IP Ratings on Electric Wheelchairs: What IPX4 Actually Protects
Rain questions dominate our inbox: "Can I use the chair in the rain? What does the IPX4 on the spec sheet mean? Can I hose it clean?" Here is what those two letters and one digit actually promise — and what they deliberately do not.
Reading the code
IP stands for Ingress Protection. The first digit covers solids (5 = dust-protected, 6 = dust-tight); the second covers liquids (X means "not rated", 4 = splashing water from any direction, 5 = jets, 6 = powerful jets, 7 = temporary immersion). A chair marked IPX4 handles rain and puddle splash. It is not washable with a hose — that needs IPX6 minimum.
What carries the rating
Critically, the rating applies to rated enclosures — controller housing, battery case, motor cans — not the entire chair as a single object. Our controllers are IPX5; battery packs IPX6; joystick gaiters IPX4. The chain fails at its weakest point: an IPX6 battery under a seat soaked through a non-rated cushion still sees water running down the harness.
What dies first when water wins
Warranty data, in failure order: joystick potentiometers (water wicks along the cable into the housing), then controller connectors (green-white oxide powder on pins), then motor hall sensors, and only rarely the motors themselves. Batteries almost never fail from rain — sealed cases do their job. So rain damage is usually a €40 joystick, sometimes a €200 controller, not a write-off.
Using a chair honestly in the rain
IPX4 means rain is fine, with care: avoid pressure-washing, don't store the chair outside, dry the joystick and charging port before plugging in (charging into a wet port causes the actual damage more often than rain itself), and tilt water off the seat fabric. For users in genuinely wet climates, we spec the higher-rated joystick boot and dielectric grease on connectors at assembly — ask, it is a no-cost option on most models.
The hose-cleaning temptation
Every year someone pressure-washes a chair because "it's waterproof". Pressure jets force water past seals that splashing never could — the X6 test uses 100 liters per minute at close range, and consumer washers exceed that. Wipe the frame, damp-cloth the electronics, and let the casters be rinsed in a bucket. The chair will last longer than the cleaning enthusiasm.