What is the Difference: Waterproof vs Water Resistant

Hello, again ePoolSupply supporters and fellow blog enthusiasts! Today I would like to discuss a topic that maybe people are unsure about or maybe haven’t even put too much thought into. So, we would like to put it out there for everyone to read about because knowledge is power.

Technology today is finally catching up to what we imagined from those old 1980s movies, including the underwater-like capabilities found in James Bond movies and radios on our wrists found in Dick Tracy. Now with phones and wearables being more water-friendly, there are terms that can be a little misleading or hard to understand the difference. This article will be designed to help explain the difference.

Waterproof is a term that has been around for a long time. Waterproof materials, surfaces, and products are not new to our society. Waterproof is the highest level of protection against some liquids. When an object is waterproof, it can be fully submerged in liquid with little to no damage. The term waterproof is sometimes used incorrectly, and people are unaware that their device may be water-resistant. Waterproofing an object relates to an IP Code scale (Ingress Protection Code.) The IP Code determines how resistant material is to outside elements like water. When using the IP Code system, an array of codes is used, including numbers and letters determining what the object is protected against or how well it is protected. However, just because a device may have the highest grade possible does not mean that it is entirely waterproof.

Today, our phones and watches are spoken to be waterproof when they may be water-resistant. For example, the new Apple Watch is water-resistant. According to Apple.com, as stated by Apple on their website, Apple Watch Series 7, Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Series 3 have a water resistance rating of 50 meters under ISO standard 22810:2010. This means that they may be used for shallow-water activities like swimming in a pool or ocean. However, they should not be used for scuba diving, waterskiing, or other activities involving high-velocity water or submersion below shallow depth. Series 7 is also rated IP6x dust resistant.

Water-resistant and waterproof are two entirely different things. Water-resistant lets you know that the object may get water, but it could take very little or a lot to be damaged. Waterproof is a statement that it could very well be impermeable to water to a certain degree.

Before jumping into the pool, we recommend that you check your device's fine print before you go swimming with it. Not all devices can handle water, the ocean, and pool water. Smart devices nowadays are not the cheapest things to replace in our world so we would like to think we saved somebody the pain of having to do because of this circumstance. Hopefully, you found the information in this blog to be useful and will prevent you from making the critical mistake of swimming with the devices mentioned above. We also hope we were able to answer any questions you may have had as it pertains to this subject and your pool system. If we didn’t, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us directly, our team of industry professionals is always happy to help you out! As always from all of us here at ePoolSupply thank you for reading along and keep on swimming!