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Emergency Lights Not Working?
In short, if your emergency lights have gone out, you better darn well fix them while time affords it. You don’t pack an emergency preparedness backpack because you like walking around everywhere with freeze-dried food (well, you might)—you pack it because when you need it, you’ll be glad you have it. The same concept applies here.
Fixing an emergency light is usually as simple as screwing in a bulb, or occasionally replacing a battery, so keep it simple, prepare ahead of time, and try not to jump to drastic measures.
Tips for Troubleshooting an Emergency Light
Emergency lighting, unfortunately, isn’t created the same across the board. However, most units share major commonalities. Here are a few tips to get you started when the lights go out.
Know What You're Working With
Get to know your equipment as well as you can. This is an extremely underrated suggestion.
Unless your building is currently being evacuated, you have no reason to not get acquainted with your emergency system right now. This will help you tremendously, in both everyday maintenance (passing safety inspections) or a more high-pressure emergency.
Keep Extra Batteries On Hand
It’s also in your best interest to keep batteries on hand. Battery replacement resolves the majority of all emergency light malfunctions, and in most cases, it’s an easy fix. Unfortunately, however, they tend to be very expensive.
Keep in mind, they usually last a solid five years, so don’t just get rid of them willy-nilly—make sure that it is indeed the battery that’s gone bad. Test it in another unit or a dedicated charger to ensure that the charger isn’t the problem.
Consult the Manual
If the battery isn’t the problem, consult your manual, and check the simple things first. For instance, make sure the bulb is tightly connected, and that your wire nuts aren’t loose. It’s almost always the simple things that cause problems.
Replace the Circuit Board
If checking the simple things and replacing the battery doesn’t fix the issue, or if the nit seems to be going through batteries very quickly, you may need to replace the circuit board.
Always consult your model documentation, but for the most part, the basics are the same across the board, and you can usually make out through the writing on the board itself, which connectors match up with the associated pins.
You’ll also need to open and/or remove the sub-chassis, which houses the board, during this process. Nearly all the time, white, green and black wires are incoming AC, and most everything else is making remote connections.
Do Your Research Before Making Repairs
Consult both your building layout and emergency light documentation before replacing your circuit board.
Know ahead of time not only what you’re doing and what equipment you’ll need but what, in addition to the local lighting, is connected to the unit in question. Often, you’ll have other lights and/or illuminated exit signs also connected.
Checked circuit breaker box and checked all GFI's. How do I troubleshoot light.
Wes Ovall on August 07, 2017:
I'm having the same issue as email@example.com. Anyone, have a solution.
firstname.lastname@example.org on April 07, 2017:
Installed 3 new LED Building Emergency Lites to replace
6V battery powered ones (Emergency Lighting & Power Equipment Model 18100)
Two of units just flash and go out when test button depress.
Other will not work at all. The original one for that location would burn dim.
Dennis Minish on May 20, 2014:
i turned off the power to the exit sign ( with lights ) and the lights came on good but how long do they stay on?
Hi, have been through problems when repairing an emergency light I checked up the simple stuff ie battery, tube and all that but no voltage is going to the tube do you have any ideas ? (email@example.com)