I've been using grey plastic electrical boxes with gasketed covers from Home
Depot for a good number of years now and found that they are pretty impervious
to U.V. and temperature extremes. Some are over 10 years old exposed to the
Florida sun and still appear like new. I started using 3/32" drilled holes in
each bottom corner and found that they were still large enough to let tiny ants
and other small insects in, then they die and the decayed remains would clog
the small holes. I found a far better way by using a 7/8" to 1 -1/4" hole saw
in the bottom of the box and cover it from the inside with a bit larger piece
of window screening and use a glue gun, epoxy, what have you, to secure it to
the box. I use JB Weld. You can forget about any condensation build-up or small
insects after that. One may wish to use a piece of Fiberglas furnace filter
material over the screen in a real dusty area but my location hasn't needed
that and all has stayed clean inside the boxes. I've had
various boxes with cheese slicers, ceramic transmitting caps, vacuum
variables, motorized roller inductors, switches, and open relays with no
problems whatsoever since using the screening method. The previous 3/32" holes
all got a dab of silicon caulk to seal them once I found this method worked so
well.
73, -=Rog-K9RB=- (playing topband for 45 seasons now and still experimenting)
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