- In this video, we'll be looking
at the self-testing emergency light fittings
from Knightsbridge
and discussing how they can make your installations
both simpler and safer.
(upbeatmusic)
Now I don't know about you
but when I hear the words self-testing emergency lighting
it has a tendency to make my blood run cold
because it couldn't useup thoughts
of complex interconnected systems
with central control panels or apps that need registering
setting up and synchronizing with a cloud service.
Well you can relax,
because like all the best designs
the range of self-testing emergency lighting
from Knightsbridge is simple yet effective.
So what problem do these fittings solve?
Well, emergency lighting is one
of those funny areas where
you only know if it's working
when things go wrong.
And this is usually the worst possible time to find out
that the emergency lighting isn't working
therefore emergency lighting
needs to be tested on a regular basis
in controlled conditions
to make sure that it's going to respond correctly
when it's needed
the electricians go through emergency lighting
published by the IET,
give some direction on this.
And it consists of three main stages.
The first is a daily visual operational check to see if
for example, the LED indicator is eliminated.
Then a monthly installation functional check
often referred to as a flick test
to confirm that the fittings
switches into emergency mode when power is lost
this is usually carried out by means of a key switch
that disconnects the power to the fitting.
Then, there's an annual full rated duration test
to make sure the emergency lights remain illuminated
for the required period of time
three hours being a typical value for this.
And of course, all of this will need to be documented
and recorded into a log book for the emergency fittings.
So all of that requires a fair bit of time
but it can be made easier by the use of
these excellent self test fittings from Knightsbridge.
You install them
and connect them up as you would a standard light fitting.
And then once you power them up
the self test function goes into operation.
After the fitting has been powered for 24 hours
it will carry out a three hour full duration test
to make sure that it's operating correctly
before going back into normal operating and charging mode,
then every 28 days
it will carry out a 32nd function test.
Similar to the flip test described earlier.
Then once every 52 weeks
it will carry out a three hour duration test.
Now this is all well and good,
but how do you know
that any of these tests has been successful or if any parts
of an emergency light fitting needs replacing?
Well, this is where the simplicity comes in
because the fittings don't require complicated connections
or synchronizing to an app
or anything like that.
They're just stand alone units
that show you with a simple LED indicator,
the results of a test.
Now, what I've done with these fittings here
is simulator a couple of typical faults that might occur
from time to time with emergency lights.
It also gives me the opportunity to demonstrate
that you can still carry out a monthly flick type test
or an annual full duration test manually.
Should you need to, for some reason
now this first fitting I've messed
with the battery a little bit
so that it won't work properly.
And now if I press the test button
for approximately five seconds
it will carry out a 32nd monthly type test.
And then you can see
that the indicator LED is now giving a red flash
to indicate that the battery isn't working properly,
this fitting here
I've deliberately disconnected the light output.
And so if I press the test button again
for approximately five seconds
it'll carry out that monthly flick style test.
And you can see once that's been completed
the LED flashes red twice
to indicate that there's something wrong with the lamp.
Now, I can't imagine that even our most
dedicated viewers will want to watch this fitting
try to pass a three hour duration test
just to see what the LED does should one
of these fittings fail at that.
So I'll just tell you that it flushes three times red.
So by using this self test type of fitting
the responsible person for an installation
can now go round and check
the status of the LEDs on a daily basis.
And if it's blinking red, once, twice or three times
they know that the fitting has not passed a test
and get an electrician in to investigate further.
It's so much easier than having key switches
and scheduling time to manually check
that fittings are passing three hour duration tests.
There's an additional benefit
for the installation electrician as well
because it means
that your commissioning can be completed
by just powering the fitting up
then returning to it After a couple of days,
if the LED indicator is green
you know, it's passing an initial three hour duration test
after 24 hours, happy days
so far from being a complicated
system to set up, operate and maintain.
It's actually simpler than installing a traditional system.
There's a tendency in the industry
that if you replace a single faulty emergency fitting
in a building
then you go for a like for like swap,
but maybe seeing how simple the system is.
If you're responsible for the electrical maintenance
of a whole property,
you might be tempted to replace a standard emergency
for one of these from Knightsbridge,
with a self test function,
meaning that slowly but surely
the whole property will switch over
to self self-testing time
saving the labor costs that are associated
with traditional emergency light testing.
Careful collaboration with whoever is in charge
of the daily checks will ensure a smooth transition
to the new system.
So there we go,
self test emergency fittings from Knightsbridge.
This is a range that we believe will make electrician's
lives easier.
And we like that.
But of course we want to hear from you
is the thoughts of a simple self test system,
such as this one from Knightsbridge appealing,
will you be making the switch
over to self test fittings, yourself,
whatever your opinion.
Please leave your questions and comments below.
And all it remains in this video is to say,
thank you very much for watching.
(Upeat music)