General FAQs
Unfortunately due to the prohibitive charges imposed upon us by our carriers, we are unable to offer standard carriage charges to our non-mainland customers. Please contact us for further advice.
Without annual calibration of measuring equipment, results cannot be guaranteed or relied on. It's important to ensure your machine is measuring accurately and the only way to do this is to return the unit for it's annual calibration.
No.
Our Calibration Certificates are provided as a hard copy free of charge with our calibration service as well as with newly purchased testers too.
Usually within 3-5 working days from the date we received it - often sooner!
This is a common question. You may need a more advanced PAT Training Course in order to understand the readings, or alternatively if you have one of our MemoryPAT Pat Testing Machines, these show readings as well as a PASS or FAIL indicator. Please contact us to discuss our available training options.
Yes they do. Our PAT Testing equipment and our Microwave Emission Checkers are all supplied with a 1 year manufacturer warranty. This is automatically extended free of charge when we calibrate these machines for you.
We strongly advise that you do - PAT Testing has particular processes and knowledge that would not necessarily be covered under an Electrical Engineer's Course.
We strongly advise that you do - PAT Testing has particular processes and knowledge that would not necessarily be covered under an Electrical Engineer's Course.
In terms of the quality and content - nothing. Both have unique benefits - a face to face course allows one to have supervised practice testing and the online course allows one to study at their own speed and time of choosing.
No, this is not necessary - there are other factors to take into account before deciding how frequently an item should be PAT Tested, such as type of appliance, class of appliance and the environment it is used in. We would strongly advise undertaking a PAT Testing Course with us for additional understanding.
We offer a fully online PAT Course with fully online Test and Certificate or if you have a number of people you'd like to train, we may be able to send our trainer to you. Please contact our team for more assistance.
First Stop Safety advise that is it good practice to refresh one's PAT Training every 3 years - this is to ensure your training is up to date, that bad habits are identified and addressed and that everyone is again fully briefed on all aspects of the course.
Access details are emailed within 48 hours to the email address supplied - please check your spam or junk folders carefully and double check the email address that you entered for the certificate was correct.
Certificates are automatically emailed once a trainee passes the test(s). It is important to check any spam or junk folders, and that the email address you entered for the certificate was correct.
Certificates are automatically emailed once a trainee passes the test(s). It is important to check any spam or junk folders, and that the email address you entered for the certificate was correct.
Yes. Our tests are single use.
We can deliver a Private PAT Course for you at the premises of your choice for up to 10 delegates. Please contact us to arrange this.
There is no legal requirement to do so, however, we do recommend another course is studied and a test taken every 3 years. This is good practice and it also ensures all PAT Testing staff are up to date.
No. With a PASS/FAIL PAT Testing machine and a suitable PAT Testing Course, you will satisfy the HSE requirements to carry out PAT Testing. You do not need to be an electrician or have had any previous experience of PAT Testing to take the course.
First Stop Safety email VAT receipted invoices within 24 hours of when the goods and/or services were despatched. Please remember to check spam or junk folders.
PAT-IT Tester FAQs
This can happen if the cable between the screen and the main PCB becomes disconnected. Sometimes this happens immediately after the unit has been calibrated if the tester is knocked or dropped during transit. Please contact Sales to arrange collection and repair.
Error codes usually indicate an internal problem with the tester which requires it to be returned for repair. One exception to this is Error Code 4. This indicates a problem with the IEC cable test function but can also be triggered by powering up the tester with a cable already plugged in for testing. Remove the cable under test, power down and power up again to see if the fault is cleared.
The Earth Test Lead (ETL) on the PAT-IT has a screw connection to hold the wire to the crocodile clip. Sometimes this can work loose. Check that the screw is fully tightened.
BattPAT Tester FAQs
1. Check your charger - The BattPAT requires a 12v charger (some very early models use 9v). Look at the rating plate on the charger body. It should say 12v 500mA or 1A dc. If the voltage is too low, the battery inside the tester won't charge up, even though the green Charging light on the tester may be illuminated.
Not sure where to be looking? Click HERE to view an example of a rating plate.
2. Is the green charging LED on the tester lit up? If not, check that your charger is correctly plugged in to the tester and into the wall socket at the other end. Make sure the socket is switched on. (This sounds obvious but it's surprising how many people don't check).
3. Check the charger cable for signs of damage. Cables can sometimes start to fray and break close to the strain relief grommet where the cable comes out of the charger body or at the opposite end where the cable enters the power plug.
