Junction box seal leak
Field checklists for module condition record the junction box seal as either a good seal or a seal that will leak. A seal that will leak is one of the listed options that classify a module as having a defective junction box. On visual inspection, the sealing parts around the wire entrance or the lid may look squeezed, broken or brittle, or may be missing completely. Moisture that enters a damaged junction box, for example through a missing seal at the wire entrance or housing, corrodes the contacts and can lead to junction box interconnection failure. A junction box with an inadequate IP rating may let water in, which can cause the box to fail later. Junction boxes are checked visually, and thermal imaging is added when damage is suspected, because higher resistance inside the box shows up on an infrared camera. Correcting sealing defects and sealing junction boxes properly are named as ways to limit these failures.
<!-- review notes
- sentence 6: support check: partial - Visual and thermal inspection, and IR detecting higher resistive effects, are stated, but the specific workflow of adding thermal imaging only when damage is suspected is not stated for thermal alone (the 'when damage is suspected' applies to IV/insulation checks). -->
Referenced by
- Damaged or missing seal
observed_asc3