Portable Appliance Testing
Bristol, Bath, Yate

Portable electrical equipment can get damaged during everyday use. This damage could render the equipment potentially dangerous to the user. Without regular inspection and testing, the safety of the users could be at risk. Portable appliances can include fan heaters, IT equipment and microwaves. At Allied Electrical, we provide a high standard and professional portable appliance testing service to all of our customers in Bristol, Bath, Yate and the surrounding areas whether they are industrial, commercial or domestic. Our experienced staff are fully qualified for electrical testing and use the latest fully calibrated Seaward Primetest 350 testers and associated software to carry out portable appliance testing (PAT Testing). We appreciate that it's not always possible to switch equipment off during normal trading hours so in order to minimize inconvenience we also offer testing out of hours.

Inspection

This process involves a thorough inspection of the appliance, plug and cable for any obvious signs of damage and the inspections can be carried out at regular intervals with the results being recorded. We will look for the following signs during the inspection:

• Damage to the power cable sheath.
• Damage to mains plug, for example, bent pins or cracked casing.
• Taped joints to the cable.
• Damage to the external casing of the equipment, loose parts or screws.
• Evidence of overheating.
• Outer sheath of the cable not properly secured where it enters the plug or appliance, resulting in the coloured insulation of the internal cable to show.

We will also remove the plug cover and check the following:

• The correct value fuse is used.
• Cord grip is holding the cable tightly.
• Live, neutral and earth wires are on the correct terminals.
• No visible bare wires apart from the terminals.
• Terminal screws are tight
• No sign of internal damage, such as dirt or overheating.

PAT Testing

If there are no visual faults with the appliances then they are subjected to the tests listed below.

• Earth Continuity - Ensures the continuity of the earthing conductor between the earth pin of the plug and the metal work of the appliance.
• Insulation Resistance - Indicates if the insulation protecting the conductors is broken.
• Load Test - Checks if the equipment and fuses operate correctly.
• Earth Leakage - Measures the leakage current to the earth while the appliance is operating.

As each appliance is tested it is labelled with a unique identification number, retest date and details of the testing engineer. A PAT testing report will also be issued in paper or electronic format providing the information about each appliance.

If an appliance does not pass the inspection and PAT testing then we can quote to repair the fault or remove from service.

If you would like to contact us about PAT testing or for a quote, then please fill out the enquiry form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.