Outside lights - IP44 or IP45

I installed a couple of IP44-rated low-energy floodlights recently. They were installed on the front and side walls of my house about 10 feet off the ground.

Within three weeks one of them stopped working. On investigation I found both lights had about half a pint of water inside them!

The supplier is taking them back and providing a full refund, but they have said that "IP44-rated fittings are at the lower end of the IP rating system and are not suitable for heavy and extended exposure to rain".

Eh???

I thought IP44 was suitable for external use unless it was a very exposed position (which this is not). I have several IP44-rated bulkhead lights in similar positions that are still in use after many years exposure and show no signs of letting in any water at all, yet these units were a quarter full after a short period during which we have only had a little light rain.!

I thought IP44 provides protection against water spray from any direction, whereas IP45 provides protection against low pressure water jets from any direction.

Is rain to be considered a low-pressure water jet?

Reply to
Mike H
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IP44 is at the lower end of the range. Were you supposed to drill a drain hole in the lowest part as mounted? That's common with accessories rated around IP44 - they aren't sealed against water (or moisture condensation), but provide for it to drain away without building up to dangerous levels.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

I suppose I was looking for guidance as to whether rain in a relatively sheltered position (on an east-facing wall and not in a coastal location or on the top of a hill) is 'water spray' or a 'low pressure water jet'.

Most of this supplier's outside light fittings (bulkheads, etc) are IP44 rated. My previous use of IP44-rated fittings in similar locations led be to assume that these particular floodlights would be OK.

There was nothing in the instructions about drilling a drain hole. Once I'd seen that they were letting water in, I did briefly consider providing a means for it to drain away, but given the relatively low rainfall over the period they were installed, and the amount of water ingress, I thought it safer to send 'em back.

So, do you normally avoid using IP44 rated units outside unless they're sheltered by a porch or something?

Given that IP43 protects against water falling as a spray at angles up to 60 degrees to the vertical, I thought that IP44 should be adequate for 'normal' outside use in all but the most exposed locations. Is that not the case?

Reply to
Mike H

How is the unit cabled - is it possible water is (was) tracking down the cable directly into the unit?

Or is it fed from underneath?

Toby...

Reply to
Toby

I tend to make my own assessment of suitability, treating the IP rating only as an initial guideline. Fittings generally aren't sealed, and so always have to cope with condensation collection and drainage. Even when I have a wiring accessory and cable system which would on the face of it seal, unless we're talking submersion levels of sealing, I still expect condensation and provide provision for it to drain away, and keep the internal wiring away from where it might run. Other things to make such wiring more reliable are to use drip loops -- bending the cable so any water running down it drips off before the cable enters the enclosure or a connector (applies both externally and internally to the wiring accessory).

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

Thanks Toby and Andrew

Shouldn't we be able to rely on the manufacturers for this? Aren't the IP rating specs and the testing protocols sufficiently rigid to ensure consistency of environmental performance, or do manufacturers get to nominate their own product rating without having to show any test results? I'd always assumed that the IP ratings system was a guarantee as to the suitability of a product for a particular environment. From what you say, it appears that isn't the case.

Both units were fed from below through a gland and I included a drip loop anyway to prevent water running back down the short length of the cable into the wall. There's no way any water got into the light via that route. If I didn't have to send them back, I'd dismantle them further to identify where they leak - bit that's not an option. It's a shame they're so poor because in all other respects they were just right for the job.

Oh well, note to self for the future:- IP ratings are apparently not worth the paper they're written on.

Reply to
Mike H

I realise this thread is ages old but was reading it with interest due to a current project.

One thing to consider about IP ratings is the following - The enclosure may be able to withstand a direct jet of water, but is it airtight? If not airtight, when the temperature drops not only will air be drawn in, but moisture in the enclosure will form droplets of water, which won't easily "boil off" when the temperature rises.

In other words, unless the enclosure airtight a drip hole at the lowest point is a good idea to allow water droplets to drain.

See pages 11 & 12 of

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like a good pdf to have reference to in the wiki.

Barry

Reply to
Barry Smith

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