ICEL 1004 is a guide on how mains luminaires can be modified to meet the criteria for emergency lighting use. It is not as simple as it may seem to convert a mains luminaire, which is why highlighting the main pitfalls can save money and ultimately lives too.
It is important to remember that emergency lighting is intended to provide light when the normal mains lighting fails and for this reason, every luminaire must operate correctly when it is needed.
The main dangers fall into two main categories: those posed by incompatibility of parts and the performance of the equipment, and the danger caused by untrained installers. Each dangerous luminaire creates further problems in quality control and the reputation of manufacturer and initial installer alike.
Obviously a converted mains luminaire must offer the same reliability as a dedicated self-contained emergency lighting luminaire. It may be the case that the emergency conversion unit will not be compatible with the luminaire control gear and can cause problems in operation. Certain plastic materials found in mains luminaires will burn at high temperatures and would not comply with the 850°C glow wire test. Added to the need for an emergency luminaire to withstand extreme external heat, high internal temperatures can be generated by enclosed fittings and multi-lamp luminaires. Exceeding the temperature limits for control units and batteries even by a few degrees can have an adverse affect on performance and reliability. Poor conversion may mean that the battery location will not have been checked to see that it is not overheating, resulting in reduced life.
There can also be problems with regulating electromagnetic emissions. A mains luminaire incorporating high frequency electronic ballasts may comply with EMC requirements and legitimately carry a CE mark. However, when introducing an emergency lighting control unit, even small changes to the wiring can lead to increased emissions, which exceed these limits. From the initial point of conversion, the original luminaire warranty will also have been invalidated and no one party will be liable to take responsibility for the converted fitting. This has stark consequences for safety but essentially makes the third party 'converter' accountable for any future warranties on that specific product.
It is illegal to contravene the CE marking rules by leaving the original manufacturer's mark on the luminaire. After it has been modified by an installer, they must add their own mark and be responsible for the total converted fitting which means doing a heat check to confirm compliance with the Low Voltage Directive, and testing the electromagnetic compatibility under both mains and emergency conditions.
In addition, details of the changes made have to be recorded and retained for inspection for ten years. In practice this will only be done by the emergency lighting manufacturer doing the conversion themselves or perhaps the original luminaire supplier. An installer on site neither has the equipment, time or perhaps knowledge to meet these requirements. Legislation (CE Marking Directive) requires engineering records, referred to as a Technical Construction File, to be available for inspection by any duly authorised person. This is intended to keep the CE self-declarations honest.
Safety concerns can be avoided if a specifier makes a series of checks to the luminaire and converting process.
A specifier can check that the fitting of emergency facilities to a mains luminaire is either performed by the emergency lighting manufacturer registered and working to the ICEL 1004 scheme or as an already modified fitting from the original luminaire maker. A specifier may also consider using a central inverter to power his selected luminaires, which are now available with maintenance-free batteries and whose higher light output is now often the most cost effective solution to system design. Additionally, a converted luminaire is unlikely to have a suitable lighting distribution to give optimised lighting performance in emergency mode.
There are commercial benefits in having correctly installed and maintained emergency lighting. The ICEL 1004 registration mark gives confidence to a product and offers an engineering/quality target level that can be easily introduced in a specification, considering the Low Voltage Directive, EMC Directive and Construction Products Directive legislations. The need for consistency in quality marking holds true when relating to apparent faults created by poor conversion.
When badly converted luminaires begin to fail, maintenance personnel will instinctively contact the luminaire manufacturer – resulting site visits would establish that the faults had nothing to do with the manufacturer, resulting in a waste of time and expense, but also causing potential damage to the manufacturer's reputation.
Emergency lighting is installed to provide a life safety function. Although 'value for money' is an important factor, quality and reliability must be more important than price.
What's new
Ventilux has launched the Convertalux KPT5 Series conversion kits. They are purpose-designed for use with T5 hf ballasts to avoid lock-out problems that can be encountered with this type of mains lamp. They can be fitted inside the latest luminaires using hf T5 control gear and provide emergency lighting conversions through one module. The inverters include a switch mode constant current battery charger suited to recharge and maintain the condition of nickel cadmium or nickel metal hydride batteries. Emergency Lighting Products has introduced the latest self-test versions of its 8 W emergency luminaires. The units comply with draft standard IEC 62034 can monitor lamp illuminance level as well as continually check the condition of battery and lamp. LEDs indicate the status and operating level of the luminaire, with audio indication of any faults. JCC Lighting Products offers a wide range of high frequency emergency luminaires for various applications. The firm’s integral mains luminaires can be run for 24 h without affecting the emergency units. This feature is particularly important for areas such as hospitals. The luminaires use four cell battery packs and high frequency control gear, allowing for a lower number of fixtures being needed for a space to meet standards. This can help to reduce installation and maintenance costs. Menvier gold and chrome-finished exit signs are now available from Cooper Lighting and Security, above, for use in prestigious locations. The units have illuminated edges and offer a viewing distance of 27 m. The luminaires can be installed on walls or ceilings and can be used in maintained or non-maintained mode. Gent has launched the Lumenex range of emergency lighting, above. The range is said to offer a cost-effective solution for both interior and exterior applications, incorporating a wide variety of luminaires, exit signs and twinlights. In addition to an economical rectangular exit sign, the Lumenex range includes LED exit sign options for surface-mounted, hanging and recessed applications. Bardic’s latest version of the LEDlite illuminated exit sign is now available. The self-testing LED-illuminated sign is said to offer significant reductions in energy and maintenance costs compared with traditional exit signs. Also available is a Leisure version of LEDlite, which is designed to retrofit to existing traditional hanging signs, utilising the existing termination box and hanging system.Source
Electrical and Mechanical Contractor
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