Why are Tempest Enclosures not IP66 or 67?
They can't be! When your equipment lamp is running, we blow large quantities of air through the enclosure, so it cannot be a sealed box, which these IP levels would require. Tempest enclosures are tested and approved to NEMA 3R, a weatherproof  standard for electrical enclosures. For a full explanation, see Hot Topics above.

Why don't Tempest enclosures use air conditioning?
Our customers report consistently that using air-conditioning based enclosures has caused them serious problems, particularly associated with condensation. When condensation is allowed to build up (and it's much harder to control with an AC system), what comes with it is a buildup of mineral deposits inside your enclosure – inside the window or globe, and inside the projector. It isn't heat or cold that kills expensive equipment outdoors, it's condensation.

Why do I need Tempest's DEC control system?
Certain Tempest enclosures are available in ‘fan-only' versions without DEC control. These are generally intended for indoor use, either where smoke and other particulates are in the air (clubs, shows), or for projector noise attenuation in lecture theatres and similar applications. Outdoors, the DEC system is critical in maintaining an environment conducive to the long life of your equipment – we keep you warm when it's cold, cool when it's hot, and we never allow deadly condensation to form. For more information on DEC3 control, check the enclosure product pages.

What happens if it gets really cold overnight?
We have a lot of experience in supplying enclosures to customers with cold winter climates such as Canada, Russia and Scandinavia. The heaters fitted to Tempest enclosures will kick in to maintain a preset bottom threshold temperature (typically set between 0-10ᴼC), when the outside air temperature drops. Additional thermal insulation kits are available for all Tempest projector enclosures. Incidentally, these climates are typically very humid during the summer months, when the DEC will really come into its own and save you from condensation buildup.

How will forced air cooling help in high ambient temperatures?
There is a common misconception that the relationship between outside air temperature and inside ambient is linear – in other words if the temperature inside the enclosure is 30C when outside is 20C, then outside air at 45C means inside air at 55C. This is not the case – in fact, the differential between inside and outside air temperature can be shown to diminish to almost nothing as the ambient temperature increases. Tempest enclosures have been successfully cooling hot moving lights and projectors in locations like Las Vegas, Singapore, and Egypt for many years; the key is the rapid exchange of air. We change the air in the enclosure every couple of seconds, allowing no time for temperature buildup, and immediately extracting the hot air radiating off the equipment lamp. If you hold your hand in front of a Tempest enclosure exhaust vent, you may be surprised at how cool the air feels – this is because we never allow the air to stay inside the enclosure long enough for it to heat up.

How do I mount Tempest Enclosures?
Most Tempest enclosures come with two strips of Unistrut on the base, which can be used to mount to a wide variety of structures and custom plates and poles. In addition, Tempest supplies mounting kits for plate and pipe/truss mounting in a variety of sizes. See our product manuals for specific mounting guidelines by product. For a generic mounting guide, see Hot Topics above.

What is the standard Tempest Warranty?
For the lawyers among you, check out our standard terms and conditions on the Contact Us page. For the rest of us, we offer a 12-month warranty on parts and labor defects, which may be extended in 12-month increments at the time of purchase, for a modest fee. Maximum is one year free, plus four years paid extension. While we do have to have formal warranty terms like any business, it is absolutely our philosophy to help out our customers any way we can, and we will always err on your side in the event of gray areas in warranty questions. Happily, they don't happen very often.

What is the Standard Tempest Manufacturing Lead Time?
We always try to keep stocks of parts on hand to build out your order as quickly as possible, but it's going to vary, depending on current factory workloads, and whether the customer before you just cleaned us out of the product you need! This table is a guide only, but is usually representative:

Don't forget to allow for shipping time from Los Angeles to your job site! Most of these enclosures are large and heavy, and will be significantly more expensive to ship by air than by surface transport.

Can Tempest help me with a custom Enclosure?
YES! Just call us – we do a lot of custom and semi-custom work, and we are always happy to discuss your requirements.

Do I need to program the enclosure to make it work?
Usually, no. Tempest enclosures work right out of the box using their default settings. You'll only need to read the control section of the manual if you plan on using DMX and RDM functions, or if you're going to adjust temperature settings for unusually cold conditions. 

Are Tempest enclosures available to rent?
Yes – our partner rental companies will be glad to work with you on your rental requirements. For more information, See the Rental tab on this site.