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You have a certification to carry out PAT testing, but you are not sure which PAT tester you need? You are not alone!   We are here to provide you with the basic guidelines to help you make the right choice. The market offers a huge range of products with different features from very different brands. To try and make things a bit easier for you, we have answered the most important questions that you need to consider when picking your perfect PAT Tester. Continue reading →

Using bar code scanners when PAT testing is the easiest, most accurate, efficient and quickest way to record the asset number, but only work with testers having a memory. We can supply rolls of pre-printed barcodes in any number sequence up to a maximum of ten digits. However, many people PAT testing, use pass labels where the asset number is...

Label printers like the one used in Seawards Test n’ tag system, are very useful and can be time saving. The Test n’ Tag label provides the status of pass or fail, a barcode, date of test, date of next test and the name of the person who completed the test. Clearly there is a cost involved with the initial...

Socket testers can be quite useful when PAT testing; although some PAT testers will check the supply socket for polarity etc, not all do and it can be useful to check the socket before testing. I find them particularly useful to check the remaining sockets on an extension lead after the PAT test. You simply unplug the extension lead after...

This is due to the tester having ‘Fixed limits’; where there are two limits the tester will test to the lower limit.  Table 15.3 on page 77 of the IEE Code of Practice 3rd edition indicates that Portable or Hand Held class I appliances should not exceed 0.75 mAmps while IT, Movable and Stationary class I appliances should not exceed...

his is because the extra length is increasing the earth resistance to a point where it exceeds the 0.1 Ohm limit. Table 15.1 on page 74 of the IEE Code of Practice 3rd edition gives the limit for IEC and extension leads as 0.1 Ohms plus the resistance of the cable. You can work this out using the table VII.1...

All electronic measuring instruments have to be calibrated annually or as recommended by the manufacturer to meet with current guidelines. In PAT testing all of the manufacturers recommend an annual PAT Tester calibration. In the IEE Code of Practice 3rd edition it is now recommended that PAT testers are checked periodically to ensure that they are still in calibration between...

To PAT test you have to be a "Competent" person.  There is a definition of a competent person on page 13 of the IEE Code of Practice 3rd edition as follows: Adequate knowledge of electricity. Adequate experience of electrical work. Adequate understanding of the system to be worked on and practical experience of that class of system. Understanding the hazards...

The IEE Code of Practice 3rd Edition lists five categories of portable appliance in the suggested frequency of testing table 7.1 on page 34: Hand Held, Portable, IT, Movable and Stationary. These categories have combinations of test and pass/fail limits specified in the text of the C of P. By applying these test and limit combinations the tests used are...

Most definitely!  I would advise only purchasing second hand testers from reputable companies and you should make sure it will come with a current calibration certificate or better still that the supplier has it calibrated before you buy it.  I personally would never buy a second hand tester off a private individual via e-bay; I know of one person who...