emergency lighting

[wireman1]

Can the emergency lites mounted on the wall pacs in a comercial bldg be on the circuit used for general lighting ? also can the feed to the wall pac be plug and cord connected to the power scource or must it be direct connected ?

 

[wireman3736]

Most jurisdictions that I'm familiar with require e lights on the lighting circuit so if the light circuit trips the e lights would come on but they would have to be wired in before the switch. cord connected I would say no but thats just a gut feeling I don't have anything to back that up and it too late at night to check nfpa 101.

 

[infinity]

Cords are OK. Unit equipment must be connected to the local lighting branch circuit unless it meets the conditions of the exception.

701.11(G) Unit Equipment. Individual unit equipment for legally required standby illumination shall consist of the following:
(1) A rechargeable battery
(2) A battery charging means
(3) Provisions for one or more lamps mounted on the equipment and shall be permitted to have terminals for remote lamps
(4) A relaying device arranged to energize the lamps automatically upon failure of the supply to the unit equipment
The batteries shall be of suitable rating and capacity to supply and maintain at not less than 87? percent of the nominal battery voltage for the total lamp load associated with the unit for a period of at least 1? hours, or the unit equipment shall supply and maintain not less than 60 percent of the initial legally required standby illumination for a period of at least 1? hours. Storage batteries, whether of the acid or alkali type, shall be designed and constructed to meet the requirements of emergency service.
Unit equipment shall be permanently fixed in place (i.e., not portable) and shall have all wiring to each unit installed in accordance with the requirements of any of the wiring methods in Chapter 3. Flexible cord-and-plug connection shall be permitted, provided that the cord does not exceed 900 mm (3 ft) in length. The branch circuit feeding the unit equipment shall be the same branch circuit as that serving the normal lighting in the area and connected ahead of any local switches. Legally required standby luminaires (illumination fixtures) that obtain power from a unit equipment and are not part of the unit equipment shall be wired to the unit equipment by one of the wiring methods of Chapter 3.
Exception: In a separate and uninterrupted area supplied by a minimum of three normal lighting circuits, a separate branch circuit for unit equipment shall be permitted if it originates from the same panelboard as that of the normal lighting circuits and is provided with a lock-on feature.

 

[dlhoule]

Good answer, Trevor. Now something I've wondered about for a long time is why a 3' limit on cord length? It would seem to me that there wouldn't be any problem with up to 10' or so of cord. I mean all you are doing is supplying power to the charging unit. It's not like your going to have a huge voltage drop. I have come across many instances where about 6' of cord would have made things a lot easier.

 

[muskiedog]

Cord length.

Cord length.

FIre inspector told me that the short cord was to help eliminate accidental unplugging.

 

[dlhoule]

FIre inspector told me that the short cord was to help eliminate accidental unplugging.

I can appreciate that but how do you accidently unplug an e-lite 20' above floor level mounted up in the trusses?

 

[hockeyoligist2]

On basically the same subject i got a work order to install exit signs that were missed on the punch list. There are emergency lights installed close to most of the exits where they have to be installed. Can I tie in to the emergency lights? Code violation? everything is on an auto generator and the exit signs will be on in about 10 seconds. they don't want to spend the extra money for the exit lights with battery backup.

 

[eprice]

wireman1,

I agree with infinity's response, except that the correct code reference would be 700.12(F) which says pretty much the same as his reference. The emergency lighting would be an emergency system rather than a legally required standby system (at least in IBC land - see IBC 2702.2.4).

hockyoligist2,

IBC 2702.2.3 requires the exit signs also to be supplied with emergency power, so if the IBC is the governing building code, I don't see a problem with placing them with the emergency lights.

 

[muskiedog]

20 feet up. How can they hit the cord.

20 feet up. How can they hit the cord.

Well the knuckle heads I worked with in the warehouse could hit anything with the forklifts. Lights, space heaters, racking, fire sprinklers.

 

[dlhoule]

Well the knuckle heads I worked with in the warehouse could hit anything with the forklifts. Lights, space heaters, racking, fire sprinklers.

Absolutely true, I sometimes think some of those guys have some kind of gift where if it is electrical all the see is a bullseye, so they just have to hit it. I have not noticed a 3' or shorter cord helping this problem.

 

[ramsy]

I can appreciate that but how do you accidently unplug an e-lite 20' above floor level mounted up in the trusses?

Roughed-in several boxes for emergency lights today, less than 1 foot AFF, this is new construction, commercial, in the state of CA.

After asking why the e-lights are so low, my forman said so people crawling along the hallway floor, can see the e-lights below the smoke, during a fire? Never seen or heard of this before. The structure is being built on a studio lot, so maybe studio's have special exceptions in this case?

 

[infinity]

wireman1,

I agree with infinity's response, except that the correct code reference would be 700.12(F) which says pretty much the same as his reference. The emergency lighting would be an emergency system rather than a legally required standby system (at least in IBC land - see IBC 2702.2.4)

I agree, 700.12(F) would be more applicable to this installation, although unit equipment can be part of a legally required standby system.

 

[cowboyjwc]

Ramsy,

For a while here in CA we had to do low level, path of travel, exit lighting. Meaning there was a strip of lights that ran the entire distance of the corridor. They used things such as glow in the dark base board and low voltage lighting imbedded in the carpet like in movie theaters.

Low level exit lighting has been around for a long time and for exactly the reason you were given.

 

[ramsy]

Thanks, cowboyjwc. That explains those cute looking strip lights. I thought they were for show. Good thing I've never need to escape along the floor during a fire. I would have probably gone the wrong way.