Need a timer for the lights in the stairs of a four storey building

lumepo · 2 Jul 2015

I am currently living in a four storey building where the intake box for the communal stair lights is under the stairs between the ground and first floors.

Possible malfunction of the timer to switch on and off the lights in the stairs persuaded the electrician to fit LED lights and leave the lights on for 24 hours. Unfortunatelly I cannot take photographs of the intake area.

Could you please suggests what would be the correct solution and the right product to use? It does not seem sensible to have the lights switched on 24 hours a day.

JohnD · 2 Jul 2015

LED or CFL lamps are so incredibly cheap to run that I have calculated the cost of buying (let alone paying for profession installation of) a reliable timer is not a sensible move. In fact, if the timer needs replacing after 5 years, it will cost more that just leaving the lights on.

OwainDIYer · 2 Jul 2015

Timers are not a sensible solution as they take no account of daylight hours (and even if they're very expensive solar dial versions still don't adjust for overcast days etc).

Use either a photocell or PIR sensor(s) on the stairs. Photocells are more reliable than PIRs but still don't last forever.

However the cost of running LEDs is so low - each watt costs about £1 a year to run 24/7/365. So 8 x 8-watt fittings will only be about £64 a year. Negligible in the scheme of things.

Also if you have the lights for the stairs permanently on you can replacing the fittings with emergency lights without rewiring.

JohnD · 2 Jul 2015

OwainDIYer said:
So 8 x 8-watt fittings will only be about £64 a year. Negligible in the scheme of things.

Even better, you would be running them anyway during the night, and gloomy winters days, so turning them off when daylight enough would only save you about half that.

boringoldcodger · 7 Jul 2015

I can't help wondering how the switching worked previously, if it was dusk to dawn then I'd agree with using LED 24/7 . But if it was a case of, e.g., flicking a retractive (aka momentary) switch and then the lights turned themselves off after a few minutes then I'd consider trying to redo that, but (as JohnD points out) professional installation would probably cost more than would be saved.
There's a number of possibilities, just as an example:
http://www.electricpoint.com/lighting-lamps/lighting-controls/timers/time-lag-switches.html
shows some.
I imagine that what's reasonably possible depends on how the switching was done previously and whether that cabling is still there.
My (very much a) guess is that heat is the enemy of LED (as it is for incandescent) so if the fittings don't allow much air flow then the LEDs would heat up (I reckon at least half the power goes into heat) so being permanently on could noticeably reduce their lifespan.

Cheers, Graham

riveralt · 7 Jul 2015

lumepo said:
I am currently living in a four storey building where the intake box for the communal stair lights is under the stairs between the ground and first floors.
Possible malfunction of the timer to switch on and off the lights in the stairs persuaded the electrician to fit LED lights and leave the lights on for 24 hours. Unfortunatelly I cannot take photographs of the intake area.

If the building has communal stairs then surely the leaseholder will be responsible for the upkeep and safety of the area - and you should speak to him/her.
If you are the leaseholder then the decision rests with you and the electrician who fitted the 24/7 led lights should have spoken to you.
I am also sure that common escape routes for buildings of your type have to comply with building regulations for fire safety etc - there could be some lighting requirements in that approved document.

wingcoax · 8 Jul 2015

Just a thought, Have the lights been converted to emergency lights? A block i look after have maintained emergency lights which over the years have been changed to LED's

lumepo · 9 Jul 2015

Thank you for the replies. The lights mentioned are in the communal stairs. They are not enclosed and are in areas with plenty of natural light. I believe that before they were switch on and off by sensor placed on the roof. They are 20 (5 per floor)

ban-all-sheds · 9 Jul 2015

lumepo said:
They are .. in areas with plenty of natural light.

Even at night?

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Need a timer for the lights in the stairs of a four storey building

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