DIY gasket material for outdoor video cam?

[Del91574]

You're reading too much into the sealing.....roofs and buildings are supposed to have ventilation to keep the temperatures down and airflow on the underside of the deck, otherwise there wouldn't be soffit vents and ridge vents.
 
Sealing to conditioned space, sure, I can agree with that, but worrying about condensation and other factors, the house isn't going to be airtight! Same goes with the construction, because unless they provide caulking or other as they put the house together and each board, it's a moot point!
 
Humidity is really going to be a non-issue. Most outdoor cameras have some form of heater to help with condensation and humidity. If there's that much condensation on the outside of the camera there's a bigger problem at hand.

 

[wkearney99]

Realistically, it's not like there's going to be a ton of stresses on however that would get mounted.  I'd think a couple of through-bolts into a work box cover would be pretty sufficient for keeping it safely in place.  That and it'd be easy enough to just get a new box cover if/when a camera chance was needed.
 
But, yeah, there's definitely something to be said for making the punt...

 

[drvnbysound]

Here's what I've been doing:
 
1) Remove vinyl soffit:

 
2) Install bracing:

 
The bracing is installed such that a piece of plywood (or other) can be installed flush with the top section of the vinyl siding (see below).
 
3) Mount plywood mounting base for camera:

 
In the case of the camera I was installing, it had a standard cable gland out of the back of the camera. I cut the hole such that the cable gland would fit through the hole allowing the base to mount flush.
 
4) Mount the camera:

 

[wkearney99]

Consider keeping a spare piece of the soffit around.  If/when you replace the camera there's the likelihood they'll have discontinued that style.  
 
It's the same sort of advice worth following for tiles and stuff.  But don't get me started on how freakin' heavy the 60x60cm tiles were for the master bath.  I was sure the fold-down attic stairs were going to fail with me and a box of three tiles going up it.  
 
Oh, and nice work.  Thanks for the pix.

 

[pete_c]

Thank you for the pics drvnbysound.
 
Yup here have aluminum vented soffits. 
 
I was sort of paranoid about cutting much into them or creating a new underlying base for the cams.
 
Did you treat the wood base structure made for anything weather related?
 
Here I have a base of wood adjacent to the brick which was large enough to support the camera base such that camera is mounted on the wooden base.
 
Above the wooden base I drilled a small hole into the soffit for the one catXX cable and just insulated said cable from the aluminum.
 

I was sure the fold-down attic stairs were going to fail with me and a box of three tiles going up it.

 
In the older home I had a wooden staircase on a spring door for the attic access.  It did hold up some 20 years before I needed to replace it.
 

 
In the current home I found a small footprint telescopic set of stairs which appear to be a bit sturdier that the wooden type.
 
I did also reinforce the framing and the door for the attic.  Its telescopic and all aluminum.  You do have to be careful when using it as it can snap off fingers if you do not pay attention.
 

 

[drvnbysound]

The stuff I installed (pictured) wasn't pressure treated. I've since done a customer's home and did the same thing with pressure treated wood. To me, it's mainly to provide a good, solid mounting structure to mount the camera to; hopefully enough to weather storms such as hurricanes with high winds.
 
Personally, I know I'd be changing out the camera and thus also inspecting the wood sooner than it would ever have any issues. I also know the area under the soffit really doesn't get wet enough to decay the wood in a quick manner. If I had to guess, I'd say it would take 5+ years (if not much longer) to deteriorate the 1/2" plywood that I used.

 

[wkearney99]

If the plywood's rotting out that soon then there are likely serious problems with the rest of the house.  I wouldn't bother with PT for that sort of situation, it's protected 'enough' to not make it worth the bother/expense. Cutting PT is rough on saw blades, not to mention a bit unhealthy.  But if you've got a sheet of it handy, sure, can't hurt.

 

[wkearney99]

In the older home I had a wooden staircase on a spring door for the attic access.  It did hold up some 20 years before I needed to replace it.
 

 
Ours is only there until they come back and put in a set of regular steps.  Short answer is adding them during the initial construction would have introduced requirements to put sprinklers up there and potentially exceed square footage limits.  I just want normal steps to access my attic for storage.  So the ceiling joists are framed up ready to have the stairs added.  

 

[pete_c]

Yup right now here in the midwest the camera is mounted on Hardieboard which appears to be a 1/2" X 5" piece and I haven't seen any issues so far in 10 years.  I have seen though other spots where the hardieboard cement board siding is deteroriating.
 
In the older home of 30 years I did have one issue with one soffit that I fixed right before moving.  It was sort of a similiar set up except that some birds had pushed just enough on the aluminum soffit to build a nest on the wooden support pieces on one corner of the house.  It was a mixture of brick, aluminum soffits trim and some aluminum siding.  Over the years there in one spot the wood did deteriorate a bit.  It was something though that I didn't really notice or pay attention too until the sofitt started to lose its shape due to the wood deteriorating in the corner pieces of the soffit.  I did rebuild that corner piece with the sofffit.  The contractor did just utilize regular untreated wood and it lasted a couple of years until I moved.  Its wasn't really open to the weather and it was an overhang to the front cement porch on a two story with the 2nd story overhang hanging over that roof (well it was maybe only 5-6 feet of roof).  Maybe though it was just freak occurance.

 

[pete_c]

@wkearney99
 
Here I left the access alone and decided to redo it when I put the chandelier lift in the attic; which was a PITA to do.  (well its like a garage door opener motor in the attic but it also needed support for the weight as it is over a tall ceiling at the entrance of the house)
 
But that started me on the 2nd floor LV cabling and lightning and cat walk for the attic....which took a bit of time.