EM Lighting

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

Alwayslearningelec

Senior Member
Location
NJ
Occupation
Estimator
I'm trying to sway an engineer to use battery packs instead of running to and EM panel for lights fixtures.
I know this is a stretch but can anyone think of a design reason(s) why EM battery packs would make more sense than an EM panel?

Thanks.
 
horsegoer said:
I'm trying to sway an engineer to use battery packs instead of running to and EM panel for lights fixtures.
I know this is a stretch but can anyone think of a design reason(s) why EM battery packs would make more sense than an EM panel?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
because you want to sell replacement battery packs every few years.
 
The wiring for the EM lights to the EM panel has to be kept separate from all non EM wiring. But a EM panel can be supplied by an inverter and that can simplify maint for testing.
 
Most EM Panels are not compliant with Article 700, whether it due to the source, the incoming feeder, mixed loads or outgoing circuits not being isolated from non-700 loads, it makes the localized battery packs being the simplest compliance.
 
Battery packs will require simpler wiring because you would have to keep all the EM panel wiring separate, and you'll need bypass relays if the EM lights are on switches/dimmers/occ sensors. So it will probably save somebody some money - either you, the owner, or both - to use battery packs.

But architects and fashion-conscious owners do not love the battery packs.
 
JoeStillman said:
Battery packs will require simpler wiring because you would have to keep all the EM panel wiring separate, and you'll need bypass relays if the EM lights are on switches/dimmers/occ sensors. So it will probably save somebody some money - either you, the owner, or both - to use battery packs.

But architects and fashion-conscious owners do not love the battery packs.
Click to expand...
Thanks . How would battery packs have an impact on aesthetics if that what you mean by fashion conscious?
 
horsegoer said:
Thanks . How would battery packs have an impact on aesthetics if that what you mean by fashion conscious?
Click to expand...
When it comes to aesthetics, there is no right and wrong, there is only what the Architect and Owner agree on as "fashionable". I say that Architects do not love battery packs based on 40 years of experience working with Architects.

As an engineer, I have no 3rd party certification of my aesthetic sensibilities. Architects do, though, and that is why they should have the final say.
 
First off, is the where. I don't take a deep dive in to the building codes, but certainly in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, assembly of over 300 persons and other places, the codes require an emergency system.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top