The Complete Guide to IP Ratings in Solar Street Lights: Why IP65 is Usually Enough

Solar street light waterproof grade selection: why IP65/66 is already enough?

Introduction

As a professional engaged in solar street light R&D and engineering application for 15 years, I often receive customer inquiries: why don't we choose IP67 or IP68 waterproof grade solar street light?

This is a good question, let's analyze it from three dimensions: technical standard, practical application and cost-effectiveness.

Understanding IP Protection Ratings

First of all, let us clearly understand the meaning of IP protection level through the below table:

Dust protection level (first digit)

Water Protection (Second Digit)

Common IP Ratings for Solar Street Lights

The actual use environment of solar street light

As we all know, Solar street light is installed in outdoor lighting equipment, and the solar lighting system is installed on the light pole 5-6 meters above the ground and it is impossible to immerse it in water. mainly facing:

• Rainwater washing
• Dust influence
• Sunshine and wind
• Temperature change

According to our project data in the past 20 years, in Southeast Asia, where the annual rainfall exceeds 2000mm, the waterproofing-related failure rate is less than 0.1% when using products with IP65 protection level.

Actual solar light case study

Last year, I was involved in a municipal project in the Middle East. At that time, the customer considered choosing IP68 products, worrying that the service life of street lights would be affected by sandstorm weather. Through field environment analysis and historical data comparison, we found that:

• IP65/66 has been able to completely prevent the entry of sand and dust
• The product has never encountered continuous water immersion
• Using IP68 would affect the heat dissipation performance

In the end, the project chose the IP65 solution, which not only saved 30% of the cost, but also showed that the product was in good operating condition after a year's return visit.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Choosing IP68 would have resulted in these additional costs:

• Material cost increase of about 20-30%
• More complex production process
• Higher maintenance costs
• Reduced thermal performance

Professional advice

Based on our many years of solar street light installation experience, I recommend:

1. Choose IP65 for general road lighting
2. IP66 for coastal or rainy areas
3. Use the cost savings to improve other key features
4. Focus on the overall quality of the product rather than on a single parameter

Maintenance Guidelines

Regardless of the protection class chosen, regular maintenance is also important:

• Check the condition of the seals annually
• Clean luminaire surfaces regularly
• Deal with cosmetic damage in a timely manner
• Preventive inspection before rainy season

Overall, IP65/66 protection level for solar street light has fully met the actual use requirements. We should choose rationally to avoid the extra cost brought by excessive design. It is more important to use the limited budget to improve the overall performance of the product to ensure the long-term reliable operation of the street light system.

Do you still have any questions about solar street light protection level selection? Welcome to discuss in the comment section, or contact us for more professional advice.