Weatherproof permanent power?

What Greg said. There is no way that you can keep moisture out of an enclosure, period.

In the building industry, you do not want to seal a house, for example so tight that it cannot breath. Although older homes had little in the way of insulation, they are holding up very well. That's because the walls can get fresh air inside of them. We are continually striving to build the best energy efficient home. Some mistakes were made along the way as well as some good ideas. I have worked on enough old homes to appreciate their simplicity.
 
Another option to keep boxes dry is silica gel packs. B.T. use them in all outside cabinets. They must be changed regularly, but can be dried in an oven and re-used.
 
Keep all electrics above ground.

Ventilate well.

Use plastics enclosures, to reduce condensation.

If sensitive electronics, consider silica gel BUT it MUST be changed as necessary. - Else it will get sodden, and hold moisture IN the enclosure!

LABEL AND DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. - TWICE!

NEVER use connectors that can be confused with those for mains electricity for low voltage feeds to anything.

Have a residual current protection device to all mains to outside / outbuildings. - In addition the that on your main 'fuseboard'. - Possibly with a lower trip current.

Preferably, run all outside wiring through suitably sized ducts, so you can change / add in the future. - This adds an extra layer of protection from UV, weather, animals, and garden tools.

Sparky, what have I missed?
 
Oh, and in the real world..
'Weatherproof', 'Permanent' and 'Power' do not exist in the same sentence.
:(:p;);)
 
PhilP said:
Keep all electrics above ground.

Ventilate well.

Use plastics enclosures, to reduce condensation.

If sensitive electronics, consider silica gel BUT it MUST be changed as necessary. - Else it will get sodden, and hold moisture IN the enclosure!

LABEL AND DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. - TWICE!

NEVER use connectors that can be confused with those for mains electricity for low voltage feeds to anything.

Have a residual current protection device to all mains to outside / outbuildings. - In addition the that on your main 'fuseboard'. - Possibly with a lower trip current.

Preferably, run all outside wiring through suitably sized ducts, so you can change / add in the future. - This adds an extra layer of protection from UV, weather, animals, and garden tools.

Sparky, what have I missed?
Click to expand...

Dont Cascade RCD's, It can cause problems, A outside circuit is best served by a dedicated RCD and Breaker or a RCBO, ie if you have a modern board with rcd's use a seperate RCBO fed direct from the Main switch. Ask advice from a Qualified electrician. Using cascaded RCD's means you could trip the one in the main board, but not the one directly protecting, which in worse case means you could trip the house, but not outside, you could be attending fault, thinking it's tripped and someone switches the house one back one. If you have to cascade ie a RCD protecting the Cable to a shed, use a Time delay RCD or a 100ma RCD to protect the cable and then use a 30ma, to directly protect the circuits.
 
Thinking outside the box I am considering using a battery, trickle charged via a solar panel, with an inverter as a remote 240V supply (similar to a caravan supply) for my backyard shed in my next place.
If my friends can run fridges, TVs etc. off one when off grid in their vans, then why can't I do something similar in in my shed?

You could run a 240V power point off a 12V marine battery in a box using a solar panel to keep it charged and just plug in the controller when necessary via a weatherproof power point, low infrequent power consumption and no need for wiring from the grid etc.
You could also run lighting and accessories off the battery as well.

I also am seriously considering adding a SLA battery for low volts lighting etc. into my new layout using this as a trickle charge.
http://www.jaycar.com.au/Ecotech/Solar-Power/Other-Panels/Solar-Panel-Charger-Kit,-12V-20W/p/ZM9052

All this is in my head at the moment but I am asking why not?
 
GAP said:
Thinking outside the box I am considering using a battery, trickle charged via a solar panel, with an inverter as a remote 240V supply (similar to a caravan supply) for my backyard shed in my next place.
If my friends can run fridges, TVs etc. off one when off grid in their vans, then why can't I do something similar in in my shed?

You could run a 240V power point off a 12V marine battery in a box using a solar panel to keep it charged and just plug in the controller when necessary via a weatherproof power point, low infrequent power consumption and no need for wiring from the grid etc.
You could also run lighting and accessories off the battery as well.

I also am seriously considering adding a SLA battery for low volts lighting etc. into my new layout using this as a trickle charge.
http://www.jaycar.com.au/Ecotech/Solar-Power/Other-Panels/Solar-Panel-Charger-Kit,-12V-20W/p/ZM9052

All this is in my head at the moment but I am asking why not?
Click to expand...


Been saying the same for ages!
 
I'm sure someone else out in OZ or NZ has rigged up power from solar panels, I remember reading about it possibly back in the old GSM days?
 
Yeah, now that people have proved it is very do-able outside. When I started I was told in no uncertain terms that it took perfect track cleanliness to run outside, impossible.

Good thing I only listened to the people who understood the situation, not the "converted" who wanted everyone to be converted the same way.

Greg
 
G-force1 said:
Been saying the same for ages!
Click to expand...

:wait: I have put spending stuff were the pork pies go. I have just ordered a 12v solar trickle charger, and a suitable small battery from evil-buy. I will use it to power all the new points in the new stockyard, and the secondary point in the top passing loop. I've deliberately kept to a small 7ah battery to see how it will cope. :wondering:

We shall see! :)
 
I did mention in a previous post about me using 'conformal coating' spray on the pcbs of the power supplies that I kept outside for seven years all year round with no problems.
The stuff basically seals the board and prohibits corrosion of solder and copper tracks etc.
It is wise not to spray on fuses, transformers or regulators if possible.
It is nasty stuff but the results are good.

The spray is also good for any other electronics that are kept outside in our climate.

Our weather patterns mean that at certain times of year there are large temperature and humidity changes during the 24 hour period and this can induce much condensation etc. which leads to corrosion on pcbs.
 
Speaking of spray on waterproofing, I'm surprised no one mentioned that black coating that LGB puts on it's circuit boards, like the ones fitted in their sound cars.
 
Yeah Dan, I do believe it is similar stuff, or at least similar outcome.
They maybe thought that the sound boards that they put into rolling stock might get damp or be left outside so they gave the boards a spray of protective.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top