Make sure your outdoor solar connections are waterproof

waterproof connection protection screenshot

Make sure your outdoor solar connections are waterproof. Otherwise, you will be in for an unpleasant surprise one day.

waterproof connection protection screenshot
waterproof connection protection screenshot

You can see the IP44 waterproof box I bought below. It was only IP44 because it was less than 30amps going through it. If you have more than that, you will want a more highly-rated waterproofing box.

It worked really well. The case was easily used without special tools, and there was plenty of space for the cable. In fact, I might put both of the ends in one since having two of these is kind of bulky and I think unnecessary. I don’t leave my foldable solar panel out in the rain but I will in the snow. Since the folding panel is black fabric I expect that the heat from the sun will melt the snow, hence I need to protect the connections.

The connections also need to be protected because I don’t want to have to manually repair them. I see they were beginning to get scuffed up so I had to take action. These will protect them very well. They weigh almost nothing and have plenty of room no matter the size of the plugs or wire you are using. They come with adjustable rubber plugs. This will keep water out.

What is the downside of this? It is larger than I expected. It is the size of 4 normal men’s hands put together. The black will absorb the sunshine so I would put it away from the sun or in a shaded location if possible. On my solar panel, it will be behind the sunny side so it won’t be an issue. Using a solar panel out the window probably leads to more wear and tear than a normal solar panel that is just affixed to a location and then not touched again. It helps to protect the more fragile parts so it lasts longer.

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Or you can disagree and not protect the electrical connections. For the low price, I will err on the side of caution.