Hey there, welcome to the show. You know, I was looking out at the patio the other day, and it occurred to me that our outdoor setup has grown quite a bit over the last few years. We have the lights, the speakers, even a little charging station for when we are working outside. But every time a storm rolls in, I find myself second-guessing whether I actually bought the right gear for the environment. It is one thing to have a little Bluetooth speaker you can grab and run inside with, but when you start mounting things to the side of the house or burying cables in the yard, the stakes get a lot higher.
Herman Poppleberry here. And Corn, that is a classic case of what I like to call spec sheet anxiety. We see these numbers and letters on the box, and we assume higher is always better, but we do not always understand what they are actually protecting against. Today’s prompt from Daniel is about exactly that, specifically waterproofing electronics and the standards we should be looking for when we are setting up things like outdoor speakers or power systems. It is February of twenty-six, and even though we have seen massive leaps in material science over the last decade, the fundamental physics of water and electricity remain as antagonistic as ever.
It is a great topic because the marketing can be so misleading. You see a picture of a speaker at the bottom of a swimming pool, but in reality, most people just need it to survive a heavy downpour or a stray spray from a garden hose. Daniel mentioned the IP sixty-eight and IP sixty-five standards, and I think that is the perfect place for us to start. Herman, for the uninitiated, can you break down what those two digits actually represent? Because it is not just a random scale from one to a hundred.
Exactly. IP stands for Ingress Protection. It is an international standard defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission, specifically standard sixty-thousand-five-hundred-and-twenty-nine. The code is almost always two digits. The first digit refers to protection against solid objects, like dust, sand, or even fingers. That scale goes from zero to six. A zero means no protection, while a one would protect against something large like a hand. By the time you get to a four, you are protected against wires and small screws. A five means it is dust-protected, meaning some dust might get in but not enough to interfere with the operation. A six, however, means it is dust-tight, so no particulates are getting inside the housing at all.
Right, and for outdoor gear, you almost always want that to be a five or a six because wind-blown dust and grit can be just as destructive as water over time. It can gum up buttons or act as an abrasive on seals. If you live in a place like Arizona or even here in Jerusalem where the dust can get quite fine, that first digit is actually more important than people realize.
Spot on. But the second digit is the one everyone focuses on, and that is the liquid protection. That scale goes from zero all the way up to nine. When Daniel mentions IP sixty-five versus IP sixty-eight, he is highlighting a really important distinction in how water actually interacts with a device. IP sixty-five means the device is protected against water jets. Specifically, it is tested by spraying water through a six point three millimeter nozzle from any direction for at least three minutes at a rate of twelve point five liters per minute.
So that is basically a heavy rainstorm or someone accidentally hitting the speaker with a hose while watering the plants. It is about volume and direction, but not necessarily about the pressure you get from being deep underwater.
Exactly. It is about velocity and volume, but not pressure from depth. Now, when you jump up to IP sixty-seven or IP sixty-eight, you are moving into the realm of immersion. IP sixty-seven means it can be submerged in up to one meter of water for thirty minutes. IP sixty-eight is even more rigorous, usually meaning it can go deeper than one meter, with the specific depth and duration defined by the manufacturer. Usually, that is around three meters, but it can be more.
This is where I think the marketing gets a little bit silly. Daniel pointed out that a lot of these speakers claim to be submersible up to three meters. But if I am putting a speaker on my deck, I am never going to submerge it. Does having that IP sixty-eight rating actually offer better protection against rain than an IP sixty-five rating, or is it just a different kind of protection?
That is such a perceptive question, Corn. And the answer might surprise some people. In many cases, a device that is rated for immersion, like IP sixty-seven, might not actually be rated for high-pressure water jets, which would be IP sixty-six. Think about it this way: a seal that can withstand the slow, steady pressure of being underwater might fail if a high-velocity stream of water hits it at a specific angle. The immersion test is about the integrity of the seals under static pressure. The jet test is about the mechanical strength of the housing and the seals against kinetic energy.
