PAT testing is not usually ever done on home appliamces during their lifetime. If you were to buy any mains electrical equipment second hand from a shop or charity, it would have to be tested first. We have hundreds of things PAT tested every year at the museum, and the only variations to the basic tests are for computers. We have not had any particular failures caused by testing that come to mind. Most failures are damaged cables and plugs. The VFD for the mill was tested this year and wasn't damaged.

Bad luck with your machine, the prices of new machines being low at the moment may make you think twice about the repair to yours.

Edited By old mart on 31/12/2020 15:33:11

Edited By old mart on 31/12/2020 15:34:41

Edited By old mart on 31/12/2020 15:37:32

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Very possibly, Bob

When I was at BAe [20+ years ago] they flatly refused to PAT a lot of computer equipment for that very reason.

… Probably depends on the characteristics of the test-set

MichaelG.

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Edit: Robert posted whilst I was typing.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 31/12/2020 15:36:40

Depends on the tester used and the person doing the job.

I know its possible.

Back around 2000 I had a very expensive laser PSU killed by a ignorant contract PAT testers along with several other bits of sensitive electronics driven out of specification. Numpities also pulled off all the IEC connector power cables, dumped them in a pile and tested the whole lot. I was not amused at having to sort the right leads with the right fuses out afterwards. Nor by having to spend a couple of weeks to re-align some optical test equipment they had moved.

Got into serious trouble for throwing them out of the lab the moment the yobbish tendencies were revealed but was vindicated by the trail of havoc left in the other labs. Next time round supervision was enforced rather than accepting the contractor demands thta they should have undisturbed access.

Clive

I bought a spare controller board for a washing machine for ?1 at an auction as it had 5 5v 10A relays on board – the logic to the microprocessor and display was direct from mains derived from the high voltage circuit to drive the light behind the display – a 500V Pat test would fry everything on that board

I think it would be most unlikely that PA testing could have destroyed the circuit board unless as Michael stated "depends on the test characteristics" most modern approved PA test sets short together live & neutral and apply a 240v test between this connection and ground, the 500v test being used for 3 phase equipment, some of the very old sets did use 500v with mixed results, if the service engineer in the OP had eight failures in a short time this to me would point to a design failure unless all eight had been tested with the same PAT machine,

Gren.

As Robert says there is no legal requirement for PAT testing, it is a knee jerk solution to the requirements of I think PUWER, Provision and Use of Work Equipment regulations, which requires that electrical equipment is safe. I think it's stretching reason to call a washing machine 'portable'. If a power lead has damaged insulation such that the conductors are exposed but not touching it would still pass the box of tricks test, and I've seen the chaps where I once worked just plug it in, press the button, sign the form, no attempt to inspect the cable. For regularly used portable gear in an industrial setting regular inspection of the cable, just looking at it, is much more sensible, after all the likely failure is damage to cable or coming loose at the plug.

If Grenville is correct, and I've no reason to doubt it, most modern double insulated stuff would pass no matter what fault it had. I did once ask why the chap was checking the live-earth on a cable with a plastic earth pin

As others have said it is possible that the electronic board was damaged by careless testing, but if it was a full test using an automated instrument normally the final test in the program will be a RUN test which records current or kVa and any earth leakage current so there will be a recoding of the test retained in the meter under the Item Id and Location ID for the tested address.

Ask the person/firm that conducted the test for a full report of the readings obtained to check if the run test is recorded, at least it would show the appliance still functioned after the test was carried out.

If the appliance was checked with a Pass/Fail type of instrument then the details listed are probably not available even if a Run test was included.

If as suggested the Washer is connected to a SFS to remove it from a PAT if the property is rented all electrical equipment needs confirmation that it is in good safe working order so the washer will still need inspecting and testing as fixed electrical equipment.

Emgee

I would consider a Megger 1720 would be used for IEE 18th Edition Regs testing and NOT as a PAT tester. Megger make a PAT specific tester.

As above, PAT testing is not a legal requirement and the tester does not need a qualification. The requirement is to be "a competent person" but the easiest way to prove that should a claim ensue is by having a certificate and, more importantly, good records.

WRT the plug in and push the button brigade, the visual inspection is every bit as important as the actual test and reveals 80% of failures even before the device is plugged in.

Phil

If Class 1 equipment one reason would be to confirm the earth conductor is connected from the plug to the machines metal frame and has a suitably low resistance.

Emgee

When the legislation was introduced, because we had students in the facility, a "company" was employed to PAT test equipment. When i saw them disconnecting the wall outlets of fixed equipment such as heaters and lighting I told them that they were not allowed to test them as only PORTABLE equipment needed to be tested. The company would have none of it and insisted they had to test everything. Our Electrical manager stopped them and they were not happy at all. The company called the Inspectorate and were told that they were not allowed to test everything only Portable equipment but they still insisted that they were in the right!

The Factory inspector said if you need a tool to reassemble the equipment after the test it is not portable!

We later found out the company were charging £20 for each item tested and the guys were told to test every bit of kit they could find! The company was set up to get as much money as they could and disappeared about six months later. A Scam!

I worked for a company that supplied ventilation cabinets that were a couple of hundred kgs each and portable as they were moved from Lab to Lab and they had to be PAT tested, one unit failed so I rang the manufacturer my Italian bosses and they asked how long the power cable was, when I told them the answer was shorten it by 1.5 meters and get it re tested, I did this and it passed.

Martin P