Testing (Pat?) Cooker

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Geffers

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HI guys,

As i am not an avid "PAT" tester, ive done in the past using my SEAWARD PRIME TEST 200, i have been asked about testing cookers that have been removed from council rented accomodation, these are being cleaned up & then re-instated inti the council properties, - beleive me you just would,nt.

So heres how it goes; the cookers are cleaned, the hard wire cable is still attached & the test needs to be done,

Is it feasable to test either by MFT or some concoction via IEC lead, then as its not in situ what protection do i have once my sticker is on it & a fault occurs in transit?

Any feed back will be appreciated, but please refrain from criticism. it is after all just a question for some info.

Geffers

 
This always will be a grey area to some extent,.When in situ it would be tested as a fixed load, MFT's can carry out all these tests. When it is not installed then the testing procedure could by argument be more severe and resemble the tests carried out by the manufacturer, this could result in the total destruction of the cooker..

I think what you are after is a continued safety report to state that the cooker does not pose any immediate danger should it be reconnected.

Firstly it would be wrong to supply the cooker for re-installation with a cable fitted, which is why they are never sold this way, the cable should be removed, and correct installation instructions should be supplied.

Portable electric testing does not cover fixed equipment, a mistake often made by companies who stick labels on everything.

 
The "Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment" (IET) covers both portable and moveable equipment, so cookers could be included...

However as Manator says, they should not be supplied with a lead and should also come with installation instructions

 
NozSpark said:
The "Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment" (IET) covers both portable and moveable equipment, so cookers could be included...

However as Manator says, they should not be supplied with a lead and should also come with installation instructions
Click to expand...
Hence the grey area Nozspark

 
Geffers said:
HI guys,

As i am not an avid "PAT" tester, ive done in the past using my SEAWARD PRIME TEST 200, i have been asked about testing cookers that have been removed from council rented accomodation, these are being cleaned up & then re-instated inti the council properties, - beleive me you just would,nt.

So heres how it goes; the cookers are cleaned, the hard wire cable is still attached & the test needs to be done,

Is it feasable to test either by MFT or some concoction via IEC lead, then as its not in situ what protection do i have once my sticker is on it & a fault occurs in transit?

Any feed back will be appreciated, but please refrain from criticism. it is after all just a question for some info.

Geffers
Click to expand...
Just as with periodic testing of installtions, testing of apliances portable or otherwise can be agreed to a certain limited extent, between client and contractor. So it would be possible to agree a set number of tests to do on a cooker. But to my mind two of the most essential tests would be polarity and verifying earth continuity from any exposed metal parts to the building earth, (CPC of supply circuit). Obviously these cannot be done until the appliance is connected! Any testing you do, is only valid as a snapshot on the day you do the tests. as with PIR's EICR's or vehicle MOT's. anything could happen the following day to invalidate a satisfactory evaluation from the previous day!

Doc H.

 
Agree with all , only items that can be plugged in are portable so not a portable appliance so no to a Pat test.

And as to these so called Pat tester companies doing the rounds, perhaps they need supervising more. A School we were working in the other week had Pat testing done a few weeks before and they had managed to Pat test some fixed on wall panel heaters that were hard wired into a switch spurs, now even if they had fitted a plug top to it done the test and then reconnected it still wouldn’t have been correct and it wouldn’t be guarantee to have been connected correctly would it? So why in the hell are they putting labels on it saying it’s been checked?

 
What's wrong with supplying a used cooker with a cable attached? That's ONE less thing for the installer to get wrong (which is important if the tenant is connecting it himself)

Obviously verify by visual inspection the cable is the correct type and connected correctly and in good condition.

The other 2 important tests are to verify earth continuity and insulation resistance, both of which you can do with your MFT. In other words everything you would do when PA testing something with a plug on it.

 
OK, say you, site unseen fit a cooker with a bit of T&E. When it gets to site there's a heating pipe adjacent to the install area and just in case really you should have fitted butyl etc. You get my point. Without "being there" you can't truly assess the cable installation method.

(Of course, there's the other side to it......you refuse to do the job OR remove the bits of cable before you test the cookers thus forcing the company who got the job off the council to splash out on more. Either way one of our east European friends gets the job!)

 
As always i knew you would,t let me down. All replies are greatly appreciated.

Thanks everone for the feed back.

 
gutterball said:
I use one of these for anything without a plug attached http://www.test-mete...safetest-block/
Click to expand...
The disadvantage with some of those type of snap-blocks is that you have to have quite a long bit of bare conductor exposed, often more than needed in an FCU. which, with repeated testing and trimming, could result in the flex being gradually shortened until its no longer of a practical length. Especially on fixed appliances where the flex had been trimmed to the minimum required length during initial installation.

Doc H.

 
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