DIYbanter - View Single Post - [OT] What are the characteristics of 13 amp mains flex?

Andrew Gabriel

In article .com,
writes:
I agree with you in general, but not in this specific case. Heaters
several decades old are routinely risky appliances, frequently with
bare live parts, insulation in very poor condition, and often no
effective cordgrip and/or perished rubber wire. With an old cloth
rubber cord it sounds that age. I would not use it without a proper
checkup first.

They are however easily servicable, and most perishable parts are
easily replaced with modern equivalents. Once serviced, the are often
much better quality and more robust than anything you can buy today.

There is one gotcha to look out for though -- if it doesn't conform
to IP2X (finger unable to touch a live part) then it's not going to
be able to pass a PAT test. Older heaters often didn't have closely
enough spaced wire grills to conform (check underneath convector
heaters too). For this touch test, a silica glass tube containing an
element also counts as a live part (common in old Dimplex radiant
heaters) as the glass is too fragile by itself to be regarded as
suitable insulation to provide protection against electric shock.

--
Andrew Gabriel