The standard batteries used in most exit lights and emergency lights
are either 6 0r 12 volts with some 24 volt systems out there where 2 -12 volt batteries are tied in series to produce 24 volts.
But what some manufactures of emergency and exit lighting have put on the market in the past are 4 volt DC systems and the average handy man etc changing batteries in these units can easily make the mistake of putting a 6 volt battery in the unit which will work and show it tests OK but couple weeks later the battery is dead.Due to the wrong charging circuit.
The big problem these 4 volt systems are not well marked look at the battery on the left no voltage marking compared to the battery on right .So the battery changing person opens the unit up sees the smaller battery and sees there is room to put the bigger battery in thinking he is doing a good thing giving longer run life during a power outage when all he has done is created a unit which will not work. Of course trying to see what voltage the unit is in the first place is a task because of how small the printing is on the labels . Then again maybe this was deliberately done to keep handymen from servicing them so you had to buy the overpriced 4 volt batteries. Once again a very bad decision by UL to allow these units on the market knowing the confusion it would cause. Why are these units not better marked ? well there suppose to be for professional installation only . Yea right you could open up any supply catalog and find them and describe professional for me when you see all the hacks working in the field for company's and calling them selves professional techs when they have no such training.
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