[RE-wrenches] Midnite Powerflo16 Enclosure Rust Issues

[Chris Sparadeo]

I’ve been reflecting recently about IP ratings and my new opinion is that
IP55 and IP65 ingress ratings mean “somewhat outside”. Many manufacturers
with these mentioned ratings (which are identical for moisture ingress and
vary only slightly for dust ingress) will explicitly say that their product
cannot be exposed to direct rainfall or moisture…which doesn’t sound very
outdoor rated to me. Take this IP65 rated battery manufacturer’s
installation recommendations for example:
“The Battery Pack must be kept away from direct sunlight and rain or other
sources of moisture.
This applies to both indoor and outdoor installations. Even if installed
indoors such as basement or garage, direct sunlight and rain or other
sources of moisture may still penetrate, so it is essential to protect the
Battery Pack from direct sunlight and rain or other sources of moisture”.

I get the sunlight part, but protecting an ESS from moisture when installed
outdoors seems like a tall order.








On Thu, Aug 28, 2025 at 9:16 PM Jason Szumlanski via RE-wrenches <
re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:

> I don't know what you mean by unprotected. That is exactly what an IP65
> rating suggests - outdoors, subject to the elements. Nowhere does it say in
> the product literature thay it must be "protected," whatever that means.
> Protected against the environment that it is rated to be in? Seriously?
>
> If it can get wet, it shouldn't rust around the undisturbed factory
> installed screws in a couple of weeks. If this is how the product is going
> to be, it is totally unsuited for OUTDOOR installations, which is exactly
> where it says it can be installed on the spec sheet.
>
>
> Jason Szumlanski
> Principal Solar Designer | Florida Solar Design Group
> NABCEP Certified Solar Professional (PVIP)
> Florida State Certified Solar Contractor CVC56956
> Florida Certified Electrical Contractor EC13013208
>
> On Thu, Aug 28, 2025, 8:50 PM William Bryce <wlbryce at pineridgeproducts.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Hi Jason
>>
>> Rust will have no effect on the IP65 rating of the battery.
>>  The batteries are intended for  outdoor protected install only.
>> Because the batteries are heavy, installers can easily nick or damage the
>> powdercoat on the battery leading to rust. Because the battery is white it
>> shows the rust way easier than other outdoor rated batteries.
>>
>> The case of the battery must be made from* steel *because the UL rating
>> certifies if the battery was to have a meltdown, no flame can escape from
>> the battery
>>
>> The manual needs to better specify the protected install.
>>
>> Are the batteries installed outside unprotected?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Aug 28, 2025 at 7:54 PM Jason Szumlanski via RE-wrenches <
>> re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:
>>
>>> We have five PF16 installed outdoors at a home. It has been only 2 weeks
>>> and I'm seeing rust forming around some cover screws (both the top cover
>>> and front cover). The brackets are also showing some rust spots, and under
>>> the rims of the top cover I'm seeing rust spots that look like they are
>>> from small metal shavings. We also found minor rust around a prepunched
>>> knockout immediately after removing the protective plastic cap.
>>>
>>> This all happened after they had been mounted outdoors for two weeks,
>>> but no conduit had been installed yet and the top covers hadn't even been
>>> opened once.
>>>
>>> Is anyone else seeing these issues? I'm pretty concerned that my
>>> customer won't accept this early defect, and I have lots of outdoor
>>> installations planned for other customers.
>>>
>>> P.S. This is not a coastal location (although all of Florida is kind of
>>> coastal). Regardless, it's IP65 and should withstand a typical outdoor
>>> installation.
>>>
>>>
>>> Jason Szumlanski
>>> Florida Solar Design Group
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