Waterproofing the LOR PC cases?

[stanward]

Is there a way that you guys waterproof the Planet Christmas cases so the LOR controllers can be installed out on the lawn, rather than up in the eaves? I don't think plastic bags would cut it, I can't find a large enough tupperware container that would fit the entire enclosure.

[-klb-]

I've had 20 of them U bolted to stamped steel fence posts in the lawn, with U bolts through the case and strain relief, through a hole drilled in the post, and around the post. The cases are upright, and fully exposed to the rain, with no protection, and no moisture issues. The only controller that I have had water issues with was one on the side wall of a building where massive quantities of runoff from the roof was falling on it from two floors above. I believe a simple strip of duct tape along the top of the controller would have prevented the issue. It and two others in similar locations will get duct tape this year. The rest of them will continue to get rain on them.

[stanward]

My CTB16PC cards are assembled in that LOR case that came with the kit (I assemble them myself). I am assuming you have the same kits.

I am afraid of the rain going into the cases. I did conformal coat all of the controller cards, of course, testing them before and after the conformal coating.

I do not like to use duct tape because of the adhesive residue left behind. I am afraid that if I was to leave the controllers out in the rain (like you have), knowing my luck, water will get into the cases.

I guess I could purchase an empty case from LOR and leave it out in the rain, maybe in different locations (maybe the wind may blow the water in?) and see what happens.

I guess I'm afraid that one of my controllers will get wet, and that'll ruin my Christmas show.

[-klb-]

Yes, the 20 controllers on the fence posts, another 10 on the side of the building, and the 8 more on the side of my house are nearly all in the LOR provided PC series enclosures, and those few that are not, are in the same case purchased elsewhere.

These boxes are designed to be bolted to the sides of the house, with cable TV hardware inside. They provide a fair level of protection against water intrusion, by virtue of the back of the case having the standing lip, and the lid closing such that there is over a 1/4 inch of overlap.

The one case of water intrusion causing issues was a very unusual situation, on the side of a fire house, with a valley concentrating the run off from a huge area of roof with the possibility of large quantities of water falling two stories directly on the controller, as there is no eve over the controllers. I don't do anything like the tape for protection at the house, where the eve is two stories above, and the wall and cases routinely get wet. Also, the impacted controller was not coated, or in any way protected. It has since been cleaned and returned to service with no issues.

I actually worry more about any brick dust (or other dust) that gets into the cases from marking or drilling mounting holes, than I do the water, because water by itself is not that big a risk. Leaving the brick dust behind provides a source of slightly soluble mineral content to make that water conductive.

As for appearances on the controllers, for most of them, we actually go out of our way to make them as ugly as possible. The ones mounted on the fence posts are randomly sprayed a mix of black, brown, and green. The ones on the front of the building are sprayed with one of the stone look spray paints, sometimes with a red base coat. I'll have to remember to get some red duct tape for those three controllers....

[stanward]

Thank you klb. I will look into the outdoor installation of the LOR controllers.

[Frank A.]

I have had the same concern in the past

Last year I mounted enclosures to a horse, purchased

inexpensive tarps and covered the enclosure and connections with the tarps.

Thanks for your time

Frank A.


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[TitusCarnathan]

I Use a strip of silicone caulk across the top of both boards it blocks out water perty good I didn't have any problems don't use latex caulk it will crack and fall apart also don't seal the underneath so if water does get in it can drain out

[stanward]

I think I may have a trick up my sleeve. I had to purchase a special roll of gasket-on-a-roll for the windows on my camper shell (as they were leaking pretty bad).

The gasket is obviously waterproof, and it is compressible, and it is 3/16" thick and 1/2" wide. I plan on putting this gasket on the inside of the LOR case. I will only use the gasket on the top and sides of the case, not on the bottom so water can drain if it makes it's way inside.

[Steven]

Here's another DIY enclosure. This one will sit on top of a van in the driveway (that isn't driven in the winter). The controller is a CTB16PC with low-power heat sinks. the case is by Rubbermaid at the dollar store. The white pieces at the top and bottom are discarded vinyl pieces hot-glued to the case to keep the rain off the outlets.

The RJ-45 jacks are overkill and not really necessary, but I had a few extra lying around. The jack on the right is an RJ-11 for the speaker. It doesn't really matter if it gets wet. There are holes in the bottom just in case.


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[iresq]

Just a thought for our newer members, the PC cases are not designed to be water proof, they are weather proof. The boxed should be secured in an upright fashion. Care should be taken when trying to add further weatherproofing by placing bags and such over them. Sealed or not (depending on your climate), these boxes are subject to condensation. They should be allowed to breath a bit. That's one reason many leave their boxes powered up 24/7.

[michael.farney]

stanward wrote:

Is there a way that you guys waterproof the Planet Christmas cases so the LOR controllers can be installed out on the lawn, rather than up in the eaves? I don't think plastic bags would cut it, I can't find a large enough tupperware container that would fit the entire enclosure.

