Emergency Lighting in Toilet rooms

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ARORAED

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Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania
According to Section 700.16 Emergency Illumination, "Emergency lighting system shall be designed and installed so that the failure of any individual lighting element, such as the burning out of a lamp, cannot leave in total darkness any space that requires emergency illumination."

My question is, to what degree, does Toilet rooms requre Emergency Illumination? On one of our projects, we had an electrical code official make the electrical contractor change out a single head emergency light head (powered from battery) to a double. In my 20 years experience I never seen a single toilet room need a double light heads for emergency.

Could anyone give me any diffinitive answers on this or is it up to the discretion of the code official?
 
ARORAED said:
According to Section 700.16 Emergency Illumination, "Emergency lighting system shall be designed and installed so that the failure of any individual lighting element, such as the burning out of a lamp, cannot leave in total darkness any space that requires emergency illumination."

My question is, to what degree, does Toilet rooms requre Emergency Illumination? On one of our projects, we had an electrical code official make the electrical contractor change out a single head emergency light head (powered from battery) to a double. In my 20 years experience I never seen a single toilet room need a double light heads for emergency.

Could anyone give me any diffinitive answers on this or is it up to the discretion of the code official?
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The requirement for emergency lighting is building code driven. . While I can't tell you when/if an emerg in a restroom is required, I can say that if the emergency is added but not required, 700.16 doesn't apply. . 700.1 specifies that 700 covers "systems legally required".

David
 
I have never personally seen a code requirement for emergency lighting in a restroom, but since I consider it good design, it has never come up either. I would feel really bad for someone doing a deuce when the room goes pitch black.
 
bcorbin said:
I have never personally seen a code requirement for emergency lighting in a restroom, but since I consider it good design, it has never come up either. I would feel really bad for someone doing a deuce when the room goes pitch black.
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I've been there !

Room lighting was on a timer.

I guess I took too long :mad:
 
Wiretech said:
I have done several restrooms with the two head emg. lights.
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As have I. I have also heard of local requirements if there are X number of toilets and urinals. Another requirement that I have ran in to is if the Occupancy Class requires e-lights, they get put in.
 
For large rest rooms, I put the regular 2 head emergency light. For the little one holers it depends. For a business I will put one lamp in the women's and one in the men's. For one holers in churches, nothing. I had one code guy tell me if there are 2 doors, it gets an emergency light. I haven't found anything in any code that really addresses rest rooms. You can be sure the local AHJ will have something to say one way or the other!



RC
 
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