Firstly, let us say that neon signage is incredibly safe to use – providing it is well looked after and treated with respect. For more than 100 years neon has been a go-to signage and is now more reliable and safe than ever before.
In the past few weeks the topic of whether a neon sign requires a fire-fighters switch has popped up several times from new customers – so let us give a technical answer…
Fire-fighter switches are not always required. When considering the requirement, we need to look at the relevant regulations and
these are found in the IET Electrical Regulations.
A Fire-fighter’s switch shall be provided in the low voltage circuit supplying:
1: Outdoor lighting installations operating at a voltage exceeding low voltage and…
2: Indoor discharge lighting installations operating at a voltage exceeding low voltage.
For the purposes of this regulation an installation in a covered market, arcade or shopping mall is considered to be an
outdoor installation. A temporary installation in a permanent building used for exhibitions is considered not to be an exterior
installation.
This requirement does not apply to a portable discharge luminaire or to a sign of a rating not exceeding 100w and fed
fro a readily accessible socket-outlet.
A “portable” luminaire (e.g. an art piece) can be of any wattage or voltage and does not require a fire-fighter’s switch.
This is dependent on the amount of mA (Milliamps) being passed through the tubes and the voltage required for the installation.
When working out wattage there are two methods, one is the apparent power (expressed as Volt Ampere) and the other is the
Real power (Watts).
Volt Ampere is worked out with the following equation from Ohm’s Law:
P(Watts) = V(Volts) x I(Amps)
However this is not the Real power in watts that is obtained, it is actually Volt-Ampere’s which is not the same thing.
Real power is worked out by multiplying VA (Volta-Ampere) x Power Factor (cosφ) which for wire wound transformers is 0.5, this
results in a much lower wattage. With this in mind anything up to and including the following transformers should be able to be
used, as their Real power is less than 100w when running:
Wire Wound Transformer:
6kV 25mA running at 95 watts.
8kV 18mA running at 95 watts.
Electronic Transformer:
8kV/ 20mA running at around 95% of full capacity. Less load uses less power. Installations should be individually checked when
running, as cabling and other factors can affect the efficiency. When a fire-fighter’s switch is required the regulations state:
537.6.2 – Every exterior installation covered by regulation 537.6.1 in each single premises shall wherever practicable be controlled by a single fire-fighter’s switch. Similarly, every internal installation covered by Regulation 537.6.1 in each single premises shall be controlled by a single fire-fighter’s switch independent of the switch for any exterior installation.
537.6.3 Every fire-fighters switch provided for compliance with Regulation 537.6.1 shall comply with all the relevant
requirements of the following items (i) to (iv) and any requirements of the local authority:
(i). For an exterior installation, the switch shall be outside the
building and adjacent to the equipment, or alternatively a
notice indicating the position of the switch shall be placed
adjacent to the equipment and a notice shall be fixed near
the switch so as to render it clearly distinguishable.
(ii). For an interior installation, the switch shall be in the main
entrance to the building or in another position to be agreed
with the local fire authority.
(iii). The switch shall be placed in a conspicuous position,
reasonably accessible to fire-fighters and, except where
otherwise agreed with the local fire authority, at not more than
2.75m from the ground or the standing beneath the switch.
(iv). Where more than one switch is installed on any one building,
each switch shall be clearly marked to indicate the installation
or part of the installation which it controls.
In short, internal and external neon signs should have separate fire-fighter switches, these should be ideally placed next to the sign that it controls or in the main entrance of the building, if not then a sign saying where the switch is should be provided along with a label for the switch. The switch should be no higher than 2.75m from the floor. Due to the age of the regulation and the fact is has not been updated for quite some time, It is also possible to connect into an alarm circuit that switches off when a fire is detected, this should be confirmed as acceptable by the local fire authority.
The reason fire-fighter switches are required is that when spraying water over high-voltage installations it allows the voltage to travel up the water being sprayed, it is a safety feature for the fire-fighters should they ever be required. It is not the fact that a neon sign is more likely to cause a fire, as when installed correctly a neon sign is just as safe as any other electrical installation or appliance.
If you have any further questions related to this topic or any other around neon, please take the time to get in touch and we can talk to you about any type of project you have in mind.
