emergency lights

[Mr T]

Evening all , this is the scenario...

DB with a key switch bushed to it, and on another wall in the room a 1 way switch

4 lights in the room , the first light is Combined emergency luminaire , 2nd a standard fitting , 3rd a standard fitting and 4th a Combined emergency luminaire..

my wiring as follows..

3core from DB to first lighting point... Brown Permanent Live , Grey Sleeved Blue Neutral and Black Sleeved brown through the DB to L1 on the Key switch, link the MCB to Common on the Key switch..

Switch wire from the first lighting point down to the 1 way switch

3 core from the first lighting point to the 2nd lighting point and another 3 core to the 3rd lighting point ( emergency live connector blocked through until the 4th fitting)

my reasons for the 3 core is so that you can either kill all the lights with the key switch by putting the emergency live in with the permanent live or keeping the emergency seperate and only killing the emergency lights..

anyway im told this is wrong and you only ever kill all lights...

any thoughts ??

 

[rob-uk]

Hi

A lot of offices I work on and test the emergency lights varies. But personally I think keeping the standard lights on while testing the emergency lights a better method as doesn't disturb people working

 

[welchyboy]

Neither is wrong or against the regs you just need a test facility (not the mcb) I prefer just cutting out the emg supplies only as said above but when adapting some existing wiring this is not allways possible without a lot of hassle

 

[Riggy]

Wechyboy, is there a specific reg prohibiting the use of MCB? I always thought this was acceptable.

 

[Sharpend]

Key switches are considered to be more desirable as usually more accessible, particularly for regular test purposes, many office environments have db's locked away in some remote cupboard usually filled with junkand as for retail units well don't get me started.

 

[Mr T]

Neither is wrong or against the regs you just need a test facility (not the mcb) I prefer just cutting out the emg supplies only as said above but when adapting some existing wiring this is not allways possible without a lot of hassle

But if wired it my way as above and killed the em lts only then 3months later the school want the key to kill everything then I or the next contractor can amend the wiring to suit...doing it the way I am told means in the future there isnt a facility to kill the em lights only.

---------- Post Auto-Merged at 16:37 ---------- Previous post was made at 16:36 ----------

your supposed to have a key switch however wiring it so it kills everything then flicking the breaker is no different to keying the switch

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

If the key switch breaks only the live of the charging circuit & the normal circuit stays energized how would you know when testing if the illumination is from the mains or the batteries? Depending on lengths of cable runs (so cost may come into it) i would wire the combined lights separately back to the key switch so killing both circuits tests them whilst leaving the normal lights on

 

[welchyboy]

Wechyboy, is there a specific reg prohibiting the use of MCB? I always thought this was acceptable.

its assuming its not always an electrically competent person whos going to be testing them(ie a staff member of the company who building it is may do the monthly functional checks)

The tutor on the FIA EM Lighting course said its considered good practice to provide an individual emg test switch so an untrained/unsupervised person could safely test the E lighting

Not sure if its an actual reg

---------- Post Auto-Merged at 16:33 ---------- Previous post was made at 16:10 ----------

Just checked regs 8.3.3

Each emergency lighting system should have a suitable means of simulating failure of the normal supply for test purposes, without interuption of the normal supply

read into it as you will

 

[Riggy]

[quote name=welchyboy;

Just checked regs 8.3.3

Each emergency lighting system should have a suitable means of simulating failure of the normal supply for test purposes' date=' without interuption of the normal supply

read into it as you will

Thanks for taking the time. I think I'll that the way it suits me (as usual)!

 

[adammid]

I agree with slipshod. It's straight forward and like he says it keeps the ordinary lights on when testing.

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

We wired a church and community hall project a few years ago where the whole job was very well specified. One emergency light test switch was fitted next to the fire alarm panel. When this switch was operated it shunted about 30 contactors all over the complex which broke the local feeds thus testing the emergency lights. Cost a fortune in parts & labour, but its what the architect had asked for.