How to prevent water from getting inside my wall behind the camera mounting bracket?

[ASFx]

I want to install a Hikvision camera against a wall with no junction box, since i simply need to run the cable from the outside wall to the inside, then plug it in. But i want to make sure that no water can get behind my mounting bracket and leak inside my wall. What is the proper method of making a seal for this purpose? Should i put some sort of putty or sealant on the hole, or should i seal around the edge of the mounting bracket? I was looking at something like this, but im not sure if it's proper to use it on stucco. http://www.amazon.com/Dicor-BT-1834-1-Butyl-Seal-Tape/dp/B001FCB4JS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456714422&sr=8-1

 

[nayr]

Re: How to prevent water from getting inside my wall behind the camera mounting brack

with stucco just silicon around your cable and tha'll be adaquate, since it'll be hidden you wont have to worry about not being able to paint it.. if you ever remove the camera taking out the silicon, patching the hole and repainting it will be pretty straight forward.

 

[ASFx]

Re: How to prevent water from getting inside my wall behind the camera mounting brack

with stucco just silicon around your cable and tha'll be adaquate, since it'll be hidden you wont have to worry about not being able to paint it.. if you ever remove the camera taking out the silicon, patching the hole and repainting it will be pretty straight forward.

That sounds like a good idea. Is this what you're referring to? http://www.amazon.com/Loctite-908570-2-7-Ounce-Silicone-Waterproof/dp/B0002BBX3U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1456716743&sr=8-2&keywords=silicon+seal

 

[nayr]

Re: How to prevent water from getting inside my wall behind the camera mounting brack

yep tha'll do just fine, leave a little coil sandwiched on the outside so you have enough slack to take it on/off the mount and tweak its view.. if you clean the hole nice and smooth, and dont overdo it; when you need to take the camera down you can give it a good tug and it should let go of either the cable or the wall and let you slide it out.. worse case you'll carefully cut around the cable with a blade.

 

[ASFx]

Re: How to prevent water from getting inside my wall behind the camera mounting brack

yep tha'll do just fine, leave a little coil sandwiched on the outside so you have enough slack to take it on/off the mount and tweak its view.. if you clean the hole nice and smooth, then dont overdo it when you need to take the camera down you can give it a good tug and it should kinda pop out like a cork..

Great, thanks! Love this forum. It's my first time installing surveillance cameras. I've learned a ton over the last week of browsing around here.

 

[nayr]

Re: How to prevent water from getting inside my wall behind the camera mounting brack

np, with stucco you probably have one of the easiest finishes to install cameras on.. alot of people really like vinyl because its so easy to tuck cables behind but the problem is you rarely get any flat surfaces.. i get all kinda bugs and nasties behind my camera mounts in that tiny lil gap.. and I find my camera is never quite where I want it because of some feature in the vinyl that makes me go a few inches away.. cant patch up mistakes or decide to move a camera without leaving nearly unfixable damage behind.

 

[steve457]

Re: How to prevent water from getting inside my wall behind the camera mounting brack

I installed my cameras onto stucco and ended up using duct seal, http://www.homedepot.com/p/Gardner-Bender-Duct-Seal-Compound-1-lb-Plug-1-Each-DS-110/100212441, as per a recommendation I read on this forum. The stuff can be found in the electrical section of most hardware stores, and is what is generally used to seal around pipes entering or wires entering exterior walls.

 

[CamFan]

Re: How to prevent water from getting inside my wall behind the camera mounting brack

I had to drill a 1.25" hole in my stucco to be able to shove the hik connections into, drilling up at a slight angle. Then I sleeved the hole with thin wall aluminum tubing, sealed with silicone. Then I shoved the tube with closed cell foam to seal it around the wire.

 

[ASFx]

Re: How to prevent water from getting inside my wall behind the camera mounting brack

I had to drill a 1.25" hole in my stucco to be able to shove the hik connections into, drilling up at a slight angle. Then I sleeved the hole with thin wall aluminum tubing, sealed with silicone. Then I shoved the tube with closed cell foam to seal it around the wire.

Woah, 1.25" is a pretty big hole. Was that just for the pigtail with the cat5 and power plug on it? Or did yours have other attachments as well? The biggest masonry drill bit I have is 1/2", but i thought that would be enough for a pre-crimped cat5 cable.

 

[steve457]

Re: How to prevent water from getting inside my wall behind the camera mounting brack

The connection on the Hik cameras is fairly large, but I was able to get by with a 7/8" bit. you may even be able to get by with a 3/4" bit, but it would be tight. With this size hole, I was able to push all the connectors into the wall, and then put the duct seal over the hole to close it up before mounting the camera.

 

[CamFan]

Re: How to prevent water from getting inside my wall behind the camera mounting brack

Yeah, I have a plate that mounts a pair of cameras in 1 hole so I wanted enough room for a pair of connections and I didn't want to buy more than 1 stucco drill.

I actually used a 35mm bit. My sleeve is 1.375 OD with a .060 wall 6061-T6.

The hik connection housing is 19.5 mm, so .750" is too small to work. 7/8" would be the minimum.

 

[Kawboy12R]

Re: How to prevent water from getting inside my wall behind the camera mounting brack

I'd probably mount it on a box and leave the big connections outside. Small hole for the cable, angle the drill up from the outside (any water getting in runs back out), and make sure there's at least a bit of a drip loop to the wire on the outside. Water will find ANY little crack and run in if it's downhill. Slow rot for your walls, or possibly fast corrosion for your server/NVR if it's downhill of the hole as water runs down the wire. Fill the hole with duct seal or silicone. Also remember that water can travel UP a wire if it gets inside the outer casing. Drip loops, sealing, and wire placement are important outdoors. Just pretend to be water when you're looking at your install and that all gaskets and sealing are secondary against preventing water from running downhill. Gaskets, glue, and seals WILL fail eventually even if they're perfect when installed, and that's not always the case either.