Earth continuity fail

[Raysur52]

I am a qualified PAT tester I use a portable M/c from Packard Bell and calibrated annually.  My query is this, on 1  brand new reel extn lead bought 2 years ago tested and failed, and a new one bought this week, they both fail on earth continuity.

Both I believe are from B & Q, most likely foreign made which I know should not be a problem as such.  Any advice would be helpful.  Thanks

 

[kerching]

So  iN what way has it failed?

resistance too high?

no,continuity at all?

What is the end to end resistance?

is it what would be expected?     What at parameters on your tester?

saying it has failed continuity test is a bit vague to,saying the very least!

just saying

 

[Geoff1946]

What sort of tester?  Some of the cheap and cheerful ones I've seen, (press a button for red or green light), don't actually give any numerical indications and are really only useful for very basic tests. They assume an earth resistance needs to be below (say) a quarter or a half ohm, which is OK for checking domestic appliances such as kettles, etc, but useless for anything more.  Extension leads, for example will have a higher earth resistance than the simple machines accept but it doesn't mean they are faulty.

 

[Doc Hudson]

I am a qualified PAT tester I use a portable M/c from Packard Bell and calibrated annually.  My query is this, on 1  brand new reel extn lead bought 2 years ago tested and failed, and a new one bought this week, they both fail on earth continuity.

Both I believe are from B & Q, most likely foreign made which I know should not be a problem as such.  Any advice would be helpful.  Thanks

Does your machine allow you to input the length of the cable reel, and the gauge of the cable so that it can know what the resistance should be? if not how is it (are you) arriving at a failed conclusion?  Qualified PAT tester isn't exactly hard to achieve, typically a 1 or 2 day course.  What actual readings did you get? Any device that just outputs Pass or Fail, will on occasions give incorrect results due to limitations around how they work.

Doc H.