Illuminated Fab Letters - Installation

[Ewedde]

Hello everyone, quick question: We have normally stuck in our wheelhouse of just manufacturing ADA Interior signage, but recently took some Exterior signage projects as well. One is for a school system.
Question is, who is responsible on these commercial jobs (usually) for connecting the letters to the building power supply? We of course can do it, but I also know none of our guys are licensed electricians.

This job in particular is a flush mount halo lit, with the letter wires needing to be fished inside a wall for about 8 feet before any connectionsn can be made. It's a brick parapet wall, and the deck above the drop ceiling is unaccessible.
GC told us to cut out the drywall above the drop ceiling, so we could locate each letters wire inside the insulation cavity. The more I looked at it, the more I started to realize this wasn't in our scope of work word for word, but wanted to ask anyone here who have done more of these union jobs the general question: Since its not spelled out in our contract exactly, who is (usually) responsible for the electrical connections?

Thank you,

 

[astro8]

Where I'm from, we have it spelled out exactly before any deposit is taken, as it can get messy and expensive. We usually run the feeds to a predetermined spot where a licensed electrician connects to the 240v. Like you, we can connect it.....but if the place burns down? This could either be one of our electricians or theirs. You need to talk to them now to see if you can work with their electrician, or in the worst case find your own who hopefully has experience with sign installs. Try and establish a working relationship as you'll be needing them in the future.

 

[Bxtr]

This is something figured out and noted on the estimates before hand.
We always connect up all the low voltage to the output of the transformer, the electrician is responsible for connecting the other side of the transformer to the panel.

 

[NazGraphics1]

Easy

 

[Ryze Signs]

In my state our license allows us to make connections that are within 6 feet of the sign. Further than that we have the customer hire an electrician.

Your state licensing code should tell you what you're allowed to do.

 

[DL Signs]

Licensed electrician does all our panel to fixture high voltage runs. If there's not already existing power to it, best to just have a pro do it, so you know it's up to code, without risking the liability if you do anything wrong, or if it's not up to code. Most jurisdictions require it to be done by a licensed electrician in commercial buildings anyway. The cost is just passed on to the customer like anything else.

We have a local commercial electrical contractor that we do all their graphics, help them set poles, roof fixtures, etc, with our equipment when theirs is tied up on other jobs. We give them a decent rate, and they do the same for us when we need power run to signs. Everyone wins.

 

[Hunter74]

In my state our license allows us to make connections that are within 6 feet of the sign. Further than that we have the customer hire an electrician.

Your state licensing code should tell you what you're allowed to do.

6 ft final hook-up is pretty standard but it's honestly determined by local/state sign code. Did the GC pull the permits? I'd get copies of the submittals they used to pull them. It may be worth it to sub out to a fully licensed install team. May not be a money maker but at least you won't lose it.

*edit: just noticed you're in Australia... I have no reference to how things go down there.

 

[MikePro]

+1 to verifying permits for signage, if you're not pulling them yourself. things get hairy fast when/if can gets kicked to a sign guy to "just install it", and then the lawyers take over when the city fees start piling up.

as for power:
property owner usually has an electrician, as does the GC.
nothing complicated about wiring LEDs, just complete jumps between letters and wire it to the power supply inside a UL enclosure with the 120v line waiting to be jumped to whichever breaker they want & coordinate with GC or building owner to have their sparky do the rest.

 

[JBurton]

flush mount halo lit

Just want to say, you'd better stand these off some if they're halo lit. The term for individually mounted and wired letters is 'remote mounted'.
I'm allowed to tie into a circuit within 10', per Arkansas's building codes. Anything longer is connected by an electrician.

 

[Ryze Signs]

6 ft final hook-up is pretty standard but it's honestly determined by local/state sign code. Did the GC pull the permits? I'd get copies of the submittals they used to pull them. It may be worth it to sub out to a fully licensed install team. May not be a money maker but at least you won't lose it.

*edit: just noticed you're in Australia... I have no reference to how things go down there.

I think it's refered to as down under rather than down there.

 

[JBurton]

I think it's refered to as down under rather than down there.

Yup, and obviously they refer to anything in the northern hemisphere as 'up and over'