Hi everyone. I have replaced a normal bulkhead light with an LED maintained emergency bulkhead light which I required to be permanently on, I therefore linked out L1 and L2. Initially it worked fine for a week or so and then during a routine test it failed to light when the supply was removed, the green charge LED also failed to illuminate when the power was restored. I assumed it was a faulty unit and obtained a replacement from my supplier, this one only lasted a couple of days! I was offered another replacement from my supplier but respectfully declined and ordered a different unit from another supplier. Again after only a week or so this one has also failed, my question is, am I missing something fundamental here or have I just been unlucky?
Emergency Light problem
- Thread starter will14m
- Start date
Help Support Talk Electrician Forum:
have you connected / turned on the battery?
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2010
- Messages
- 14,621
- Reaction score
- 1,171
Also. Is there actually a permanent supply there?.....it doesn't get turned off at night via some master switch?
emergency light batteries do not like constantly being deep discharged and charged again frequently
emergency light batteries do not like constantly being deep discharged and charged again frequently
voltage spikes on the mains?
Will that happens to me all the time , I fitted some twin spot, 3 hour NM emergency light packs .....they only lasted 2 hours on test.
I fitted two Redring auto handwash units , wave your hand at it and it comes on for a set time , saves anyone touching it . Neither worked , changed for the manual ones .
I agreed to call back to a customer to replace 6 downlight 50W GU10 lamps with LEDS ........picked up 6off 4.5W LED GU10s ...drove 3/4 hour , steps into kitchen ..replaced lamps , none of them came on .......every one duff . :C
DId you buy cheap ? Were they Eterna ?
I fitted two Redring auto handwash units , wave your hand at it and it comes on for a set time , saves anyone touching it . Neither worked , changed for the manual ones .
I agreed to call back to a customer to replace 6 downlight 50W GU10 lamps with LEDS ........picked up 6off 4.5W LED GU10s ...drove 3/4 hour , steps into kitchen ..replaced lamps , none of them came on .......every one duff . :C
DId you buy cheap ? Were they Eterna ?
Redring. If you called Glen Dimplex Home Appliances, they would have come out and replaced the unit themselves for free. You would have needed the serial number.
I know what you're saying Rapparound but these had to go back through the wholesalers. Unfortunately I lose out by having to uninstall them , return them to the wholesaler, go back to the job & fit two more .
This stuffs been happening for years . When I was just "on the tools" they took me off industrial work & put me on breakdowns , faults, power outages etc .
Light fitting not working in city centre offices , I rob a good fitting of a tube , doesn't work , I rob the starter , the big fat 4 pin ones and it works so I'm a starter short .
Walk across city to wholesaler and , like a fool , I get 1only X 4 pin starter , walk back , up 900 flights of stairs , down 10 miles of corridors , fit starter , it doesn't work.
I did this about 4 times until another trade counter guy says , "You're giving him starters from THAT box are you ....they're all faulty ones"
This stuffs been happening for years . When I was just "on the tools" they took me off industrial work & put me on breakdowns , faults, power outages etc .
Light fitting not working in city centre offices , I rob a good fitting of a tube , doesn't work , I rob the starter , the big fat 4 pin ones and it works so I'm a starter short .
Walk across city to wholesaler and , like a fool , I get 1only X 4 pin starter , walk back , up 900 flights of stairs , down 10 miles of corridors , fit starter , it doesn't work.
I did this about 4 times until another trade counter guy says , "You're giving him starters from THAT box are you ....they're all faulty ones"
Hi. The first one and it's replacement were Eterna yes. The third one is a different make, but I,m not on site at the moment and can't remember who's. Are Eterna known for problems then?
Unfortunately yes , I presume you had them from Denmans or Rexel Senate . They are referred to as RETERNA at my branch . Some of their stuff is reasonable but not much to be honest. A lot of it does get returned.
The twin spot emergency fittings I mentioned were Eterna , the batteries only did 2 hours on test . I replaced one battery with a CEF one which did the full 3 hours.
(I should mention that in that situation ....an industrial printers warehouse...... The emergency lighting BS allows for a 2 hour period , based on the occupants will know their way out etc)
Doesn't alter the fact that they are marked up as NM3
The twin spot emergency fittings I mentioned were Eterna , the batteries only did 2 hours on test . I replaced one battery with a CEF one which did the full 3 hours.
(I should mention that in that situation ....an industrial printers warehouse...... The emergency lighting BS allows for a 2 hour period , based on the occupants will know their way out etc)
Doesn't alter the fact that they are marked up as NM3
Last edited by a moderator:
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2010
- Messages
- 14,621
- Reaction score
- 1,171
Not familiar with them Kerch ....thought you were on about trainers for a minute . :innocent
Surely not worse than Eterna ?
