Lighting Services Blog

Different Types Of Exit Signs To Consider

Written by Cooper Clark | Nov 10, 2020

Eventually, no matter how well you take care of your exit signs, you have to buy a new one for your building. Or perhaps you just bought a building that needs an exit sign to get up to code. Regardless of the circumstance, you will have several designs to choose from. Here are a few options that you might find.

 

Edge Lit Exit Signs

This design is distinguished by where the illumination comes from. An LED light shines behind the exit lettering, making the faceplate disappear and leaving the word clearly visible. The advantage of this type of design is partly aesthetic. It can look traditional if it is done with a wall-mounted housing and frame. Other types of edge lit signs are sleek and futuristic, with a clear acrylic faceplate and no frame to speak of. It makes it look like the word is floating in the air. Edge-lit signs tend to also be relatively simple to install and maintain, which is always a plus.

Swinging Exit Signs

These exit signs meet all the normal specifications, but their housing hangs from a ceiling from hooks or hinges. This allows people to push them up against the ceiling when they need to get by without hurting the casing. It is a handy design feature for low ceilings and high traffic areas where people might be taking tall items. It is also relatively easy to install and test. 

Exit Sign/Emergency Light Combos  

Sometimes you need your hallway and door lit from the same space that your exit sign needs to hang. The combination design is a good choice in these circumstances. It's a traditional exit sign, complete with test button and battery, with lights attached to the housing of the exit sign. Some of these are sleek, with a thin wall-mounted sign and forward-facing LED lights attached directly to the sides. Other designs have lights stuck up on top of the sign. You do need to have a little more space for this design, but it ensures that the hall and the door will be properly lit in an emergency. It's also efficient as far as maintenance is concerned. The lights can be dealt with at the same time as the exit sign, and you don't have to worry about taking up floor space with additional lights.

Recessed Lit Exit Signs

Anyone who is going for a minimalist look in their halls or doesn't want to take up a lot of wall space  will appreciate the recessed exit sign. The electrical components and the rest of the housing are tucked up in the wall or ceiling, as opposed to having the housing mounted to the wall or ceiling. The button you push to test the battery will be on the housing panel, though the exact position will depend on your particular model.

This design lets your modern interior decorating scheme extend even to your exits, which is a nice touch for a fancy office building. On a practical note, the recessed exit sign protects the housing from external threats. It's not hanging down, so someone getting a little too vigorous with the dusting isn't going to knock something loose or accidentally push the test button. It's also nice for places with a relatively low ceiling as it doesn't take up much space.

Choosing the right exit sign for your building takes some consideration. Fortunately, Lighting Services, Inc. has decades of experience in the field. We not only sell exit signs and emergency lights, but we perform routine maintenance of them too. If you are looking for experts to help you with your exit sign needs, contact us.