At SealTV we are proud of our outdoor television enclosure’s IP rating of IP65. When it comes to protecting your standard indoor TV from the outdoor elements, we think the IP65 rating is the perfect blend of practicality and safety.
When you are sealing your TV ready to mount it in an outdoor setting, like a patio, beer garden or by the pool, you want to be sure your TV is protected so that it looks great when you have a party or people over and still remains in top condition and ready for action when the game is on.
Most people aren’t aware of what the IP rating is or what the digits represent. We thought we would break it down and share what an IP rating means and what level of protection you can expect when you protect your outdoor TV with a SealTV enclosure.
What is IP?
IP stands for Ingress Protection. It’s an international standard coding system to indicate the level of effectiveness an enclosure provides around electrical items.
The code covers the level of protection against dirt, moisture, and tampering (that includes thrown objects, tools, fists).
Unlike usual codes, the 65 isn’t one grade, it’s actually two grades. When we say, “We have an IP65 grade on our Seal TV enclosures,” that means our grading against intrusion is 6 and our grading against moisture is 5.
Intrusion Protection
The first number is about safety. It covers two sides; how safe are people from the equipment and how safe is the equipment from people. It indicates how enclosed the casing is.
An open casing can mean people can get hurt by putting fingers into fans or coming into contact with wires. It can also mean that foreign objects can damage the equipment, either unintentionally through knocks and bumps, or intentionally, through tampering or theft. The more closed a case is the safer people around it are and the safer the equipment is from foreign objects. If you have a business and you are using an outdoor TV in a public space you want to be sure for the safety of your patrons and the safety of your TV that it is fully enclosed.
| INTRUSION PROTECTION | |
| 1 rating | There is no protection, the case is open. |
| 2 rating | There is no room for a hand or large object to get through |
| 3 rating | Anything finger sized and larger cannot get through |
| 4 rating | Any tool (including wires) that are 2.5 mm or thicker cannot get through |
| 5 rating | Protects against fine tools 1mm and bigger |
| 6 rating | The casing is so tight that nothing can get through, not even dust |
| 7 rating (top rating) | 100% dust tight |
A Level 6 rating means that the equipment inside is protected from people and fully protected against any harmful dust.
Moisture Protection
The second digit is all about water. When moving your indoor TV outdoors, moisture is the quickest killer. The time of year and area you live in will make a difference to where the first moisture damage comes from, be it condensation, rain, or poolside splashes. No matter the culprit, your outdoor TV simply won’t survive any amount of H2O if it isn’t adequately protected. While dust will take time to eat into your equipment if unprotected, water will do instant, irreversible damage.
The very first thing an outdoor TV enclosure needs to do when you take your TV to an outdoor setting is protect it from water.
Ideally you will want all round water protection, however if your TV is housed under a roof, like a patio or a veranda, a level 2 rating might be enough. We feel that there is also the chance of unexpected water from a storm, sprinkler or window washer that should be factored for, which is why we insist on a level 5 rating for our SealTV enclosures to ensure that your TV is safe from water spray from any direction. That’s good news too if the game gets too intense and beer goes flying.
| MOISTURE PROTECTION | |
| 1 rating | There is no protection, the case is open. |
| 2 rating | Protects from any condensation |
| 3 rating | Safe from condensation and any water droplets that fall from directly vertical (e.g. rain) |
| 4 rating | Safe from condensation and spay that falls from above no matter the angle (e.g sprinkler or wind driven rain) |
| 5 rating | Protects from water spray and any water from any directions |
| 6 rating | Is safe from low-pressure water jet spray from all direction |
| 7 rating | Is protected from high-pressure water spray and waves from all directions |
| 8 rating | Can be submerged temporarily without damage |
| 9 (top rating) | Can be submerged for long periods under pressure (for those who like to watch TV while diving.) |
So while you can’t use your indoor TV to watch your favourite show while deep sea diving you can do just about anything else with it as long as you enclose it in a IP65 Seal TV casing that will protect it from tampering, dust, theft, condensation and water spray.
An IP65 protects in all climates as well. No matter if you are in the snowfields or the tropics, the casing will withstand extreme highs and extreme lows and keep out moisture in hot humid air as well as those places that can get a bit soggy with rain.
Moving your indoor TV outdoors can have a really big impact. Be sure to make that impact about your entertainment and the wow factor for your guests, not the impact on the life and health of your TV. Seal your TV in and get it working for you where you need it most.