PAT testing mobile phone chargers

[Grizzly]

I'd do a visual, load and possibly even an insulation test for a class 3.

Why would you think that a mains powered phone charger is a Class III appliance?
Do you know what Class III means?

 

[Johnmelad]

I'd do a visual, load and possibly even an insulation test for a class 3.

Not required. Low risk environment, visual is all that is required.

 

[OwainDIYer]

Perhaps, but then a gang of foxes might storm the pub, a car might crash through the window, frozen waste products might be ejected from an overhead aeroplane.

But they wouldn't be the barman's fault. If he lets you plug in your charger it is.

 

[JohnW2]

Given the widespread availability of fake chargers for phones and other i-gadgets, which have a habit of disintegrating / melting / exploding, it seems to me that chargers are rather higher risk than granny's one-bar electric fire.
Had the charger disintegrated leaving the exposed live pin in the socket, the pub would have had to turn off the circuit (and we don't know what else is on that circuit - beer pump or pie warmer etc - causing loss of trade) and call a sparky to get the pin out of the socket.

That's all very true, but do you believe that "PATesting" would weed out a significant proportion of chargers that were liable to disintegrate/ melt/ explode etc.?

Kind Regards, John

 

[plugwash]

Is it even possible to PAT test double insulated items with no earth?

Afaict there are two meaningful tests you can do on such a device with a normal PAT tester.

1: test the insulation resistance between the mains connection and the output connection
2: test that the device does not draw excessive current from the mains.

 

[Spark123]

I'd do a visual, load and possibly even an insulation test for a class 3.

Why would you think that a mains powered phone charger is a Class III appliance?
Do you know what Class III means?

Maybe worded it badly, for supplying a class 3 appliance i.e. the charger is a SELV source. IR testing between the ELV side and the mains.
No need to PAT test a class 3 appliance in it's own right, the charger is likely going to be class 2.

 

[Spark123]

I'd do a visual, load and possibly even an insulation test for a class 3.

Not required. Low risk environment, visual is all that is required.

How do you determine the environment of someone's personal phone charger that they use at home, down the pub, in the swimming pool?
How do you know it isn't a lethal fake import with mains at the output terminals?

 

[Johnmelad]

How do you determine the environment of someone's personal phone charger that they use at home, down the pub, in the swimming pool?
How do you know it isn't a lethal fake import with mains at the output terminals?

Home = low risk environment, no need to PAT

Pub = low risk environment, requires visual inspection only.

Swimming pool should not have PA's in them.

Checking for cheap/fake imports is not part of the PAT in low risk environments.

Does PAT equipment recognise counterfit fuses in a plug?

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

How do you know it isn't a lethal fake import with mains at the output terminals?

Phone blows up first time its used?

 

[Spark123]

Not necesserally, could have 5v DC between the pins but be 230v wrt earth. I can remember a cheap fake charger for a portable games console which killed a young lad.

 

[Spark123]

How do you determine the environment of someone's personal phone charger that they use at home, down the pub, in the swimming pool?
How do you know it isn't a lethal fake import with mains at the output terminals?

Home = low risk environment, no need to PAT

Pub = low risk environment, requires visual inspection only.

Swimming pool should not have PA's in them.

Checking for cheap/fake imports is not part of the PAT in low risk environments.

Does PAT equipment recognise counterfit fuses in a plug?

Home doesn't require PAT testing as it doesn't by default fall under the EAWR.
A pub does as it is a place of work. I don't know where you get the idea of only doing a visual and all is well. As a tester is up to you to decide what the risks are with the device and test accordingly. As I said before I'd IR test a selv source and also load test it.

 

[DaftPunk]

I recently came across a brand new genuine 24V SELV power supply from a well known German manufacturer which was outputting 24V between pins, but both pins were sat at 190V to earth.

This was discovered when the 'ELV' plug happened to touch some earthed metal work and went with a bang. Had the metal work not been earthed, there could have been a much worse outcome.