Hello,
I was thinking of fitting an emergency light near the CU. It's under the stairs, so there's no daylight to see by when an RCD or MCB trips. I see they use an 8w bulb. How bright are these? I know a 7w cfl is supposed to be equivalent to a 40w filament bulb. Are these lights as bright as a 40w bulb? I'm wondering whether it could be used as the only light in the room or whether I need a "normal" light in addition to the emergency one?
Thanks, Stephen.
It will be perfectly adequate to see your way to reset the tripped MCB. No need for a separate light, just buy a maintained type. These work like a normal light as in operated by a switch, but if the supply fails it comes on fed from the internal battery. The light output is always a little over estimated, but you can buy larger ones if necessary. It should be fed from the same circuit as the normal light, so that if that MCB trips, it comes on. For under the stairs, it should be perfectly adequate.
We have a few at Church (non-maintained type) and they are perfectly adequate to see your way around a large room, down stairs, etc. once your eyes get used to them after the normal lights. For under stairs I would say they would be perfectly adequate and I would rate them equivalent to a bit under a 40W conventional bulb.
trips.
addition
Argos do a rather good lantern style that's also a powerful torch, with lead acid gell call and wart charger - one switch setting makes the light come on when the charger isn't powered. I have had one hanging by my house CU both here and at the old place for several years and it'd proved its worth on several occasions. I also have a few of the 'wind up led torches' as we now have six CUs in various parts of the premises, so I keep one next to each.
AWEM
no, 25w is closer
if you want an eerily dim room :)
yes
NT
As discussed here a while back, be aware that these things take 4-8W even when not illuminated! It would be cheaper to just fit a battery- operated standby light somewhere. IIRC seeing some LED ones in the local pound shop for ... well, you work it out.
Chris
Not really - they are about as good as one of those torches that have a small fluro tube on one side... i.e. plenty good enough to see what you are doing in the dark, but not really up to room lighting standards.
Depends on what else you plan to do in there.
IMHO more than enough for the under stairs cupboard(*). Might be worth applying a bit of brain so you are not in your own shadow when looking at the CU.
Mind you the way some people go on about light levels I suspect they can't see if the don't have a blonde and 2 reds burning in the room.
I have one over the stairwell and it provides adequate, but not bright, light to move safely up and down stairs during a power cut.
Colin Bignell
OTOH, if there is a power cut while you are out, a well-placed emergency light will ensure that the house is not in darkness, which is something thieves go out looking for during a cut.
Colin Bignell
Same here. It's 8W, and I'm happy to pay the cost of having it on standby; it's a small price to pay to avoid possible injury before I find another light source.
There are some 3 hour 8W emergency lights on sale at Screwfix for £12 at the moment.
I have always wanted to fit one of these above the CU in the garage as my garage lights are on the same lighting circuit as the hall and the most common light to blow in my house, and trip the breaker was the hall light, thus plunging the garage into darkness ready for not being able to reset the MCB...... I fixed by changing the MCB to type C that was not prone to tripping when a bulb blew, but not necessary now as I have changed to CF bulbs.
Can anyone tell me the difference between "maintained" and "non-maintained" emergency lighting?
Maintained can be used as an ordinary switched light, and will automatically illuminate on power failure.
Non maintained will illuminate on power failure only, you can't switch them on manually.
Maybe one of these would be more use..
I appreciate they need some energy to top-up the battery but I thought that would tail off when the battery was fully charged. That's worth knowing. 8w might not be a lot compared to a 100w lamp but being on constantly makes it add up. OTOH my CH vales draw 6w whenever they are on. I'll have to search for the previous thread.
Sorry, why would thieves target a home with an emergency light?
Think it through man.
During a power cut a light indicates that some one is probably in. Dark places are probably empty. Thus having a light that comes on during a power cut will deter the tea leaves.
Especially as half the intruder alarms will already be going off (due to flat batteries) and getting even less attention than usual.
Because they could hurt themselves and drop a plasma telly on their foot if they go a-burgling in complete darkness.
Owain
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