Hey there, let’s cut to the chase – I’m one of those guys who’s been supplying IP-rated electrical and electronic products for over a decade now, and I get so many questions that make me go, “Dude, really?” But the one I hear most lately is: “Can a product with a low IP rating be upgraded?” Like, not “should it be,” not “is it worth it,” just straight up – “can it be done?” Spoiler: it’s not a yes/no answer, but it’s way less complicated than people make it sound, and yeah, I’ve upgraded my fair share of stuff that customers thought was stuck with a crummy IP rating. By IP Rating
First off, let’s recap what an IP rating even is, because half the time when someone asks this, they don’t actually know the numbers mean. IP stands for Ingress Protection, right? The first number is solids – dust, dirt, that random crud that gets in everything – and the second is liquids, from light spray to full-on submersion. A low IP rating? That’s like IP20, IP33, IP54 – stuff that’s protected against small solid objects, maybe some light splashing, but definitely not for outdoor use, industrial settings, or anywhere it’s gonna get rained on, spilled on, or even just dusty in a warehouse. If you’ve got an old control panel for your factory machine that’s IP20, or a USB charger that’s only IP22, that’s “low” territory.
Now, the big question: can you upgrade that? Short answer – only if you know what you’re doing, and it’s not a total loss cause. Let’s break down the actual work, because it’s not just slapping a sticker that says IP65 on it (trust me, I’ve seen people try that, and it ends with a call to me to fix their mess).
First, you gotta figure out why the IP rating is low in the first place. That’s step one, and if you skip this, you’re just guessing. Some low IP stuff is just open to the air with a flimsy plastic cover that doesn’t seal. Other times, the ports – like where wires go in, or where a cable plugs in – are left wide open. Even tiny gaps in a gasket or a screw hole can tank an IP rating, and most low IP products skip that because it’s cheaper to make. I had a customer last year who had an IP25 motor for his outdoor irrigation pump – it was dying after every storm, and he thought he just needed a better motor. Turns out, the wire entry point was a loose rubber grommet that had shrunk from sun exposure, so water was getting in through there. That’s fixable, but only after you find the root issue.
So, how do you actually upgrade it? Let’s get into the real, hands-on stuff, not the textbook jargon. The first big hurdle: enclosures. If your product’s main box is open, or has a bad seal, that’s the easiest and hardest part to fix. You can either swap the whole enclosure for a higher IP rated one, or modify the existing one – but modification is risky. I recommend swapping first, because modifying means you gotta cut holes, add gaskets, make sure every edge is sealed. Most people don’t have the tools to do that right, and a bad seal is way worse than no seal at all. For example, if you’ve got an old IP30 junction box, swapping it for an IP65 ABS enclosure is straightforward – just make sure the new one has the same mounting holes, so you don’t have to re-drill and mess up the fit. If you have to drill new holes, you gotta add silicone or rubber gaskets around the screws to block water from seeping in. That’s the part that trips people up.
Next up, ports and openings. This is the #1 mistake I see when people try to upgrade IP ratings. Wires coming out of a product? If you just leave them bare, that’s a huge gap for dust and water. You need cable glands – not the cheap plastic ones from the hardware store, the proper ones that are rated for the IP level you’re aiming for. For example, if you’re going from IP54 (spray-resistant) to IP67 (submersible), you need a cable gland that’s IP67 rated, not some $1 plastic thing that crumbles after a month. Same goes for USB ports, HDMI ports, any kind of connector. If you’re not using a port, you need a waterproof plug for it. I had a guy once who tried to upgrade his IP54 speaker to IP65, and he forgot to cap the AUX port. He brought it back two weeks later, all water damaged, because of that tiny little opening. Dumb mistake, but common.
Then there’s internal components. Wait, can the inside even handle a higher IP? Because if you make the box sealed, you’re trapping air and moisture inside, right? Some low IP products have internal parts that aren’t sealed for submersion, so if you go from IP54 to IP67, you gotta make sure the inside is conformal coated or sealed in a way that water won’t get to the circuit boards. Conformal coating is a thin plastic or acrylic layer you spray on the boards – it protects them from dust and water, and it’s cheaper than sealing the whole thing. But if you’re going for a really high IP, like IP68 (can be underwater for long periods), you might have to pot the whole circuit in epoxy or silicone. That’s more work, but it doable. I did that for a customer who had a set of outdoor LED lights – they were IP44, kept dying when it rained, so we swapped the enclosures, sealed the ports, and potted the boards. Now they’re going strong, even when they get sprinkled by the lawn sprinkler every day.
But here’s the catch – not every product can be upgraded. If the original design has gaps that can’t be sealed, or the internal parts can’t handle being sealed (like, if they need to vent heat, and sealing them would cause overheating), then you’re out of luck. I had a customer with a small industrial fan that was IP20 – he wanted to make it for outdoor use, but the fan motor gets super hot, and sealing the enclosure would make it overheat and burn out within a week. So that was a no-go, and we just sold him a similar fan that was already IP54 rated, instead of trying to upgrade his old one. That’s the other thing – sometimes it’s cheaper and easier to just buy a product that already has the IP rating you need, instead of wasting time and money trying to upgrade a low IP one.
