Outside light, IP44?

[Ohmslaw]

Fitting an outside light soon, and suggested to customer to go for a higher rating than IP44, due to no shelter covering light. Problem is, can't seem to find much online, all seems to be IP44. Am I being too careful? Have heard of water ingress getting into IP44 before, especially with UK weather.

 

[Gteuk]

IP44 is the norm for most external lights,, it is expected the water runs out of the bottom I suppose.

You would not expect jets of water as such so although it would be good to have IP65 it is not warranted in this case.
I think there is a webstore that caters for IP65 lighting though but even halogen spots are usually IP44

 

[ericmark]

I have on this site showed the problems in fitting a lamp due to water ingress and posted pictures on how one small 1/16 inch hole at bottom can cure it all.

 

[Ohmslaw]

Cheers for replies. So you reckon drilling a hole at the bottom will be fine with IP44? Wouldn't it look unsightly?

 

[Gteuk]

A 2mm hole would not be noticeable, only needs to be big enough to let water out,, IP44 is protected against dust greater than 1mm and water ingress from water spray so should only get water in it when it settles on the housing.

 

[ericmark]

The hole was very small, the idea is it breaths through hole rather than through joints as air inside expands and contracts, any joint tends by surface tension and capillary action to have water around them, so as air contracts it sucks in the water it is near impossible to seal. Good design should include a breather, but it seems good design is hard to find. In theroy you should not have to do anything, in practice you do. If the PIR was separate from lamp it would not be so bad, the lamp would drive the water out again, but often they are combined so lamp sucks in water and PIR stores it until it touches some electronic part then it fails.

 

[securespark]

These are IP65. LED HUT is good.

https://www.ledhut.co.uk/new-30-watt-led-floodlight-fl-30-rgb-b.html