PAT Tester Calibration
Q: What is Calibration and why do we need it?
PAT Testing machines are used to check electrical appliances for safety, so it is essential that they are operating correctly and accurately. Calibration is a way of checking this. Older PAT Test machines, like a lot of old electronic items, may need adjusting periodically to make sure that the readings are accurate. Most modern PAT testers will have a high level of accuracy built in, and so will rarely need adjusting, but it's still important to verify that the readings are accurate.
Until the 5th edition Code of Practice came out in 2020, it was recommended that PAT test machines were calibrated every 12 months. Now the guidance recommends that the machines are calibrated and/or serviced according to the manufacturer's instructions. That said, at the time of writing, all the major manufacturers are recommending their machines are calibrated at least once per year.
At the present time we use a number of third party specialist calibration services, making sure the calibration certificates are fully traceable to national standards (traceable to the National Physics Laboratory) and meet all the relevant standards for safety and accuracy. Beware of cheap and cheeful calibration services which don't meet the UKAS approval.
Q: Our PAT Tester is new / only a few months old - when does it need calibrating?
Most of the machines that we sell are calibrated by the manufacturer. You should therefore, not need to have your tester calibrated until it is a year old. However, you should have it calibrated immediately if you suspect that the results it is giving are not accurate.
Q: We didn't buy our tester from you, can you still calibrate it?
Yes! We can calibrate most all PAT Testing machines, including those from Megger, First Stop Safety, Uni-T, Seaward, Fluke, Metrel, Robin, and Martindale.
Q: How much does it cost?
We have a fixed price of £69 + VAT for calibration of PAT Testers - this includes a secure collection from your premises, calibration (with certificate) and return carriage to your premises.
Q: We have a modern Seaward PAT Tester (Apollo series etc) - can you remove the annoying service message?
The most recent machines from Seaward have a 'nag screen' which puts up a message on the screen when it needs calibrating. This is a counter which appears 1 year from when it was last calibrated - similar to the 'service' light on some cars. Our calibration service is authorised by Seaward and is able to reset the calibration meter, giving you confidence that it's been calibrated properly.
Q: Our tester is broken - can you fix it?
We would first require an inspection and will provide you with a quotation to complete a repair & calibration. We will only proceed with a repair once we have your approval. Should you choose not to proceed with the repair, there is a £35+vat inspection only fee or we can dispose of the unit free of charge.