You can't help but worry if you will bang your head on a wall corner at your next turn or if you will stumble on the stairs. Fortunately, modern technology has an answer to power outage dilemma. All you need to have is an emergency lighting device installed in your home.
Emergency lights are devices that automatically turn on when the power goes off. These lights are often mounted on walls so that hallways are automatically illuminated. The device contains electrical charging batteries that are constantly charged from the electrical supply of a building. In the event of a power failure, the circuitry in the device activates the emergency lights so that the electrical lighting batteries give electrical power for a designated period. Usually, these batteries last a minimum of 30 minutes. Battery life is usually prolonged by using one lamp instead of two. In these instances, the operating time of the device can last for as long as two and a half hours. Sometimes, there are certain models which can operate for up to eight hours.
Emergency Lighting Batteries: Classification
Emergency lighting batteries are divided into two categories: nickel-cadmium batteries and sealed lead-acid (SLA) batteries. The latter is technically similar to car batteries. The main difference between the two is the type of substance that is used for triggering a chemical reaction. Comparison of these two types of electrical charging batteries takes cost, size, life, and durability into consideration. The lead-acid type of battery is usually used for emergency lights with steel enclosure. It is suitable for applications where the emergency lights are used for brief periods. Although they are more resistant to heat and cold than the nickel-cadmium batteries, these batteries are bigger and heavier. SLA batteries are best if you are considering power storage that have a low-cost. Another advantage of these batteries is they only have 5% discharge rate per month. If consumers are looking for portability, Nickel-cadmium batteries have a bigger advantage. It is lighter, smaller and offers longer battery life. The down side to these batteries is its cost and need for periodic discharge.
Emergency Lighting Batteries: Selecting the Right Ones For The Job
There are plenty of things to consider when you are buying emergency lighting batteries. Knowing the right specification guarantees the user of maximum performance.
The first thing that buyers need to know is the battery capacity. A larger battery does not automatically mean that it will last longer than its smaller counterpart. Check the ampere-hours printed in the battery casing. This translates to the electrical energy that a battery can store.
Buyers should also have a look on the area where the emergency lighting will be used. This could be important for assessing if you need electrical batteries with steel or plastic casing.
Determine the charge and discharge rate of the battery. To do this, buyers need to find out the C rate or current level. A 0.5C rating is considered to be speedy while batteries with 0.2 to 0.5C have a normal rate. On the other hand, trickle charging is around 0.05 to 0.2C.
Another thing to consider is battery voltage. Emergency charging batteries can have voltages ranging from 6 -24 volts. Generally, brighter lamps mean higher voltage. If the batteries need replacement, make sure to buy similar battery types and battery voltage. Otherwise, you will likely encounter charging problems.
Battery price is also one of the things that buyers have to think about when deciding what type to buy. Sealed Lead-Acid (SLA) Batteries can cost from $10 to $110. Nickel-Cadmium Batteries are more expensive from $19 to $124. There are times though when the battery prices of Nickel Cadmium do not include the connectors. The prices could also vary with differences in voltage.
Emergency Lighting Batteries: Proper Maintenance
Proper care of emergency lighting batteries will be a big help in prolonging its service life. To ensure that the batteries have longer life, make sure that charging time is monitored. When batteries are charged or discharged hastily, the chemical efficiency of the device is affected. This could also heat up quickly the batteries, thereby causing an indirect effect to its efficiency. The same thing could also happen if it is charged slowly. SLA batteries typically need a charging time of not less than 5 hours.
Attempts to quickly charge batteries by using a higher voltage for charging should be avoided. Instability could also result if batteries are overcharged. Worse, it might overheat and cause battery explosion.
In the event that SLA batteries are not in use, make sure to store them in their charged state. If not, the capacity for energy storage will reduce. This is also known as sulphation.
If possible, perform a monthly test of the emergency lighting batteries to gauge if they are still working properly. Batteries may need replacement if the emergency light fails to light up after successive tries.
Emergency lights are devices that automatically turn on when the power goes off. These lights are often mounted on walls so that hallways are automatically illuminated. The device contains electrical charging batteries that are constantly charged from the electrical supply of a building. In the event of a power failure, the circuitry in the device activates the emergency lights so that the electrical lighting batteries give electrical power for a designated period. Usually, these batteries last a minimum of 30 minutes. Battery life is usually prolonged by using one lamp instead of two. In these instances, the operating time of the device can last for as long as two and a half hours. Sometimes, there are certain models which can operate for up to eight hours.
Emergency Lighting Batteries: Classification
Emergency lighting batteries are divided into two categories: nickel-cadmium batteries and sealed lead-acid (SLA) batteries. The latter is technically similar to car batteries. The main difference between the two is the type of substance that is used for triggering a chemical reaction. Comparison of these two types of electrical charging batteries takes cost, size, life, and durability into consideration. The lead-acid type of battery is usually used for emergency lights with steel enclosure. It is suitable for applications where the emergency lights are used for brief periods. Although they are more resistant to heat and cold than the nickel-cadmium batteries, these batteries are bigger and heavier. SLA batteries are best if you are considering power storage that have a low-cost. Another advantage of these batteries is they only have 5% discharge rate per month. If consumers are looking for portability, Nickel-cadmium batteries have a bigger advantage. It is lighter, smaller and offers longer battery life. The down side to these batteries is its cost and need for periodic discharge.
Emergency Lighting Batteries: Selecting the Right Ones For The Job
There are plenty of things to consider when you are buying emergency lighting batteries. Knowing the right specification guarantees the user of maximum performance.
The first thing that buyers need to know is the battery capacity. A larger battery does not automatically mean that it will last longer than its smaller counterpart. Check the ampere-hours printed in the battery casing. This translates to the electrical energy that a battery can store.
Buyers should also have a look on the area where the emergency lighting will be used. This could be important for assessing if you need electrical batteries with steel or plastic casing.
Determine the charge and discharge rate of the battery. To do this, buyers need to find out the C rate or current level. A 0.5C rating is considered to be speedy while batteries with 0.2 to 0.5C have a normal rate. On the other hand, trickle charging is around 0.05 to 0.2C.
Another thing to consider is battery voltage. Emergency charging batteries can have voltages ranging from 6 -24 volts. Generally, brighter lamps mean higher voltage. If the batteries need replacement, make sure to buy similar battery types and battery voltage. Otherwise, you will likely encounter charging problems.
Battery price is also one of the things that buyers have to think about when deciding what type to buy. Sealed Lead-Acid (SLA) Batteries can cost from $10 to $110. Nickel-Cadmium Batteries are more expensive from $19 to $124. There are times though when the battery prices of Nickel Cadmium do not include the connectors. The prices could also vary with differences in voltage.
Emergency Lighting Batteries: Proper Maintenance
Proper care of emergency lighting batteries will be a big help in prolonging its service life. To ensure that the batteries have longer life, make sure that charging time is monitored. When batteries are charged or discharged hastily, the chemical efficiency of the device is affected. This could also heat up quickly the batteries, thereby causing an indirect effect to its efficiency. The same thing could also happen if it is charged slowly. SLA batteries typically need a charging time of not less than 5 hours.
Attempts to quickly charge batteries by using a higher voltage for charging should be avoided. Instability could also result if batteries are overcharged. Worse, it might overheat and cause battery explosion.
In the event that SLA batteries are not in use, make sure to store them in their charged state. If not, the capacity for energy storage will reduce. This is also known as sulphation.
If possible, perform a monthly test of the emergency lighting batteries to gauge if they are still working properly. Batteries may need replacement if the emergency light fails to light up after successive tries.