Outdoor Exit Signs

While the majority of exit sign applications are inside of a building or facility, there are applications where a business would be required to install exit signs on the outside of their facility. To understand this, we must realize that responsibility for assisting personnel who need to exit a facility in the case of emergency doesn’t end at the door, but at a public way (sidewalk or street) or other safe assembly area, such as in a parking lot away from the building.

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View our Popular Outdoor Exit Signs

Wet Location exit signs feature a rugged fiberglass housing provides reliable moisture protection.

Some examples of places where a business or organization might have to provide exit signs outside the building might include:

• Cases where an exit leads to an interior courtyard
• Cases where part of the business takes place outside of the building, or in open sheds, such as in a lumber yard
• Cases where the route to the public way is not immediately apparent on exiting the building

In any of these cases, and some others, companies need to install illuminated exit signs outside of the building as well as inside. As with indoor applications, exterior exit signs need to be illuminated at all times when the facility is in use; whether day or night.

Types of Outdoor Exit Signs

As with any other electrical device used outside of a building, when using exit signs outdoors, they must be protected from the weather, specifically form getting wet. There are two categories of exterior exit signs, accounting for the different risk of water damage to the sign:

• Wet location exit signs
• Damp location exit signs

Vandal proof LED exit signs are IP 66 rated, they can be used in all type of wet location environments, including outdoors in freezing temperatures.

Damp locations are those where the sign is partially protected from the weather by an overhanging canopy, marquee or roof. While water cannot fall directly upon the sign, there may be the potential for splashing or high humidity that could damage the sign. Wet locations are all exterior locations that don’t have this protection from the rain.

View our Wet Location Exit Signs

Vandal proof exit signs are aluminum exit signs that feature a polycarbonate faceplate which is sealed for wet location use. The heavy-duty aluminum case resists breakage and other damage caused by normal vandalism. The lettering is plastic, so while these signs are considered vandal proof, a determined vandal could still damage them.

View our Vandal Proof Exit Signs

These exit signs are sealed to protect the internal components from moisture. When opening the unit for maintenance or inspection, it is important to insure that the seal remains intact. All these exit signs are UL 924 listed, meaning that they complete the regulatory requirements for emergency exit signs in facilities.

As with all other exit signs, outdoor exit signs come pre-made with the option of using them with arrows facing in either direction, or not using any arrow at all. Wet location, waterproof exit signs can be used in all types of environments.

A battery heater can be outfitted into LED wet location exit signs for freezing temperature locations. The heater insures that the battery backup system will remain operable during the coldest of winter.

Non-Electrical Outdoor Exit Signs

Self Luminous Exit Signs are self powered, no electricity required. They are the perfect outdoor exit sign solution!

In cases where running of electrical wires is impractical, there is an alternate way of installing exit signs. Self-luminous exit signs use the radioactive isotope tritium to produce light. Tritium exit signs can be used indoors and outdoors.

View our Self-Luminous Exit Signs

Self-luminous exit signs are the solution for those who are looking for a battery operated exit sign or a battery powered exit sign. Hiring an electrician can be expensive, eliminate this cost and hassle by installing a non-electrical self-luminous exit sign.

While radioactive, the radioactive decay only produces low energy alpha particles, which are not dangerous. Due to the radioactive decay, these lights have a limited life expectancy. You can purchase them for a life expectancy 10 years, 15 years or 20 years.

Advances of Outdoor Exit Signs

There have been many advances in the technology used in outdoor exit signs, as well as unique ideas that can help create a more efficient outdoor LED exit sign system. For especially cold conditions, it is worth considering placing a main battery backup system somewhere indoors, and using that as the backup power source for outdoor exit signs.

Signs that feature 2 inputs for AC electrical power are known as dual-circuit exit signs. Instead of having individual battery backups that require maintenance, which is outdoors of course, consider locating the battery backup indoors. Eliminate tough maintenance and testing requirements by utilizing dual-circuit outdoor exit signs with a separate battery pack.

View our Dual Circuit Outdoor Exit Sign

We offer battery packs that can output 120v AC line voltage, which is the voltage of the current that exit signs work on. Consider this efficient and maintenance reducing solution on your next outdoor exit sign project. And always consider self luminous exit signs for these projects as well.

By Jonathan Carter