Testing & Troubleshooting LED Exit Signs

One of the major reasons why we use LEDs to illuminate exit signs, instead of other forms of lighting is because of the long life that LEDs have between replacement. Since regulations require that exit signs be illuminated whenever the facility is occupied, and many companies have at least some staff on hand round the clock, they are usually left on all the time. In most cases, Exit Signs are on a separate circuit, facilitating leaving them on all the time.

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LED Exit Sign Advantages

Where normal incandescent bulbs last only 1,200 hours, LEDs are rated to last 60,000 hours. That means instead of having to replace bulbs every 50 days, you can go almost 7 years, before having to replace the LEDs in a LED Exit Sign. That’s a tremendous labor savings, not to mention the hassle of dealing with all those signs.

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While these signs are left on all the time, drawing their power from the building’s power, they also have a battery backup to insure that they stay illuminated for the minimum 90 minutes required in the case of a power loss.

Should an exit sign fail your monthly or annual test, you don’t need to replace the entire unit, just determine the component that failed and replace it. To troubleshoot your Exit Sign, you will need a standard multi-meter and a screwdriver.

LED Exit Signs are popular because of their low energy consumption, long lifespan, and affordable prices. A variety of styles and designs are available, one of which will work for you.

Troubleshooting Procedures

• When LEDs burn out, they only do so one at a time, so you should be able to visually check and see when they are starting to burn out. At this point, you need to change the entire LED sub-assembly.
• If your Exit Light works in emergency mode, but doesn’t stay lit for the full 90 minutes, your battery is bad and needs to be replaced.
• Disconnect the battery, and check the voltage of the battery with the multi-meter set to a low DC range (about 20 VDC). The rated voltage is normally marked on the side of the battery. It should be at, or slightly above that voltage.
• Also verify the voltage coming out of the circuit card to the battery, it should be the same rated voltage of the battery, or slightly above.

• If you have voltage at coming out of the circuit card, but none from your battery, the battery is bad.
• If you don’t have voltage coming out of the circuit card, check the voltage coming from the transformer. This will be AC voltage, so change the multi-meter to a low AC range (about 20 VAC).
• If you have voltage coming into the circuit card, but none coming out of it, the circuit card is bad.
• If you don’t have voltage coming into the circuit card, verify that you have voltage coming into the transformer. This should be at 120 VAC, so reset your multi-meter to a higher range. Be careful you don’t shock yourself.
• If you have voltage coming into the transformer, but not leaving it, your transformer is bad.
• If you have no voltage coming into the transformer, verify that your circuit breaker is on. If it is on, recheck the voltage coming into the Exit Sign. If there is no voltage there, you will need to call the building electrician to check the building’s wiring.

By Jonathan Carter+