Office parks, hotels, sports stadiums; these massive structures often host thousands of visitors a day, few of whom have any idea what would happen if the power went out and the lights went out. In a world filled with broken emergency lights, utter chaos is likely to break out, turning narrow hallways and stairwells into stampeding death traps, followed by panic and desperate urgency.
Fortunately, we live in a world where in most public places, particularly those with a lack of natural lighting, emergency lighting is required by law. Although many major establishments, such as the aforementioned hotels and stadiums, have diesel generators to provide temporary backup power, they are also required by state and/or local mandates to test their battery-powered emergency lighting on a regular (often monthly) basis. .
Of course, if you’re the handyman responsible for fixing the lights in your building, you probably already know this.
The first, and probably the most important, step in troubleshooting emergency lighting is to familiarize yourself with the accompanying manual. Although most lights share the same general similarities, not all of them function identically and often require different parts.
In addition to becoming familiar with the unit, order spare parts ahead of time and keep them in a place where you’ll always remember them. Most of your spare inventory should consist of light bulbs and batteries, but you might want to keep an extra circuit board on hand as well.
Nine times out of ten, the problems you experience with your lights are caused by simple issues. Bulbs not tight enough, wire nuts loose, leaf springs bad… if all the obvious physical connections seem to be in order, the cause is probably a bad battery. However, before replacing the battery, make sure the problem is not the unit’s charger. The easiest way to test this is to change the battery to a known working unit. If it doesn’t charge, you need a new battery.
If none of those steps fix the problem, you may have a circuit board issue, especially if you’re having issues with tangential drives; exit signs and remote lights are often configured to operate from a base unit. The problem can be solved simply by opening the chassis and reseating the connections, or you may need a whole new board. Before you get too deep into this step, again, open your manual or consult a professional.
There is much more to emergency lighting repair than meets the eye, and it is imperative that you keep them in good working order. Use this guide to lay the basics and become familiar with your model’s documentation, and you’ll be ahead of the game.