Reminds me of a call I got two or three years ago.
It was with my workshop foreman to do a few simple mods to the control system of a VSD and subsequently to run it up.
The location wasn't very far away and I got a call from the customer when we were about half way.
"We're going to have to cancel the job."
"OK. Any particular reason?" I asked.
"It's raining."
"Yes........."
Well, it's out in the yard."
"Oh.......s.."
The panel, like almost everything we do, was designed on the basis that it was to be used in a reasonably clean industrial switch room. Not for outdoor use. It was a 200kW unit with expected losses in the region of 5kW and that needs a decent amount of airflow through the panel - big inlet fans at the bottom of the front door and outlet grills at the top. They are fitted with filter mats to prevent the ingress of dust. But not rain. And then there's the front panel controls - standard industrial switches, indicator lamps, operator interface unit. Plus the panel is made of mild steel albeit epoxy power coated. Just totally unsuitable for outdoor use.
We do, from time to time, make panels suitable for wet environments. But that's an entirely different ball game. And price. And this particular customer wanted cheap so didn't furnish us with/withheld some vital bits of information. It happens.....