PAT. Visual Inspection Only

Engineer54 · Feb 12, 2013

Visual inspection is a Part of the PAT testing sequence, NOT a replacement for PAT testing!!
Why would you not IR class 11 appliances like ceramic lamp holders?? The only test you can't perform is ''Earth Bond'', that is replaced by a Class 11 flash test. As far as i know, you only visually inspect casings and cords/plug tops for damage, everything else is to be tested!!

Complete waste of time, to only conduct a visual inspection, totally meaningless and a waste of paper and sticker!! lol!!

Deleted member 9648 · Feb 12, 2013

Engineer54 said:
Visual inspection is a Part of the PAT testing sequence, NOT a replacement for PAT testing!!
Why would you not IR class 11 appliances like ceramic lamp holders?? The only test you can't perform is ''Earth Bond'', that is replaced by a Class 11 flash test. As far as i know, you only visually inspect casings and cords/plug tops for damage, everything else is to be tested!!

Complete waste of time, to only conduct a visual inspection, totally meaningless and a waste of paper and sticker!! lol!![/QUOTE]

Not entirely correct. There are plenty of class 11 appliances that you can only do a visual inspection on. Phone chargers are an example. If a class 11 appliance is entirely plastic cased there is no point in IR testing it because the PAT tester carries out the test by joiniing L-N and testing to the earth pin.This is what the blue 'visual only' stickers are intended for.
If a class 11 appliance has exposed metal parts an IR test can be carried out with the auxillary probe on the metal part of the appliance to 'replace' the missing earth connection.
Another example might be computers,which are often undisturbed from year to year,if a computer is tested one year it would be perfectly reasonable to do a vis only the next.
Just because some abuse the vis only check does not mean it does not have a place in proper pat testing.

Engineer54 · Feb 12, 2013

wirepuller said:
Engineer54 said:

Visual inspection is a Part of the PAT testing sequence, NOT a replacement for PAT testing!!
Why would you not IR class 11 appliances like ceramic lamp holders?? The only test you can't perform is ''Earth Bond'', that is replaced by a Class 11 flash test. As far as i know, you only visually inspect casings and cords/plug tops for damage, everything else is to be tested!!

Complete waste of time, to only conduct a visual inspection, totally meaningless and a waste of paper and sticker!! lol!![/QUOTE]

Not entirely correct. There are plenty of class 11 appliances that you can only do a visual inspection on. Phone chargers are an example. If a class 11 appliance is entirely plastic cased there is no point in IR testing it because the PAT tester carries out the test by joiniing L-N and testing to the earth pin.This is what the blue 'visual only' stickers are intended for.
If a class 11 appliance has exposed metal parts an IR test can be carried out with the auxillary probe on the metal part of the appliance to 'replace' the missing earth connection.
Another example might be computers,which are often undisturbed from year to year,if a computer is tested one year it would be perfectly reasonable to do a vis only the next.
Just because some abuse the vis only check does not mean it does not have a place in proper pat testing.

Click to expand...

Yes agree, with your comments, on some class 11 appliances, but with many of the appliances on the computer side of things, a low current earth bond test is available on most PAT testers. As far as class 11 ceramic table lamps and the like are concerned an IR L-N test can be performed with a standard IR tester. Not sure if anyone would try and PAT test a phone charger though!! Hmm, thinking about it, i dunno though!! ...lol!!!

UNG · Feb 12, 2013

Why on earth would you pay someone to put a sticker on a phone charger whoever is using it will see whether it is damaged or not. This visual inspection is a money making cop out to protect idiots

jibjob · Feb 12, 2013

Engineer54 said:
wirepuller said:

Yes agree, with your comments, on some class 11 appliances, but with many of the appliances on the computer side of things, a low current earth bond test is available on most PAT testers. As far as class 11 ceramic table lamps and the like are concerned an IR L-N test can be performed with a standard IR tester. Not sure if anyone would try and PAT test a phone charger though!! Hmm, thinking about it, i dunno though!! ...lol!!!

Click to expand...

Agreed, I actually thought that after I'd posted :blush5:

markc123 · Feb 12, 2013

I see your point with phonecharges wirepuller, but i still can't see the point in a blue sticker for visual only. Someone could smash it to bits 30secs after you've walked out the door.

Deleted member 9648 · Feb 12, 2013

Engineer54 said:
[QUOTE E54;711779]

Yes agree, with your comments, on some class 11 appliances, but with many of the appliances on the computer side of things, a low current earth bond test is available on most PAT testers. As far as class 11 ceramic table lamps and the like are concerned an IR L-N test can be performed with a standard IR tester. Not sure if anyone would try and PAT test a phone charger though!! Hmm, thinking about it, i dunno though!! ...lol!!!

When I first joined this forum I got into a 'discussion' with a guy who insisted all portable appliances could and should be tested....when it came to all insulated phone chargers he said it could be IR tested by using the auxillary probe on the (plastic) case!.....thats the level of intellegence of some of them.

markc123 said:
I see your point with phonecharges wirepuller, but i still can't see the point in a blue sticker for visual only. Someone could smash it to bits 30secs after you've walked out the door.

Same applies to a 'tested' appliance.

markc123 · Feb 12, 2013

Yep, and thats why i see the whole 'pat' thing as completley pointless lol.

Maybe i should stop being so anti-pat and try and embrace it for once!

Deleted member 9648 · Feb 12, 2013

markc123 said:
Yep, and thats why i see the whole 'pat' thing as completley pointless lol.

Maybe i should stop being so anti-pat and try and embrace it for once!

Agree it can be pointless,that said I've picked up vast numbers of potentially dangerous appliances in my time....But I've also seen it at it's most pointless.........http://www.electriciansforums.net/pat-testing/15530-great-pat-testing-scam.html

markc123 · Feb 12, 2013

Just read that thread...or as i would call it, a rant wirepuller :tongue3:

You hit it spot on with that thread to be fair, and illustrated how incredibly pointless the whole thing is.

If anything was to go wrong with any of the appliances them fellas stuck the sticker on...all they would say is ' it was fine / not broken when we tested it' and theres nothing to really prove them wrong. Thats how they get away with charging £0.15 an appliance.

Like you, i only have a few pat tests to do a year for regular customers...around the 11th of may, when the 2 small b'n'b/hotels i cover are due...i never want to get out of bed lol. Absolutley hate it.