Lighting Inverter Battery Replacements and Maintenance, who does this?

A lighting inverter system is made up of it’s power conditioning component, inverter components, charging, and the backup runtime component which are batteries. The UL 924 compliance code requires that 90 minutes of battery minimum are provided to all exit sign routes. This 90 minute runtime can only pass it’s minimum test by having well charged, healthy batteries.

What Batteries do I need for a Lighting Inverter?

Various technologies are available in the battery market to achieve runtimes required by the Central Lighting Inverter market. The following provide an explanation of popular technologies and explanations of how they work.

VRLA – Valve Regulated Lead Acid Batteries

Typical Lighting Inverter system battery strings are made up of Valve Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA) batteries. These batteries are very much the standard in critical runtime environments such as UPS Systems, Inverter Systems, Telecom, and DC Power Plants requiring minimum or substantial runtimes.

Lithium-Ion Batteries

At this stage in the technology of Lithium Ion batteries, the makeup of the battery is unable to provide the longer required runtime a UL 924 Lighting Inverter System needs. A lithium-ion battery is able to handle short duration runtime support to loads. Lithium Ion is typically used for UPS systems, and systems that also have an emergency backup generator. Therefore, lithium ion batteries are not yet a viable option for Lighting Inverters.

Sealed Maintenance Free AGM Batteries

A lower maintenance option for Lighting Inverter Batteries are sealed AGM Batteries. Also in the category of VRLA -Valve Regulated Lead Acid. The sealed AGM battery has an “ultra=thin glass mat”, or “AGM Separator” that acts as a barrier for the electrolytes coming off the battery cells. This makes the battery “non-spillable” for spaces requiring containment, or ventilation.

How do I test my Lighting Inverter Batteries?

Your batteries in a typical Central Lighting Inverters System are usually made up of a string of VRLA – Valve Regulated Lead Acid Batteries. Smaller units may just have a few batteries installed. Larger systems have full strings of 12 volt batteries operating at a 380VDC or 480VDC bus. Which means, a trained battery technician is required to test the batteries in the lighting inverter system. Since a VRLA or AGM batteries have a typical life of 36-60 months depending on it’s environment and use, the batteries should be maintained by performing an annual load test on each battery. Single, faulty batteries inside a string of good batteries can degrade and pull the float voltage of the entire string down causing premature failure of the whole string. Therefore, identification of the faulty cell is paramount to avoid premature battery string replacements. In general, it is advised to have annual PM’s performed on the lighting inverter battery strings, if not semi-annual.

Lighting Inverter Runtime Load Test

Depending on code compliance and local ordinance, there may be a required performance test of the 90-minute runtime capabilities of the lighting inverter system. This is different than checking the health of the batteries. For this process, a load bank is provided to test an actual load on the inverter, and measuring the capability of it’s battery storage runtime. If batteries are depleted and cannot meet the UL 924 90 minute standard, they must be updated and replaced.

Importance of Lighting Inverter Battery Maintenance

Staying Current on battery maintenance on your Central Lighting Inverter is extremely important for Life Safety and Compliance reasons.

Lighting Inverter Battery Life Checklist

• Keep a maintenance schedule with a trained Battery Technician such as FGC Services/Lighting Inverter Technical Services.
• Keep a log of the Date Codes of your batteries. Set calendar reminders for age and lifecycle information of your batteries. Or contract for Lifecycle management for your Lighting Inverters through FGC Services, which keeps all your age, lifecycle, maintenance and replacement data in one location and report.
• Check your Running Inverter Load vs. Battery Capability. For life safety and compliance reasons, your battery capacity must cover your running load for the 90 minute minimum. This can be performed with a qualified Battery Technician such as FGC Services Technical Services Team.

Prepare for Any Emergency with Lighting Inverter Supply

The team at Lighting Inverter Supply and FGC Services pride ourselves on quality customer service, and overall industry experience in the power services market. Our team members are available to assist you throughout the system selection process and will review the specifications and concerns you address.

Our lighting inverter products and services that cover the continental U.S. put proper measures in place so that every site receives the level of attention required for optimal operation and maintenance of certification standards.

If you have any questions or would like to receive additional information about our products and services, our team is available for Technical Review of specifications, Sizing assistance, Voltage selection, and Runtime Calculations. Contact us today to explore your emergency lighting solutions!