I need of harsh weather enclosure

Robert hocevar

Getting comfortable
Dec 6, 2016
176
554
I'm am quoting a job and one of the cameras will be mounted on the back of a boat house which is on lake erie. I will need a enclosure with a heater and wiper blade. not having much luck finding anything. for this customer price does not matter. any suggestions?
 
Is it normal there to mount the camera in an enclosure? Why not just get a camera that has an appropriately rated ingress protection? IP67 for example. Plenty of cameras also have built in heaters.
 
Is it normal there to mount the camera in an enclosure? Why not just get a camera that has an appropriately rated ingress protection? IP67 for example. Plenty of cameras also have built in heaters.
This will be on lake Erie and there is no way a camera without a enclosure will survive 1 winter. The camera will need to be enclosed no matter what the ip rating is. With the freezing Temps, and water. It would look like a block of ice. It also needs a wiper blade
 
Hmmm. Well I don't know of an enclosure that meets your needs. Hopefully someone else can chime in with some ideas.
 
This will be on lake Erie and there is no way a camera without a enclosure will survive 1 winter. The camera will need to be enclosed no matter what the ip rating is. With the freezing Temps, and water. It would look like a block of ice. It also needs a wiper blade
Then you also need a heater and defroster, or the enclosure will be a block of ice. Sounds like a but more than an enclosure. I suspect the camera would survive, just wouldn't have pictures when encased in ice. Go for a drive or walk along the lake and see what others have done. Oh, and the IR normally won't work through a window due to bounce back.

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^^^ +1

I've never seen an enclosure like the OP described and I've seen some cameras put in some real harsh climates. Not saying they don't make it, just have never heard of one.
 
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Well, damn!! It exists!! I have seen these before, but totally forgot about them. I have never used one, but, here it is!! Reviews say if you replace the glass lens with plastic, IR will work through it, but I have no idea. Good luck!!

 
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I just dont see the advantage there over a purpose built outdoor cam with a heater/defogger. That thing is an oven in the summer. Also gonna be hard to put a camera in it unless its already made to fit.

/shrugs
 
I just dont see the advantage there over a purpose built outdoor cam with a heater/defogger. That thing is an oven in the summer. Also gonna be hard to put a camera in it unless its already made to fit.

/shrugs
I agree. It will be an oven in the summer, and an ice cube, literally, in the winter on the lake.

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Well, damn!! It exists!! I have seen these before, but totally forgot about them. I have never used one, but, here it is!! Reviews say if you replace the glass lens with plastic, IR will work through it, but I have no idea. Good luck!!

I have that Ventech. I took the glass out and replaced with a piece of Plastic, put hole in it to fit an Amcrest Bullet 2MP cam in. mounted the camera inside. siliconed around the homemade plastic thing. inside and out. Survived -27 F and -10-15F below regularily. Going on 2 years now. Full Sun ALL day in summer. Gets baked. Fried, Smoked and Frozen. and Keeps on ticking.
 
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Very hard to see, I don't have a better picture of it here. It's on the right corner of the Garage on a Telephone pole.
Photo 2. It's so big you can see it from Outer Space! lol...8th wonder of the World. (white circle.)
IMG0148.jpgView attachment 90853Untitled-1.jpg
 
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should be an interesting build. Since you are on the shore of Lake Erie, maybe folks do not realize what the winters are like. I was born in Erie so.... I gots memories!
Here is a good pic of what lake affect ice spray does to locations along the shore line:
lakeerieice8.jpg

I do not think any wiper or heater could withstand such an onslaught. For sure, not any PTZ. Would have to be not only IP67 but..IP2000!
You would have to find a way to heat the surrounding area before ice buildup becomes an issue. That Ventech box above may protect the camera, but ice will build up around the heated structure as well.
End result may be that Mother Nature wins, regardless.

The camera would have to be inside a protective waterproof shell, for starters, out of the sun for summer time. Just like the Ventech. Maybe you could add a tiny fan that runs off 12v for summer time purposes. The RJ45 wiring connecter would need triple dielectric grease & triple heat-shrink-wrap parts. Even then, ice will get in there eventually. Best to leave the connection inside the camera protection box or through the wall to the boat house.
For ice building around the area? What about those 12v/24v anti-ice gutter heating elements? I know they are used up at Lake Tahoe for snow duty. Unsure how would fair towards ice duty.
What is the purpose of the camera? For pretty view of the lake? Or to keep eyes on boat & launch area? I would put up some wind barrier (metal, not wood nor plastic) to help deflect ice spray.