Welcome to the Bud Ask expert series. Today we’re going to focus on the difference between enclosure NEMA ratings. The first one we’re going to talk about is NEMA 1. This means the box is enclosed on all sides. Any venting is too small for a finger to penetrate. There’s no protection against dust or water and typically no gaskets or other seam protection. NEMA 3 is for indoor and outdoor. It provides some degree of protection against rain, sleet, and windblown dust. It’s undamaged by the formation of ice on the enclosure, so it’s not truly waterproof, but it does protect against ice formation. NEMA 4 is for indoor, or outdoor applications. It is dust-tight it is watertight, and it can withstand hose-directed water. NEMA 6 is also for indoor or outdoor use. Is dust-tight and watertight, it can withstand hose-directed water, but it also can withstand some designated level of submersion. So, for example, to three meters for 30 minutes. NEMA 12 is for indoor use only; it protects against circulating dust or dirt, it protects against falling or dripping, dirt or liquids. It does not protect against sprayed water, and it is not waterproof, but it’s typically used on a factory floor where the environment may be dirty. So, the key issue to note, a higher NEMA rating does not necessarily mean more protection. So be sure to contact Bud directly for assistance with your specific needs, and in later videos, we’ll go into more depth on the tests that are performed to certify these ratings.
