Dark during daytime

[chris kennedy]

I'm looking for a code that requires minimum lumens for egress. For example a storm rolls in at 1:30pm and the environment become dusk like or worse. Am I required to have outside lighting on a photo cell for this type of situation?

Thanks

 

[cda]

Good question

What is required at night???

How many check for exterior night lighting???

Emergency lighting is required

Is the exit discharge require to be lit?? And how far away from the building???

 

[chris kennedy]

Good questionWhat is required at night???

How many check for exterior night lighting???

Emergency lighting is required

Is the exit discharge require to be lit?? And how far away from the building???

You must be Irish, answering a question with questions.

I see time clocks with photo cell over rides on most of my jobs. Got me wondering if my original question was actually a code requirement.

 

[mtlogcabin]

Ah yes I remember the storms that would roll in from the everglades like clock work every afternoon for months

2009 IBC

1006.2 Illumination level.

The means of egress illumination level shall not be less than 1 foot-candle (11 lux) at the walking surface

I doubt the storm will cause it to get that dark

 

[permitguy]

Note that automatic illumination is only mentioned in the event of power supply failure, and the section contains specific language on what must be automatically illuminated.

 

[cda]

Good points MTL

How about Alaska during the day???

 

[cda]

""""You must be Irish, answering a question with questions.""""

One ofmy first bosses would do it to me, He would make me go look in the book and come back to him , then sometimes remind me of the sections I forgot to look at

 

[TimNY]

mtlogcabin has the proper section. The means of egress must be illuminated at all times. The means of egress include the exit discharge, or the path from the exit to the public way.

It doesn't say automatic because it is required to be illuminated at all times... if you want to automatically transition from sunlight to artificial light.. that's a design decision

EDIT: I wonder.. does A117.1 have anything to say on the subject??

 

[permitguy]

It says at all times the building is occupied. In other words, a light switch could be used to turn the lights off when the building is not occupied. However, the automatic illumination is required in the event of power supply failure, and it does not include the entirety of the exit discharge.

So, if it suddenly gets dark because a storm is rolling in, there is no requirement for the lights to be on an automatic photo cell.

 

[TimNY]

The means of egress, including the exit discharge, is required to be illuminated at all times the space served is occupied.

I am not sure what you mean by "the entirety of the exit discharge"?

If there is a solar eclipse and the space is occupied, the exit discharge must be illuminated. True it does not have to be automatic.

EDIT: I reread.. I see you were referring to emergency illumination when you said "entirety of the exit discharge". OP is not talking about emergency lighting.

 

[steveray]

1006.1 Illumination required.

The means of egress, including the exit discharge, shall be illuminated at all times the building space served by the means of egress is occupied.

 

[mtlogcabin]

1006.1 Illumination required. The means of egress, including the exit discharge, shall be illuminated at all times the building space served by the means of egress is occupied.

EXIT DISCHARGE. That portion of a means of egress system between the termination of an exit and a public way .

PUBLIC WAY. A street, alley or other parcel of land open to the outside air leading to a street, that has been deeded, dedicated or otherwise permanently appropriated to the public for public use and which has a clear width and height of not less than 10 feet (3048 mm).

Not pratical everywhere in this country. In this state there are public ways that are more than a mile from the exit so we use the safe dispersal distances for how far the lighting should go

 

[permitguy]

It wasn't my intent to over-complicate this. The OP is aking if automatic illumination is required for exterior means of egress components.

Am I required to have outside lighting on a photo cell for this type of situation?

The answer is no. Automatic illumination is only required in the event of power supply failure, and even then, is not required for the entire exit discharge.

General IBC Provision:

1006.1 Illumination required. The means of egress, including the exit discharge, shall be illuminated at all times the building space served by the means of egress is occupied.

Specific IBC Provision:

1006.3 Illumination emergency power. The power supply for means of egress illumination shall normally be provided by the premises' electrical supply. In the event of power supply failure, an emergency electrical system shall automatically illuminate all of the following areas: 1. Aisles and unenclosed egress stairways in rooms and spaces that require two or more means of egress.

2. Corridors, exit enclosures and exit passageways in buildings required to have two or more exits.

3. Exterior egress components at other than their levels of exit discharge until exit discharge is accomplished for buildings required to have two or more exits.

4. Interior exit discharge elements, as permitted in Section 1027.1, in buildings required to have two or more exits.

5. Exterior landings as required by Section 1008.1.6 for exit discharge doorways in buildings required to have two or more exits.

The emergency power system shall provide power for a duration of not less than 90 minutes and shall consist of storage batteries, unit equipment or an on-site generator. The installation of the emergency power system shall be in accordance with Chapter 27.

 

[Big Mac]

Section 1006.1 and 1006.2 requires that all means of egress paths be lit to a minimum of 1 footcandle per square foot. Means of egres sis defined as any point in a building to and including the exits. This applies to all buildings. Sections 1006.3 and 1006.4 apply to all buildings where two or more exits are required. Section 1006.4 specifically states that emergency lighting is required outside the exit doors. If the situation arises where you cannot get the required 1 footcandle, then emergency lighting should kick in. Usually this is because of a power outage but if some other known situation is apparent, I believe we as building officials are obligated to attempt to mitigate it, such as requiring low levels of light sensors to activate emergency lighting systems. The code could not anticipate every possible situation so we as building officials need to make adjustments to cover known hazards in our specific areas.

 

[MarkRandall]

I digress a bit.

Not sure I've ever seen a storm that reduced exterior lighting to below 1 FC, so I would think timers should suffice. Next big storm, I just might take my meter out and see what the lumens end up being.

Besides solar eclipses (short in duration), the only thing I've experienced is in 1980 when Mt. St. Helens erupted. I was 300 miles from the mountain on the campus of Washington State University. The ash cloud was so thick, most of the day was night time. Street lights turned on all day which actually lit the parking areas quite well, very similar to how bright it is during snow storms. Somehow, I don't think code is meant to be applied for that very rare occurrence of darkness at unusual times. I'll certainly follow this thread to see other people's opinions.

 

[permitguy]

Usually this is because of a power outage but if some other known situation is apparent, I believe we as building officials are obligated to attempt to mitigate it, such as requiring low levels of light sensors to activate emergency lighting systems

I respectfully disagree. The only case where we are obligated to mitigate this risk by automatic illumination in accordance with the code is in the event of power supply failure. For any other situation, a simple light switch meets the requirement.

I tend to agree that no storm will make it so dark that this is really an issue.

 

[Coug Dad]

i digress a bit.I was 300 miles from the mountain on the campus of washington state university.

Go COUGS!!!!!!

 

[globe trekker]

"I tend to agree that no storm will make it so dark that this is really an issue."

permitguy,I respectfully disagree with you! Some of the elderly people have difficulty in

viewing and navigating various types of landscapes and other areas, even

during normal daylight hours. Also, in this area, whenever a serious

thunderstorm rolls in, natural lighting DOES get significantly diminished.

Sometimes, short in duration, ..other times somewhat longer.

I have trouble remembering that the elderly populus has a hard time doing

just about everything.

.

 

[permitguy]

I've spent most of my life in tornado alley, including being raised right in the heart of it (the lungs, anyway!). I don't recall even the most wicked of thunderstorms causing it to be more than dusk-like. 1 footcandle is all that's required, and that ain't much.

I'm not unsympathetic to the older folks, mind you. But until the codes have more restrictive requirements, they're going to have to deal. ;-D

 

[Builder Bob]

You can have anything that you want - the codes are the Minimum standards - we only have to ensure the plans and field checks meet the minimums...