Neon signage is incredibly safe to use, providing it is well looked after and treated with respect.
A common concern regarding neon that we get asked here at A1DeSIGNS relates to the fact that because neon is high voltage… it might be dangerous.
Let us look into this and explain that in fact – WHEN INSTALLED CORRECTLY, IT IS NO MORE DANGEROUS THAN OTHER HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES. Here’s why…
When installed correctly the voltage from a neon sign is insulated from being touched. If contact is made with a live connection, transformers generally have protection devices that switch the unit off.
Neon is generally classed as high voltage (above 990v), but the current is low on a neon transformer, in the milliamp (mA) range usually around 18-20mA. The socket in your house although only 240v can be as high as 30amps 30,000mA of current.
Voltage makes less of a difference in the case of an electric shock, whereas current makes a massive difference, for example static electricity is in the range of 25,000 – 35,000 Volts, but the current (measured in mJoules) is extremely low and not constant.
Current has the following effect on the body At 20-75mA of current someone would receive a painful jolt and loss of muscle control.
At 75-100mA of current, ventricular fibrillation of the heart can occur (uncoordinated twitching of ventricles).
At 100-200mA of current, ventricular fibrillation occurs, often resulting in death. At over 200mA of current, severe burns and severe muscle contractions occur and internal organs can be damaged and the heart can stop due to chest muscles applying pressure. However, this clamping effect can prevent ventricular fibrillation, greatly improving the chances of survival if the victim is removed from the electrical circuit.
We hope you found this post helpful? Check out more of our neon articles here. And please drop us a line if you’d like to chat about any of the details we’ve covered or to find out more about how our variety of neon signs can help your business.
There is only one type of neon. Glass tubes that are hand bent to a design, offering a unique way to create both art pieces or neon signs, Fully recyclable, long lasting and versatile, neon offers an unrivalled way to liven up any space.
Here at A1deSIGNS – as experts in all things neon – we’re inundated with questions about our specialist subject.
One of the most asked relates to whether neon uses lots of power. So, here’s a technical explainer…
Let us explain…
The amount of power that is used by a neon sign is relative to the size of the sign, the diameter of the tubing and how many sections the neon is broken up into.
Depending on required light output a single transformer can have a power requirement of between 0.2A @1-2.5kV and 0.93A @10kv for 18ma and [email protected] and 1.22A @10kv from 25mA transformers, this is the tube striking current that is required which drops dramatically once running.
To work out tube transformer requirements, a calibration process is carried out. To estimate the power requirements the process requires; measuring the linear length of tubing, allowing for the number of electrodes in the circuit and then choosing the correct mA output for the diameter of glass and electrodes being used.
The following is true when calibrating a neon sign:
The thinner the tube diameter the less meterage you can run.
The thinner the tube diameter the more intense the light is (brighter).
Electrode shells can only be run at certain milliamps, less mA can be passed through smaller diameter tubes as follows:
10mm (25mA)
13mm (50mA)
16mm (80mA)
18mm (150mA & 250mA)
External influences such as cable lengths can have an effect on power consumption, power consumption of wire wound transformers can be improved greatly (up to 40% reduction) with the use of capacitors.
We hope this answers your question. If you’d like to chat about any of the details we’ve covered or to find out more about how our variety of neon solutions can help your business, please drop us a line.
Check out more of our neon articles here.
Neon signs are unique. They have a warm glow that cannot be matched – offering a unique way to express creativity for a business or bring a home room to life.
They are also very versatile. Each neon sign or art piece starts its life out as a series of hollow glass tubes that are then heated and shaped into its desired form. So it can be used to recreate almost any shape, design, word or logo.
A highly impressive product, right? But what is the cost of running neon? It’s a question we’re frequently asked… so, let us explain.
When looking at the running cost of neon, you are needing to work out the kWh. This is done by working out the wattage (real wattage) being used by the transformer and converting that into kilowatts. Then multiply that figure by the number of hours the transformer will be running. This is then multiplied by your electricity cost per kWh.
If we take our 8kv/18mA wire wound transformer running at 95watts of power. The sign it powered was running for 10 hours a day for every single day of the year.