That is fascinating. So you could have a phone that you can drop in a pool, but if you held it directly in front of a high-pressure power washer, the water might actually force its way past the gaskets. I have seen people make that mistake when cleaning their outdoor gear. They think because it is waterproof, they can blast it with a pressure washer, and then they wonder why the screen starts flickering the next day.
Precisely. For the average home user, IP sixty-five is often the sweet spot for something like an outdoor speaker. It tells you that the enclosure is designed to shed water that is falling or being sprayed at it. If you have a speaker that is IP sixty-five, you can leave it out in a thunderstorm and feel pretty confident. The leap to IP sixty-eight is really for peace of mind if you live in a flood-prone area or if you are mounting the speaker right next to a pool where it might actually get knocked into the water. But there is another rating people should look for if they are really serious: IP sixty-nine-K.
Sixty-nine-K? That sounds like something you would find on a submarine or a piece of industrial food processing equipment.
That is exactly where it started. The K stands for a German standard that was later adopted into the international system. It means the device can withstand high-pressure, high-temperature washdowns. We are talking about water at eighty degrees Celsius being blasted at the device at a pressure of up to one hundred bar. You see this on some high-end outdoor security cameras and ruggedized sensors now. It is overkill for a speaker, but it shows you just how far these standards can go.
I also want to talk about the physical reality of these seals. We see these ratings on a brand-new product, but these speakers are sitting outside in the sun. In Jerusalem, we get some pretty intense ultraviolet radiation and significant temperature swings between day and night. How do those IP ratings hold up after two years of sitting in the sun?
That is the dirty little secret of the industry. IP ratings are a snapshot in time. They are tested in a lab with fresh water at a stable temperature. In the real world, you have thermal expansion and contraction. During the day, the air inside the speaker heats up and expands. At night, it cools down and creates a slight vacuum. This can actually pull moisture through the seals over time. Plus, UV rays degrade the rubber and silicone gaskets. After a few seasons, an IP sixty-five speaker might effectively become an IP fifty-four speaker.
So the practical takeaway there is that even if it is rated for the outdoors, giving it a bit of shelter, like putting it under an eave or a small awning, is going to massively extend its lifespan. It is not just about the rain; it is about protecting the materials that provide the waterproofing in the first place. I always tell people, the best waterproofing is a roof.
Absolutely. And that leads us into the second part of Daniel’s prompt, which is much more serious from a safety perspective. We have been talking about battery-powered Bluetooth speakers, but what happens when you want a more permanent setup? Daniel asked about the standards for protected plugs and electronics that draw one hundred and ten or two hundred and thirty volts of alternating current power. This is where the stakes go from a broken speaker to a potential fire or electrocution hazard.
Yeah, the physics here are unforgiving. Water is a conductor, especially rainwater which picks up particulates as it falls, or pool water which is full of chemicals. When you have high voltage sitting outdoors, you need more than just a rubber gasket. You need a system that can fail safely. If you are running two hundred and thirty volts to a powered subwoofer on your patio, you are essentially bringing the danger of the kitchen or the bathroom into an environment that is constantly changing.
Right. When we talk about outdoor power, the first thing anyone should look for is a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter, or GFCI. In some regions, like the United Kingdom or Australia, these are called Residual Current Devices, or RCDs. These are not technically a waterproofing standard, but they are the most important safety component for outdoor electronics.
For those who are not electrical engineers, can you explain the millisecond-level magic that a GFCI is performing? Because it really is a life-saving piece of technology that we often take for granted.
It is actually a very elegant piece of engineering. A GFCI constantly monitors the amount of current flowing from the hot wire to the neutral wire. In a perfect circuit, those two numbers should be identical. If there is even a tiny discrepancy, as small as four to six milliamperes, the GFCI assumes that the missing electricity is leaking somewhere it should not be, like through a person or into a puddle of water. It then snaps the circuit shut in about one-thirtieth of a second.
