PAT Testing in Bridgwater

PAT testing checks the appliances that plug into an installation rather than the fixed wiring behind the walls. Kettles, computers, power tools, fridges, extension leads, salon equipment, anything with a plug on it. We carry out appliance testing across Bridgwater and the wider Somerset area for offices, shops, workshops, landlords and holiday accommodation. It sits naturally alongside the fixed wire testing we do, and many customers have both done in the same visit.

What PAT Testing Involves

Every appliance gets a visual check first, because a surprising share of failures are visible: damaged flexes, cracked casings, badly wired plugs and the wrong fuse fitted. Then the appliance is tested with proper equipment, typically for earth continuity and insulation resistance, depending on what class of appliance it is. Each item is labelled with the date and the result, and you get a register listing every appliance tested, what it is, where it is and whether it passed. Anything that fails is taken out of use and recorded.

Who Needs Appliance Testing

There is no law that says the words PAT testing, but there are legal duties to keep electrical equipment in a safe condition, and appliance testing is the accepted way of showing you have done it. Employers, landlords of furnished property, holiday let owners and anyone running a business with equipment the public or staff use all fall within that. Insurers frequently ask for a current appliance register as a condition of cover.

How Often Appliances Need Testing

There is no fixed legal interval, and anyone who tells you every appliance needs testing every twelve months is oversimplifying. It depends on the appliance and the environment. A power tool on a building site is a different risk to a desktop computer in an office that never moves. We will advise on sensible intervals for what you actually have, rather than applying the same date to everything so the invoice looks bigger.

Landlords and Holiday Lets

If you let a property furnished, the appliances you supply are your responsibility. Kettles, toasters, microwaves, washing machines and the television all count. Holiday accommodation is the same and often more heavily used, by people unfamiliar with the property. Appliance testing gives you a documented record that what you supplied was safe when you supplied it.

The Benefits of Appliance Testing

Meeting Your Duties

The law asks you to keep equipment safe. A current test register is the practical evidence that you have taken that seriously.

Catching the Obvious

Most failures we find are damaged leads, wrong fuses and badly made plugs. All cheap to fix and all capable of causing real harm.

Insurance Requirements

Commercial and holiday let policies commonly ask about appliance testing. Having the register ready avoids awkward questions later.

A Proper Inventory

The register doubles as a list of what equipment you own and where it is, which is useful well beyond electrical safety.

Why Choose Us for PAT Testing

Testing Is Our Trade

Inspection and testing is our main work, so appliance testing is done properly and recorded properly rather than rushed.

Sensible Intervals

We advise on realistic retest dates based on the appliance and its environment, not a blanket annual date applied to everything.

One Visit, Both Jobs

If your fixed wiring is due for testing as well, we can do both in the same visit and save you a second disruption.

NAPIT Registered

We are registered with NAPIT, a government approved competent person scheme, with over eighteen years of experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does PAT testing cost?

It is priced on the number of appliances, so the cost per item comes down the more you have. Tell us roughly how many items you need testing and where they are and we will give you a price. There is no charge for the register itself.

Is PAT testing a legal requirement?

The phrase itself does not appear in law, but the duty to keep electrical equipment in a safe condition does. Appliance testing is the normal way of demonstrating that duty has been met, which is why insurers and inspectors ask about it.

What happens to an appliance that fails?

It is labelled as failed, taken out of use and recorded on the register. Some failures are simple, like a wrong fuse or a poorly wired plug, and can be put right on the spot. Others mean the appliance needs replacing.

Book PAT Testing in Bridgwater

Whether you run an office, a shop, a workshop, a holiday let or a portfolio of furnished rentals, we can test your appliances and give you a clear register. Tell us roughly how many items you have and where they are and we will price it and book a date. We cover Bridgwater and the wider Somerset area, and we can carry out fixed wire testing at the same visit if that is due too.