New to PAT. Everything fails

[TPES]

Well according to my new pat tester the only appliance in my house that passes is my iron.

Everything else fails, the wife is sitting down with a catalogue looking for new appliances, I told her she can put that away!

So i doubt very much I have a house full of faulty appliances and it's down to me not knowing how to use my tester and the limits for each appliance. I have a big preset code list for auto test or can manually run tests.

Can some one tell me what is a short, med and long flex? As my tester asks

I tested my fridge, plugged fridge into tester, plugged earth lead in and held to the front door of the fridge. Which is metal of course, and got a reading of 2.53 ohms, my testers red light come on and a big cross..failed!

Also is the minimum insulation resistance value the same for everything you test?

 

[Darkwood]

You need to have done you PAT testing cert' or be under the instruction of someone that has done it to be able to issue PAT test sheets, the course requires you to have a book that explains all this and maybe part of the exam (random generated questions). If you dont have the correct cert's and someone had a accident with something you passed then you wont have a leg to stand on legally.

 

[Silly Sausage]

Everything else fails, the wife is sitting down with a catalogue looking for new appliances, I told her she can put that away! Haha...damn right!

Can some one tell me what is a short, med and long flex? As my tester asks Some testers ask for lead length & csa

I tested my fridge, plugged fridge into tester, plugged earth lead in and held to the front door of the fridge. Which is metal of course, and got a reading of 2.53 ohms, my testers red light come on and a big cross..failed!

Also is the minimum insulation resistance value the same for everything you test?

I've had the unfortuante experience of doing PATs.
It can be a real pain finding a decent earth probing point sometimes, I found on fridges (& other white goods) going round the back and getting your probe on one of the screws usually yields a good result.

As for irons...I've done 100s in hotels and a large %age of them I couldn't get a decent earth reading but I just used my judgement(??? happy to get flamed on that one) and passed them, otherwise I'd be failing vast numbers of irons that were almost certainly fine.

 

[Cyberprog]

Firstly, ensure you're testing the appliance as the right Class of appliance. Secondly, ensure you're getting a good electrical connection when testing the earth continuity. Most powder coats are a surprisingly good insulator! As Archy has said, get round the back and find an exposed screw, or find a bit of metal that you can scratch to get a decent connection.

 

[Silly Sausage]

.......or find a bit of metal that you can scratch to get a decent connection.

Aye, many a time I've been gouging away on something.

 

[Octopus]

I once heard a lecturer say if you can't get a decent connection to the metal on a class 1 item, you should then test it as class 2!

 

[i=p/u]

you maybe heard him say if you dont know its class always test it as class 1 . im just guessing thats what you heard

 

[Silly Sausage]

I once heard a lecturer say if you can't get a decent connection to the metal on a class 1 item, you should then test it as class 2!

That's the wonderful world of PATs!

 

[MarkieSparkie]

When testing class 1 equipment you need a good earth connection. Therefore, avoid any painted or powder coated surfaces and earth paths via hinges where possible.
When testing irons remember that on a lot of the modern appliances, though class 1, the sole plate is deliberately un-earthed metal separated from the element by basic and/or supplementary insulation and therefore not a suitable earthing point.
If you post the make and model of PAT tester you are using I can answer your short/medium/long flex conundrum.

 

[TPES]

It's the Metrel MI3311, the problem with this particular fridge is it's intergrated into the kitchen units, so to get to the back of it to get a good earth would mean removing the fridge from the units. Surely there's an easier way

 

[MarkieSparkie]

Hi TPES,
For the Gamma PAT tester the standard earth bond limits are:
Short flex = 0.10 Ohms
Medium Flex = 0.30 Ohms
Long Flex = 0.50 Ohms
In the simple test mode the earth bond limit is 0.20 Ohms.
In the IEC test mode the earth bond limit is set between 0.20 and 2.0 Ohms depending on the short-cut auto-test code set for the lead length.
See Gamma manual appendix A and B for further information.

 

[Octopus]

It's the Metrel MI3311, the problem with this particular fridge is it's intergrated into the kitchen units, so to get to the back of it to get a good earth would mean removing the fridge from the units. Surely there's an easier way

If its an integrated fridge you are worried about I simply wouldn't test it. After all we're talking about Portable Applicance Testing!

With my Metrel tester you have to select a "code" for the type of kit you are testing and the tester sets the "correct" parameters. Does yours work off the same principle?

 

[Silly Sausage]

If its an integrated fridge you are worried about I simply wouldn't test it. After all we're talking about Portable Applicance Testing!

Ah, the classic misnomer of 'In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrial Equipment'

TPES, in that case, you can't be expected to remove/take something apart, I would just give it the visual 'PASS'

 

[i=p/u]

anything with electronics init , do you reduce the IR??? nearly everything

 

[Cyberprog]

anything with electronics init , do you reduce the IR??? nearly everything

You what?

 

[i=p/u]

you dont stick 500v through a computer cause of electronics, same as most items these days,

 

[SPARTYKUS]

You need to have done you PAT testing cert' or be under the instruction of someone that has done it to be able to issue PAT test sheets, the course requires you to have a book that explains all this and maybe part of the exam (random generated questions). If you dont have the correct cert's and someone had a accident with something you passed then you wont have a leg to stand on legally.

Where does it say that then ? :shocked3:

I suspect there is no actual requirement, you just need to perhaps demonstrate competence in the event of a court case.

 

[Cyberprog]

Where does it say that then ? :shocked3:

I suspect there is no actual requirement, you just need to perhaps demonstrate competence in the event of a court case.

Yep, of which a certificate such as 2377 or similar will do Also if anyone does have an accident, there is the getout that it was working fine when you tested it, and that it's safety was only guaranteed at that point.

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Yep, of which a certificate such as 2377 or similar will do Also if anyone does have an accident, there is the getout that it was working fine when you tested it, and that it's safety was only guaranteed at that point.

true enough.

I just was concerned the inference was that, that was the only way! Which it isn't.

I don't PAT test btw. I choose not to!

 

[the pict]

Earth bond, Fridges copper pipe or the filter drier the bullet shaped thing round the back, irons if teflon coated wriggle the clamp during test,it'll spark like hell but you get a result,
Pict