Ingress Protection: High-Temperature and High-Pressure Water Jets Tests (IPX9)

Ingress protection testing tests the level of protection an enclosure provides against intrusions. One such set of ingress protection tests involves exposing the equipment under test (EUT), to high-pressure and high-temperature water jets. These tests are numbered IPX9. The first digit, represented by the “X”, ranges from 0 to 6 and specifies the protection from solid particles. The second digit, in the case of the high-pressure and high temperature water jets ingress protection test, would always be a 9.

Below is a brief description of IPX9 testing as detailed in IEC 60529:

IPX9 Powerful High Temperature Water Jets

• Defined as protection against close-range high pressure, high temperature spray downs.
• The requirement is that the EUT shall experience no harmful effects from the high-pressure and high-temperature water spray.
• Test details include:
  • Smaller specimens rotate slowly on a turntable, from 4 specific angles.
  • Larger specimens are mounted upright, no turntable required, and are tested freehand for at least three minutes at distance of 0.15–0.2 m.
  • The test duration is 30 seconds in each of the four angles, for two minutes of total testing.
• The water in an IPX9 test has specific requirements:
  • A specific nozzle must be used.
  • The water volume should be 14–16 liters per minute.
  • The water pressure should be 8–10 MPa (80–100 bar) at distance of 0.10–0.15 meters.
  • The water temperature should be 80 °C.

For a complete list of all of the possible IPX9 ingress protection code combinations from IEC 60529, please see the chart at the bottom of this page.

What sets Keystone Compliance’s IPX9 high-pressure and temperature water jets testing apart is our experience in helping manufacturers determine ingress points in their products and also identifying potential solutions. We also have significant expertise in interpreting the standards, which often provides manufacturers with flexibility in determining acceptable amounts of ingress. Just because some liquid may enter an enclosure, does not automatically mean that the unit has not met the requirements. If the unit that requires testing is too large to move, no problem. We have experience completing ingress protection testing at the customer’s facilities.

Why is Keystone Compliance the right IP Code lab to complete your ingress testing? Our customers enjoy our short lead times, ability to explain the process and testing requirements, consultative engineering support when failures occur and affordable pricing. It is what has made us one of the fastest growing companies in the country and most respected test labs in the region.

Contact us to receive a quote for ingress protection testing and see why we are the only ingress protection lab for so many manufacturers from around the country.

Below is a list of all of the IPX9 IP Code combinations along with a brief description of each test: