A most informative video; thank you. QUESTION: Is a Class 2 power cord designed in such a way to absolutely ensure that it cannot be used on an appliance that is not double insulated?
I would say yes although you can buy these pesky adaptors with convert a 2 core power cord to a 3 pin IEC lead which you could then plug into an appliance which requires an earth
From experience, most will be class 2, but you should look for the class 2 logo to confirm. Class 2 items will still have exposed metal parts and you should conduct the insulation test using your test probe.
im doing pat testing and only just learning and was shown/told to test class 2 without probe,all this time ive been doing it wrong...mostly hoovers I've been doing this kind of checks on,Also if these have been tested as class 2 but i now should be doing visual checks only do i still label them ??very confused now
So yes, you should be using your test probe on exposed metal parts of a class 2 item. If it has no exposed metal parts then I would always perform a visual inspection. Either way I would always label the item and log it in my test results as either a class 2 test or visual inspection
If you come across items that don’t have the class 2 symbol on the rating plate (even assuming they have one!) would you always treat them as class 1? I have had many coffee machines (the basic domestic types) like this and all have no exposed metal parts, not even screws! Visual only! Annoying machines :(
Yes, you normally have to treat as class 1 however, coffee machines often don’t have any exposed metal parts as they are all plastic casing so I make a note of that on the test results.
I would say that a visual test would be sufficient if there are no exposed metal parts, however, most plastic-cased items would have metal screws somewhere.
@@caterhampattesting thanks for the reply , can you still carry out just the insulation test or attaching the fly lead is part of the insulation test ?
always make sure you fully understand any test you do and why and how you are doing them. how the testing procudure works and what results you are looking for etc.
For class 1 and class 2 do you just use the standard tests on your machine or do you add any additional test eg substitute leakage? I know it is not required, I am just interested. Many thanks.
yes I just use either the earth continuity and insulation resistance tests. i also use the leakage test if the insulation resistance test flags up a dodgy result. the sub leakage test is a very unreliable test but sometimes you have to use it if no power supply is available.
i was guilty of this one, I thought if it was class 2 you didn't need the probe, lots of grey area's in PAT testing, but I am slowly figuring it all out over time, and I am not doing it as a living, just got sent on the course by the school I work for as a maintenance guy and got told it was going to be my job, I don't mind doing it as long as I get the time to do it, which is the tricky bit along with all my other duties.