Connect your tester to the charger and charge it for 30 minutes. The green Charging LED on the tester should flash while charging is taking place.
After charging, check the tester again to see how many tests the unit will carry out before giving a Low Battery warning. If the problem persists, please contact our Sales Department to have the tester sent in for checking and battery replacement.
This usually means that the battery has failed and needs replacing. It is not advisable to continue operating your tester, powered from the charger, with a failed battery as this can cause the battery to overheat. Please contact our Sales Department to arrange a repair.
Charge the unit for a maximum of 30 minutes. Keep checking the tester at regular intervals to see if the green Charging light comes on. If the battery is very flat, the tester will appear completely dead until the battery voltage is raised to a sufficient level. If the tester still appears dead after 30 minutes on charge, please contact our Sales Department to arrange a repair.
This indicates an internal failure. Depending on the nature of the fault, it may only occur during certain types of test, eg. Class 1 but not Class 2, or may occur on all tests. Please contact our Sales Department to arrange a repair.
Sometimes it may appear that every test is failing. This can often be put down to operator error but it's worth doing some basic checks to ensure that the test equipment is working correctly before calling for help.
Check the Earth Test Lead (ETL). Plug the ETL into the test socket on the tester and then put the probe end of the ETL into the Earth socket of the 13A test socket on the tester. Carry out a Class 1 test and check that the Earth Continuity test passes. Ignore the Insulation Resistance reading for the purposes of this test.
If you have an older type of ETL with a fixed crocodile clip on the end, insert a small screwdriver into the Earth socket of the 13A test socket and then attach the crocodile clip to the blade of the screwdriver. You can see an example of this by clicking HERE.
If the extension lead is failing on Earth Continuity, check that the lead length is set correctly on the tester. The default setting is for testing short leads of 1m or less in length.
Press the Long Lead button once to set the limits for leads up to 24m in length.
Press it again to set the limits for leads up to 40m in length. If the lead length is correctly set but the test keeps failing, check the IEC test socket on the tester.
The Earth pin of the socket can sometimes become tarnished or collect dirt due to lack of use or the socket facing upwards. Lightly scrape the outer edges of the Earth pin in the socket with the blade of a flat screwdriver to ensure a clean connection.
Check the fuse in the mains plug end of the extension lead or IEC lead. A blown fuse will cause a polarity error. Some PAT adaptors deliberately have a broken Live connection so that it's not possible to power a 110v appliance through a 110v to 230v PAT adaptor.
The PAT adaptors supplied by First Stop Safety have all wires connected so that cables will pass polarity tests but the adaptors are clearly marked Not for Mains Use.
MemoryPAT Tester FAQs
The front panel connector may have become dislodged from the socket on the PCB. Please contact our Sales Department to arrange a repair.
Sometimes, the computer will fail to recognise the MemPAT when connected to download test results. The MemPAT will begin to charge its battery when connected to the computer. Sometimes, this can cause the computer to fail to recognise the MemPAT. Try 'waking up' the tester first using the following procedure:
Press one of the two Memory buttons on the tester. This will switch on the tester and the display will illuminate and show the test results stored in memory. Plug in the USB cable to the computer while the display is still illuminated. You may need to try this procedure more than once before it is successful.
Charity Shop FAQs
Yes they can. Our courses are designed for beginners, with no PAT Testing experience or electrical knowledge.
Yes. Our Private Reseller Course is specifically designed for resellers of second hand electrical items and so is our reselling online course with Test and Certification.
Often charity shops receive donations such as lamps that have a significant intrinsic value BUT they cannot be PAT tested. In these situations, we advise that an electrician takes a look and advises what can be done. Sometimes, it is appropriate to sell them as 'For Decorative Use Only'.
Often charity shops receive donations such as lamps that have a significant intrinsic value BUT they cannot be PAT tested. In these situations, we advise that an electrician takes a look and advises what can be done. Sometimes, it is appropriate to sell them as 'For Decorative Use Only'.
Yes. This is a Trading Standards Requirement. First Stop Safety supply Electrical Wiring Tape. Please contact us to place an order.
We have all the tools you need to gain knowledge to begin your PAT Testing journey with confidence. We also have a range of packages available suitable as starter packages for those beginning their PAT Testing journey which include everything you need to get started. We have replacement chargers, adaptors, labels and carry cases available to purchase. Contact our friendly sales team for more information.