Maintained emergency light

john4703 · 19 Nov 2014

I live in a first floor flat and want to alter the lighting on the stairs. (Mainly so I can fit an extra draught proof door as it is freezing).
I need to move one of the existing light fittings and am thinking that if I replace the existing fluorescent with a maintained LED fitting like this: http://www.beamled.com/biard-7w-emergency-led-bulkhead-maintained I could use it as an ordinary light but have an emergency light too.
Can I still switch it on and off and basically use it as an ordinary light but have the security of knowing in the event of a power failure my stairs will have some light? As it is one a circuit with another light on 2-way switching is that a problem.

333rocky333 · 19 Nov 2014

The existing lighting point would need to have a PERMANENT supply as well as the existing SWITCHED supply, this is to keep the batteries charged.
A majority of lighting points would have both but it would need confirming

john4703 · 19 Nov 2014

333rocky333 said:
The existing lighting point would need to have a PERMANENT supply as well as the existing SWITCHED supply, this is to keep the batteries charged.
A majority of lighting points would have both but it would need confirming

That is not a problem as there is a permanent live at the light fitting.

333rocky333 · 19 Nov 2014

If this is your own private property i cant see a problem, if it was a communal stairs or a commercial area then, emergency lighting would have to conform to standards and usually include test facilities.
Changing a normal light to an emergency in a private dwelling dont have any special regs as far as i know

333rocky333 · 19 Nov 2014

Cannot see your fitting in the above link.
Normally there would be 4 terminals if it is a switched maintained
Perm live
Switched live
Neutral
Earth
The fitting will go on/off ok as before with the existing switch
1 or 2 way switching wont make no distance it will still work as you desire

You can get some maintained fittings though that have only 3 terminals
Perm live
Neutral
Earth
These would stay lit 24hour and no facility to switch them

LucasBFE · 12 Dec 2014

Your link is not working but maybe this will be interesting to you:
https://bluefrogelectrics.com/products_categories/battery-backup-lights

Those are low-voltage stair lighta and can be used with regular light switch. Stay lit for 1.5 hour on emergency.

ban-all-sheds · 12 Dec 2014

john4703 said:
I live in a first floor flat and want to alter the lighting on the stairs.

The stairs in your flat, or the communal stairs serving all the other flats as well?

john4703 · 12 Dec 2014

ban-all-sheds said:
The stairs in your flat, or the communal stairs serving all the other flats as well?

Just to my flat, my front door is at ground level and the stairs are just for my use.

ban-all-sheds · 12 Dec 2014

Do you want/need/have to have an emergency light?

Not sure how doors are relevant?

Leasehold? Freehold? Legal concerns over what you may do/who may do it?

john4703 · 13 Dec 2014

ban-all-sheds said:
Do you want/need/have to have an emergency light?
Not sure how doors are relevant?

I only said that the door is at the ground floor level to show that it is an inside staircase.
We do not have to have an emergency light, I do have to reposition the existing light as we want an inner door fitted to stop draughts. I thought that it would be a safe idea to have an emergency light on the stairs so that in the event of a power failure of any sort we can still safely use the stairs, possibly to go down to the consumer unit which is at ground level. I thought a neat maintained emergency light on the ceiling would give all the light we need.

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Maintained emergency light

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