ᐅ What IP rating should an outdoor garden socket have?

IPx4 means protection against splashing water from all directions, while IPx5 means protection against water jets from all directions.
Heavy rain combined with strong wind, sometimes referred to as driving rain, can actually resemble water jets.
On May 30th, nearly 30 liters per square meter (0.7 gallons per square foot) fell here within 15 to 20 minutes, with strong southwest wind—this was no longer splashing water as defined by the standard.

But there is a simple solution. If you know that heavy rain with wind is coming, just cover the item. Covers or protective sleeves are available in countless sizes, colors, and shapes.

Otherwise, just unplug and let it dry. Outdoor light fixtures usually only have IP44 rating. They will dry out again.

My comment about the person lying dead nearby referred to the again very relaxed statements from so-called "experts" along the lines of:
"There’s a socket in my garden on the ground for 135 years, installed by Edison himself… nothing has ever happened..."
That may be true. But if something does happen, electrical accidents have a relatively high fatality rate.

IP44 is acceptable, otherwise millions of products wouldn’t be sold with this rating.

MachsSelbst schrieb:

IPx4 means protection against splashing water from all directions, IPx5 means protection against water jets from all directions.
Heavy rain combined with strong wind, sometimes called driving rain, can effectively be similar to water jets.
On May 30th, nearly 30 liters fell here within 15 to 20 minutes, with strong wind from the southwest; this no longer counts as splashing water according to the standard.

Those were my concerns as well, but it’s not always possible to have a cover on top, so I want it to be safe enough that I don’t have to worry about it.

If you open the outlet cover and plug in the outdoor plug, then you only have IP44 protection, right?

I want an outlet where I can just plug in my devices and forget about them, without having to think about it anymore.
I don’t bring the Philips Hue outdoor lamps inside or cover them every time there’s heavy rain.

MachsSelbst schrieb:

IP44 is fine; otherwise, these would not be sold millions of times.

Would you say IP44 is sufficient, or should we go for IP55?
The plugs will stay plugged in permanently, regardless of rain, snow, frost, heavy rain, or driving rain.

If it is meant to be permanent, simply clamp it, for example, with a gel-filled splice. There are also outdoor enclosures designed for such purposes that cover the plug connection. This way, it is truly sealed. These socket columns, of course, only have their protection rating when closed.

Araknis schrieb:

These socket columns only have their protection rating when closed.

Yes, but when the plug is inserted, doesn't the whole system then have the protection rating of the plug?

For example, the Philips Hue power supply is rated IP67.

It’s not meant to be 100% permanent anyway, and the power for the lamps has to come from somewhere.
It comes from the outdoor power supply with a standard plug, which then converts to 24V.

The lawn mower robot also only has a Schuko plug, which you wouldn't want to unplug in heavy rain.

FrankChief schrieb:

The Philips Hue power supply, for example, is rated IP 67.

But certainly not the Schuko plug. Try plugging it into a standard socket and think carefully about how it could possibly be dust- and waterproof. The sockets in an outdoor power pedestal are also not made of silicone, which might provide sealing. Here, if anything, the rating refers to the plug on the cable outlet side.

The Schuko plug of outdoor devices is designed to fill the entire socket and thus provide some sealing.

Or am I mistaken?

Please forgive me if I use the wrong technical terms.