It is basically a lightning-fast bodyguard for your heart. But even with a GFCI, we still need to keep the water out of the physical plug. Daniel mentioned the standards for the plugs themselves. If I am looking at an outdoor outlet, I usually see those heavy plastic covers. Is there a specific rating for those?
Yes, there is. In the United States, we often look for what is called an in-use cover or a while-in-use cover. The National Electrical Code requires these for outdoor outlets. They are designed so that even when a cord is plugged in, the cover can close completely and create a weatherproof seal. These are often rated as NEMA three-R or NEMA four-X.
NEMA is the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, right? How does that compare to the IP ratings we were talking about earlier?
They overlap quite a bit, but NEMA ratings are often more comprehensive for industrial and outdoor enclosures. For example, a NEMA four-X rating means the enclosure is protected against windblown dust and rain, but it also has to be resistant to corrosion. That is a huge factor for outdoor electronics that people often overlook. If you live near the coast, the salt in the air will eat through a standard electronic housing in a matter of months if it is not specifically treated.
That is a great point. And it brings us back to the speakers. If you are buying a high-end outdoor speaker that plugs into the wall, you really need to look at how that power cable is handled. Some speakers use a proprietary waterproof connector, while others just have a standard lead that you are supposed to plug into a weatherproof box. I have seen some setups where the speaker itself is rated IP sixty-seven, but the power brick is just a standard indoor transformer that someone has tucked under a chair. That is a recipe for disaster.
And this is where I see a lot of DIY mistakes. People will buy a great IP-rated speaker, but then they use a standard indoor extension cord to reach the outlet. Or they leave the connection point between two cords sitting on the ground where water can pool. If you are running power to outdoor speakers, you should ideally be using burial-rated cable or conduit, and all your connections should happen inside an enclosure rated for the environment.
I have seen some of those enclosures that claim to be waterproof but they just look like a plastic box with a snap-on lid. Are those actually reliable? I see them in hardware stores for ten dollars, and they claim to protect your Christmas lights or your speaker connections.
Some of them are, but you have to look for the gasket. A truly waterproof electrical box will have a compressible seal, usually made of EPDM or silicone, that runs the entire perimeter of the lid. It should also have some kind of cord grip or strain relief where the wires enter the box. If the wire just slides through a hole, water will find its way in through capillary action. Water is surprisingly good at climbing up wires.
Capillary action is such a sneaky enemy. I remember reading about a car where the engine computer was ruined because oil wicked its way up through the inside of a wire from a leaking sensor. Water can do the exact same thing. If your outdoor speaker has a cord hanging down, and that cord goes into a box, the water will run down the cord and right into the box unless you have what is called a drip loop.
I am so glad you brought up the drip loop, Corn. That is the most low-tech, high-impact waterproofing trick in existence. You just make sure the wire dips down below the level of the entry point before going back up into the device or the outlet box. Gravity pulls the water to the bottom of the loop, where it drips off, instead of following the wire into the sensitive electronics. It costs zero dollars and takes five seconds to implement, but it saves thousands of dollars in equipment.
It is so simple, yet I see it missed all the time. Let’s talk about the speakers themselves for a second. Daniel mentioned two hundred and thirty volts or one hundred and ten volts. Most modern outdoor speakers, at least the high-quality ones, actually use a separate power brick or a transformer that drops the voltage down to something much safer, like twelve or twenty-four volts DC, before the wire ever goes outside.
That is definitely the gold standard for safety. If you can keep the high-voltage AC inside the house and only run low-voltage DC to the speakers, you have removed ninety percent of the danger. Even if a squirrel chews through a twelve-volt wire in a rainstorm, you are looking at a blown fuse or a dead speaker, not a life-threatening situation. This is why many professional landscape lighting systems and outdoor audio systems use what we call Class Two power supplies.
But some people want those massive, high-powered active speakers for a big backyard party, and those often require a full mains connection. If someone is determined to go that route, what should they be looking for on the spec sheet to ensure it is high quality?
