PAT testing is the recommended process through which you can satisfy your obligation to confirm the safe operation of portable electrical equipment. However, a commercial or industrial business is faced with a wide variety of PAT testing equipment and needs to be certain that investment is considered and that they make an effective decision. This guide will enable you to make a strategic investment based on the needs of the business, the type of equipment you have and the level of data and reporting you need to generate.
You need to consider the number of appliances you have and the risk level of the operations. In simple terms, a small business with basic equipment (office and kitchen appliances) will need a PAT tester that carries out the basic tests, such as polarity, insulation resistance and earth continuity. However, a larger or more industrial operation may have more heavy duty equipment and may require fuse integrity or earth leakage tests, and may have surge protection extension leads or RCDs to test. The business may need more accurate results also. This all dictates the requirements of the PAT tester you choose to invest in.
- Features and capabilities
The features and capabilities of the PAT tester also need to be considered. So do you only need basic or more detailed results? Do you have a large or small volume of appliances to test? This may dictate whether you can manage with manual test programmes or you need automatic testing for large volumes. Do you need the PAT tester to be portable? So can it be battery-operated or mains fed? You also need to consider the voltage and current capabilities of the test equipment.
Some PAT testers are able to generate professional reports using the test results data. These are produced automatically and can be downloaded and shared from a large hard drive memory capacity. At the other end of the scale, some PAT testers require you to input results manually and have very limited storage capacity. There are several models in between also. So you need to consider what level of information you need, and how widely this information needs to be distributed.
First and foremost, you want the testing programmes to be user friendly and the screens to be easy to navigate. Although the competent person nominated to carry out your PAT testing needs to have knowledge and experience in using PAT testing equipment, if the process is quick and simple this makes testing multiple appliances much easier and more efficient. A good PAT testing equipment supplier will also offer good after sales support, and a good warranty agreement, so this should also influence your purchasing decision.
Choose the ideal PAT testing equipment for you from Test Instrument Solutions
At Test Instrument Solutions we have a wide range of PAT testing equipment and accessories, with a variety of testing capabilities and features. You can find the ideal PAT tester for your needs if you check out our range today.
Product Demonstration Video
Below you can find a product demonstration video of the TIS 600 manual portable appliance tester:
Please note that this section is for information purposes only. Anyone using equipment referred to in this section must be suitably qualified and/or experienced within the respective field. If in doubt before use, please consult a qualified electrician or engineer & thoroughly read all instruction booklets.