How to Test Portable Electrical Appliances

Most laptops are categorized as Class II appliances.

Safety testing a portable electric appliance, such as a laptop computer, requires the use of a portable appliance tester, or PAT. Periodic PAT tests are required for office laptops in countries that have equipment standards in place to protect laptop users from electrical shock. To ensure safe use of an office laptop computer, you should perform regular visual tests as well as use a PAT tester to test the appliance every two years.

Things You'll Need

• Portable Appliance Tester
• Sticker

Instructions

1. Examine the power cord for your laptop to see if there are any cuts, frays or worn areas. This includes the end of the cable that is connected to the transformer.

2. Plug the small end of the power cord into the laptop and the other end into a wall outlet. Do not plug it into a power strip. Look to see if a spark occurs when the plug is inserted into the outlet.

3. Power on the laptop boot into the operating system. Unplug the power cord from the laptop and look at the battery indicator. If the indicator is at full, the battery has a full charge.

4. Leave the laptop on for at least 15 minutes and then power it down. Allow it to sit powered down for at least 15 more minutes. Turn on the laptop so that it is running on the battery. The laptop should boot up the operating system without any low battery warnings.

5. Look on the bottom of the laptop for the rating plate that is on the left or right side of the machine. See if you can find a "CE" symbol. This indicates that the laptop is a Class I or Class II appliance.

6. Connect a pass-fail PAT tester to the laptop by plugging the power cord for the laptop into the device. Touch a metal portion of the laptop with the probe. The indicator on the pass-fail tester indicates whether the laptop is electrically safe to use.

7. Write the date and initial a sticker to place on the bottom of the laptop. This is a record that the electrical appliance has been tested.

Tips & Warnings

• Constant bending of the power cable can cause a crack or break, which may lead to a short in the cable.

• Keep the battery charged so you can use the laptop in the event of a power outage.

• A two-prong power cord is ungrounded and can cause a spark when plugging it into an outlet.

References

• Australia Department of Commerce: Guide to testing and tagging portable electrical equipment
• Leeds.ac.uk: Portable Applicance Testing for Offices
• FIrstStopSafety: Test Adaptor for Laptop 3-core Power Lead

Resources

• FIrstStopSafety: Pass-Fail Pat Testers