Lift for replacing lighting in a hall: LED upgrade

To replace lighting with LEDs in a hall, warehouse or large-format store, the best choice is an electric scissor lift: the long platform holds two electricians with a stock of new luminaires, the machine is quiet, produces no exhaust fumes and in many models drives with the platform raised along a row of luminaires. When the luminaires hang above racking, production lines or machines, you work from an electric articulating boom lift positioned in the aisle. Individual luminaires in offices and shops at lower heights are replaced from a narrow vertical mast lift. The height of the machine is matched to the level at which the luminaires are suspended, the capacity to the people, tools and luminaires together, and the rental period to the number of luminaires and the pace of the team.

Which lift for which luminaires?

Each of the machines below is a cherry picker (aerial work platform, MEWP), but for a lighting upgrade each suits a different place:

• Electric scissor lift: production halls, warehouses, supermarkets and sports halls, that is anywhere there is clear floor under the row of luminaires. Most electric scissor lifts in our fleet have a working height of about 7.7 to 14.3 m and a capacity of 227 to 454 kg, and the longest platforms are almost 3.8 m. The narrow models (0.76–0.81 m wide) fit in aisles and ordinary doors. For very tall halls there is the PB S225-12ES electric scissor lift with a working height of 22.5 m.
• Electric articulating boom lift: luminaires above high-bay racking, production lines, conveyors and machines that cannot be moved. The machine stands in the aisle, and the platform reaches sideways and over the obstacle. In our fleet from about 10.9 to 20.4 m working height, platform capacity 200–230 kg, so you come down for new luminaires more often than with a scissor platform. We describe the specifics of aisles and racking in the article on the lift for a high-bay warehouse.
• Self-propelled vertical mast lift: individual luminaires, downlights and panels in suspended ceilings in offices, shops and corridors. In our fleet from 10 to 12.65 m working height, width from 0.99 m, a platform with a capacity of 200 kg for one electrician with tools, and a horizontal outreach from 3 m, which lets you reach over a counter or shop shelving.

New trays and cables feeding the lighting lines are also fitted from the same scissor platform.

Which lift for outdoor lighting?

Floodlights on a façade and luminaires on poles in yards and car parks are replaced from a diesel articulating boom lift with 4×4 drive (in our fleet from about 12.5 m working height). It stands on paving, lawn and uneven ground, and the platform goes over a fence, shelter or parked cars. When the machine has to stand far from the luminaire, for example behind a ditch or beyond a fence, a telescopic boom lift with a greater horizontal outreach is better. Car parks are serviced when the fewest cars are on them: before the shop opens, after it closes or at the weekend.

How do you choose the lift height for the luminaires?

Working height is the height of the platform floor plus about 2 m, that is the arm reach of a standing person. You measure the level at which the luminaires hang (hook, cable, carrier rail of a lighting line, tray), not the height of the hall at the highest point of the roof. If the new LED luminaires will hang at a different level from the old ones, the higher of the two counts.

Example: luminaires at 9 m need a platform at about 7 m, that is a machine with a working height of at least 9 m. With hundreds of luminaires it is worth adding half a metre to a metre of margin, so that the electrician does not work all day with arms stretched. A larger margin no longer helps: a taller machine is heavier, wider and harder to get into aisles. We describe the rules in the article how to choose the working height of a lift.

How many electricians on the platform and how many luminaires to take?

Two electricians on one platform work most efficiently: one disconnects and removes the old luminaire, the other hands up, hangs and connects the new one. A third person on the ground unpacks the luminaires, takes the removed ones and watches the fenced-off zone. The number of luminaires per trip is calculated from the capacity:

• the capacity is people, tools and luminaires together; the value and the permitted number of people are given on the platform plate,
• the weight of the new luminaire is taken from its datasheet and multiplied by the number of pieces,
• the old luminaires you remove come down on the same platform and are sometimes heavier than the new ones, so the calculation works both ways,
• the capacity minus the weight of the people with their tools, divided by the weight of one luminaire and rounded down, gives the number of luminaires per trip.

With the smallest scissor lifts (227–230 kg), two electricians with tools leave little room for luminaires, so for a two-person crew it is better to choose a model with a capacity of 350 kg or more. Luminaires lie on the platform floor; they are not leaned against the guardrails.

What do you do with the removed luminaires and fluorescent tubes?

Fluorescent tubes contain mercury, so they are taken out whole, so that they do not break, and brought down in cartons or containers. Used tubes, other light sources and old luminaires are handed in for disposal as electrical waste, to a collection point or to a company that collects such waste. Who is responsible for this and where the containers stand is agreed with the client before the start.

Can you drive with the platform raised along a row of luminaires?

Yes, many electric scissor lifts allow driving with the platform raised, steered from the platform, at reduced speed. The condition is a level, hard floor without thresholds, grilles and slopes, and the range of such driving is defined in the manufacturer’s manual for the specific model. As a result the platform comes down only for a new stock of luminaires or when changing rows. Before moving off, you check that there are no beams, trays or hanging cables above the guardrails.

