Home Emergency Lights

[Chetlaham]

Does anyone else have home emergency lights? For me when the power goes out at night it becomes pitch black. It is so dark you can't even walk or find your way to the kitchen to get flash lights and candles. That movie has been lived through more than once during thunderstorms and when a car hits a pole- typically you know your in for an extended outage when the recloser trips right back out on its first reclose attempt.

To remedy this I typically buy the cheapest yet UL and NFPA 101 listed name brand emergency light. 18 AWG copper listed lamp cord bought separate, wire nuts included with fixture, electrical tape and you've got a safe, reliable emergency light source that lets you find your way to candles and flashlights.


Typically these are hardwired to 120 or 277 volts AC but I don't want to go through the trouble of adding, drilling, and fishing new electrical boxes and then having to climb ladders to test and replace these lights every X number of years. The cord makes it portable and the unit can be placed anywhere.


To anyone who hasn't done this I highly recommend you do it.


$27 commercial EM light, sometimes on sale for $20:



120 volt room circuit on:




120 volt room circuit turned off at breaker panel:



Unboxed emergency light comes with mounting screws and wire nuts. Rechargeable battery included inside. Cord sold separately:




Internals, cord hooked to unit red and white wires. Battery leads shipped disconnected, battery molex connected on wire up. I normally don't put electrical tape around wire nuts, however given loose cord scheme I don't want to run the risk of the wire nuts ever popping off and shorting out on battery operated circuitry while the unit sits on or is surrounded by flammable things.

 

[cfz2882]

i have a couple of those,but not in use-they are from 1985 and the 6v SLA batts are long expired I have some 12v lights in the house-several amber color LED puck lights meant for truck use at several places in basement as light lights and one license plate lamp with 24v bulb in hallway-this powered by a little 12v ac fed power supply. Moon shack is about 50% 12v with big RV batt pack and i have thought about stringing a cord to the house for power during an outage.I actually had about 5 hr outage a couple days ago when winds wrenched loose weatherhead from meter box and shorted out,blowing pole pig fuse

 

[Chetlaham]

Neat. Do you have pics of the 1985 versions? I honestly like the look of EM lights from the 70/80s with the metal case, amp meter, protruding indicators, and parabolic beams.

Big Beam still makes units which are reminiscent of the past:

https://www.bigbeam.com/


Considering how they've got units that can run incandescent wedge base bulbs for 8 to 12 hours, I wonder how long those batteries could drive LEDs.

 

[cfz2882]

For those 1985 lamps,think faux woodgrain metal box about 8"square,2.5 thick,red and yellow status LEDs,test button,two beige plastic housings holding~5 watt sealed beam lights like a camping lantern would use Many years ago,had an emergency light made in 1964: it was dark gray,chrome lamps,no electronics except selenium rectifier for charger.Batteries were missing and I eventually parted this one out about 1987...The shorted utility feed incident was at a nearby house and knocked out power to 3 houses.

 

[phillymatt53]

I've luckily only had 3 or 4 "blackouts" over the 20 years I've lived in this house.
The longest one was maybe 5 years ago, lasting about 45 minutes.
That one was in the dead of summer at night, and indeed the bedroom window AC was down while I waited for PECO to restore power.... ugh!
However, I keep a flashlight in my bedside table just in case for such things.
Oh, and of course a 3D cell MagLite in the kitchen pantry.

 

[Chetlaham]

For those 1985 lamps,think faux woodgrain metal box about 8"square,2.5 thick,red and yellow status LEDs,test button,two beige plastic housings holding~5 watt sealed beam lights like a camping lantern would use Many years ago,had an emergency light made in 1964: it was dark gray,chrome lamps,no electronics except selenium rectifier for charger.Batteries were missing and I eventually parted this one out about 1987...The shorted utility feed incident was at a nearby house and knocked out power to 3 houses.

The ones without electronics have always fascinated me. The Lithonia light I have now has a switch mode power supply and an extensive low volt circuit on the secondary of the high frequency transformer. Way more complicated, but at the same time it appears to be of quality components and design.

Glad the incident was taken care of relatively quickly. 5 hours still sucks though.

