How Often Should You PAT Test?

One member raised a concern  that some electricians are inventing work by only issuing certificates with one year but licensed hmos are okay to have 2 yearly tests of portable appliances. So what are the rules?

The Rules  

The rules relating to PAT (Portable Appliance Testing) are based on the type of appliance, how it is used and also the environment in which is it used. A busy commercial kitchen is going to be different to an old ladies flat and a hairdryer whose cord is coiled and uncoiled daily will need to be treated differently to a fixed appliance such as a freezer.

We recommend that members take our PAT education which we run annually (though unfortunately not this year due to Covid) and then they can borrow and use the PDPLA PAT equipment to undertake their own testing, safe in the knowledge that they have had adequate training and understand what it is that is being checked and how to do so.  

(Don't worry about the photo with this article - the equipment required is not as complex and you do not go near any live wires, circuits or devices at any time!)

Whether you are formally trained or not, there are some simple rules that apply most of the time in most situations and these are that:

- We recommend that you PAT check all appliances at the start of a tenancy and then

- You should visually check cables and plugs annually on all movable appliances for wear and damage and replace if there is any.

-  Fully PAT check every two years for smaller appliances such as kettles, microwaves, toasters, lamps and fans

- and every four years for larger pieces of  electrical equipment such as fridges, ovens, dishwashers and washing machines.