How to mount bullet camera outside without water getting in the mounting frame?

[antoinet]

I just bought a few Dahua IPC-HFW4631F-ZSA cams from AliExpress to replace my fathers current 10-15 yo system. Now these are going to be outside so I want them to be water proof, the camera's are IP 67 rated but I have a question about mounting it:

This is the mounting frame, I screwed it in the metal plate the old camera was attached to. Now the plate has a hole so the cables can go through it, but won't the water also get in there?

If I put the cable through it, there will be a lot of space left in the hole because the cable is way smaller than the hole. So rain will get in the hole and leak into the wall, how do I fix this?

TL;DR I'm stupid and can't seem to figure out how to properly put the cable from the bullet camera through the mounting frame. If you guys have tips (pictures would be lovely) I would appreciate a lot!

 

[Rksgrd]

The images aren't visible.

 

[MakeItRain]

No. Water will not get in. The hole is where the cable goes into , but at the end of that hole, there is an airtight membrane seal where no water/air is supposed to get through. I was able to verify this when I took apart my Dahua bullet cam to fix condensation. I saw how the wires came in and they did it correctly. The only way for water to get in is a bad gasket/seal at the front of the housing or the membrane was not installed correctly.

You should be able to submerge a IP67 bullet camera in a bucket of water without any issue.

 

[antoinet]

The images aren't visible.

Yea I agree that the images suck, it's very hard to put my problem into words (even with pictures). I'll take some new pictures and try if I can explain it better!

No. Water will not get in. The hole is where the cable goes into , but at the end of that hole, there is an airtight membrane seal where no water/air is supposed to get through. I was able to verify this when I took apart my Dahua bullet cam to fix condensation. I saw how the wires came in and they did it correctly. The only way for water to get in is a bad gasket/seal at the front of the housing or the membrane was not installed correctly.

You should be able to submerge a IP67 bullet camera in a bucket of water without any issue.

Yea the cable that comes out of the camera is totally sealed, but I'm talking about the mounting frame. There's a hole in the mounting frame where the cable goes through, but the cable is way smaller than the hole. So water will get into the frame and 'leak' into the wall. I'm not really concerned about the camera/cable, sorry for wording it so poorly

 

[J Sigmo]

It's not the quality of your images that's bad, it's that they don't show up at all.

 

[antoinet]

It's not the quality of your images that's bad, it's that they don't show up at all.

Oh really, I replaced them with Imgur links so maybe they work now?

They worked for me, sorry

 

[Rksgrd]

I see the images now. I would use silicone sealant to prevent water intrusion.

 

[J Sigmo]

They show up for me now.

The problem is always that the holes need to be large enough to fit the fattest connectors. And then you're left needing to seal things so water and insects, etc., can't get into the wall or soffit, etc.

You could get things mounted with the fat connectors pushed all of the way into the wall and then seal the opening in the top of the arm with duct seal or even silicone caulk or the like. Then also seal the mounting flange to the wall as well. If the arm doesn't have any other openings in it, you would not need to seal the opening in the wall itself. Then, when you need to work on a connection, you would need to break the caulk that seals the flange to the wall, but you wouldn't need to break the caulk that seals the top of the arm unless you needed to separate the arm from the camera. Kind of ugly, but should work well if you get the opening sealed well.

 

[MakeItRain]

Can't you just rotate the mounting frame so the hole faces the bottom? Water will not travel upwards due to gravity.

If you cannot, then the only way to prevent water is after you get everything mounted, go to Home Depot and by outdoor rated latex sealant in white color. Then just liberally apply all over that grommet and the cable.

 

[Q™]

Rectorseal 81880 1-Pound Duct Seal Compound
RectorSeal Duct Seal Compound is a gray, permanently soft, non-toxic, putty type compound which adheres to most clean, dry surfaces. It is designed to be used when sealing around the ends of electrical conduit and boxes.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008A3UG94

 

[VorlonFrog]

Can't you just rotate the mounting frame so the hole faces the bottom? Water will not travel upwards due to gravity.

@MakeItRain is correct, the wire entrance and grommet should be on the underside of the bracket when the camera is installed. There should also be a small droop in the cable as it leaves this hole, creating what is known as a 'drip loop' to insure rain runs down and off the cable.

 

[Q™]

There should also be a small droop in the cable as it leaves this hole, creating what is known as a 'drip loop' to insure rain runs down and off the cable.

Drip loops...

 

[mat200]

@MakeItRain is correct, the wire entrance and grommet should be on the underside of the bracket when the camera is installed. There should also be a small droop in the cable as it leaves this hole, creating what is known as a 'drip loop' to insure rain runs down and off the cable.

That is how I would have expected it to have been designed, however looking at pictures from a listing on Amazon, Dahua has designed the camera to be mounted on the top of the bracket.





hmm... too bad, should have had the entry hole for the connection come in from the bottom due to rain issues. Perhaps they mounted it on the top to make it harder for attackers to cut the cable?

 

[TonyR]

Rectorseal 81880 1-Pound Duct Seal Compound
RectorSeal Duct Seal Compound is a gray, permanently soft, non-toxic, putty type compound which adheres to most clean, dry surfaces. It is designed to be used when sealing around the ends of electrical conduit and boxes.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008A3UG94

Also, GB brand $3 per 1 lb. brick at Home Depot here.

 

[antoinet]

Thanks for the tip about drip loops! The pictures make it even more clear now.

As mat200 said, the camera 'has/is meant' to be mounted above the mounting frame, so turning it upside down it not the perfect solution for me. I think I'll go for sealing it with some kind of sealant. The Duct Seal compound looks great, but I live in Europe and can't find it anywhere online

 

[J Sigmo]

I have to say that I wouldn't likely mount any camera using that mount anywhere around here. The wind would likely work the flange loose in short order. The wall flange seems very small compared to the wind load the camera presents, so you have a lot of leverage (moment arm) to help the wind fatigue things over time.

But we have what would be considered hurricane force winds frequently all winter here.

I like to have things sealed up well to keep water and dirt from being blasted into any openings. Silicone sealant is my good pal! I prefer GE Silicone II because it doesn't release acetic acid as it cures. Instead, it releases ammonia. Acetic acid can corrode electrical connections and enter epoxy-cased ICs and attack the lead-bonds between the lead frame and the die, causing mysterious failures of the ICs. This is more of a problem if the circuitry ends up in a sealed enclosure with the Silicone, of course. But I don't like using the acetic-cure stuff for any electrical or electronic purposes.

I also try to keep drip loops from being too long so the wind doesn't wiggle and whip cables too much, fatiguing them and work-hardening the copper such that you end up with failures. Judicious use of cable ties helps with that, too.