Tritium Exit Signs On The Cheap

Tritium Exit Sign

A Tritium exit sign is becoming increasingly popular at all public places and rightfully so. Conventional exit signs were powered by alternating current. They had a mechanism which charged a battery during operation. If alternating current was unavailable, then the battery came into effect and powered the exit sign. However, the problem with such exit signs was that once the battery ran out, the exit sign was of no use. This was a nuisance and could prove to be life threatening in emergencies. 

Long lasting exit signs

Exit signs serve more purposes than just showing the way out. They facilitate evacuation of buildings during power failures and disasters. In fact, there is a regulating authority which inspects the presence and the condition of exit signs in public buildings and offices. Public buildings and offices have many doorways and corridors and thus it is easy to get disillusioned if there is a power failure. Exit signs prevent this from happening by facilitating navigation. Thus, exit lights can be life savers in certain situations. Battery powered exit signs became pointless once the battery got depleted. This was dangerous. In addition, it was quite inconvenient to keep these exit signs running, as they needed to be connected to an external source of electricity for the battery to be fully charged once again. This was not always possible, especially during emergencies.

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Tritium signs for exits

Thus, exit sign manufacturers came up with the ultimate solution – the tritium exit sign. Tritium is a form of hydrogen which occurs in both the gaseous and in the liquid state. Tritium is radioactive and is said to have a shelf life of more than twelve and a half years. When tritium gas is combined with a phosphorescent chemical, it glows. A Tritium exit sign uses shatter-proof tubes which contain a combination of tritium and phosphorescent chemicals and thus the tubes constantly emanate light. These types of exit signs are called non-electrical exit signs, as they do not need electricity to run.

Self-luminescent exit signs

A Tritium exit sign is the most reliable among all the existing types of exit signs. Tritium exit signs are self-luminescent sources of light and thus they do not cost any money to run. They are hassle free, as they do not have a battery which needs to be charged or replaced after every hour. They are resistant to all types of weather conditions including very cold temperatures. This makes them especially valuable in places with subzero temperatures.

Increased durability

Tritium exit signs are made with shatter-proof materials and can withstand vibrations, heavy rain, strong winds, etc. However, one must remember that tritium is ultimately radioactive and must be handled and disposed off with care. Self-luminescent exit signs have certain codes on them which indicate that they contain radioactive substances. Common codes include words of symbols like H3, radioactive, curie, etc.

Tritium handling

A Tritium exit sign must only be handled by professionals who have experience in handling self luminescent lights. This is because if exposed, tritium will start radiating beta particles into the surrounding atmosphere. Manufacturers make sure that tritium exit signs are subjected to quality checks according to industrial standards. Still, it pays to proceed with caution.