FACP activated emergency egress light

[brycenesbitt]

What methods are there for wiring an emergency egress light, so it activates with the fire alarm in addition to when power goes out?

In this case the FACP has normally open and normally closed relay contacts available (120V 3 amp).
The building is wood frame 3 three floors, sleeps 250+, and due to a certain set of regulations has no sprinkler system.
The normal building exit path has a series of egress lights, but that's a serpentine route past the fuel oil boiler and through multiple fire doors.
The proper exit is a dark exterior fire escape.

To mind I have recommending:
New 120V circuit looped through the FACP to new LED based egress lights. If power fails or the system arms, the lights operate on battery.

However a wireless solution would save a long conduit run.
Your thoughts or product recommendations or code cocerns?

 

[iwire]

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact each battery unit will need to be supplied from the lighting circuit in that area so you can't loop them all together.

 

[GrayHair]

Murphy says "as soon as you use an Aux output, another use will arise". I would power a 24V relay from the FACP through the Aux contacts to drop power to the egress light. Having the relay powered in its "normal" state makes the circuit inherently fail-safe. You might also add something at the door to indicate the fire drop has killed power to the light.

 

[fmtjfw]

If you have magnetic fire door holders (Holds the door open until the FACP trips), you could power the relay mentioned above from the door holder circuit(s).

 

[luckylerado]

...The proper exit is a dark exterior fire escape....

I would be careful changing up the exits if that is where you are heading. I assume there are emergency routes posted?

I strongly suggest reading Chapter 7 of NFPA 101. Make sure you meet those requirements and you should be good to go. If you go for additional emergency lighting that is your prerogative but I would suggest using a relay as was previously stated and rather than opening the emergency lighting circuit with the relay, I would close a circuit to an auxiliary light. If the power fails, the emergency lights will kick on. EM lights IMO are poor at best and are almost never tested properly and a fire escape is not necessarily a better route for all individuals.

 

[brycenesbitt]

I would be careful changing up the exits if that is where you are heading. I assume there are emergency routes posted? I strongly suggest reading Chapter 7 of NFPA 101.

Thanks, will read.

In this case the typical route is in fact the best and main one.
If it's blocked, the occupants have a choice of 4 marked egress ladders, 2 of which are insanely high and unusable.
The 2 remaining ones are not bad but without light the occupants can't see the ground, and that makes them intimidating to enter
and would definitely slow egress compared to a well lit ladder.

---
The building has no sprinklers because it has waffle ceiling grids just large enough they are each considered a separate space and require a separate sprinkler head. The managers declined on visual and cost grounds.


--

If I recommend a separate low voltage relay, what feature do I look for in the light itself? They typically have AC input
and a test button, not relay contacts:
http://www.exitlightco.com/product/EL-WET.html

The FACP has the dry contacts for 120V, 24V DC relay contacts, 24V horn strobe outputs, and lots of spare everything.

 

[iwire]

Thanks, will read.

Maybe this as well.

This is part of 2011 NEC 700.12(F)

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.

There is an exception but I doubt it applies in your application.

Exception No. 1: 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.

You would need a number of relays.

 

[gadfly56]

If I read this right, the exit path you would prefer is NORMALLY very dark. So you want to light 'er up during an alarm or during a power outage. Per iwire, run the e-lights off the local lighting circuit and put in a relay to break the circuit via the fire alarm. You will find that most fire alarm relays, either on the panel or stand-alone addressable cannot handle 15 amps or 20 amps at 120VAC. You would need to use the fire alarm relay as a pilot relay for a heavier-duty power relay. Also consider using System Sensor's ExitPoint product as an aid to finding the preferred exit way.

 

[brycenesbitt]

If I read this right, the exit path you would prefer is NORMALLY very dark. So you want to light 'er up during an alarm or during a power outage. Per iwire, run the e-lights off the local lighting circuit and put in a relay to break the circuit via the fire alarm. You will find that most fire alarm relays, either on the panel or stand-alone addressable cannot handle 15 amps or 20 amps at 120VAC. You would need to use the fire alarm relay as a pilot relay for a heavier-duty power relay. Also consider using System Sensor's ExitPoint product as an aid to finding the preferred exit way.

Thanks, I'll keep ExitPoint in mind for other jobs. The ExitPoint is unfortunately not appropriate here, because the dark ladder is an alternate exit path.

LED based exit lamps have changed the power requirements quite a bit here. Just from the panel's 3A 120V that's 360W or maybe 36,000 lumens with LED bulbs: more than plenty. However that means researching if a 3A 120V circuit can fly code wise.

This light is between floors outdoors, so I'm going to charitably say the proper local lighting circuit is the adjacent interior stairwell, or maybe the exterior porch light, or maybe the dorms the ladder starts at. Hmm, let the AJH decide.

---
But here's the bad scenario: 5 years from now the fire happens. Power stays on. The relay interrupts power.
The light flickers on, but the battery was never maintained. The FACP is fine because of it's yearly check, but nobody ever bothered to check the outdoor egress light.

Better scenario: I find and specify a line powered egress light that can be activated with a contact closure.
I run a low voltage loop from the egress light to the FACP and (dreaming here) a low voltage supervisory loop. The question is does a code rated supervised remote activated outdoor NEMA rated egress light exist, and would it at that point need to be fire rated also?

In the second scenario the dead battery creates a supervisory alarm on the FACP and the light keeps working as long as power is on.