If you’re seeking simplicity in your electrical enclosure, look first to the NEMA type 1 enclosure. It provides a degree of protection against your equipment’s most modest threats (an indoor environment, falling dirt) and extends a helping hand to your personnel as well, protecting them against any enclosed hazardous parts. In many applications, this type of enclosure proves sufficient. However, if you’re concerned about water occasionally splashing or dripping onto the enclosure, you’ll need to step it up a notch. As you might have guessed, your next option is the NEMA type 2 enclosure.
NEMA Type 2 Enclosure
Will your equipment reside indoors? Will dirt, dust, or lint occasionally fall on it? Are you concerned about people being harmed by the potentially dangerous parts of the equipment? Do you think H20 may drip on your equipment or lightly splash it? If you answered yes to all of these questions, and you don’t have further concerns about your equipment’s level of defense, you might do well with a NEMA type 2 enclosure.
Protections Offered by a NEMA Type 2 Enclosure
INDOOR ENVIRONMENTS
Due to their design and construction, you can only use a NEMA type 2 enclosure indoors. Free of the wind and rain, protected from the sun, safely situated within a building and under a roof, your enclosure can protect your equipment properly. If you plan to move this equipment outside someday, choose a type 3, type 4, or type 6 enclosure, all of which you can use outdoors.
PROTECTION FOR PERSONNEL
We know you’re concerned about protecting your equipment, but what about the people who will access your equipment or simply work near it? The type 2 NEMA enclosure provides a degree of protection to personnel against hazardous parts. It will prevent contact with live parts and may help you avert a dangerous accident.
DEFENSE AGAINST SOLID FOREIGN OBJECTS
Many work environments entail a certain degree of disarray. So if you’re concerned about the ingress of solid foreign objects (like falling dirt) harming your equipment, rest assured that the NEMA type 2 enclosure provides a degree of protection.
SAFEGUARD AGAINST MOISTURE
Water can damage and even destroy electrical equipment, so if water will be located in the vicinity of your equipment, consider purchasing a NEMA type 2 enclosure. It will protect your equipment from the ingress of dripping or lightly splashed water. Though limited, this level of defense will suffice in many situations. Do not, however, purchase this enclosure if you plan to submerge it in water or spray it with a hose.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TYPE 1 AND TYPE 2
Type 1 and type 2 enclosures are very similar. They both must reside indoors, they protect personnel, and they provide a degree of protection against the ingress of solid foreign objects. So if you’re debating between the two, focus on your concerns about water (or your lack of concerns). If the environment will be completely free of moisture or you’re not worried about water coming into contact with your equipment, you can stick with a type 1 enclosure. If water may drip on your enclosure or lightly splash it, use a type 2 enclosure.
To view all of the NEMA enclosure types, please visit the NEMA website.
Finally, if you’re on the hunt for a company that can manufacture premium metal enclosures on your behalf, check out American Products Contract Manufacturing. Our high-quality, innovative enclosures enable our customers to assist the telecommunications industry in expanding and improving their network services. We offer NEMA type 1, type 2, type 3, type 3-R, type 3X, type 4, and type 4X metal enclosures. Plus, we manufacture these enclosures from aluminum, galvanized steel, carbon steel, and stainless steel to create a rugged and reliable structure and to meet your environment conditions. Give us a call at 1-877-960-3703 to learn more, or request a free quote online.