First, look for a laboratory certification like UL, which stands for Underwriters Laboratories, or ETL. Specifically, you want to see that it is listed for wet locations. This is a higher standard than just being damp-rated. A damp-rated device can handle humidity and the occasional condensation, like in a bathroom. A wet-location rating means the device can be in direct contact with rain or snow.
And what about the internal construction? I imagine the cooling is a major challenge. If you seal a high-powered amplifier inside a waterproof box to keep the rain out, how do you get the heat out? Especially in the summer when the ambient temperature is already thirty-five degrees Celsius.
That is the engineering trade-off. Most waterproof electronics use the entire outer shell as a heat sink. You will see these heavy aluminum fins on the back of high-quality outdoor speakers. They are using passive cooling because they cannot have a fan. A fan requires an air intake, and an air intake is a giant hole for water to enter. If you see an outdoor speaker with a fan, stay away from it unless it is part of a very sophisticated, very expensive industrial cooling system with specialized baffles.
It makes sense why those outdoor-rated amps are so much more expensive than their indoor counterparts. You are paying for the thermal management and the specialized gaskets. I also think we should touch on the connectors. Daniel asked about what to look for to make sure you are buying something safe.
Look for gold-plated or nickel-plated connectors. Corrosion is the silent killer of outdoor electronics. Even if water doesn't get inside the housing, it will sit on the exposed metal of the plugs. This creates oxidation, which increases resistance, which leads to heat, which can eventually melt the plastic or cause a short. In twenty-twenty-six, we are seeing more use of specialized polymers in connectors that are resistant to salt spray and chemical exposure.
And for the speaker wire itself, if you are not using a pre-made cable, you want to look for wire that is rated for direct burial or at least UV-resistant. Standard speaker wire has a clear PVC jacket that will turn brittle and crack after six months in the sun. Once that jacket cracks, water gets into the copper, and it will turn green and stop conducting long before you even realize there is a problem.
Exactly. It is called copper rot. The moisture wicks into the strands and creates a high-resistance mess. If you are doing a permanent installation, use oxygen-free copper with a heavy-duty, outdoor-rated jacket. It is a bit more expensive per foot, but you won't have to dig it up and replace it in two years. Also, look for wire that is CL-three rated if you are running it through walls, as that is a fire safety standard.
So, to summarize the practical spec for the average person, if you are looking for a speaker that can survive the elements, IP sixty-five is usually plenty for rain. If you think it might get knocked into a pool, look for IP sixty-seven. But regardless of the rating, try to mount it somewhere with a little bit of shade and protection from the worst of the wind.
And for the power side, the priority is safety. Use a GFCI outlet, use an in-use weatherproof cover, and if possible, use a system that converts the power to low voltage before it leaves the house. If you are buying a speaker that plugs directly into the wall, make sure it has that UL wet-location listing. And do not forget the drip loop!
I think one thing people often forget is that waterproofing is not just about keeping the water out; it is about letting the moisture out. No seal is perfect. Eventually, some humidity will get inside. High-quality outdoor electronics sometimes have a tiny, breathable membrane, like Gore-Tex, that allows pressure to equalize and water vapor to escape without letting liquid water in.
That is a very high-end feature, often found in things like outdoor security cameras or professional-grade lighting. It prevents fogging on the inside of the lens. If you are buying an outdoor television, for example, that is a huge factor. Those things are basically giant sealed ovens, and they need that moisture management to survive the humidity.
Outdoor TVs are a whole different beast. The price jump from a regular TV to an outdoor TV is staggering, but when you look at the internal sealing and the brightness required to compete with the sun, it starts to make sense. You can’t just take a five-hundred-dollar LED TV and stick it on the patio.