How do you calculate the rental period?

The rental period follows from three figures:

• the number of luminaires in each zone and at each height; above racking a different machine may be needed than in an open hall,
• the pace of the team: how many luminaires two people replace per shift at this height and with this fixing, best taken from previous jobs or from a measurement on the first row,
• a reserve for travelling between rows, charging batteries, breaks forced by the operation of the building and unusual fixings that only show up at the top.

An example calculation (the figures are for illustration only): 300 luminaires at a rate of 30 per shift is 10 shifts, and with a reserve of two shifts, 12. For work at night or at weekends, convert shifts into calendar days, because the rental period depends on them. You will find current rates in the price list.

How do you work in an operating warehouse, shop or hall?

• Fencing off: the zone under the platform is marked off with tape or barriers, because a tool or a part of a luminaire can fall from above. Nobody walks under the platform, and forklift traffic is routed along another corridor.
• Hours: in plants you work by zones, at night or at the weekend, in shops before opening or after closing, in sports halls outside classes.
• Circuits: with the building’s electrician you agree which circuits are switched off on a given day, so that the rest of the hall has light.
• Charging: an electric machine is charged from a 230 V socket; when working at night it is charged during the day.
• Evacuation: the machine and the fencing do not block exits or escape routes.

Will the floor take the weight of a lift?

An electric scissor lift weighs from about 1.5 to 5.3 t (the 22.5 m model over 10 t), an electric articulating boom lift in our fleet from about 3.7 to 8 t, and the load is concentrated under the wheels. The industrial floor in most halls carries electric machines up to about 7.5 t, but this is confirmed with the building manager, especially on mezzanines, slabs over garages and tiled floors. The tyres of electric machines do not mark the floor, and the floor of a sports hall is covered with plates or mats. How to convert weight into load is shown in the article how much does a lift weigh and what is the floor load capacity. Before delivery, measure the doors, gates and the route to the place of work.

Who operates the lift, and what if the machine stops?

The person operating a mobile elevating work platform must hold a UDT qualification certificate, regardless of their electrical qualifications. As standard, the machine is operated by the customer’s operator, so it pays for electrical contractors to train one or two electricians; we run UDT training courses with an exam. Ask about rental with an operator when you request a quote: this is possible when one of our service technicians qualified as an operator is free on that date.

On a lighting upgrade lasting several weeks, a machine standing idle means the whole crew standing idle. When a lift stops, our mobile service repairs it on site at the customer’s premises, and where needed we supply a replacement machine from the fleet. RK Rental has over 250 machines in its fleet; from our base in Brzoza near Bydgoszcz we deliver them across the whole of Poland, and we arrange the transport ourselves.

In the enquiry give the number of luminaires, the height at which they are suspended, the type of floor, the width of doors and aisles, whether the luminaires hang above racking or machines, and the hours in which you can work.

Frequently asked questions

Which lift should I use to replace lighting with LEDs in a hall?

Most often an electric scissor lift. It has a long platform for two electricians and a stock of luminaires, it is quiet, produces no exhaust fumes, has non-marking tyres, and many models can drive with the platform raised along a row of luminaires. Most electric scissor lifts in our fleet have a working height of about 7.7 to 14.3 m and a capacity of 227 to 454 kg. When the luminaires hang above racking, production lines or machines, an electric articulating boom lift is used, and for individual luminaires in offices and shops a self-propelled vertical mast lift.

How do I choose the lift height for replacing luminaires?

Working height is the height of the platform floor plus about 2 m. You measure the level at which the luminaires are suspended (hook, cable, carrier rail, tray), not the height of the hall. A machine whose working height equals that level is enough, but with hundreds of luminaires it is worth having half a metre to a metre of margin, so that the electrician does not work all day with arms stretched.

How many LED luminaires fit on the lift platform?

It follows from the platform capacity, which covers people, tools and luminaires together. Subtract the weight of the people with their tools from the capacity, divide the remainder by the weight of one luminaire from its datasheet and round down. The old luminaires you remove come down on the same platform, so the calculation works both ways. With two electricians on the platform it is better to choose a scissor lift with a capacity of 350 kg or more than the smallest model with a capacity of 227–230 kg.

For how many days should I rent a lift for a lighting upgrade?

Divide the number of luminaires by the team’s rate (how many luminaires it replaces per shift at the given height and fixing), and add a reserve for travelling, charging batteries, breaks forced by the operation of the building and unusual fixings. For work at night or at weekends, convert shifts into calendar days, because the rental period depends on them. Current rates are in the RK Rental price list.

Do I need a UDT licence to replace lighting from a lift?

Yes. The person operating a mobile elevating work platform must hold a qualification certificate from the Office of Technical Inspection (UDT), regardless of their electrical qualifications. As standard, the machine is operated by the customer’s operator, which is why electrical contractors often train one or two electricians; RK Rental runs UDT training with an exam. Ask about rental with an operator when you request a quote: this is possible when one of our service technicians qualified as an operator is free on that date.