Transcript:
[0m:4s] Hi I'm Josh Bloom, welcome to another video in the RSP Supply education series.
[0m:9s] If you find that these videos are helpful to you, it certainly helps us out if you could give us a big thumbs up and subscribe to our channel.
[0m:17s] In today's video, we want to talk a bit more about electrical enclosures and what makes them different.
[0m:24s] We also want to talk about the NEMA ratings associated with a few of the most common types of enclosures and in what types of environments they are most commonly used in. If you have not seen our other video in which we take a broad look at all of the different NEMA ratings and discuss some of the characteristics of each rating, we will link it in the description below.
[0m:47s] For the purpose of this video, we want to talk more specifically about three different types of enclosures and NEMA ratings assigned to them. They are the NEMA 3R enclosures, NEMA 4 enclosures, and NEMA 4X enclosures. These different NEMA ratings are sometimes confused and oftentimes, you will find enclosures that have one type of NEMA rating, but are in the wrong type of environment.
[1m:15s] We hope that by the end of this video, you have a better understanding of these three types of enclosures and in what situations they might be used in. As always, this video is intended to provide only basic guidelines and should never replace proper electrical instruction. If you have questions about what type of enclosures you need to use for your specific scenario,
[1m:40s] please take the help of a qualified person or reference your local building codes.
[1m:45s] With that said, let's look at these three types of enclosures and find out what makes them different from one another. First let's talk about the NEMA 3R rating. According to NEMA, the definition of a 3R enclosure is as follows:
[2m:2s] Enclosures constructed for either indoor or outdoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel against access to hazardous parts,
[2m:12s] to provide a degree of protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against ingress of solid foreign objects such as falling dirt,
[2m:21s] to provide a degree of protection with respect to harmful effects on the equipment due to the ingress of water, rain, sleet or snow, and that will be undamaged by the external formation of ice on the enclosure. With the protection I just mentioned, it is very common to see these types of enclosures being used in outdoor locations.
[2m:46s] NEMA 3R enclosures are very popular among electrical contractors because they provide the protection that is needed in most cases, while also providing significant cost savings over NEMA 4 and NEMA 4X style enclosures. So, in most cases, a NEMA 3R enclosure will be adequate for outdoor use and will also meet most electrical codes. So, in what cases do you need to use a NEMA 4 enclosure? And what are the differences that exist in comparison to the NEMA 3R?
[3m:20s] NEMA 4 enclosures provide all of the same protections found in the NEMA 3R definition,
[3m:27s] with the exception of two additional protection elements. First is the added protection against wind-blown dust particles. The other is protection against hose-directed water.
[3m:39s] So, while NEMA 3R does provide some water protection, NEMA 4 enclosures provide a superior level of protection against water and force-driven rain, as well as fine dust particles that may be driven by the wind.
[3m:55s] The reason that NEMA 4 enclosures provide this additional protection
[3m:59s] is that they use a gasket material to prevent water or dust from entering the enclosure,
[4m:5s] while the NEMA 3R enclosures rely on enclosure design and gravity to assist in diverting water and dust.
[4m:14s] So, while NEMA 4 enclosures can be found in many of the same places a NEMA 3R enclosure may be located, they offer an extra level of protection and in many cases are preferred, especially in scenarios where the devices located within the enclosure are more expensive or sensitive to dust and moisture.
[4m:35s] Lastly, let's talk about NEMA 4X enclosures.
[4m:40s] The NEMA 4X enclosure will provide all of the same protections as the NEMA 4 enclosure, with the exception of one added protection measure.
[4m:49s] That extra level of protection is corrosion resistance.
[4m:53s] NEMA 4X does not offer any additional protection against dust or water, just corrosion.
[5m:0s] This is accomplished by using a different material than one is commonly found on a NEMA 3R or NEMA 4 enclosure,
[5m:8s] which is typically some kind of mild steel with a protective coating. NEMA 4X enclosures on the other hand are typically made of either stainless steel or fiberglass.
[5m:19s] There are other materials that can be used, but these are the two most common.
[5m:24s] It is common to find NEMA 4X enclosures in areas that are located in coastal climates because of the potential for corrosion and rust to occur on a traditional steel enclosure.
[5m:35s] It is also common and in many cases required that a NEMA 4X enclosure be used in hazardous environments such as a class one Div 2 area.
[5m:46s] This is because of the potentially damaging gases that may exist in these types of areas.
[5m:51s] So while NEMA 4X enclosures can be used in almost any location,
[5m:57s] it is not typical because of the significant cost difference that is found between them and both NEMA 3R and NEMA 4 enclosures. Enclosure selection will be entirely dependent on the specific needs and requirements of any given scenario. Having a good understanding of the differences that exist between these three common types of NEMA enclosures should help you better understand which one is right for your specific situation. For a full line of industrial electrical enclosures and thousands of other products, please go to our website for more information. For other educational videos, go to RSPSupply.com, the Internet's top source for industrial hardware. Also, don't forget: like and subscribe.