New maintenance man emergency lighting

[tuckermot]

Hi as part of my job I have started doing minor maintenance in our warehouse and office block .I have a light out in the office which is a ceiling light that sits in the suspended ceiling .It operates as a normal light and when power is turned of for that lighting circuit the light also has a fitting inside that switches over to emergency lighting running on a battery I have only done domestic work over the years so have not come up against this sort of lighting my questions are
How easy is the it to replace the complete light ...how will it be wired and if emergency lighting is not needed how easy is it just to replace for a normal ceiling tile light these may be simple questions to some of you but as I haven't droped the light fitting down yet I just would like to be pre warned of what I'm up against
Thank you for reading my post

 

[telectrix]

it will have a permanent L as well as the usual switched L, just note the connections before removing.

 

[The_apprentice2.0]

should be straight forward, it will have 4 core cable which will have a permanent live to charge the battery, be aware there are several types of emergency lights .... maintained (functions as a normal light with emergency back up) and un-maintained (only powers on when has loss of power) , the one you'll be after will be a maintained, i work in maintenance and find if it was there before hand replace it with a like for like, cover your backside.

 

[tuckermot]

what you are saying is the switched line will go to the normal light fitting and the permanent live will go to the emergency light fitting so it keeps battery charged up is that correct ...is is as straight forward as that ..also would the supply cable be a 4 core

L1 switched line for light
L1 permanent line for emergency lighting
Neutral
Cpc

Sorry but want to understand fully how these are wired up

 

[tuckermot]

Thank you apprentice this is a new job for me thank you for the advice advice what your saying is if there's maintained light / emergency light there already then it must be replaced like for like ..so to replace this fitting will not be hard to do

 

[Flanders]

Realy easy to replace as tel says permanent live and switch live , if you don't want the emergency part just terminat the permanent live into a juntion box. you can get a replacement led panel light for about £20 and then if you do need the emergency part you can buy a plug and play emergency kit for about £40

 

[The Ghost]

I think if you are dealing with safety services you really need to know all this before "fixing" anything. Why do you want to replace it? Is there a regular schedule for testing emergency/anti panic lighting. Do the company you work for maintain a record of tests on the emergency lighting? In essence it is no different to 3 core fan wiring in domestic terms. However there is underpinning knowledge and competency that may (sensibly?) be required prior to having a go as it were. Anyway your post has been answered by @telectrix except for the functional tests when a new light is installed. Sorry if this sounds a bit officious it is not meant in a derogatory way.

 

[The_apprentice2.0]

not necessarily, but ideally you should have an emergency lighting plan on site with a record of test, this plan usually details what rooms contain emergency lighting and also the type of light fittings, if theres not one in place it may be worth creating one and implementing your own test schedule.

 

[tuckermot]

Will the maintained emergency light be pre wired in side so all I have to do is connect the
4 core
L1 s/w
L1 permanent live
Neutral
Cpc
To there terminals

 

[The_apprentice2.0]

Will the maintained emergency light be pre wired in side so all I have to do is connect the
4 core
L1 s/w
L1 permanent live
Neutral
Cpc
To there terminals

yes, u may have to connect the battery usually spade crimps or push fit connectors, supplied and clearly labeled

 

[tuckermot]

Hi the light fitting is being replaced as it has failed not working the emergency light part is working ok but not the normal light lamps have been changed as well as the ballast so easyer to replace the whole fitting

 

[davesparks]

Thank you apprentice this is a new job for me thank you for the advice advice what your saying is if there's maintained light / emergency light there already then it must be replaced like for like ..so to replace this fitting will not be hard to do

If there is an emergency fitting there then it will need to be replaced with the same fitting or one with the same light output and coverage when in emergency mode. If you are replacing with a different fitting then you will need to ensure that it works with the other emergency lighting so that the correct light levels and coverage are provided in the event of power failure.

As you say there is a seperate emergency light in the fitting, this makes me think that it could be an old sustained fitting which could have two seperate supplies into it so make sure you carry out the safe isolation procedure properly!

 

[Midwest]

Me as a new maintenance man also. Does your site have a building management system. If it does then there might be some other connections.

 

[tuckermot]

Thank you everyone for your comments and advice and yes safe isolation will be done as I'm fully aware the fitting could be supplied power from another circuit that will also need to be isolated

 

[tuckermot]

Excellent advice every one

 

[Nigel]

not necessarily, but ideally you should have an emergency lighting plan on site with a record of test, this plan usually details what rooms contain emergency lighting and also the type of light fittings, if theres not one in place it may be worth creating one and implementing your own test schedule.

It is necessary to meet BS5266.