95 watts /1000 = 0.095kWh
0.095kWh x 10 hours per day = 0.950kWh
0.950kWh x 365 days = 346.75kWh over the year at 10 hours per day.
346.75kWh is then multiplied by the current cost for your electricity per
kWh. The current average at the time of writing this is 14.37p/kWh.
346.75 x 14.37p = 4982.78p /100 = £49.82 for the year.
We hope you found this post helpful… and please drop us a line if you’d like to chat about any of the details we’ve covered or to find out more about how our variety of neon solutions can help your business.
Check out more of our neon articles here.
Before answering some of the specific questions we’re frequently asked here at A1deSIGNS about the safety of neon – let us first say that neon signage is incredibly safe to use, providing it is well looked after and treated with respect.
Neon light dates back over 100 years to the time when it was first invented (take a look at the history of neon, here), and with over a century’s worth of development, you can feel confident that modern day neon signs are more reliable and safe than ever before.
There are a couple of reasons a neon section (tube) would get hot. This can be either due to the existence of impurities in the tube (air usually), the electrodes having too much current passed through them due to incorrect calibration or if it’s incorrectly installed.
The only other time that an electrode may be hot is on large diameter tubing running at a high current in the range of 150mA.
Neon can be at touching height, however, different regulations apply for the installation. Touching height (arm’s reach) is defined in section 7 of the European Standard EN 50107 and is concerned with the protection against contact of active (live) parts.
Arm’s reach is defined as the zone extending from any point on a surface that a person would stand or move about from which a person could reach out to. This would be a reach of 1.25m in front and below the surface and up to 2.5m above the surface that someone could occupy.
When a sign is within arm’s reach the following must apply: If the glass tubing is housed completely within a case, for example acrylic, no open circuit protection is required.
If the glass tubing can be touched then a mechanically protective enclosure according to IP2X and open circuit protection is required. This can be a tray panel with the electrical connections in the rear, or the silicon caps fixed in place so as to require a tool to remove them. External metal parts must be earthed and all electrode connections must be protected by silicon caps.
Complete mechanical protection is achieved if the housing does not exhibit any opening with a diameter of more than 12mm even if a tube should break.
Electronic transformers come with open circuit protection by default, other transformer types require a simple change of an internal earth trip, or if being flashed or dimmed by a separate external earth trip.
We hope you found this post helpful? Check out more of our neon articles here. And please drop us a line if you’d like to chat about any of the details we’ve covered or to find out more about how our variety of custom neon signs can help your business.
Eye catching, vibrant and colourful – neon signs have been a popular choice for decorating businesses and homes for more than 100 years.
However, in recent times it’s become a popular practise for some companies to market LED signage as neon despite the fact that – while they can appear similar – they are completely different.
Neon is only ever made from glass while LED neon contains LEDs and is either made from plastic or silicone.
Neon is hand bent/crafted over a hot flame by someone that has been trained in the art of bending glass. Once the glass has been bent to a shape, an electrode (glass housing with metal shell inside), is heat welded onto each end of the hand bent tubes.
Once the section (hand bent shape with the electrodes attached), is complete, it is attached to a machine called a bombarder. This machine then vacuums the section down to negative atmospheres of pressure. Electricity is then passed through the tubes, causing them to heat up. The section gives off impurities whilst being heated up which are vacuumed out of the tube, the heating also activates the electrode shells.
Once the tube has reached temperature and the electrodes have been activated, the tube is allowed to cool and the gas is placed into the tube. The tube is then connected up to a transformer to be aged in, which helps to identify any potential failures within the tube. It is then blocked out, a process where each tube is hand painted on parts that are not needed to be seen, giving each letter or shape definition.
LED neon on the other hand, is cut from a solid piece of acrylic by a CNC router, this then has LEDs put in the rear which are soldered as required, it is capped off and then vinyl is applied to the sides.
As you can see they are very different. It’s important to know what you’re buying – so if you are in need of advice about neon please feel free to give us a call. We are happy to help.
We hope you found this post helpful? Check out more of our neon articles here. And please drop us a line if you’d like to chat about any of the details we’ve covered or to find out more about how our variety of neon solutions can help your business.