Emergency lighting help required

[dee]

Hello, this is my first post, hope someone can help.

I work in as a caretaker in a shopping center and a large area has "Glaxo Delight rt" emergency lights fitted.

At the minute when I turn off the lights at night at the main switch with a fishtail key, the emergency lights activate! My question is... is there a way to change the current wiring actually inside the light fitting itself to allow the lights to be switched off with all the non em lights.Or is the only way to allow this is to fit a new feed for the em lighting circuit.

To clarify all the lights are switched off at a main switch and when this happens the em lights automatically switch on.the problem being that the lights/internal batteries have discharged in the morning when they are turned back on.That means there would be no emergency light cover until the batts were recharged

I currently leave all the lights on all night so if theres any health and safety officers out there freaking out dont worry.

 

[Apache]

Welcome to the forum

I thought the EM lights shouldn't be wired through the same switch they should have a connection to the electricity unless power lost. I doubt the batteries are designed to be regularly run down and recharged!

I'm no spark mind by I think they were wired wrong when fitted :|

 

[batty]

Hello Dee welcome to the forum. It sounds like the lighting has been wired incorrectly. Maintained fittings ie ones that operate all the time unless switched off need a perm live, switched live and neutral. Non maintained fittings which only operate when their is no power just need perm live a neutral. What are the fittings.

Batty

 

[kme]

Further to previous posts.

Regular discharge cycles of EM batteries will kill them. They are not designed for that.

If they cannot be supplied with a perm. feed, there is no point in their existence.

Further, the lights need to be fully charged, and capable of supplying 3 hrs. at full brightness, from the moment of store opening. from flat, I would allow a min 1.5 hrs.

How long have these lights been treat like this?

 

[mysticalelectrickery]

Hello, this is my first post, hope someone can help.I work in as a caretaker in a shopping center and a large area has "Glaxo Delight rt" emergency lights fitted.

At the minute when I turn off the lights at night at the main switch with a fishtail key, the emergency lights activate! My question is... is there a way to change the current wiring actually inside the light fitting itself to allow the lights to be switched off with all the non em lights.Or is the only way to allow this is to fit a new feed for the em lighting circuit.

To clarify all the lights are switched off at a main switch and when this happens the em lights automatically switch on.the problem being that the lights/internal batteries have discharged in the morning when they are turned back on.That means there would be no emergency light cover until the batts were recharged

I currently leave all the lights on all night so if theres any health and safety officers out there freaking out dont worry.

the fact that you are turning them off this way would suggest you are turning off the wrong lights! or indeed they are wired wrong- i would get someone in to check this out if i was you

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

Hello, this is my first post, hope someone can help.I work in as a caretaker in a shopping center and a large area has "Glaxo Delight rt" emergency lights fitted.

At the minute when I turn off the lights at night at the main switch with a fishtail key, the emergency lights activate! My question is... is there a way to change the current wiring actually inside the light fitting itself to allow the lights to be switched off with all the non em lights.Or is the only way to allow this is to fit a new feed for the em lighting circuit.

To clarify all the lights are switched off at a main switch and when this happens the em lights automatically switch on.the problem being that the lights/internal batteries have discharged in the morning when they are turned back on.That means there would be no emergency light cover until the batts were recharged

I currently leave all the lights on all night so if theres any health and safety officers out there freaking out dont worry.

Are you sure a chocolate bar wrapper hasn't stuck to the fitting :^O

 

[steptoe]

you shouldnt be turning the lights out with a 'fishtail' key, this should be reserved for emergency light testing.

sounds like the light switching is wrong somewhere.

ps, really dont see how this would work under H&S regs when the premises are open due to the minimum 24hrs recommended(with most E lights) recharge time.

 

[tony.towa]

Hello there,

Having read this thread I would agree with the previous posts. The majority of major commercial sites are fitted with sustainable emergency lighting, this is when a percentage of the fittings double as both normal and emergency fittings and all can be switched off with the normal "light switches". The emergency fittings have a second feed, through the key switch, which is a permanent live feed. This means that even when the light fitting is switched off the back up circuitry still has a "live" supply to it, except under fault (power failure) or test (key switch operation) conditions. My suggestion is to call in a local electrician to check the way your lighting is wired as if you have to swict the lights off with a key switch then something is wrong somewhere.

 

[NozSpark]

It does sound like you are switching these lights off wrongly as said in previous posts.

Before you switch off with the "fishtail" key are there only a small percentage of the lights still on.... I used to work in a place where you could turn of say 90% of the lights by normal switches, but some remained on 24/7 to retain a minimum lighting level

 

[Nicky Tesla]

someone i know, thought the fishtail switch was for a night light (dim for night time). I got called in cos"they where mysteriously going out after about 3 hours." No Bloody wonder i said! thats the emergency light switch.

 

[a1]

someone i know, thought the fishtail switch was for a night light (dim for night time). I got called in cos"they where mysteriously going out after about 3 hours." No Bloody wonder i said! thats the emergency light switch.

:^O

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

That's not always the case with the MK 'fish key'. One community centre i carry out maintenance on uses one of these switches to turn on (and off) the maintained part of the emergencies. The caretaker or any key holder turns this on when entering, the switch is next to the intruder alarm panel. There is another key switch for testing purposes. The trouble that caused me at first, not knowing this.

 

[Nicky Tesla]

some places i go to use fish switches in general around the building to stop the bloody residents from messing about with them

 

[Mr Sworld]

some places i go to use fish switches in general around the building to stop the bloody residents from messing about with them

Yes. We use fish keys for the light switches in public areas to stop the public messing around with them.

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

Yes. We use fish keys for the light switches in public areas to stop the public messing around with them.

Those sort of people usually have this key on there bunch, along with a radiator key X(

 

[Apache]

Those sort of people usually have this key on there bunch, along with a radiator key X(

I have a radiator key on my key ring.

It has just occured to me we don't have any radiators. Maybe I should remove it.

 

[kme]

I have a radiator key on my key ring. It has just occured to me we don't have any radiators. Maybe I should remove it.

FOTC :^O :^O:^O:^O:^O

You are funny as fluck m8.

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

Do you also have a brown overall coat with pens and a neon screwdriver in the top pocket ?

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

Oh, and one of the pens must have leaked !!

 

[Apache]

Do you also have a brown overall coat with pens and a neon screwdriver in the top pocket ?

I do have a brown warehouse coat - yes. (usually wear green as brown hard to get hold of)

No screwdriver. Thermometer and stethoscope.