Can I use an emergency light as a normal light?

[Maker]

Title says it all really.
I've got three small florescent emergency lights, the kind where mains voltage charges a NiCd battery which powers the light when mains power is lost. Can it be made to work as a normal light fitting?

If not I suppose it would make a nice battery work light

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Yes you can.
Were mains comes in there is a 4th terminal, link that to live in.

 

[WorkshopChris]

Google maintained and non maintained.

 

[Pete.]

I have some emergency strip lights you put power to them and another circuit for a switch. If you turn the switch on the light comes on under mains power if the power goes off the light is powered by the batteries.

 

[brightspark]

I have some emergency strip lights you put power to them and another circuit for a switch. If you turn the switch on the light comes on under mains power if the power goes off the light is powered by the batteries.

called maintained switchable or can be used as none maintained only come on with a power cut

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

If the mains in has 4 terminals it can be maintained or non maintained.
To light it permantly link the live in to the 4th terminal.
If it is not present, then it will re main unlit until the power fails and then it will switch over to the battery for 1 or 3 hours.

 

[Maker]

I had a feeling it was something to do with the 4th terminal, it's labeled "No connection".

Something strange though; On the side it says "8W... duration 3 hours", but the battery is 2.4V 4AH, which would only supply 8W for 1.2 hours.

 

[rcx132]

I was given lots of lights that had been removed from a building because the lenses had yellowed. One of them was fitted with a battery and extra circuitry, which I think was to make it work as an emergency light. Like others said, it had an extra terminal, I think I may have had to bypass it or something to make it work like a normal light.

 

[Maker]

To light it permantly link the live in to the 4th terminal.

Doesn't work.

Connected live to both terminals and it behaves exactly the same as connecting it to just the live terminal.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Remove the link, and test again.
If the red or green LED lights up, leave it for an hour, switch off. If the Tube lights it is non maintained.
If not it is junk.

 

[Screwdriver]

I have several of them in my shed. Bought a job lot of industrial plastic flourescent jobbies and some of them were emergency lights.

It must have had a circuit guide written on the inside because after I wired them up they work perfectly. I seem to recall I had to send a separate, unswitched always on live which complicated my wiring schedule a bit. But now they work as expected until the shed power is switched off when miraculously, the lights come on. I can't remember if the emergency light comes on even if the (now dead) switch is on or off. I should go test it...

 

[lshigham]

I had a feeling it was something to do with the 4th terminal, it's labeled "No connection".

Something strange though; On the side it says "8W... duration 3 hours", but the battery is 2.4V 4AH, which would only supply 8W for 1.2 hours.

They don't operate at full brightness on battery power