PAT Testing

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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    What Danny said. I do PAT testing when asked, especially when servicing equipment, but I don’t generally advertise it as a service - since unless you’re prepared to open up the equipment, in some cases it can be not worth the paper it’s printed on and potentially open you up to liability. An earth resistance test and leakage test will pass equipment which could still be dangerous.

    I’ve also seen currently valid PAT stickers on equipment with faults like improperly secured mains cables, both at the equipment end and the mains plug end.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • maltingsaudiomaltingsaudio Frets: 3098
    Echo what Danny and ICBM says. I do my own PAT testing and add person testing has to be competent in how to use the machine only. A PAT certificate is like an MOT in that when the test is done at that moment the equipment passed, should the exhaust fall off like Danny’s SWMP a day later then so be it.

    Mind you a PAT test is better than the old days when it was I’ve plugged it in and the breakers have held, there’s no blue smoke and I can touch it without dying so must be safe!
    www.maltingsaudio.co.uk
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  • jpfampsjpfamps Frets: 2723
    ICBM said:
    What Danny said. I do PAT testing when asked, especially when servicing equipment, but I don’t generally advertise it as a service - since unless you’re prepared to open up the equipment, in some cases it can be not worth the paper it’s printed on and potentially open you up to liability. An earth resistance test and leakage test will pass equipment which could still be dangerous.

    I’ve also seen currently valid PAT stickers on equipment with faults like improperly secured mains cables, both at the equipment end and the mains plug end.
    I've seen a PAT sticker on an effects pedal.........

    I suppose you can't be too careful!

    I do our PAT.

    The last gig we did at an hotel than require PAT, only one of the 4 mains sockets in the room we were playing worked!!
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  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31368
    jpfamps said:

    The last gig we did at an hotel than require PAT, only one of the 4 mains sockets in the room we were playing worked!!
    Exactly, this happens to us all the bloody time!
    Or they put us in a marquee in the grounds of a hotel in the pissing rain....

    The last one who demanded a PAT certificate off us had a stupidly sensitive decibel meter cutting the power when the bass drum was played acoustically.

    I refused, on the basis that any venue with a potentially equipment-damaging intermittent power supply had no right to make demands on us. Eventually they ran us an (untested) extension lead from a back office. 
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  • jpfampsjpfamps Frets: 2723
    p90fool said:
    jpfamps said:

    The last gig we did at an hotel than require PAT, only one of the 4 mains sockets in the room we were playing worked!!
    Exactly, this happens to us all the bloody time!
    Or they put us in a marquee in the grounds of a hotel in the pissing rain....

    The last one who demanded a PAT certificate off us had a stupidly sensitive decibel meter cutting the power when the bass drum was played acoustically.

    I refused, on the basis that any venue with a potentially equipment-damaging intermittent power supply had no right to make demands on us. Eventually they ran us an (untested) extension lead from a back office. 
    The last gig I did where there was a sound meter that cut the power, one of the sax players set it off warming up!

    We turned everything down and started playing, and then one of the bar staff came up to me and said we couldn't use the drums.

    It was a slightly Abbott and Costello exchange.

    Barman: "You can't play the drums."

    Me: "That's right I can't play the drums."

    Barman:"No, you can't play the drums."

    Me: "I told you, I can't play the drums."

    Barman:"No, you can't play the drums tonight."

    Me: "I'm not playing the drums tonight, I'm playing the guitar."

    Barman:"No, your drummer can't play the drums".

    Me:"I think that's a bit harsh."

    etc etc.

    In the end we ended up doing the gig with the drummer playing with brushes with the snare and hats only.


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  • vonLayzonfonvonLayzonfon Frets: 108
    I'm just here to say PAT stands for Portable Appliance Testing, so PAT Testing is actually Portable Appliance Testing Testing, which is almost as annoying as PIN Number, i.e. Personal Identification Number Number.

    My life would be far less irritating if I could avoid the Internet.  :s
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  • KeefyKeefy Frets: 2272
    I'm just here to say PAT stands for Portable Appliance Testing, so PAT Testing is actually Portable Appliance Testing Testing, which is almost as annoying as PIN Number, i.e. Personal Identification Number Number.

    My life would be far less irritating if I could avoid the Internet.  :s
    You might want to add 'IR Responses' - Impulse Response Responses!
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  • TrudeTrude Frets: 914
    Any recommendations for the cheapest and easiest way to get set up as a self-sufficient PAT tester? (Not to start charging for the service, just to do mine and bandmates’ stuff)
    Some of the gear, some idea

    Trading feedback here
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  • jpfampsjpfamps Frets: 2723
    Trude said:
    Any recommendations for the cheapest and easiest way to get set up as a self-sufficient PAT tester? (Not to start charging for the service, just to do mine and bandmates’ stuff)


    You'll need a tester, which should be calibrated every year (this costs me around 50 pounds).

