Electric Signs — Branch Circuits and Disconnects

Each commercial building entrance gets an outlet for a sign, and each sign gets a disconnect within sight of it. Modern LED signs draw far less than the old neon and fluorescent, but the disconnect logic is unchanged.

I always confirm the disconnect is visible from where the tech will actually be standing. A disconnect around the corner is a disconnect nobody trusts.

When it applies

Electric signs and outline lighting need their own branch circuit and a disconnect the servicing tech can see. Whether it is a channel-letter storefront or an LED cabinet, there has to be a way to kill power right at the sign so nobody is working it hot from a breaker three walls away.

Common mistakes

• Feeding a sign off a shared receptacle circuit instead of the dedicated branch circuit it requires.
• Placing the disconnect out of sight of the sign or the controller and skipping the required signage that points to it.
• Forgetting GFCI protection where the article calls for it around the sign's supply.

In the field

On modern LED signs the low-voltage side feels harmless, but the line side driving those power supplies is not. I set the disconnect where I would want it if I were the one on the lift at night, in plain view and easy to lock out.