You can do this without any modification. My PC boards have being laying in the yard for 3 years now. The cases themselves will not leak around any of the corners or sides IF you have them screwed completely shut. The only other possible water entry point is the cords. Just put a brick under the controller opposite the cords to give the box a lean. That way, water will not be able to follow the cords and hit the hot board. If any water did happen to enter the enclosure at the bottom, splash, drip,etc., the lean will pool it away from the card. I've never had water enter the case in the 3 years I've done it. It may be worth noting I have the rubber grommets installed correctly. I did not put a huge gouge in them to allow the data cables to sneak by outside the grommet. My data cables are run through the grommet like all the other cords, and there is enough slack inside the enclosure to provide a drip loop. The only issue i had was when the section of yard flooded with inches of water, thus flooding the controller. The controller wasn't powered at the time, so after drying the controller was fine.

The enclosures are good without modification and they can be laid directly on the ground, so long as you take the appropriate precautions.


Edit: Just because it can be done with success does not mean it is the best or safest way. The enclosures are likely not rated as weather resistant in this position. You should be prepared to accept the risk of frying a board or electrifying a pool of water if you go this route. You have to determine if the benefits and risks are appropriate for your location and application.

[Tim Dorr]

All of my PC controllers are out in the open weather and haven't had problem one with any of them. Six were just affixed to the threes with 2" deck screws. However, all are in an upright position with the cords hanging below the box. And we had plenty of rain and snow, so I'll be doing the same thing this year. No silicone, or duct tape, or plastic bag.

[Max-Paul]

This will be my first year, so I can not speak from experience. Looking at my boxes from the Broadband site. I understand that this is the same box that LOR uses. Even though it is not water tight per say. The door and the back part of box has channels that inter-lock making water have to do a "S" like twist while fighting the effects of gravity. Not impossible but hard to do during a regular down pour. But still possible if located under a down spout or heavy run off of a roof as someone else explained.

I for one think I will at lease put some kind of foam window/door seal across the top edge. I would like to give credit to the gent that mentioned this improvement to the box. Thanks Stanward for the tip.

[PaulXmas]

I was under the impression the boxes are fine outside without any extra protection.

Perhaps someone from LOR can confirm these boxes can be placed outside with out any extra protection.

I had X10 controlling my Xmas lights a few years ago. These are for indoor use. I placed them in a box with the extension cords exiting the box. The box was then placed in a green garbage bag. Then the whole thing (except for the extension cords) was wrapped in a few layers of packing tape. I placed the box under a large planter that was turned upside down. Worked fine for 2 years!

I may use the planters to protect/hide the controllers.

[stanward]

Here is a pic of the camper window gasket seal used on the inside of the LOR controller box.

To the left is the roll it comes in when purchased from a store that sells camper shells for trucks.


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[michael.farney]

PaulXmas wrote:

I was under the impression the boxes are fine outside without any extra protection.

I'm with you on this. I'm not sure why some people are going to all this extra effort when the boxes are watertight with just a screw.

[NWSanta]

michael.farney wrote:

PaulXmas wrote:

I was under the impression the boxes are fine outside without any extra protection.

I'm with you on this. I'm not sure why some people are going to all this extra effort when the boxes are watertight with just a screw.

It's more piece of mind really. I realize they are water tight but, if you just take one more step it just puts a little more blockage in the way that water could conceivably sneak in. I put my 2 mounted to a piece of wood under a giant Rubbermaid container out in the yard but, this year I have a different ideas as I'm moving my Controllers around...
Evan

[stanward]

Jeff, that is a very good observation that you have in regards to the deformed seal causing it to leak like crazy.

I will not use any aftermarket seal on the LOR boxes. The boxes will be mounted upright, not lying down.



Jeff Millard wrote:

I have 13 of the 9x13 "YourBroadbandStore" cases, and have spent a little time testing them for weather resistance. I considered the foam seal around the door, but when I tried it the seal became deformed and the thing leaked like a seive. They are quite water resistant without any mods. Max is correct about the way the door seals. It's designed to zig-zag and works quite well. I didn't drill through the back of the case when I mounted them. There is a considerable amount of material in the standoffs, so I drilled through them sideways, without penetrating into the case. Then I used nylon wire ties to attach the case to a metal box frame that will become a Christmas present after cutouts of political signs are painted jolly colors and wire tied on. I left 2 of them outside all summer and never found a bit of moisture in them, so IMO... forego the seal and rely on the design as it's a pretty good one.

Jeff

[Max-Paul]

stanward wrote:

Jeff, that is a very good observation that you have in regards to the deformed seal causing it to leak like crazy.

I will not use any aftermarket seal on the LOR boxes. The boxes will be mounted upright, not lying down.

+1

I also thank you Jeff for your review and sharing with the rest of us. Well after hearing what you had to say, I too will forgo installing any weather strip.

[PaulXmas]

In northern Alberta at Xmas time we get snow not rain so I don't have to worry about rain.

I am sure if there are no holes and the controller is placed upright then there should be no problem.

BTW it snowed yesterday!

Only about 77 days before Xmas!