The most important purpose of an outdoor junction box is to keep dirt, debris, and moisture from getting inside. Boxes that come with such protections, i.e., waterproof capabilities and particle-resistant builds, are known as IP-rated junction boxes. West Tool Enclosures provides the best IP-rated junction boxes on the market. With a vast catalog of sizes and configurations to choose from. Get Started here!
Any junction box with an IP rating is capable of resisting a certain amount of liquid and solid penetration. However, they’re not all the same. Some boxes can only stop vertical drips of water. Others can survive full immersion.
UNDERSTANDING IP RATINGS
IP stands for Ingress Protection or International Protection. An IP rating is a standard of evaluation that measures how well-sealed an enclosure is against intrusion, foreign bodies, and moisture. The EN 60529 international standard defines the IP rating system.
A typical IP rating looks something like this: IP65. The two digits represent the level of protection an enclosure has against solid and liquid foreign objects.
The first digit represents solids. In our IP65 junction box, for instance, the six means that it is entirely resistant to dust. The five means that it can withstand low jets of water from any direction.
To understand what an IP-rated junction box is capable of handling, you need to know how to read the ratings. An IP66 junction box is fully protected from solid intrusion and strong jets of water. An IP00 junction box, on the other hand, has no protection against moisture and intrusions whatsoever.
A junction box with an IP36 rating excels against high levels of moisture, but objects smaller than a 2.5mm wire can easily penetrate. Meanwhile, an IP63 rated junction box is fully protected against dust ingress but cannot protect against horizontal or even acute sprays of water.
WTE recommends that you assess your environment first to determine the level of solid and liquid protection you’ll need. We create junction boxes for all sorts of settings, and we make it easy for you to select precisely what you need using our online design tool.
WHY DOES IP RATING MATTER?
What matters when selecting an IP rated junction box? IP ratings are your guideline to the level of protection offered by each junction box. They specify the kind of environment for which a junction box is most suited. Knowing the required IP rating for a particular setup is essential. Otherwise you might not protect it as adequately as is necessary.
IP ratings are perhaps the most crucial to the durability and longevity of a junction box. An IP-rated junction box will provide better protection for electrical components, and it will do so for much longer than a junction box without protection.
A protected box is resistant to solids that can scratch and damage it. Similarly, it can deflect moisture, which is the cause of rust.
An advantage you get with WTE enclosures and junction boxes is that they can be outfitted with functional powder-coated finishes. Powder coating stands up to rust and corrosion very well, so it can dramatically improve the life of a carbon steel junction box.
We offer a wide range of colors too, because our clients need junction boxes for different locations. There’s an anti-glare color choice (ANSI 61 gray), a forest green to help your enclosure blend into the environment, a reflective white finish that is good for protecting components against heat from the sun, and a heap of other options to suit your preference.
Even without the protective layer, our boxes are durable. We craft them from high-grade stainless steel starting from 304 to the rugged and unforgiving 316, which provides heavy-duty protection.
WHAT IS THE BEST IP RATED JUNCTION BOX TO BUY?
Remember, the better the protection a junction box can offer, the more costly it will be to manufacture. Most use cases don’t require extreme protection, but then again, you can’t afford to take chances with your delicate electrical systems.
The question is what type of IP-rated junction box is right for your situation?
Personal Safety
For personal safety and the safety of your employees, you need a junction box with an IP rating of at least IP1x (x stands for the value of water resistance level). Junction boxes rated IP10 to IP17 protect electrical components from solids greater than 50mm in size (hands, objects, etc.) Smaller solids can still get through.
Physical Intrusion
If you need a junction box that’s resistant to physical intrusion (such as copper wires and small tools bigger than 1mm in size), the junction box should at least have a rating for IP4x.
Enclosures with a rating of at least IP40 to IP47 can’t be tampered with using small tools and wires. They are adequately protected against physical intrusion.
Heavy Rain
Heavy rain demands adequate water protection. For this, the best junction box must have an IP rating of at least IPx4 (x here stands for dust ingress value).
An IP04 junction box can withstand water sprays from multiple directions. It, however, doesn’t do so well with pressurized jets of water.
Environments like car washes demand junction boxes with at least IP05 protection. An IP05 junction box can withstand multidirectional low-pressure jets of water. An IP06 junction box handles high-pressure jets, and an IP07 junction box can withstand full liquid immersion for depths of up to 1 meter.
Depending on the intensity of the downpour, any one of these junction boxes can offer excellent protection against torrential rain and excessively wet weather.
Dusty Environment
The best IP-rated junction box for environments with floating dust and debris must have an IP rating of at least IP6x. This junction box is completely protected from dust ingress. It is suitable for environments like mills, mines, quarries, and places with lots of floating dust and debris.
Any junction box rated between IP60 and IP69K is impervious to dust-sized particles.