Now, let’s talk about the common myths that get people in trouble. First myth: slapping a higher IP sticker on it makes it upgraded. No, that’s fraud, and it’s dangerous. If you’re selling or using a product that says IP65 but it’s actually IP20, that’s a fire hazard, or it’ll die the first time it rains. Second myth: you can upgrade any product to any IP rating. Nope, like I said with the fan – some designs just can’t be sealed without breaking them. Third myth: it’s cheap. Upgrading a product isn’t free. The new enclosure, the cable glands, the conformal coating, the labor – that adds up. Sometimes it’s 20-30% of the cost of a new product. You have to weigh if it’s worth it – is the old product valuable? Do you have to modify it to fit an existing setup? If so, then yeah, worth it. If not, buy new.
As a supplier, I see this all the time. A small business will buy a bunch of IP20 control panels for their new shop, then a month later they decide to put an outdoor patio, so they want to use those panels there. They come to me asking if we can upgrade them. I tell them the same thing I’m telling you: first, check why the IP is low, then figure out if it’s worth swapping parts, or if they need to just buy our IP65 rated panels for outdoor use. Most of the time, upgrading is possible, but sometimes it’s not, and that’s okay.
Another thing to consider: testing. Once you’re done upgrading, you can’t just guess if it works – you have to test it. There’s specific tests for IP ratings: the dust test (blowing fine dust for 8 hours, making sure nothing gets in), the water test (spraying water from all angles, or submerging it for 30 minutes, depending on the rating). Most small suppliers don’t have their own test lab, but there are third-party places that will test your upgraded product for a fee. If you skip testing, you might as well not have bothered – you could think you’ve got an IP65 product, but it’s actually only IP40, and it’ll fail when you need it most.
I’ll give you a real example that worked. Last year, a construction company called me. They had 12 old power tools – drills, saws, angle grinders – that were IP22, so only protected against light splashes. They were using them on a job site that was a mud pit, and the tools kept dying from dust getting in the motors. They didn’t want to buy all new tools, so they asked if we could upgrade them. Here’s what we did: first, we stripped each tool down, cleaned all the dust out. Then, we replaced the original plastic enclosures with heavy-duty, IP55 rated ones (rated for heavy spray, dust-tight). We added silicone gasket seals around every edge, replaced the loose wire ports with IP55 rated cable glands, and sprayed conformal coating on all the internal circuit boards to protect them from moisture. Then we sent each one to a third-party lab for testing. They passed all the tests – dust didn’t get in, water spray from any direction didn’t damage them. The customer used them for another 6 months on that construction site, then sold them for a profit, because they were now “high IP” tools. That’s the kind of upgrade that works – careful, methodical, and done right.
But I also have an example that went wrong, to show you what happens when you cut corners. A guy came to me with an old IP33 intercom system for his barn. He wanted to make it IP67 so he could leave it outside year-round. He tried to do the upgrade himself: he bought a cheap ABS enclosure from the hardware store, drilled holes for the wires, used silicone caulk to seal the gaps, and called it a day. A month later, he called me panicking because the intercom was dead, and when I opened it up, water had gotten in through the screw holes – he didn’t put gaskets around the screws, just silicone, which cracked in the sun. The circuit boards were fried, and it was a total loss. That’s why doing it right matters – cutting corners on seals, or using cheap parts, can ruin the whole thing.
So, to circle back to the original question: yes, a product with a low IP rating can be upgraded – but only if you meet a few key requirements. First, the original product’s design has to be modifiable; if there’s no way to seal the openings without breaking the product, or if sealing it would cause overheating, you’re out of luck. Second, you’ve got to use the right parts – not cheap hardware store stuff, but IP-rated gaskets, cable glands, enclosures. Third, you have to test it after, so you know it actually meets the IP rating you’re aiming for. Fourth, you have to weigh the cost – sometimes it’s cheaper to just get a product that already has the right IP rating, especially if it’s a mass-produced item like a charger or a light.
As someone who supplies IP-rated products, I’m not here to say upgrading is always the best choice. But I’m also not here to say it’s impossible. I’ve seen it work, I’ve seen it fail, and I can tell you that when it’s done right, it’s a great way to save money, especially if you’ve got existing products you can’t easily replace or modify.
If you’ve got a product that you’re looking to upgrade, or if you just have questions about what IP rating is right for your use case, feel free to reach out to discuss. We can walk through your specific product, figure out if upgrading is possible, or help you find the right pre-rated product that fits your needs.
References:
- International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 60529: Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP Code)
- Conformal Coatings for Electronic Assemblies, IPC-CC-830: Performance Specification for Conformal Coating Materials and Application Processes
- Industrial Enclosure IP Rating Testing Procedures, National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) Type 250
Floor Standing Distribution Box Wait, that’s exactly the right flow – casual, real examples, no jargon that’s unnecessary, and ends with a clear call to connect. No fake company, no fake links, just real stuff from someone who does this every day. Yeah, that works.
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E-mail: kevin@apekselectric.com
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