You're showing your ignorance of the meaning of certain standards.
A 3R box is not supposed to be water tight. It is designed to prevent ingress of water from the top only, and drain out any significant amount of moisture that enters from the sides. There are restrictions on how you can mount a 3R enclosure to ensure this happens (e.g. you can't mount it sideways or upside down). A 3R box is not 'rain tight', that isn't part of the language of that NEMA standard.
A raintight coupler or connector is not supposed to allow water to enter the raceway, regardless of the direction it's installed. That includes water that's streaming along the outside of the raceway, which is how most of it will get inside the raceway if you use set-screw couplers outdoors, even if you install them horizontal with set screws down. If raintight fittings are used with NEMA 4 enclosures then in theory that's not supposed to allow any water to enter.
I've seen enough water get inside EMT installed with actual rain-tight fittings that were not so badly installed, that I can tell you that set screw fittings don't stand a chance of keeping water out in a good rain.
Hardly anybody installs drains or uses duct seal in all the places they should, but that's probably another thread.
And you are showing your ignorance of basic physics.
You have a set screw connector under a box at least two to three feet off the ground. Now even in the heaviest rain, how is water going to get up inside the conduit? It would have to fill the minute gap around the conduit inside the fitting then fall back down into the conduit cavity. Just how much force would be required to do that short of a deep flood?
I was told by a licensed EC this was OK. I just thought would ask here. I don't appreciate being called ignorant. After all I hold the EE degree and license! I guess I don't have enough experience installing HVAC units and swimming pool filters!
Now you are going after a long time member of this forum.
Just because you asked a EC does not mean he knows his stuff. There is such garbage work out there I can vomit. Some of which is very out right dangerous and done by licensed contractors. I won't do such. I walk. It's not up for negotiation.
You need to use material listed for the purpose. There may be a code reference to the code references a listing agency.
You are arguing about nonsense.
I have worked in areas of California near the beach where water goes uphill, where it gets soggy in soffits, where everything needs to be treated as if it was going to hosed down.
Many years ago we had to stop using the plain old compression fittings for ones that had an additional seal. That is the code. We don't get to argue its requirement. The only time is during the code adoption process.
The code states:
Location, Wet. Installations underground or in concrete
slabs or masonry in direct contact with the earth; in locations
subject to saturation with water or other liquids, such as
vehicle washing areas; and in unprotected locations exposed
to weather.
Raintight. Constructed or protected so that exposure to
a beating rain will not result in the entrance of water
under specified test conditions.
300.38 Raceways in Wet Locations Above Grade.
Where raceways are installed in wet locations above
grade, the interior of these raceways shall be considered
to be a wet location. Insulated conductors and cables
installed in raceways in wet locations above grade shall
comply with 310.10(C).
358.42 Couplings and Connectors. Couplings and
connectors used with EMT shall be made up tight.
Where buried in masonry or concrete, they shall be
concretetight type. Where installed in wet locations,
they shall comply with 314.15.
Chew on that ,