Oh, definitely. You cannot just put a regular TV in a plastic box and expect it to last. The heat buildup alone will kill it in a week. True outdoor TVs are engineered from the ground up to be weather-tight and thermally managed. They often have internal heaters for the winter and high-velocity internal fans that circulate air against a heat exchanger to keep the panel cool in the summer. Plus, the screens are usually treated with anti-glare coatings that are much more rugged than what you find in a living room.
You know, it is interesting to see how far this technology has come. Ten years ago, outdoor speakers were mostly these big, ugly rocks that sounded terrible. Now you can get high-fidelity audio that can survive a hurricane. We even have outdoor smart plugs now that integrate with Matter and Thread, allowing you to control your whole yard from your phone.
It is all about materials science. We have better adhesives, better synthetic rubbers like Viton and EPDM, and more precise manufacturing that allows for tighter tolerances on those gaskets. And the testing has become much more standardized. When a reputable company says IP sixty-seven now, you can generally trust that it has actually passed those specific tests in a lab. But remember, that testing is done with fresh water. If you live near the ocean, salt water is a completely different animal.
Salt water is basically liquid sandpaper and a battery electrolyte rolled into one. If you are near the coast, you need to look for marine-grade electronics. Those usually have even stricter standards, like ASTM B-one-hundred-and-seventeen, which is a salt spray test.
Exactly. That test involves putting the device in a chamber and blasting it with a salt fog for hundreds of hours to see how the finishes and seals hold up. For most people, that is overkill, but for a beach house, it is the only way to ensure your gear lasts more than a single season.
Though, as you said, the lab is not the real world. I always tell people that the best waterproofing is a roof. If you can put your electronics on a covered porch, you are increasing their life expectancy by five times, regardless of what the IP rating says. It reduces the UV exposure, the direct impact of rain, and the temperature swings.
That is the most practical advice of all. Use the specs to buy the right gear, but use common sense to install it. Don't tempt fate by putting your expensive amplifier right where the gutter overflows. And always, always check your GFCI once a month. There is a little test button on the outlet for a reason. If it doesn't click off when you press that button, it is not protecting you.
That is a great reminder. Safety first, then the tunes. I think we have covered a lot of ground here. From the first digit of the IP code to the millisecond response of a GFCI, and even the sneaky ways water wicks up a wire. It is a lot to think about, but it really comes down to understanding the environment you are putting the gear into.
And being honest about how you are going to use it. If you are never going to take your speaker swimming, don't pay a massive premium for IP sixty-eight if an IP sixty-five model sounds better or fits your budget more effectively. Focus on the quality of the build and the reputation of the manufacturer.
I hope that helps Daniel and everyone else who is looking to spruce up their outdoor space. It is a great time of year to be outside, and having some music or a movie setup makes it even better, as long as you aren't constantly worried about the next cloud on the horizon. It is about creating a space where you can actually relax, not a space that gives you a new list of chores and worries.
Definitely. And if you have any follow-up questions about specific setups or some of the more obscure NEMA ratings, we are always happy to go deeper. There is a whole world of specialized enclosures out there for extreme environments that we didn't even touch on—like explosion-proof housings for industrial sites, which is a whole different level of sealing!
Maybe we will save the explosion-proof speakers for a future episode when someone asks about throwing a party in a volcano. But for now, I think a rainy backyard is plenty for us to handle.
Probably a wise choice. I don't think my insurance covers volcanic parties.
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It makes a huge difference, and we love reading the feedback. We have been doing this for over seven hundred episodes now, and the community is what keeps us going. Every time someone sends in a prompt like Daniel’s, it reminds us why we love exploring these weird little corners of the tech world.
It really is. You can find all our past episodes and a way to get in touch with us at our website, my-weird-prompts-dot-com. We have an RSS feed there for subscribers, and you can also reach us directly at show-at-my-weird-prompts-dot-com. We try to answer as many listener questions as we can, even if they don't make it into a full episode.
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Thanks for joining us today on My Weird Prompts. I am Corn.
And I am Herman Poppleberry.
We will see you next time. Stay dry out there, and keep an eye on those seals.
Goodbye everyone.
