PAT testing - where is "portable" defined?

Discussion in 'Electricians' Talk' started by rogerk101, Feb 25, 2021.

  1. Bob Rathbone

    Bob Rathbone Screwfix Select

    Comlec, you could extend your comments to include most recent legislation that is intended to keep us 'safe'.
     
  2. rogerk101

    rogerk101 Screwfix Select

    Even Oxford City Council, who are the masters of all bureaucrats, have NO written legislation making it a legal requirement for landlords to have annual PAT testing done on the plug-in appliances provided in rental properties. That said, I have yet to find a letting agent that will take a property on, or keep a property on, without an annual PAT test report.

    Everyone seems to point to everyone else to keep the myth alive, and everyone is so protective of their rear ends that it seems to be a case of 'just do it!'.
     
  3. ElecCEng

    ElecCEng Screwfix Select

    Simple. Remove all the appliances before letting, or pay the negligible (and tax deductible) cost of testing.
     
  4. Bazza-spark

    Bazza-spark Screwfix Select

    Portable appliance testing is supposed to be risk based. If you carry out and document your risk assessment and for example say your kettle and toster will be replaced every 2 years, washing machine every 5 years etc, therefore the risk of developing a dangerous fault is negligible you don't need to test.

    All depends on how your tenants treat the equipment mind.
     
    ElecCEng likes this.
  5. MGW

    MGW Screwfix Select

    It is so easy for trade tests to miss some thing, I agree with @Bazza-spark it is reducing the risk, but every tradesman who visits has a remit, reminds me of the flounders and swan song the gas man cometh, we are not quite that bad, but simple thing like pressing button on smoke alarm, who does it and when.

    However there has been a big change, you are now required to have an EICR, and the law says what is included in that report, so anything included in that report does not really need testing again. So the phrase is "any equipment permanently connected or intended to be permanently connected" so boiler and immersion heater clearly done, but I do not intend to unplug my cup boiler or microwave, never mind the washer and tumble drier, I intend them to be permanently connected.

    The cup boiler is clearly some thing which one would normally consider as a portable appliance, but personally it is never unplugged, so the question is what is covered by the EICR? Anything not covered needs to be tested independently. Again and again I saw where one item was missed, the guy doing the EICR thinks the hand drier is PAT tester, and the PAT tester thinks it is fixed so not his job, even if it electrical equipment rather than part of the installation.

    I have on this forum seen documents for EICR, and they seem very poor at saying what has been tested, we see a list of circuits, but rare to see immersion heater for example listed, or central heating pump, or cistern thermostat. I would have expected loads of codes raised due to earth wire being used as line on cistern thermostats.
     
  6. spike47

    spike47 Member

    "Maintain" is the operative word here , there is notes in the IET regarding recommendations as to the frequency of testing some equipment in different locations, but it is the responsibility of the company to maintain its equipment, they usually appoint a " Responsable Person" within the company to record types of equipment that fall within that remit of " Being PAT tested" and they have to keep the records up to date and usually that reasonable person will regularly do a physical check on equipment that is being physical used by a worker ( Portable Drills etc ) and record that check, some do it weekly, checking cabling etc .
     

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