IP Water – IEC 60529

What Is IP Water Ingress — IEC 60529?

The IP water test verifies the protection an enclosure provides against water ingress, at the levels defined in IEC 60529. The protection degree is expressed by the second digit of the IP code: an increasing series is defined, from dripping water (IPX1) to full and continuous immersion (IPX8).

Purpose of IP Water Ingress — IEC 60529

The purpose is to prove the protection degree the product declares. The declared IP code tells the user in which environment the product can be used safely; this declaration must be supported by testing.

Which Products Is IP Water Ingress — IEC 60529 Applied To?

Outdoor lighting fixtures
Electrical panels and enclosures
Automotive exterior electronics
White goods and kitchen appliances
Portable electronic devices
Sensors and field equipment

In Which Sectors Is IP Water Ingress — IEC 60529 Used?

ElectronicsElectricalAutomotiveTelecommunicationsConstructionConsumer Products

Standards Related to IP Water Ingress — IEC 60529

IEC 60529degree of protection provided by enclosures (IP code) test

IP Water Ingress — IEC 60529 Conditions

Seviye: The digit declared by the product, from IPX1 to IPX9
Test apparatus: Drip tray, oscillating tube, spray nozzle or immersion tank — depending on the level
Duration and flow rate: Defined in IEC 60529 for each level
Specimen condition: Operating or heated, if the product standard requires it

Equipment for IP Water Ingress — IEC 60529

Drip tray and oscillating tube rig
IPX3/IPX4 oscillating tube and hand nozzle
IPX5/IPX6 jet nozzles
Immersion tank and pressure rig
Flow-rate and pressure measurement equipment

Sample Requirements for IP Water Ingress — IEC 60529

The specimen must be ready for sale, with assembly complete
Cable entries and gaskets must be connected as in real use
The declared IP code must be stated
It must be re-closable, since it will be opened for internal inspection after the test
The test may end up being destructive

Duration of IP Water Ingress — IEC 60529

A single-level test is generally completed within the same day. If multiple levels, pre-conditioning or a dust test are requested together, the duration extends to several days.

IP Water Ingress — IEC 60529 Procedure

1The specimen is inspected and its initial condition is recorded.
2The rig appropriate to the declared level is set up.
3The specimen is placed in the position defined in the standard.
4Water is applied at the defined flow rate, pressure and duration.
5At the end of the test the specimen's exterior is dried.
6The enclosure is opened to check whether water has entered.
7Dielectric-strength and functional checks are performed if required.

IP Water Ingress — IEC 60529 Acceptance Criteria

The acceptance criterion comes from the product standard. As a general principle, IEC 60529 requires that any water that enters does not prevent the product from operating safely or impair electrical safety; some product standards require that no water enter at all.

Evaluation of Results

Evaluation is not reduced to the single question of whether water entered. The location of any ingress and its effect on dielectric strength and function are considered together. IPX7 and IPX8 are not superior to one another; meeting one does not mean meeting the other.

IP Water Ingress — IEC 60529 Report

Sample description, serial number and configuration
Applied standard and year of printing
Selected intensity level and basis for the level
Experimental setup and measurement points
Functional checks performed during the experiment
Observations, measurement results and photographs
A statement that the result applies only to the specimen submitted for testing

Accreditation

EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation obtained from accreditation bodies party to the IAF and ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, under ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection and surveillance, and ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065 for system and product certification. This chain ensures the reports and certificates issued are accepted worldwide.

Whether this test can be offered within accredited scope depends on your product and the standard applied; since accreditation is method-based, the scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Scope and authorisations

Related Regulations

EU 2014/35/EU LVD
EU 2006/42/EC Machinery Directive
The IP requirements of product-specific IEC/EN standards

Standard-Based Tests — What Does This Group of Pages Cover?

The section below describes the field that the IP Water Ingress test belongs to; the conditions and acceptance criteria of this particular test are given in the sections above. The scope specific to your product is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Standard-based tests are test pages whose address comes from a standard number. What the user is looking for is often not the name of the test but the code written in their specification: not "salt spray test" but "ASTM B117", not "drop test" but "IEC 60068-2-31", not "vibration" but "MIL-STD-810 Method 514".

This preference reflects the reality in the field. An engineer sees a code in the specification received from a customer and searches for that code; they do not need to know the name of the test. The code is the identity of the test and distinguishes the different adoptions of the same test by different bodies.

This group addresses the different adoptions of the SAME TEST separately. The same physical phenomenon may be published under different numbers by ISO, ASTM, EN, IEC, DIN and JIS. Even where the numbers are the same (as with ISO 6892-1 and EN ISO 6892-1), specimen preparation, conditions, calculation details and reporting may differ; adoptions may carry national annexes. The code written in the specification therefore governs, and "similar" is not accepted.

Searching at code level meets a different need from searching at scope level. A user searching for "corrosion testing" wants to learn about the field; a user searching for "ASTM B117" has a specification in hand and wants to know the feasibility, duration and price of that test. Two different intents require two different page structures.

The page for a code describes the scope of that code, the test field it belongs to, the product groups in which it is required and how it differs from neighbouring codes. Test conditions, durations and acceptance criteria are NOT CARRIED: these are defined in the copyrighted text of the standard and in the product specification. This boundary is a deliberate choice; a wrong duration or acceptance criterion means directly incorrect work.

Different parts of the same code and different adoptions of the same number are linked between pages. A user searching for IEC 60335 also sees 60335-2-40; a user searching for ISO 6892-1 also sees the EN ISO 6892-1 and DIN EN ISO 6892-1 adoptions. These links are derived from the number of the code rather than written by hand.

The edition year is NOT CARRIED in the library. It is held as "ASTM D638" rather than "ASTM D638-22", because the edition in force changes over time and the address of the page should not age with the edition. If a year is stated in your specification, that edition governs; if not, the most current edition is applied.

Method groups in this field

Searching by code
Direct search for the code written in the specification; it is found in the library with its code, scope title and issuing body.
Searching by scope title
A test whose code is not known is searched by its subject; a search for "salt spray" brings up the related codes.
Series and part relationships
The other parts of the same series are shown, derived from the number of the code.
Adoption relationships
Different bodies' adoptions of the same number are matched; the claim is kept limited to "the same number".
Superseded codes
Withdrawn codes are not held in the library but, when searched for, the user is directed to the counterpart in force.

Commonly confused in this field

Different adoptions of the same number are not identical texts; they may carry national annexes.
The code written in the specification governs; a technically similar code cannot be substituted.
If an edition year is stated, that edition is applied; the most current edition is not automatically accepted.
A code page carries no test conditions or acceptance criteria; these are in the copyrighted text of the standard and in the product specification.
A part code (for example -2-40) may not be sufficient on its own; the general part of the series is applied as well.

Which decisions these results support

Matching the code written in the specification to the correct laboratory scope
Distinguishing between equivalent adoptions
Clarifying the scope and edition at the quotation stage
Finding the current counterpart of withdrawn codes

Related Tests

Frequently Asked Questions About IP Water Ingress — IEC 60529

If a product passes IPX7, does it also pass IPX5?

No. Immersion and jetting are different stresses; the standard requires them to be verified separately. If both are to be declared, both must be tested.

What does the first digit of the IP code mean?

The first digit indicates protection against solid-object and dust ingress, and is verified by a separate test.