Exit Signs and Emergency Lighting: Selection Checklist

Separate the exit marker from the escape-route lighting

An exit sign identifies the route out. Emergency lighting illuminates the path people must travel when normal lighting fails. A visible sign does not establish adequate illumination on a stair, landing or corridor floor. A combo unit combines functions, but its position must still serve both jobs.

For a contractor surveying an existing building, start with the approved egress plan. Mark each doorway, change of direction, stair and obstruction. Record where occupants approach each sign, whether one or two viewing faces are needed, and what could hide the legend. Shelving changes and new partitions can invalidate assumptions from the original installation.

List sign locations separately from emergency illumination points. This makes a missing light easier to identify than a schedule that simply counts “exit units.” Confirm the applicable building, fire and electrical requirements with the project designer and authority having jurisdiction. A like-for-like housing replacement does not establish that the current layout meets the project's requirements.

Compare the published exit models without mixing their ratings

Our edge-lit exit family, combo emergency exit and wet location combo exit have different electrical and battery entries. Carry the selected model into the quotation and submittal.

These are published product entries, not a project approval. In particular, do not carry the edge-lit family's 347 V input into either combo model. The listed discharge time also does not tell you how much light reaches the floor. That requires emergency-output information and the actual installation geometry.

Check the sign's dimensions and mounting orientation against the box and surrounding finishes before release. A replacement can fit electrically while leaving an uncovered wall opening or obstructing a door closer.

Review environment, power and testing as separate questions

The CR-7108, CR-7109 and CR-7024 product tables state damp-location use; CR-7111S states wet-location use. Select against the actual exposure and installation instructions. A damp-location entry does not establish suitability for direct weather or cleaning spray.

All four models above publish an operating range of 0°C to 40°C and a charging time of 24 hours. A location description that includes parking garages does not extend that temperature range. Measure or establish the expected conditions at the sign, including unheated periods.

Keep the building's normal supply and the emergency operating condition distinct on the drawings. Ask the electrical designer to identify the required circuits, controls and test arrangement. Do not let a field assumption about a switch or sensor replace the specified wiring instructions.

UL's emergency-lighting guidance identifies UL 924 as a standard covering emergency lighting and power equipment. That general scope does not approve a layout, assign a new listing to a product, or replace the exact model's documents.

Plan access to test indicators and batteries before mounting. A unit above a locked ceiling or behind stock may be difficult to inspect. Record who will perform the required tests and where results will be kept. Maintenance responsibility should survive the handoff from installer to facility staff.

Assemble a submittal that resolves the field decisions

Use one row per scheduled sign, even when several rows use the same model. Each row should connect the drawing tag, model, mounting and environmental conditions. Repeating only a family name leaves purchasing and installation to choose the missing details.

• Attach the egress plan with sign faces, direction indicators, approach views and emergency illumination points identified.
• Record the exact model, supply voltage, mounting surface, junction-box details and required accessories.
• Include the product sheet, installation instructions, location-rating evidence and relevant model documents.
• Request emergency-output data and the design calculation where the unit must illuminate the path.
• Identify charging requirements, test method, access provisions and the facility's inspection record owner.

Show unresolved items explicitly. For example, “emergency light distribution not supplied” is more useful than attaching a normal-output drawing with no explanation. Resolve that gap before approving the lighting calculation.

At receiving, match the delivered model and accessories to the approved row. Photograph the installed tag and test location for the handover record. If a substitution changes the mounting or battery arrangement, return it to the designer before installation.

Close the emergency-lighting gaps before release

For the electrical contractor, the useful next step is a coordinated schedule: every sign has a model, every emergency lighting point has a documented purpose, and every test has an owner. Keep architectural direction signs and electrical fixture tags aligned so the installed route tells occupants one consistent story.

Use our specifying-engineer page for the document workflow, then send the exit and emergency fixture schedule through RFQ. Identify which model documents you need and which project questions remain open. Approval should rest on the completed submittal and the project designer's review, followed by installation and testing under the applicable requirements.

Related guides

• Emergency Battery Drivers: Compatibility and Output
• Hazardous Location Lighting: Classifications and Evidence
• Lighting Spec Sheets and IES Files: Submittal Guide

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