What Part P testers recommended

[Alanmg]

I do mainly refurbs and maintenance work, I keep turning down jobs that involve Part P certifying and I am thinking of doing the domestic installers scheme course.
Can anyone tell me what they think are best testers to use price wise and ease of use as well as of course the quality of testing.
Any advice much appreciated.
Alan
I have been looking at the Fluke 1651 which appears to a lot of the testing.

 

[Alanmg]

Hi Tony ,
thanks for the info as you say you pays your money etc.

Most of the electrical work I am asked to do is changing sockets, switches ,light fittings along with power showers and pumps, I have a couple of basic testers and a multimeter.

With Part P over the last couple if years I have lost a fair bit of work and just lately I am getting asked to do more bathrooms and kitchens , but the clients want someone in to do it all in one go so it looks like I have to go the domestic installers course way.

I wonder if I could ask you what testers as a minmum requirement I would need?
I have an idea but would appreciate some expert help.
Thanks
Alan

 

[Girlyspark]

I think the 1651 is an absolute bargain. I've used the 1652 and it has the added advantage over the 1651 that it can trail through all the RCD tests automatically while you stand at the board resetting the RCD. Mind you, you pay a lot more for the 1652, so is it worth it for the extra feature? If you are often testing with someone to help or can spare the time, then probably not!

If you are on a budget I think the 1651 is great.

BTW - I got my testers on Ebay saving myself shedloads.

 

[MacSparky]

It can trail through all the RCD tests automatically while you stand at the board resetting the RCD.

Hi girlyspark, i'm not sure what you mean by this but would love to know , being fairly new to the testing side of things.
Regards
MacSparky

 

[TonyM58]

the lady is saying her meter has got automatic RCD testing on it

i use the megger 1501/2 which hasnt.

so testing an RCD,

x1/2 doesnt trip
x1 RCD trips go to board and reset
back to meter, press the 180 degrees button, press test, RCD trips
go to board.......etc then x 5 test at 0 degrees then x5 test at 180 degrees

so for a 30ma trip thats 4 trips back and fore to the meter and board

with automatic testing, you just stand at the board resettiing and the meter cycles through the tests

worth paying an extra 50 quid for?

you pays your money, you takes your choice!!!!

 

[MacSparky]

Thanks Tony for explaining that, but to be clear are you saying that once you set the fluke to rcd test you just connect up and hit the button then walk back to the board and just reset the rcd and the meter will keep going through all of the tests? How do you know all of the results? Gonna go get the instruction booklet
Regards
MacSparky

Just read the quick guide.....
Thats what the 'auto' stands for!!
Slightly embarrassed now...lmao
Regards
MacSparky

 

[TonyM58]

Mac,

everydays a schoolday, even with your own meter

 

[robspark]

Hello everyone this is my first post and i am just looking for advice preferably from someone who owns or has used a "kewtech KT61"

i am looking for my first bit of test kit and i have decided what i want 3 times only to find a better cheaper faster tester

i started of wanting a megger 1553 because it has bluetooth, then i wanted the fluke because it has a 500 memory then i was going to buy the niceic complete toolkit with the Niceic branded Metrel (alphatek) MI3100 eurotest easi which has lots of gadgets and extra's including it recharges your battery and has a help function to remind what wires go where on each test ( for those of us new to the trade )

now i have almost decided on the Kewtech KT61 that seems to do everything i need to do for Part P except no trip loop testing ( i will carry a main isolator with me to swap rcd's with me )

screwfix are doing the KT61 for £349 and i can get it £315 compared to roughly £800 for all of the others (inlcuding software)

do i really need software ?
do i need to pay £200 - £300 more for a name ie fluke megger ?
do i need bluetooth ?
do i need an niceic branded metrel because it comes in a case with tools ?
do i put my faith in a Kewtach KT61 because i can get 2 of them for the price of any of the others ?

how long will it be before i get bored with subtracting the resistance of the test leads from my results because the KT61 cant zero the leads and get fed up with replacing rcd's with main isolators before loop testing

i have my NIC assessment next week and need a bit of kit soon

any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[dragon-av]