    The test set would need to be able to test Class I (chassis grounded, eg amps), Class II (ungrounded, eg low voltage PSUs for effects / keyboards) and mains leads.

    Basic testers start from around 250 pounds.

    You would also need to prove you are a "competent person". If you work in a related industry then you would be deemed a "competent person", however if you don't you would probably need to take a course. I've not looked into this, but is suspect it would be a few hundred pounds.

    Whether this saves you money with depend on how much you already send on PAT.
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  • jpfampsjpfamps Frets: 2723
    I'm just here to say PAT stands for Portable Appliance Testing, so PAT Testing is actually Portable Appliance Testing Testing, which is almost as annoying as PIN Number, i.e. Personal Identification Number Number.

    My life would be far less irritating if I could avoid the Internet.  :s
    I refer you to my previous posts on the matter............
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  • TrudeTrude Frets: 914
    jpfamps said:

    You'll need a tester, which should be calibrated every year (this costs me around 50 pounds).

    The test set would need to be able to test Class I (chassis grounded, eg amps), Class II (ungrounded, eg low voltage PSUs for effects / keyboards) and mains leads.

    Basic testers start from around 250 pounds.

    You would also need to prove you are a "competent person". If you work in a related industry then you would be deemed a "competent person", however if you don't you would probably need to take a course. I've not looked into this, but is suspect it would be a few hundred pounds.

    Whether this saves you money with depend on how much you already send on PAT.
    Thanks for that!  I suspect my yearly bill would be less than the cost of getting a tester calibrated, so I guess it's not worth the bother.

    Shame, because this would be one of the few cases where my dusty old BEng in Electroacoustics would have actually come in handy!
    Some of the gear, some idea

    Trading feedback here
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  • vonLayzonfonvonLayzonfon Frets: 108
    jpfamps said:
    I'm just here to say PAT stands for Portable Appliance Testing, so PAT Testing is actually Portable Appliance Testing Testing, which is almost as annoying as PIN Number, i.e. Personal Identification Number Number.

    My life would be far less irritating if I could avoid the Internet.  :s
    I refer you to my previous posts on the matter............
    I nearly singled you out but I didn't want to embarrass you.  B)
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  • jpfampsjpfamps Frets: 2723
    jpfamps said:
    I'm just here to say PAT stands for Portable Appliance Testing, so PAT Testing is actually Portable Appliance Testing Testing, which is almost as annoying as PIN Number, i.e. Personal Identification Number Number.

    My life would be far less irritating if I could avoid the Internet.  :s
    I refer you to my previous posts on the matter............
    I nearly singled you out but I didn't want to embarrass you.  B)
    I'm a fearless slayer of tautologies.


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  • maltingsaudiomaltingsaudio Frets: 3098
    jpfamps said:
    I'm just here to say PAT stands for Portable Appliance Testing, so PAT Testing is actually Portable Appliance Testing Testing, which is almost as annoying as PIN Number, i.e. Personal Identification Number Number.

    My life would be far less irritating if I could avoid the Internet.  :s
    I refer you to my previous posts on the matter............
    Which bit of a Mark IV Boogie is regarded as “portable”?
    www.maltingsaudio.co.uk
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  • jpfampsjpfamps Frets: 2723
    jpfamps said:
    I'm just here to say PAT stands for Portable Appliance Testing, so PAT Testing is actually Portable Appliance Testing Testing, which is almost as annoying as PIN Number, i.e. Personal Identification Number Number.

    My life would be far less irritating if I could avoid the Internet.  :s
    I refer you to my previous posts on the matter............
    Which bit of a Mark IV Boogie is regarded as “portable”?
    The cover?
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  • uncledickuncledick Frets: 403
    When I was a school governor there was a clause in the H&S Policy which said the school had to provide plug-in RCDs for any performer likely to be using valve based equipment.  This was a Devon County Council template - nothing to do with me!  School equipment was subject to PAT every 2 years but a lot of stuff got hidden in cupboards...
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  • pintspillerpintspiller Frets: 994
    I work for a charity. Two of our guys were sent for PAT training and must have been given an intensive course on electricity and electronics! I think using the testing machine was only a small part of it. One failed and the other barely passed.
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