 

[Ultramatic]

The last power outage we had was back in 2003. So it's extremely rare that we loose power citywide. Nevertheless I do keep a series of emergency lights throughout the COOP. For the past few years I have 5 Eaton Red Cross power outage lights that you plug directly to the wall. They come on automatically in the event of a power failure. However I am going to supplement the Eaton Red Cross lights with Tanlux wall mounted power failure lights soon. I also have two 700watt solar power stations on standby. Add to that various LED lanterns, flashlights and crank radios/phone chargers. My ultimate goal would be a 2400watt power station with solar panels that could be mounted in the terrace on a emergency basis. Enough to power the refrigerators for a day or so. As I mentioned before, it's very rare we loose power citywide, but its not a question of if, but of when.

Disclaimer: Links are for information purposes only. I receive no compensation from Amazon.

 

[william8]

Cool idea, but I'd want it mounted in the wall.
Why do you tape the wire nuts though?

 

[Chetlaham]

Cool idea, but I'd want it mounted in the wall.
Why do you tape the wire nuts though?

Normally I never tape a wire nuts because it is not only of no advantage it leaves black goo on everything.

However in this case being that I have a loose 18 AWG lamp cord coming in what is basically a hard mount unit turned portable I want absolutely no chance of a wire nut somehow rubbing loose and popping off. I don't know how on of these units would react however worse case can imagine a big bang and possible fire if the line voltage went through the low voltage DC components of the fixture. Call me embarrassingly paranoid here, but I really am. In some places I put these EM lights on night stands or wooden tables which might also inadvertently end up with paper or a box of tissues placed beside the light- hence the concern of fire.

 

[Chetlaham]

The last power outage we had was back in 2003. So it's extremely rare that we loose power citywide. Nevertheless I do keep a series of emergency lights throughout the COOP. For the past few years I have 5 Eaton Red Cross power outage lights that you plug directly to the wall. They come on automatically in the event of a power failure. However I am going to supplement the Eaton Red Cross lights with Tanlux wall mounted power failure lights soon. I also have two 700watt solar power stations on standby. Add to that various LED lanterns, flashlights and crank radios/phone chargers. My ultimate goal would be a 2400watt power station with solar panels that could be mounted in the terrace on a emergency basis. Enough to power the refrigerators for a day or so. As I mentioned before, it's very rare we loose power citywide, but its not a question of if, but of when.

Disclaimer: Links are for information purposes only. I receive no compensation from Amazon.

I am very, very envious of you lol. You are served by one of the worlds if not thee worlds most reliable power system. Con Edison spot and secondary grid networks can typically loose multiple primary feeder cables without any customer outages. Substations and transmission supplies have multiple redundancies and fail safes designed in and around. High winds, and ice storms typically do not effect underground power lines. Except for the 1977 blackout, all other city wide blackouts were triggered by events outside of the Con Edison system. You are very lucky compared to those living out in woods were the power goes out every-time it rains.

I say this because you are very, very lucky.

 

[Ultramatic]

We're lucky I suppose.When we do loose power, 2 additional events happen. One, we loose the elevators. Two, we loose water. Any floor beyond the seventh will loose water pressure. After the seventh, we need pumps to keep the rooftop water tanks full. Once those tanks empty, that's it. Not a drop until power is restored. I was lucky in 2003. I remembered the seventh floor rule. I started filling everything with water. Tub, buckets, pots, bowls, everything. Within an hour we were dry. And no elevators. Just fire stairs. I'm on the 19th floor. The only utilities working was gas, telephone (copper wire back then) and the cellphone. After that fiasco, the COOP board supposedly approved emergency generators to cover the water pumps and 2 elevators (we have 4). It was never done due to budget constraints. I think because it's such a rare event, it's been placed on the back burner indefinitely. I just hope the next blackout doesn't catch me outside.

 

[Chetlaham]

IIRC NYC now has a law that elevators have to have some type of emergency release or backup - at least that what was originally proposed after the west side Manhattan outage.

Homes on well water also have the same problem, when the pressure tank runs out post power outage no more water.

Standby generators are becoming increasingly more common outside cities.

 

[combo52]

Emergency home back up lights, good idea however I don’t like the idea of plastic housings sitting on a carpeted floor. I think that’s looking for a possible fire risk. If something goes wrong. Those lamps are designed to be used. That way they’re normally installed over a metal outlet box up on the wall.

Living on the 19th floor there certainly must be a requirement that at least some of the elevators keep working. You may wanna look into that Louie.

I know the large buildings I’ve worked with in the DC area. I’ll have backup generators for the elevators and emergency lighting in the hallways, etc.

