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Writer's pictureCraig Drabyk

NEMA 6 and 6P Submersible Enclosures


If you’ve been thinking the number and intensity of extreme weather events has been rising over the last decade, it’s not your imagination. With five weeks of hurricane season still left to go, the National Hurricane Center has resorted to using letters of the Greek alphabet after exhausting their list of names for 2020. This increase in storm activity, particularly in light of the destruction Hurricane Sandy inflicted on our area of the U.S. in 2012, reinforces the need to ensure that electrical enclosures in areas vulnerable to flooding can withstand submersion in water, namely NEMA 6 or 6P.


The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) defines standards for various grades of electrical enclosures according to their ability to prevent personnel access to hazardous parts, and to prevent ingress or damage to electrical and electronic components, controls and instruments from various foreign objects and substances such as water, dust, dirt, oil, and chemicals. Enclosures should have a NEMA rating appropriate for the application and environmental conditions.


When the possibility of submersion in water or other liquids is present, NEMA 6 or 6P submersible enclosures may be required. NEMA 6 enclosures are temporarily submersible for short periods of time at limited depths, whereas 6P enclosures can withstand more prolonged occasional submersion and offer an added level of protection against corrosive materials like saltwater and caustic chemicals. Both provide a degree of protection against windblown dust, falling dirt, hose-directed water, and are undamaged by external ice formation.


NEMA 6 enclosures can be made of a variety of materials like aluminum, stainless steel, plastic, and fiberglass, and sturdier NEMA 6P enclosures are usually made of stainless steel. Applications where NEMA 6 and 6P electrical enclosures are often used include lift stations, underground tanks, waste water treatment plants, sump pumps, wells, and anywhere there is risk of storm water or tidal flooding. They are also used in quarries, mines, and manholes.


About Omni

Omni Instrumentation & Electrical Services, Inc., located in New Jersey and Maryland, is a premier instrumentation and electrical contractor, providing superior total care solutions since 1986. Services include instrument installation, tubing installation, instrument calibration, control loop testing, startup and commissioning, power and lighting, process control wiring, BMS wiring, telecommunications and data wiring, fire alarm wiring, security wiring, process network wiring, and control panel fabrication. Omni Instrumentation & Electrical Services, Inc., is certified in Foundation Fieldbus, Profibus, DeviceNet and ASI-Bus installation.

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