When it comes to portable appliance testing, getting the job done quickly, efficiently and within the current regulations is a must. Handheld portable appliance testers are becoming more and more popular, as smaller contractors are looking to offer this service to their clients and smaller companies want to bring the testing in house in order to save money.
Where you are testing only a small number of appliances, purchasing a simple, low cost tester is a must, but with so many to choose from how can you be sure you are buying the correct one? Martindale have answered this question with the Martindale HPAT600. This is a simple, handheld, battery operated PAT tester, that provides the legal minimum tests for Class I & Class II appliances, as well as IEC & extension leads.
In automatic mode, designed for experienced testers, you simply select the class of appliance you are testing, and the tester cycles through the required tests, displaying a result, along with a Pass or Fail indication. The manual mode has been designed for users who are new to portable appliance testing, and features help screens to guide you through each test.
What makes the HPAT600 different to all the other testers on the market?
The HPAT600 has a number of features that make it stand out against other manufacturers’ products. This becomes apparent when testing sensitive IT equipment that is protected with a mains filter. With a PAT tester that only has a 500V insulation test option, this type of equipment will always show a fail, meaning you cannot test these appliances correctly. The Martindale HPAT600, however, allows you to drop the test voltage down to 250V, allowing you to test the item and ensure it is safe to use.
Many handheld PAT testers use a pre-programmed pass threshold to determine the safety of the appliance, commonly these thresholds are set as follows:
- Earth Bond Limit: 0.2Ω
- Insulation Limit for Class I: 1MΩ
- Insulation Limit for Class II: 2MΩ
These preset thresholds work reasonably well for the majority of appliances, but when this type of tester is used on an appliance with a long lead, or a long extension lead, the tester may indicate a fail, when the result shows otherwise. For example, an extension lead that is 5 metres long, with a cross sectional area of 0.75mm2, should have a pass limit of 0.23Ω, according to the Code of Practice.
Similarly, an appliance where the pass threshold should be below 0.2Ω would indicate a pass, even though the result would be considered a fail. As an example, a standard 3m IEC lead would have a pass threshold of 0.1Ω, if the test result was between 0.1Ω and 0.2Ω the tester would show a Pass, even though you should fail the lead.
The Martindale HPAT600 solves both of these problems, by allowing the user to adjust the pass threshold up to a maximum of 0.9Ω. The Insulation Limits can also be adjusted to account for non standard equipment.
Save time & money whilst increasing profitability & productivity
With the Martindale HPAT600 you can speed up your PAT testing and have more control over the way you test. It uses rechargeable NiMH batteries, and features an in-situ battery charger, enabling you to charge from the mains, or on the move with the in car charger (supplied). It covers all the required tests for 240V appliances and mains leads, features a soft test for sensitive IT equipment and can test 110V appliances with the use of a separate adaptor.
The Martindale HPAT600 is available to purchase online from Instrotech, and comes supplied with a calibration certificate.
