Microwave Emission Testing - worthwhile or scam?

[Duntestin]

Not sure if you will be familiar with this, but microwave emission testing often goes hand-in-hand with PAT.

In simple terms, a tester can be bought for £50ish and checks for microwave leakage from ovens. Going rate per test is around a fiver, so cost of kit is soon recovered!

Granted, we should not look gift horses in the mouth, but is this warranted or just scaremongery?

 

[sparkdog]

I do a lot of microwave repairs and as I recall its a requirement to test for emission each time,which I do.

 

[Patman]

I carry out microwave emmision leakage test as part of our PAT service - we don't charge for the tests so it can hardly be a scam. More to the point its a good "add-on" to service provided

 

[golfpaul]

We also do the emission test as part of the pat test - i still cant decide if its a bit of a joke though really.

Although, did find one m/w recently that sent the needle off the scale...

 

[Adam W]

It should be done as part of the PAT test; I suppose you could just charge a little bit extra for doing microwaves.

 

[i=p/u]

£28.50 on ebay

 

[MTI]

I have one of these microwave leakage detector devices which i bought online but im now seeing the same model plastered over the net with different names on. Typical chinese tat that people are importing and having personalised to sell on with a good mark up.

On subject, id assume that if you went to do a PAT testing job at a site that had microwaves in use, you would have no option but to test it for electrical reasons and leakage detection? Only just starting my PAT testing business side of things but surely if it has no label, it cant be used and secondly, PAT requires items to be as manufactured state. I reckon one day we will hear of someone putting in a claim against leakage

 

[ringer]

when quoting, ask if they have any microwaves. You can then offer to , in addition to pat test, do a leakage test on the microwave for £5.

 

[miner69er]

hang on...... Portable Appliance Testing is to prove that an item of equipment is in a safe condition for use. In the case of a microwave oven you cannot just test the plug and lead because part of your testing is a functional test. without checking for microwave leakage, how can you sign the item off as safe during a functional test? if you don't complete the leakage test and old mr doddery with his pacemaker decides it's time to re-heat his horlicks, then falls down doing his stunned rabbit impression because of microwave leakage...... your business will be gone, you will be in prison for negligence and your house will be sold to pay for the court case and compensation!!! all for a £50 peice of kit.
it maybe scaremongering but it's a chance i'm not willing to take. the wrath of the missus would be worse than any prison sentence!!!!

 

[chiplard]

hang on...... Portable Appliance Testing is to prove that an item of equipment is in a safe condition for use. In the case of a microwave oven you cannot just test the plug and lead because part of your testing is a functional test. without checking for microwave leakage, how can you sign the item off as safe during a functional test? if you don't complete the leakage test and old mr doddery with his pacemaker decides it's time to re-heat his horlicks, then falls down doing his stunned rabbit impression because of microwave leakage...... your business will be gone, you will be in prison for negligence and your house will be sold to pay for the court case and compensation!!! all for a £50 peice of kit.
it maybe scaremongering but it's a chance i'm not willing to take. the wrath of the missus would be worse than any prison sentence!!!!

Why would he fall down from microwave leakage?

Worst case scenario would be if he placed his hand on the area that had the leakage it would start to heat his hand up.

 

[ringer]

PAT is for checking the integrity of the electrics of the appliance. If an appliance, such as a microwave, emits harmful rays as part of its operation then that is a separate test which you may or may not choose to offer.

 

[i=p/u]

so how you test a microwave, visual inspection, earthbond if class 1, insulation resistance, functional check-automatic stop when door is opened, leakage around door,

isit 500vdc or 250vdc if has electronic components, thanks if you wanna put me right

 

[grantr37]

A pat tester seems to be legally obliged to do a microwave leakage test alongside the pat test, microwaves can leak energy into the room and it can do damage to anybody standing close to it, its to do with the fact that the magnetron can go wrong, especially on cheaper and older microwaves the metal that the direction gauze/mesh is made from rusts and falls apart, taking away the metal "nozzle" that points the microwaves inwards so that they end up going in all directions.....instead of into the middle where the food gets heated...

The microwave leakage testers are available for 35 pounds on the internet, dont go paying any more than that as they are all the same, if you look there will be wildly differing prices right up to some places trying to charge 150 UK pounds for one...
They sell the very same model of tester all over the world (the main one) if you look you will see it online in a lot of different countries priced in Australian Dollars, US Dollars, Euros, etc....you can get them here inside the UK for 35 pounds.


take a look online for the CEM-DT-2G microwave tester