My current theory is the hood needs extra hang down loop on the cat5 cables. Screen on the bottom side--this is desert coastal climate and originally was more concerned about heat issues.
What about condensation inside the box? the heat differential could have caused condensation inside the box, which coagulated especially on the pins of the connector?
Was there a cable plugged into port 6? Water could have run down the jacket of the cable? However unlikely, if it wasn't watterproof cable (or "direct burrial" rated) I have seen water seep through jacket material not rated properly.
We see that in commercial 2-way; water intrusion into cables. It's like a wicking action (similar to watching a capillary tube work).
For outdoor installations, it's common these days for coax and control cables to have "flooding compound" located just inside the outer jacket. It stops this wicking action completely; though handling of the cable (when installing connectors) is a mess... the flooding compound is thick & tacky..
real-deal LMR-400 and 600 coax both utilize the flooding compound. Also, ethernet cable rated for direct-burial tend to use this as well.
If it is condensation and the box is waterproof it is simple to solve.
Take a small plastic bag, fill it with plain salt. Close the bag and puncture it a few times with a needle.
On a bone dry day open the box and put the bag in the box and simply close the box.
The salt wil absorb the moisture. If the salt gets saturated just replace it. If it is saturated it also tells you the box is NOT waterproof. No way there is enough moisture in the box to saturate half a pound of salt, hi
Simple, cheap and effective. Works fine, even in the wet environment I live in.
Yeah - if your service loop wasn't long enough going into the hood water could run have come in that way.
As for the screen on the bottom - as long as there's no direct "forced" water (rain, sprinkler, something for water to splash on etc), should be OK - and that should also be vent for condensation.
The general rule is water doesn't run uphill - which is why you always see those "service loops" on wire entry - so that water will run downhill, to the end of the loop, and dip off there instead of finding it's way along the cable.
I've had similar situations. The first culprit is jacket damage somewhere on the tower where the climber's belts have rubbed against the jacket and created an opening. Then comes strong rain and the ware runs down the inside of the line like a straw. I've had drip loops and the like and the water just pours out the other end. Second mor mysterious and hard to find was one where the excess cable was coiled up on the flat roof of our repeater building and it must have a cut that allowed the water to come in. First thing to do is to install a surge supressor or junction at the bottom or entrance to the bnuilding to stop the water intrusion from reaching your equipment. All you will have lost is a less expensive device. (You do have surge supressors inline don't you??)
Funny coincidence, I was just discussing the same thing (water or moisture inside 'sealed waterproof' boxes) with Jim K2ZO this afternoon. After he told me about a similar water issue with a very well sealed balun enclosure, he described the solution that worked well for him. He drilled a 1/8 inch (3 mm for the real engineers) weep hole in the bottom of the box. The secret to his success is the next step. Jim took some of the inner strands from a piece of 550 paracord, tied a small knot in the end, and then pushed the free end through the weep hole to dangle a bit below the box. He tested this arrangement for six months. The inside of the box stayed bone dry, no insects intruded due to the wick in the weep hole and the paracord wick occasional felt moist due to drawing out the dampness inside the box. It seems like a solution worth a try.
At least one of the balun manufacturers uses these boxes. As part of the installation directions they say to drill 1/16" weep holes in the side that ends up being the bottom. I did this 3 years ago, no water or bugs in the box.
Attached is a picture of the ethernet cable from our node dripping water from inside the cable.
This was Ubiquiti tough cable.
It caused the node to reset itself to nocall.
I dried cable and reset the node and 45 minutes later it did it again. That is when we took the picture.
The outside of the cable is dry.
Of note is that the carpet in the clubhouse was shampooed that day and it had not rained for a couple of days.
Note that ethernet connector even has heat shrink.
The best we can figure is that the carpet humidity wicked up the cable and condensed. Other cables were dry.
I think we will try a drain loop and cut a hole in the outer insulation at the bottom of the loop to let water drip out.
looks like a pretty good argument for the water-block cable - the stuff that has silicone grease in it.
It is a bit sticky when you attach the connectors, but you will never have water dripping out of it ....
I recall reading somewhere that most flooded cable isn't intended to be used vertically, its meant for horizontal direct burial runs where any vertical lift reinforces the gel back into the line (not flooding out the bottom of the line at bottom of tower)
If it wicked up from the ground floor (shampoo carpet) that is a new one on me, and I'll admit I got no answer to a solution on that other than to suggest to make sure that it was the dual wall adhesive lined heat shrink, otherwise its not really a moisture barrier.
The gel in this cable is really a kind of grease and it has no tendency to flow. It really repels water however.
I have several vertical runs that, after two years, have shown no evidence of any goo coming out the bottom. The part number has changed in the meantime but I believe it is essentially this cable:
Was there a cable plugged into port 6? Water could have run down the jacket of the cable? However unlikely, if it wasn't watterproof cable (or "direct burrial" rated) I have seen water seep through jacket material not rated properly.
All speculative suggestions :D
We see that in commercial 2-way; water intrusion into cables. It's like a wicking action (similar to watching a capillary tube work).
For outdoor installations, it's common these days for coax and control cables to have "flooding compound" located just inside the outer jacket. It stops this wicking action completely; though handling of the cable (when installing connectors) is a mess... the flooding compound is thick & tacky..
real-deal LMR-400 and 600 coax both utilize the flooding compound. Also, ethernet cable rated for direct-burial tend to use this as well.
If it is condensation and the box is waterproof it is simple to solve.
Take a small plastic bag, fill it with plain salt. Close the bag and puncture it a few times with a needle.
On a bone dry day open the box and put the bag in the box and simply close the box.
The salt wil absorb the moisture. If the salt gets saturated just replace it. If it is saturated it also tells you the box is NOT waterproof. No way there is enough moisture in the box to saturate half a pound of salt, hi
Simple, cheap and effective. Works fine, even in the wet environment I live in.
Ruud, WE1BTV
As for the screen on the bottom - as long as there's no direct "forced" water (rain, sprinkler, something for water to splash on etc), should be OK - and that should also be vent for condensation.
The general rule is water doesn't run uphill - which is why you always see those "service loops" on wire entry - so that water will run downhill, to the end of the loop, and dip off there instead of finding it's way along the cable.
Attached is a picture of the ethernet cable from our node dripping water from inside the cable.
This was Ubiquiti tough cable.
It caused the node to reset itself to nocall.
I dried cable and reset the node and 45 minutes later it did it again. That is when we took the picture.
The outside of the cable is dry.
Of note is that the carpet in the clubhouse was shampooed that day and it had not rained for a couple of days.
Note that ethernet connector even has heat shrink.
The best we can figure is that the carpet humidity wicked up the cable and condensed. Other cables were dry.
I think we will try a drain loop and cut a hole in the outer insulation at the bottom of the loop to let water drip out.
looks like a pretty good argument for the water-block cable - the stuff that has silicone grease in it.
It is a bit sticky when you attach the connectors, but you will never have water dripping out of it ....
If it wicked up from the ground floor (shampoo carpet) that is a new one on me, and I'll admit I got no answer to a solution on that other than to suggest to make sure that it was the dual wall adhesive lined heat shrink, otherwise its not really a moisture barrier.
The gel in this cable is really a kind of grease and it has no tendency to flow. It really repels water however.
I have several vertical runs that, after two years, have shown no evidence of any goo coming out the bottom. The part number has changed in the meantime but I believe it is essentially this cable:
http://www.primuscable.com/store/p/626-CAT5E-Bulk-Ethernet-Cable-Direct-Burial-Outdoor-Shielded-Solid-Copper-CMX-Gel-Filled.aspx