Adaptable box: choosing and sealing an IP56 box

An adaptable box is a plain, sealed enclosure that you drill to suit the job and use as a junction or termination point for cables. The Clipsal 265/3 is a common example: a grey PVC box, 108 x 108 x 76 mm, rated IP56 and supplied with a sealing gasket. It suits workshop wiring, yard lighting and machine cabling, as long as every cable entry is sealed as well as the box itself.

This guide is for fleet and workshop managers in Indonesia. It covers what the box is for, the Clipsal data, what IP56 really means and how to fit one so it stays dry.

What an adaptable box is for

Clipsal describes the 265 Series as a range of IP56 rated insulated boxes for junctions and terminations (Clipsal non-metallic enclosures catalogue). The box has no fixed entries. You drill the holes where the cables or conduit need to come in.

That makes it useful wherever a cable has to be joined, split or terminated outside a panel. Typical places in a workshop or depot are:

• Joining cables for flood lights, beacons and work lamps.
• Terminating a cable run at a pump, compressor or pressure switch.
• Housing a small terminal strip on a wall, frame or machine.
• Replacing an old box that has cracked or lost its seal.

Reading the Clipsal 265/3 data

The Clipsal catalogue lists these values for the 265/3:

• Length and width: 108 mm by 108 mm.
• Height: 76 mm.
• Lid screw centres: 89 mm by 89 mm.
• Rating: IP56, with a 3 mm sealing gasket supplied.
• Material: insulated PVC. Standard colour is grey, with orange on request.

The same range runs from the small 265/1 (77 x 77 x 54 mm) up to the 265/7 (300 x 200 x 152 mm). Replacement gaskets are sold as spare parts. You add GT to the box size, so the gasket for a 265/3 is a 265GT3.

FDA lists the Clipsal 265/3 adaptable box with the same material, IP rating and size.

What IP56 means, and what it does not

An IP code has two digits from IEC 60529. The first digit covers dust and solid objects. The second covers water (IP code overview).

• 5 for dust means dust protected. Some dust may get in, but not enough to interfere with safe operation.
• 6 for water means protection against powerful water jets from any direction.

IP56 is not dust tight, which would be 6 for the first digit. It is also not a rating for immersion. Water ratings are not cumulative beyond IPX6, so a box rated for jets is not automatically rated for sitting under water. Do not mount it where it can flood or stand in a puddle.

The box is only as tight as its entries

The IP56 rating applies to the box with its lid and gasket fitted. Every hole you drill is a new path for water and dust. Seal each entry with a fitting or gland that is rated for the job.

Check the rating of each fitting, not only the box. The same Clipsal catalogue rates its glands for corrugated conduit at IP54, which is lower than the box. An IP54 gland on an IP56 box gives a weaker joint at that entry.

How to fit an adaptable box

Electrical work should be done by a qualified electrician. For the box itself, these steps help it stay sealed:

1. Isolate the circuit and confirm it is dead before opening an old box.
2. Plan the entries before you drill. Keep them on the bottom or sides where you can, so water does not run onto them.
3. Drill clean holes sized for the gland or conduit fitting, and remove the burrs.
4. Fit the glands or conduit adaptors and tighten them onto the cable or conduit.
5. Check the gasket is seated and undamaged, then tighten the lid screws evenly.
6. Mount the box on a firm surface away from standing water and direct spray where you can.

If an old box keeps getting water inside, look first at the gasket, a cracked lid and the entries. A worn gasket can be replaced, while a cracked box should be replaced.

Related electrical parts at FDA

FDA supplies the electrical parts that often end up wired through a box like this. Examples are the DMC XMLA300D2S12 pressure switch, the DMC 2422LED combination lamp and the DMC 1646 rotary lamp. You can browse the electrical parts category or search any number on the parts page. For trailer and truck parts in general, see the trailer and truck spare parts page.

If you are not sure of a number on an old box or fitting, our guide on finding the part number on an old trailer part explains what to look for.

How to get a quotation

Send the box type or part number, the quantity, the colour, whether you need spare gaskets or glands, and your delivery location. A photo of the old box helps. Use the quotation form and FDA will reply with availability.