Kewtech KT61 - Installation Tester £287 seems cheap

 

[stuart john]

Hi Alanmg I have kewtech kt64 works well except when doing insulation resistance line to neutral fine neutral to earth fine line to earth reads like there is a problem but fine with different tester. sent it back to kewtech to be recalibrated came back the same any ideas anyone cheers stuart

 

[clinger]

I've trained for testing on Kewtechs, none held "nulling" on the leads so had to null them again test after test.... Some of the guys bought Fluke, had a play with them but a bit complicated. Eventually bought myself a Megger 1553 Onsite, software is good as you can fill in forms as you go along on computer instead of filling in paperwork, remember you should hold certs for the life of the installation for every job you do and the would add up to mountains of paper. Bluetooth is as useful as a chocolate fireguard though!

P.S. There is no such thing as a Part P tester, what you are talking about is a multifunction tester

Almost forgot, Meggers are an absolute doddle to use.

 

[Carter]

Just spent the last month poring over spec sheets for these things. Eventually went for the Metrel EuroTest Easi. Everything's a trade off between price and features and the Metrel unit seemed to do what I wanted. What swayed me; Good sized screen, contrast can be varied, backlit. Does Auto RCD and ramp test. (If you do mainly domestic work perhaps the Auto function isn't so important, if you do indust/comm work then walking the length of a 100 yard warehouse between DB and the socket under test is no joke. Don't like the idea of leaving the unit unattended longer than is necessary either.) 'Tip Commander', means you can initiate a test from the test probe without needing a third hand/prehensile tail. It will also switch the backlighting if needed. Useful in murky spaces machine shops, under stairs or whatever. Could do with being a foot longer, (the connecting lead that is ) Not exactly an elegant piece of design either. Rechargeable cells included. (Would cost a fortune otherwise as it's quite juicy. I can see a spark getting through a set a day in a commercial setting. Seems to chew through battery life so on site and faced with a 32 way board I would be having a spare set on charge permanently!) Light weight (always a good idea if it's going to spend the day round your neck, not so important if only the odd additional cct needs doing. Hope the lightness isn't at the cost of something else, have heard rumours of reliability/build quality issues but seems fine so far and gives a consistent result on a set of test resistances. I am NOT going to be ----ing it around coz it cost me money!) Decent lead set. Built in Zs tables for common O/C protective devs. (Useful but not necessary.) Got a free breakout box with the retailer I chose. (It's a bit mickey (sockets not drilled in line) but it's only a breakout box. Other retailers were giving away a freebie screwdriver set or other tempters.) It's a nice livery, (sky blue and grey. Might not seem important but the thought of staring at Fluke's lurid yellow all day every day would definitely start to grate on the eyeballs after a week.) What didn't sway me; Bluetooth connectivity? (I don't want the chuffing thing chatting to any adjacent mobile that strolls past or trying to speed dial my fridge. Bit of a Luddite in that regard.) PC download? (Nah yer alright mate I've got a pen! Me and spreadsheets don't get on. Bit old school in that regard and knowing the limits of my patience with software I can imagine me punching the bejayzus out of me laptop at some point.) Storing 500 results? nah still not persuaded. Hope it helps Guv.

 

[sparkyork]

Might not seem important but the thought of staring at Fluke's lurid yellow all day every day would definitely start to grate on the eyeballs after a week.


i love my fluke, love the colour as well, i dont find it hard to use in the slightest, ive tried the euro test testers and didnt find them to be that easy to get on with, agree that unless you got loads of people working for you then data torage is pretty much pointless. if youve got 500-600 to spend then id push for a fluke any day. dont forget fluke owns robin now as well so you have there D lok expertise as well.

rich

 

[Carter]

If I'd had the extra £50 to spare then the Fluke would have definitely been further up the scoreboard. Couldn't do it so the Metrel unit emrged as the preferred item.

....and the colour matches my eyes!

 

[montybaber]

Theres a robin kts 1610 going cheap at the moment (I know the fluke stuff took over) any good?