Maintained Lighting

[Dicko100]

I'd like some advice on maintained lighting. I am installing on different floors of a stairwell and need to combine the emergency lighting with the facility for the lights to come on at dusk.

Is it right that you can install maintained lighting with a photo cell switch? Each floor needs to be controlled separately so don't want to install a contactum.

If so, where can I get the right lights and switches?

Cheers

 

[flameport]

Is it right that you can install maintained lighting with a photo cell switch?

You can, just as any other type of switch could be used.

Each floor needs to be controlled separately

No point. Dusk will be at the same time for each floor...

If so, where can I get the right lights and switches?

Any electrical wholesaler

 

[Dicko100]

thanks flameport. so the maintained fitting has a separate, permanent supply to the battery and a separate switch wire fitting.

yes, good point on the dusk... the original plans were to install occupancy sensors so my mind hadn't moved on!

so simply install the photocell before the first light?

 

[flameport]

Yes.

If not using conduit, 3 core + earth is ideal.

 

[ricicle]

Are you competant to carry out this work and provide the necessary certification?

 

[Adam_151]

thanks flameport. so the maintained fitting has a separate, permanent supply to the battery and a separate switch wire fitting.

Thats correct, as well as the normal switched live, neutral and earth connections, the fitting will also have an auxiliary live connection for charging the battery and sensing mains failure, Black is normally used as Aux (but we did have a batch of kliks once that were wired with black and brown the other way around once... oh and same job, different people had wired different bits, some had used brown and black one way around, some the other... took a little while to straighten it all out!)

Remember your test switch, you might also choose to have an override switch as well, if it was me doing it, I'd take a twin to the switch, a 3 core out (aux live, sw live and neutral) which would then hit the sensor and then the fittings (unless I was using a multiway klik box... then I'd make everything off in there)

[I normally have the keyswitch cut both aux live and sw-live in rooms with combined emergency fittings, others sometimes do it differently]

but as Ricicle says are you competant to do this work?

 

[Dicko100]

yes, competent, though recently qualified (2382 and Part P).

Think my problem here is that there is an existing lighting circuit running 11 40W flourescent fittings from a timer switch. The original proposal was to replace the existing lights with occupancy/light sensor fittings and install non-maintained lights for safety.

But that was too expensive but it sounds like the other way is going to be as, if not more, expensive.

 

[ColJack]

the problem with the light sensor idea is that it doesn't work indoors..
dusk would come, the lights switch on, then it's light in the hallway and the lights switch off again....

had one bloke who installed one in his porch and couldn't for the life of him figure out why it was flashing on and off..

someone needs to make a light that works with only 2 wires.. permanent live and neutral, with some sort of pulse up the live to switch it on and off..
you can send data up the wires with those fancy plug in network things..

they'd have to be addressable though..

with the switches going back to a control station it would even be possible to have it "set scenes"

 

[Adam_151]

someone needs to make a light that works with only 2 wires.. permanent live and neutral, with some sort of pulse up the live to switch it on and off..
you can send data up the wires with those fancy plug in network things..

they'd have to be addressable though..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X10_(industry_standard)

 

[ban-all-sheds]

someone needs to make a light that works with only 2 wires.. permanent live and neutral, with some sort of pulse up the live to switch it on and off..
you can send data up the wires with those fancy plug in network things..

they'd have to be addressable though.

Plan B: Put the photoswitch outside.

 

[ColJack]

BAS - doesn't work for 2 wire if you want emergency lighting as well...

Adam_151 - cool... didn't realise they already made it.. not seen any in common use here..
seen the fancy home automation stuff where they run a screened cable and use SELV switching controls..

 

[ban-all-sheds]

BAS - doesn't work for 2 wire if you want emergency lighting as well...

No - that wasn't what I meant. I meant instead of f*rting about with a 2-wire light, and signalling, just use a regular 3-wire one, put the photoswitch outside and move on..


Adam_151 - cool... didn't realise they already made it..[/quote]
Already made it??

X10 is 33 years old.......

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[ColJack]

I meant for easy retro fit like the OP wants.. no need to rip out all the T+E wiring to add emeregency operation then..

 

[Dicko100]

Dicko, are sure you understand all the requirements?

I'm getting there, that's why I'm here. Bear with me, compared with you guys I'm relatively new to this...

So with a key/test switch is it possible to install these sensor lights with non-maintained emergency lights feeding off them?

http://www.gx-security.co.uk/steine....html?osCsid=07d1a4f602f33199575e53c893addc61