted a while ago re this care home who wanted me to PAT test stuff.
I pointed out that I'm (a) not a qualified electrician & (b) that I haven't been on a PAT testing course - and they are fine with that (and I have that in writing).
The kit they have is a Seaward PAC 500. This seems to have been replaced with the 500 Plus.
Is this going to give meaningful results?
Read the IET Code of Practice and with this kit it should be a doddle. However, wouldn't you rather drive a bus for a living than do this?
The more upmarket testers feature methods of recording equipment serial numbers and results so that a log can be kept for each item tested. Otherwise it all becomes a nightmare of paperwork (if you care).
I also tend to reject plugs that aren't sleeved - but that might depend on the environment in which they are used.
Most of a PAT test doesn't use any test equipment, so the test equipment alone will get you almost nowhere - it will find very few of the failures you should be expecting. You need to do a PAT test course first. You do not need to be an electrician, but you will need to understand ohms law and the difference between milliohms and megohms.
Neither you, nor the person contracting you, can sign away your liability for carrying out a safety operation competently. What you have in writing would simply make you both liable in the event you do it wrongly.
The course and exams cost £80 when I did them, but that was a while back. They take 2 days. There are other courses which don't lead to the C&G cert too.
Unsleeved pins are not an automatic failure, although some organisations may want you to do more than the minimum and flag them up.
However, it's illegal to sell anything with unsleeved pins (even at a car boot sale), so if the PAT test is being done to verify something is safe to sell, then unsleeved pins would be a failure.
Yes.
What it won't do is sort the paperwork which is (I found) the biggest part of the job!
You need to uniquely identify each item being tested (serial number for instance), label it pass/fail, record it pass/fail in a system that can be updated annually.
Many books/sites have pro-formas that you can use to make it easy to start with and can be built upon.
[Snip]
It doesn't take 2 days to learn to use a PAT tester - but it takes time to learn what a PAT test involves and why it is necesary. My course only took one day - half of which was practical testing.
The PAT tester is the least significant part of the process. You will find most of the PAT test failures before using any tester. A tester will find very few of the failures.
The PAT test course is a day, and the management of PAT testing is a day. It usually makes sense to do both, so you can explain to your customers or management what the legal requirements are for PAT testing, record keeping, frequency of retesting, etc. If you go the C&G route, one fee covers both exams, although I suppose you don't actually have to turn up to both - they are separate certificates (at least that was the case when I did them).
Of course you could write a shorter course for any one person, but these have to cater for a range of starting skill levels.
This is interesting if having time off work or too far a distance to get to a training session.
Jim G
I've no idea about the above either, but I would check your local technical and building trades colleges. They might be much cheaper, and they sometimes do evening or weekend sessions for people who can't come during the day. Make sure there will be hands-on exposure to the PAT test equipment, preferably different types, so you will get to know what features you will need if you are buying one afterwards.
I did the C&G Wiring Regs as 8 evening sessions, many years ago.
I've also done 2 day plastering and 2 day bricklaying courses, although not to C&G standard.
To be honest, I found them all good fun, quite apart from what you're learning.
Unnecessary IMO.
If you understand the basics of a transformer.
What the primary is, what the secondary is and how they connect via flux, V = I * R P = I * V
i.e. Schoolboy physics.
Then purchase and read throughly a copy of
Code of Practice for In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment - £29.73 (bit steep)
I estimate I have two and a half brain cells left yet scored 100% leaving the multiple choice exam room early. It proved I could read an index at the back of the book.
Hmmm.,,,, maybe I should jump on the bandwagon and teach this course and sell the equipment. That's where the money obviously is.
So you did not do the "reading the Daily Star, buggering up the customers floor and filling the electrical back boxes and skimming over them" sections then?
Plasterers can read?
Owain
No - the Daily Star has no words.
Who else would read the Daily Star?
The recession effected the building trade. That meant less plasterers in work and so less plasterers bought the Daily Sport and the paper folded.
The remaining plasterers were left with the Daily Star.
It has the words Jordan and Celebtity Big Brother.
I know a fire alarm engineer who does PATS testing. He once cut the flex off an electric kettle as it failed. He just did it and said that is the way it is. I dunno.
Anybody?
It made a horrible cup of tea?
rHQq.129$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe09.ams...> Posted a while ago re this care home who = wanted me to PAT test stuff.
That is what I'd do. I've been presented with 3 soldering irons that failed the PAT test so I cut the leads off them, this means it's highly unlikely that someone will pick them up plug them in and say I didn;t see the sticker saying failed on it, or I didn't know the failed meant I shouldn't use it. I also cut the leads off equipment that's going to an WEE dump, to stop people trying to sell dodgy or non working equipment on, I saw a program about faulty TVs been sold in Africa .
That is what I'd do. I've been presented with 3 soldering irons that failed the PAT test so I cut the leads off them, this means it's highly unlikely that someone will pick them up plug them in and say I didn;t see the sticker saying failed on it, or I didn't know the failed meant I shouldn't use it. I also cut the leads off equipment that's going to an WEE dump, to stop people trying to sell dodgy or non working equipment on, I saw a program about faulty TVs been sold in Africa .
Has anyone heard of any new rules about PAT testing extension cables....
I was told yesterday that they are not to be PAT tested in future, except for a visual inspection, and if over 10 years, to be replaced.
I can't see this happening myself.
Jim G
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