LOR1602W Weather Resistant Box

[Guest guest]

Hi,
I (a newbie) will be hanging one of my LOR1602w controllers on the side of my house. The plan is to have the boxes installed this weekend. I'm wondering how "weather resistant" is defined. Do I still need to cover the box in some way? It will be 3 feet off the ground and attached to the siding. The cables will hand down but will not contact the ground. The ethernet cable will be looped prior to entering the box.

I live in a rural suburb of Philadelphia and if we get precipitation it usually is in the form of rain with an occasional light snow.

I've seen the suggestions for the Primex P-136 boxes as well as a few others, but they appear to be for the boards/cables only. Will the showtime boxes fit in them or is it even necessary?

Any advice gratefully accepted.

Thanks,
Sally

[Guest guest]

it's a NEMA-3 box (google for actual specs). In layman's terms, it means that it will withstand stuff like rain, but you can't stick it underwater.

-Tim

[Guest guest]

Does anyone have one out in the open? Any issues?

Thanks,
Sally

[Guest guest]

sasmuse wrote:

Does anyone have one out in the open? Any issues?

My 1602's have sat out in the middle of the yard (as is) each season for years with no problems. We get plenty of rain, but no real snow to speak of.

[Guest guest]

dslowik wrote:

sasmuse wrote:

Does anyone have one out in the open? Any issues?

My 1602's have sat out in the middle of the yard (as is) each season for years with no problems. We get plenty of rain, but no real snow to speak of.

Look under the tree. There's one of my LOR1602's.





We had plenty of snow before Halloween, and the controller did just fine. The above picture was from one of the weaker snowstorms.

[Guest guest]

Thanks Tim and Larry! You've both made my life so much easier. My hubby (who will be helping me) was concerned about having it exposed. Alas because of my newbie status, he wanted some real world examples, and Larry your pictures are priceless!!!:laughing:

Thanks again,
Sally

PS 10 days to "lights on"

[Guest guest]

tfischer wrote:

it's a NEMA-3 box (google for actual specs). In layman's terms, it means that it will withstand stuff like rain, but you can't stick it underwater.

-Tim

I think these are Nema-3R boxes. The R rates it resistent to falling rain. The Nema-3 box is resistent to windblown dust.

Here's what I found:

--------------------------

NEMA 3 Dust Tight - for outdoor use where protection from wind-blown dust and water is required.

NEMA 3R Rain Tight - same as NEMA 3, except NEMA 3R enclosures provide equipment protection from rain. They are not dust tight or sleet-resistant.

--------------------------

I use Nema 3R boxes that I purchased from a local electrical supply. As long as they are upright they shouldn't have any problems with rain or snow.

[Guest guest]

Larry Hazeltine wrote:

dslowik wrote:

sasmuse wrote:

Does anyone have one out in the open? Any issues?

My 1602's have sat out in the middle of the yard (as is) each season for years with no problems. We get plenty of rain, but no real snow to speak of.

Larry,

Do you keep your controllers lying flat on the ground like that? I'm glad you haven't had any trouble, but I'd be careful putting them out like that. Water could run along the cables and get into the enclosure. The Nema-3r's are supposed to be upright to protect against falling rain.

J.

[Guest guest]

Jeremy Wiles wrote:

Larry Hazeltine wrote:

dslowik wrote:

sasmuse wrote:

Does anyone have one out in the open? Any issues?

My 1602's have sat out in the middle of the yard (as is) each season for years with no problems. We get plenty of rain, but no real snow to speak of.

Larry,

Do you keep your controllers lying flat on the ground like that? I'm glad you haven't had any trouble, but I'd be careful putting them out like that. Water could run along the cables and get into the enclosure. The Nema-3r's are supposed to be upright to protect against falling rain.

J.

I didn't have any problems for Halloween with the box on the ground. You can't tell from the pics, but the box is on a very slight incline to keep water from getting in through the cord area. Standing water isn't a problem here, it's either very dry (17% average humidity) which dries puddles quickly or the water is frozen. When the snow melts, the water dries up very fast. One of the benefits of being in an arid area like Colorado.

For Christmas though, I moved that controller closer to the house and it is at about a 45° angle. It is also up off the ground high enough so the plugs are off the ground too.

[Guest guest]

It is not recommended that you lay the boxes on the ground BUT if you do so place something under the top so the unit slants towards the bottom and water will not run up into the unit.