Surely not worse than Eterna ?
Last edited by a moderator:
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2010
- Messages
- 14,621
- Reaction score
- 1,171
MUCH worse than Eterna
emegency 2D gear trays........it's a flipping flipping good job they have a two,year warranty . Never had one last more chance Han 18 months at which time a capacitor inside explodes and leaves a big snot mark
emegency 2D gear trays........it's a flipping flipping good job they have a two,year warranty . Never had one last more chance Han 18 months at which time a capacitor inside explodes and leaves a big snot mark
Who are hi-spec? are they one of the wholesalers own brands? or are they something different? chinesse inporter or something?
Tried to get hold of a matching interlinked smoke once, couldn't find any of the wholesalers near the job who had even heard of them!
"Do you stock hi-spec branded smoke detecters"
"Yes, we stock the Aico ones, they are pretty good"
*bang head on wall*
Tried to get hold of a matching interlinked smoke once, couldn't find any of the wholesalers near the job who had even heard of them!
"Do you stock hi-spec branded smoke detecters"
"Yes, we stock the Aico ones, they are pretty good"
*bang head on wall*
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2010
- Messages
- 14,621
- Reaction score
- 1,171
I am hazarding an educated guess at Chinese import
http://www.hispec.co.uk/
only things I have found of theirs that seems any good, so far!, is there 22W round LED fittings and their remote photo cells
Last edited by a moderator:
I find its a constant PITA that I can't identify a trusted manufacturer these days .
Hundreds of imports from the People's Republic , or well known ..once trusted brand ...also made in the People's Republic.
I favoured MK for the quality but their prices became very expensive , various wholesalers were not stocking them so changed to Crabtree ...local company to us , decent quality , readily available , decent industrial distribution and the best consumers going in the Starbreaker. Used it for years .
Then the local factory was closed , manufacturing went out of the country ,it all appeared to be the same, then the MCB recall, not used it since.
Hundreds of imports from the People's Republic , or well known ..once trusted brand ...also made in the People's Republic.
I favoured MK for the quality but their prices became very expensive , various wholesalers were not stocking them so changed to Crabtree ...local company to us , decent quality , readily available , decent industrial distribution and the best consumers going in the Starbreaker. Used it for years .
Then the local factory was closed , manufacturing went out of the country ,it all appeared to be the same, then the MCB recall, not used it since.
phil d
Well-known member
It's not an ANSELL fitting by any chance? My mate fitted one, a maintained on a stairwell, after about 2 weeks it failed, it worked on emergency, but not on normal. I went an swapped it for him, about a month later, it failed again, I replaced it again, a month later it failed again.This time he replaced it, we've spoken to Ansell they reckon they are not aware of any issues, or at least that's what they said at the time! Recently we were at an Elex event and got talking to an Ansell rep, he said they were aware of a problem!
Their attitude is "well we replace it under warranty", wrong! they don't replace it, you do. you have to get a new fitting, replace the old one, then return the faulty one. By the time you've done this 4 times there's no profit in the job.
Maybe if they had to pay you each time you went back they'd be a bit more careful with quality control.
Their attitude is "well we replace it under warranty", wrong! they don't replace it, you do. you have to get a new fitting, replace the old one, then return the faulty one. By the time you've done this 4 times there's no profit in the job.
Maybe if they had to pay you each time you went back they'd be a bit more careful with quality control.
phil d
Well-known member
I wouldn't touch Eterna with a barge pole! We installed a toilet alarm made by them on a job we did in a church, it was hardly used, then 13 months after we fitted it, it broke.
We were told parts were not available as they were no longer being made, I rang Eterna, and found out they were discontinued a week after we bought it! I had a right row on the phone with some guy at Eterna, he said they had stopped production and had used up all the parts, so there were no spares available.
I asked him why they had not kept any spares for warranty, he said they didn't have too.
The latest is an "Integral 12W Cool White LED Emergency Slimline Flush Light". It's failed as the others have, works as a light but not in an emergency.
Any decent quality ones out there?
Who knows? At one time of day I would have only fitted JSB (or rebranded versions) or Menvier. Nowadays though, your guess is as good as mine. I have fitted some from LED Hut, they seem to still work. The problem today is the trade off between cheap online, poor/difficult warranty or buy local and buy the exact same cheap rebranded Chinese garbage but have a simpler returns process. Either way, it depends if and when it goes wrong, and you still have to foot the bill for time spent replacing it.
Similar threads
