Converting normal lights into emergency lights

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Tainted

Tainted

Senior Member
Location
New York
Occupation
Engineer (PE)
There are existing lights in a corridor which need to be on emergency. What means and methods are available to make this happen without changing the lights?
Are inverters with batteries a good option?

can you install an external battery pack for each fixture without changing the lights?
 
Yes you can. Bodine is a very popular product for this. Although many require a 3 wire cable. A constant hot is needed to keep the battery charged.
 
tank728 said:
Yes you can. Bodine is a very popular product for this. Although many require a 3 wire cable. A constant hot is needed to keep the battery charged.
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So the battery packs outputs DC and I would need to connect it to a driver that converts it to AC? Can I connect phase dimming or 0-10V dimming to it?
 
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Converting existing is likely a UL listing issue, as they are emergency luminaires
Easiest is a couple of big eyes on the wall, wire with MC to hot side of light switch
Where I worked if we had fluorescent troffers with batter back up, when the batteries died the electricians replaced with bug eyes
 
Tainted said:
So the battery packs outputs DC and I would need to connect it to a driver that converts it to AC? Can I connect phase dimming or 0-10V dimming to it?
Click to expand...
As long as the bodine kit is ul listed for retrofit. Trust me bug eyes are faster and less expensive
 
gadfly56 said:
Yeah, but then you have to listen to the architect snivel and whine about them... :rolleyes:
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I worked in a fire station where the architect had specified SS wall plates in an odd non stock finish. Took weeks to ship, standard SS plates we had on the truck
 
Tainted said:
So the battery packs outputs DC and I would need to connect it to a driver that converts it to AC? Can I connect phase dimming or 0-10V dimming to it?
Click to expand...
They make both DC and AC. And they work with both dimming formats. Like most have said bug eyes are easier but architects can be a killer
 
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