Is there any time that a NEMA 12 enclosure can be used outside? I know its an indoor enclosure, but the prints are calling for it and its outside in a ball field. It clearly calls for a Saginaw NEMA 12 enclosure. Just wondering if I am missing something.
Thank you
No, not if it is a strictly Type 12 enclosure, because Type 12 is "indoor use", in that the finishing system (pre-treatment and paint) is not designed to hold up to even the mild corrosion resistance requirements of "outdoor" rated systems such as Types 3R and 4. In addition, nothing in Type 12 includes the necessary "drip lip" to protect internal equipment from falling water
when the door is open (albeit falling straight down). It used to be that you could add a "drip shield" kit to a Type 12 enclosure, drill a weep hole for internal condensation and call it "3R"; but that was before UL took over the NEMA specs and did 3rd party testing and listing. UL never allows the "skill of the installer" to facilitate the listing of an enclosure as it comes off the assembly line. It must pass the tests WITHOUT anyone touching it.
For a few years, Hammond got away with a dual 12/3R listing on their enclosures, by using the better paint system, the drip lip seal and putting in a weep hole that was shipped with a little rubber plug installed so all the user need do was remove the plug, not drill a hole, with the argument being it did not rely upon "skill". Unfortunately, UL found a lot of them in the field where the plug was NOT removed in 3R applications, as well as some where it WAS removed in type 12 applications, and they rescinded that dual listing.
But as mentioned, Type 4/12 combination enclosures are available from almost any manufacturer. They are different in the way the door seal and lip is constructed so as to provide that "drip lip", and the Type 4 corrosion resistance requirements meet or exceed what Type 3R requires, meaning they are rated for "outdoor" use. UL Type 4 spec doesn't include a requirement to prevent internal condensation, so it still meets the listing without it, but it IS a good idea to drill one if it's going outside.