 

[me]

A rechargeable torch, that switches on when the power goes off, might be more useful, preferably one with a motion detector so it doesn't wake you up.

I think we last had a power outage in the 1990s, when the transformer/substation that powers the estate, broke down. I was told by a neighbour that it had caught fire and blown up and would have to be replaced, but seeing as it is only about 120 feet off to the side of the house, behind our garage, we heard and saw nothing, and the power back up within a few hours, that was probably a slight exaggeration. Prior to that there was the miners' strike in the 1970, when we still ran on coal.

I have had blackouts when the RCD has tripped (the consumer unit I installed about 25 years ago only has one RCD as the main switch) or the MCB for one of the two lighting circuit has tripped, which I don't think has happened since we switched to LED bulbs.

I usually have a small single cell LED torch in my pocket powered by an AA Eneloop type battery, so it doesn't go out suddenly. Or at least a mobile phone in easy reach, and have a few torches around the house.

 

[DADoES]

Power outages occur occasionally but I don't consider them as frequent ... although there have been a few in the past 9-ish months. The recent one a couple/few weeks ago was a problem (fuse?, I watched from a window the two-man crew replace it) on the main circuit pole at the corner of the street, affected only the 11 houses on this street. The previous one was a problem at the nearby substation which affected a larger area.

It was out for ~8 hrs (4am to 12pm) when Hurricane Beryl passed through last July. I was lucky being on a main circuit that apparently was an easy fix. Other areas were out 4 to 7 days.

I have six of these.

 

[phillymatt53]

I have six of these.

I've got a couple of those LED "switch lights" too!
The "Nebo" brand.
Great for sticking to the wall in dark closets. (velcro strips)
But cheap, of course.
Toss out the "included" cheap batteries and put in better ones, and check for leaking ones.

 

[Chetlaham]

Emergency home back up lights, good idea however I don’t like the idea of plastic housings sitting on a carpeted floor. I think that’s looking for a possible fire risk. If something goes wrong. Those lamps are designed to be used. That way they’re normally installed over a metal outlet box up on the wall.

Living on the 19th floor there certainly must be a requirement that at least some of the elevators keep working. You may wanna look into that Louie.

I know the large buildings I’ve worked with in the DC area. I’ll have backup generators for the elevators and emergency lighting in the hallways, etc.

In a properly wired reputable, listed light I don't see much of a fire hazard. If the plastic casing emits sparks or catches the risk would still be there mounted on a ceiling tile or wall as anything could be underneath it like an office desk and catch fire. These are commercial units listed to several life safety codes and intended for places like schools, hospitals, libraries, offices, ect so I doubt anyone would be willing to tolerate these units readily bursting into flames.


The light does have what appears to be a fusible resistor on the line voltage primary and a fuse on the DC secondary circuitry. Should something fail internally either one of those should open before the unit catches fire.


However I do share your concern, I like to think about every possible worse care scenario.

 

[wayupnorth]

I was tired of the seemingly constant outages we experience here. I do have flashlights throughout the house. But after the big ice storm of 1998. I bought o portable generator, but it was a pain to fill, pull cord etc. 8 years ago I installed a Generac whole house generator and never looked back. Power goes out and 10 seconds later, everything is normal.

 

[me]

In a properly wired reputable, listed light I don't see much of a fire hazard. If the plastic casing emits sparks or catches the risk would still be there mounted on a ceiling tile or wall as anything could be underneath it like an office desk and catch fire. These are commercial units listed to several life safety codes and intended for places like schools, hospitals, libraries, offices, ect so I doubt anyone would be willing to tolerate these units readily bursting into flames.


The light does have what appears to be a fusible resistor on the line voltage primary and a fuse on the DC secondary circuitry. Should something fail internally either one of those should open before the unit catches fire.


However I do share your concern, I like to think about every possible worse care scenario.

The plastic case may contain bromine if it is ABS, to inhibit flame.

Here in the UK, both figure '8' cable and wire nuts are not permitted for mains use. I had a bedside lamp with figure 8 cable when I was a kid and I noticed the wire had got wrapped in one of the castors, which stripped about an inch of insulation exposing the conductors, somehow without shorting them so it didn't blow the fuse, or burn the carpet. Fortunately, I was old enough to know to unplug it, when I noticed the bare wires.

 

[Chetlaham]

That is good to know. I'd imagine there is some form of flame inhibition. At least I would hope. This is one reason I buy name brand lights instead of all the Chinese knock off available on Amazon.