installation condemned by PAT tester

GBDamo · Jun 5, 2019

Apparently the guy did half the house then pulled out the washing machine and saw this.

Told the carers not to operate and said he could not continue until the installation had been "made safe"

The customer only wanted to know is it unsafe and was the PAT tester right to walk off site part way through and tell the carers not to use the appliances.

Socket is in a ring of three for the washing machine, dryer and dishwasher.

Circuit is RCBO Protected and tested fine along with Zs, no unsheathed cable exposed and cable entry to the socket ok IP rating wise, no mechanical damage or signs of heat damage.

Note this is not a beauty contest, i didn't install it and know it could be way prettier but I'd like to know under what reg this was condemned.

Other than the tests above, an inspection and a few more clips for appearance, I said its compliant. More could be done cosmetically, it could be chased in but it is not unsafe.

Thoughts please.

[ElectriciansForums.net] installation condemned by PAT tester

TJ Anderson · Jun 5, 2019

PAT tester should still have tested the appliances. The fixed installation is outside of his scope and he can only make an observation about it.

Charlie_ · Jun 5, 2019

Protect the cable with some trunking maybe?

johnduffell · Jun 5, 2019

Solid core cable subject to movement and vibration would be my only thought, but your clips should sort that. Maybe he just saw it and thought it was outside his area so better to be safe

GBDamo · Jun 5, 2019

Charlie_ said:
Protect the cable with some trunking maybe?

i'd have done that from scratch for appearance but as far as the BBB goes it offers no protection.

Deleted member 105166 · Jun 5, 2019

Why could he not have continued and completed the job he was there to do, being ISITEE?

Charlie_ · Jun 5, 2019

TonyMitchell said:
Why could he not have continued and completed the job he was there to do, being ISITEE?

I think he probably had somewhere else he wanted to be and used it as an excuse to disappear

DPG · Jun 5, 2019

Tell him to mind his own bloody business.

GBDamo · Jun 5, 2019

DPG said:
Tell him to mind his own bloody business.

My thoughts exactly.

MJPD29 · Jun 5, 2019

Your right, it's rough, but it's not a danger to anyone. He needs to get a grip

Toneyz · Jun 6, 2019

If I was him and so worried about it I would have just put a few clips in.

Simon47 · Jun 8, 2019

How about a different narrative ...
This is one of those "budget" PAT testing specialists, spent half an hour on an online course, got the tee shirt, been issued with an automatic tester, and only knows how to interpret the "pass" and "fail" lights the tester shows. Oh yes, his emplyer priced low to get teh job, and the tester has been given an impossible job list (see the comment above about wanting to be somewhere else).
(S)He knows nothing about 'lectrics, and is suddenly faced with something that "looks scary", leading to what the OP reported. If they had quoted the right price, and the person knew a little about electrics, it wouldn't have been a problem. But this person knows nothing, it "looks wrong", and (s)he doesn't have the luxury of time to consider things further.

Charlie_ · Jun 8, 2019

I like the not so knowledgeable appliance testers.
Years ago I replaced half a dozen commercial microwaves that had failed the test..
I tried to explain to the customer (govt) that they were ok but they insisted on them being replaced. kerrrrrching thank you Mr. PrAT.

freddo · Jun 9, 2019

LOL I used to have a neighbour that worked in a large care home, the appliance tester bloke they had hired was incompetent and had failed things that had no faults, TVs and VCRs were 'failing' insulation resistance tests with readings around 6-12M ohms. She said he had failed all 9 VCRs in the building with this fault and asked me to take a look at some of them, as a few were only 6 months old. The readings he had written on bits of paper and stuck to each one happened to exactly match the value of the static bleed resistors connected between the mains supply and the un-earthed case, funny that. At least it proved his tester was in calibration, even if he didn't have a clue how to use it, or interpret the results. I advised her to get someone else to retest everything, as there was nothing wrong with any of the appliances I had looked at.