Cases & enclosures When deciding on the most suitable
outdoor solution for your project or network, Rittal’s experts advise you to decide what factors are most critical to you and your application and do your research before you select an enclosure. Simply because it is labelled ‘Outdoor’ does not mean it has the right characteristics, to face the elements and securely protect your critical equipment.
Protection from the elements included When an enclosure spends its lifetime outdoors where it will most likely face many years of hot summers and harsh winters, the most vulnerable part of the enclosure is usually the door seals. Protecting the door seals means prevention from water leakage into the enclosure. This in turn increases the lifespan of the enclosure. Water that is contaminated can cause
degradation and over time the seal will fail and in many cases the seals cannot be replaced. This then becomes a costly fix with the requirement for a new door or a new enclosure. Adding an after market seal often means a compromise and the IP rating may no longer be valid. Water sitting on the seal during the colder months can freeze - as the water expands it will push the door away from the body of the housing and again, allow water inside. The best way to avoid these types of issues, is to choose an enclosure that has an overhanging roof, or a design that protects the doors seals. Standard enclosures often have no such design features, meaning they are unsuitable to be placed outdoors.
security and vandalism Security and vandalism is one of the most concerning issues when placing equipment outside and in public spaces. It is key to select an enclosure where careful consideration has been given to the design to prevent vandalism or a member of the public gaining access its contents.
While eradicating security and vandalism
issues completely is unlikely, you can select an enclosure that has features that act as a deterrent. If someone wants to gain access then they will attack the weak points of the enclosures first, these being the handle and lock then they may also look at the hinges of the door, if these are visible. Choose an enclosure where different handle and lock options are available, such as having a lock inserted that requires a specific key and cannot be opened with a tool. Hidden hinges on the doors also prevent unauthorised access - vandals cannot easily remove the doors and trying to gain access in other ways will then mean bigger tools or more noise. Both of which are usually enough of a deterrent.
double walled Protection as standard Double walled enclosures offer huge benefits for outdoor applications. Not only by helping to regulate UV solar gain, but a double walled enclosure means it is twice as hard to gain access to the equipment inside if you do not have the authority. Double walled enclosures offer a chimney
style effect to eradicate some of the heat created by UV Solar gain. Whilst it does not stop all of the heat transfer, the outer layer assists with reflecting some of the light and what is transferred through the outer wall. Some of this heat is then taken away between the two layers up and out of the roof area which is ventilated. Any heat gain left along with heat generated by the equipment inside should then be able to be dealt with using a range of climate control options. This may be simple fans and filters, louvre arrangements or by using forced air cooling. Considering if the enclosure you have selected can offer these options, as a retrofit at a later stage, is key during the decision making process.
climate control solutions More often than not climate control is hugely overlooked in outdoor applications. The assumption is that any heat loss generated by the internal equipment will be lost through the transfer of the walls, especially when placing an enclosures in a cooler country such as the UK. Sadly experience tells us that this is not the case - sitting equipment in an enclosure works much like a flask, some heat transfer will be lost, but how much heat is being generated in the first place? Has a thermal calculation been carried out? If the enclosure is subjected to higher ambient temperatures, or more equipment is installed at a later date, can cooling be added as an option later on? These are important points that if considered early can save huge amounts of time and cost further down the line. Double walled enclosures also offer the
benefit of refurbishment in the event of damage. Rather than removing the whole enclosure, which would mean a shut down of the infrastructure network it is part of, the outer walls can simply be replaced.
durable enclosure materials Lastly are you using the right materials? Stainless steel outside may sound suitable, however its costly and again not always the right option. Painted aluminium is lightweight but durable and has the ability to be handled more efficiently, dependent upon the application. GRP may offer more benefits and would be significantly cheaper than stainless steel. The next time you need an outdoor
enclosure, you should really consider the enclosure as a critical piece of equipment within the project or build. Selecting the right solution initially will ultimately save you time and money.
Rittal
www.rittal.co.uk
Instrumentation Monthly May 2022
www.rittal.co.uk
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