When is a PAT tester not a PAT tester?

On our various Portable Appliance Testing courses I sometimes get asked whether one could use a £20 multimeter for PAT testing. I usually go through the reasons why this is not safe. Browsing on the web, I have come across what looks like a multimeter with a mains socket on the front that describes itself as a 'simplified version of a standard PAT tester'.

This is a very dangerous trend as it will lead customers to believe that they are actually carrying out a safety check that is meaningful. This blog sets out the reasons why using this instrument could PASS appliances that are dangerous.

PAT Testing Electric kettles and other kitchen appliances

A variety of electrical appliances are in use in a normal kitchen. This chapter deals with PAT Testing of these - This is an extract from the PAT Testing Handbook published by First Stop Safety and available on Amazon

Round 3 pin plugs with no fuses

The issue of round pin unfused plugs often comes up during PAT Testing courses or as a telephone technical support question. This post gives more detail on this subject.

Why a 13 Amp fuse does not seem to blow at 20 Amp

Last week, an apprentice at work showed me a plug on an extension lead that had overheated and was in a dangerous condition. He said that he had two 2 kW heaters plugged in. His question to me was "The current was around 17 Amps - why did the 13 Amp fuse not blow and protect the plug from overheating?"

Insert to PAT Testing Handbook - Summary of changes introduced in Edition 4 of the IET Code of Practice

In November 2012 the IET launched Edition 4 of the “Code of Practice for In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment”. This introduced a number of significant changes to the recommendations on how Portable Appliance Testing is carried out.

The scope of this handbook has always been wider than the IET Code of Practice. However to keep our readers up to date with current industry thinking, we have decided to produce this insert to highlight these new recommendations.

Fixed Electrical Appliance Testing

A few weeks ago a customer inquired whether we provide test leads to go with our PAT Testers to test Fixed Appliances. When we asked why he wanted to do this, he said he had been advised to do this on a course based around the 4th Edition of the IET COP. 

This post tries to put the record straight.

Earth Continuity testing - 20 Amps or 200 mAmps

Following a recent Twitter campaign, we had a training organisation challenging the use of 200 mA for testing Earth Continuity. As it is impossible to respond comprehensively using Twitter, here is my view on the use of 200 mA for testing not only IT equipment but all equipment.