Exit Signs

Exit Sign FAQs

• What are exit signs?
  
  Exit signs are a critical part of any commercial or public building. They mark the route to the exit routes in case of an emergency and are illuminated through various methods to make them visible in the dark if the light goes out.
  Exit signs are a type of emergency lighting required in buildings by law as they are meant to be lifesaving devices in a crisis and commonly have red or green letters or backgrounds.
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• What are LED exit signs?
  
  Exit signs are required to be illuminated and visible in darkness and remain visible during power outages. To achieve this, a type of lamp called a Light Emitting Diode or LED may be used, typically as a group of red or green LEDs arranged on a circuit board in series to create an even illumination across the face of the sign. The face of the LED exit sign is often a stencil faceplate with red or green letters spelling EXIT. Another popular method is to line LEDs along the edge of a clear acrylic or glass panel that has the word EXIT stenciled on it, called Edge lit LED Exit Signs. LEDs are a popular illumination method because they use very little electricity, produce very little heat, require little maintenance, and have a long life-span.
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• What size are LED exit signs?
  
  Exit Signs used in buildings in the USA are required to have at least 3/4" width letter stroke and have have letters a minimum of 6 inches tall. Some areas or situations may require larger letters such as New York City and the 5 boroughs who require 1" stroke letters and 8" height.
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• Do battery powered exit signs exist?
  
  Standard exit signs can be powered by rechargeable batteries that automatically power the unit when the main line of electricity goes out -the runtime for battery backup is a minimum of 90-minutes per the UL924 requirement. However, when people ask about battery powered exit signs, it's often because they need an exit sign in an area without electricity. We have two types of non-electrical exit signs solutions for these situations : Self Luminous Exit Signs and Photoluminescent Exit Signs. In situations where the location of installation doesn't have easy access to electricity and the cost of running hard-wired electricity and conduit is too expensive, these options make great sense. The two options have their own pros and cons, here they are: Photoluminescent exit signs, also known as glow-in-the-dark exit signs, are charged using consistent ambient lighting shining on the face of the sign (minimum of 54lux or 5ft candles). There are other certain requirements that must be followed with this type of exit sign. For example, the lights that charge the sign can't be turned off by a switch that is accessible to the public and the charging light must remain on while the building is occupied (even before the building is occupied to ensure a full charge before occupancy). If you use this type of sign you -must- ensure that they are UL924 certified as there are very low-grade versions offered in the marketplace. The difference is that UL924 code compliant models use industrial grade glow-in-the-dark pigment and have superior thermal properties. The other type of exit sign that doesn't require electricity is a self-luminous exit sign, also known as a tritium exit sign. This type of sign uses H3, beta emission radioactive isotopes sealed in phosphorus-coated tubes to generate light for 10-20 years. We have both types of these exit signs. They are safe when used as directed and very popular. It should be noted that self-luminous exit signs will need to be disposed of or recycled at a licensed recycling facility at the end of their lifespan. We can handle this for you.
• How long do exit signs last?
  
  Standard Indoor LED exit signs last approximately 7-10 years. Premium models will reach greater than 10 years. Self Luminous Exit Signs last between 10-20 years. Photoluminescent Exit Signs don't technically have an expiration date because there are no moving parts. They do however need to be cleaned with the correct cleansers to ensure that they don't experience light absorption reduction such as would be caused if you, for example, sprayed an 'anti-dust' solution that contains wax. Light Emitted Capacitor or LEC exit signs are generally rated to last for greater than 15 years.
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• Do Glass Exit Signs Exist?
  
  Before LEDs became popular, incandescent exit signs were the norm. These signs often used steel housings and glass faceplates. Incandescent lamps produced high heat and one way to prevent the sign melting was to use a screen-printed glass faceplate. With LEDs becoming the standard illumination source, steel housings are often replaced with thermoplastic housing and glass faceplates with acrylic ones. Chicago though still has many of the older steel and glass panel models. Glass panels are also used in hazardous location exit signs where heat or corrosive substances may be present. When customers ask about glass exit signs they generally want to know about acrylic panel Edge-lit exit signs, an exit sign design that uses a clear acrylic panel which looks clear like glass when illuminated.
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• How do Exit Signs work when there is a power outage?
  
  With an electrically powered exit sign the power source is monitored -either by an integrated circuit in the exit sign or within an emergency power inverter or generator- which upon detection of a lapse in power automatically switches to another source of standby power. the standby power can be an integrated battery within the exit sign, a bank of batteries in a power inverter connected to the circuit, or a generator system. For a non-electrical exit sign, such as a self-luminous exit sign or a photoluminescent exit sign, the signs are always illuminated and become visibly so when the ambient lighting is reduced such that the exit sign face contrasts with the surrounding darkness. A key point to note is that regardless of the method the exit sign should be inspected and tested once monthly and be subjected to an extensive annual inspection to ensure readiness. Often the batteries or lamps in an exit sign can exceed their rated life span without going noticed, this is especially true with a self-luminous exit sign which requires virtually no maintenance for 10-20 years.
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• Are Photoluminescent Exit Signs OSHA Compliant?
  
  They can be. The ones we sell at ExitExpo.com are all OSHA compliant exit signs.
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• How many exit signs are required in a building?
  
  The answer depends on your local building code and inspector. That said, generally, the size of the building and the configuration of the use of space matter. The typical answer is you'll need an exit sign above every exit door, in hallways leading to exits, at the intersection of a hallway with a perpendicular corridor leading to an exit, every uninterrupted 50 to 100ft of a straight path leading to an exit (less if the hallway is curved), near every automatic door (fire door) of a hallway, and similarly placed low level exit signs in residential buildings (ie. hotels, condos) containing internal hallways (especially multi-floor buildings), home-based senior care living spaces, home-based child care services, on modular walls of configurable spaces including temporary exhibits in art galleries, museums or convention spaces; and temporary structures like fireworks stands, fun-house mirror mazes, or haunted house experiences. This list is just a general guidance, again, your local building code and code inspector/fire marshal will be final the determining factor. If you think your inspector is being unreasonable, you may petition their decision using the state building codes at your defense, we've helped tenants have decisions adjusted once building code allowances or equipment compliance can be proven.
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