Plastic Electrical Boxes and Enclosures
Plastic electrical boxes and enclosures come in a variety of different styles. Choose from junction boxes, electrical flanged and unflanged enclosures, terminal junction boxes, project boxes, GPABS and FRABS enclosures and insulated plastic and thermoplastic enclosures. Find the perfect electrical box by browsing through an array of sizes, materials and weather, dust and water resistance combinations. Equally, there are ranges suitable for the DIY project and plastic electrical boxes and enclosures for commercial applications.
Indoor or Outdoor
Electrical enclosures protect delicate electronic equipment from water and dust intrusion. They also ensure safety, sealing live wires away from touch. One of the biggest differentiators when choosing the right electrical box or enclosure for the job is where the unit is going to be fitted. For outdoor use, it is essential to select a unit with a suitable IP rating.
Ingress Protection (IP) Ratings
IP ratings concern two elements: dust and water. The the first rating ranges from 0, no protection, to 6, which is totally dust tight. The second rating refers to waterproofing and will range from 0 up to 8 which means the unit can be submerged in over 1 metre of water without springing a leak.
Common IP Ratings
Plastic electrical enclosures and boxes are available in a range of IP ratings. Typically, IP56 will indicate that the unit is dust protected and able to withstand powerful water jets. Another common rating is IP65. This indicates that the unit is totally dust tight and is able to withstand ordinary water jets.
Underground and Overground Installations
Plastic electrical boxes that join cables underground need to have a sufficient level of waterproofing. Overground it's important to understand the environment in which the enclosure or box will reside. For example, garages and warehouses may seem pretty clear but both can be extremely dusty and therefore a high dust rated unit (5 or 6) would be appropriate.
