Rating Plate on appliances

Our general advise is that appliances that do not have Rating Plates should not be resold. This advise is often called into question by some charity shops which have donated electrical items such as antique lamps of some value. Why do we advise this?

The Rating Plate gives some crucial information regarding inspection and PAT testing.

1. Class II symbol

2. Power rating - to work out correct value of fuse

3 Voltage of operation - in case someone is trying to use grey Chinese or US imports (working at 110V) in the UK

4.  Useful approval information, such as the CE mark.

Hence our advise to our customers to fail the appliance if the rating plate is missing.

HOWEVER, if the tester is a competent electrician then there can be an exception to this but they have to bear the risk of any decisions they make.

Some charity shop managers ask us whether they can print out their own rating plate and fix it to the appliance. This is risky as the person doing this is putting themselves in the position of a manufacturer.

What is the best option when one wants to sell an appliance that does not have a rating plate?

The best advise we can give here is to cut the mains cable off the appliance and sell it for display purposes only. 

Summary

The Rating Plate on an appliance has useful information that is essential for testing. Electrical appliances without rating plates should not be sold.