Table of Contents
Introduction
You have your DJI drone, and you enjoy flying it. However, you wonder if you can fly it while it is raining. There are drones that you can fly in the rain without any trouble. You often see industrial drones flying in the rain because their purpose is site-mapping which means they are waterproof. That is why their purpose is to fly in all conditions, whether it is raining, snowing, or hot. However, does your DJI drone have the exact attributes? Before you start flying it in the rain, there are several things you need to learn about your DJI drone. Unfortunately, what you will learn may disappoint you.
Your DJI Drone Is Not Waterproof
Unfortunately, your DJI drone is not waterproof, as that means you cannot fly in the rain. If there is any exposure to water to the drone, it can damage the batteries, the motor, and electronic parts. Therefore, you do not want to fly drones when it is raining, snowing, or foggy. Not if you’re going to do so recreationally, even though you have some industrial drones that do site-mapping, which are waterproof or at the very least water-resistant. However, the DJI drone is not part of this category. You may find that the manufacturers of these DJI drones warn you not to fly them around areas with puddles because if the drone lands in a pool of water, the water will get into the drone and damage it.
Some DJI drones have a design that could potentially handle some water splashes. They do not have vents, but the ones with plenty of vents are not safe to fly near any water. Those DJI drones with that design could be water-resistant. Is that the same as waterproof?
Is There Much Of A Difference Between A Waterproof And Water-Resistant Drone?
The one thing that you need to know is the difference between waterproof and water-resistant because they are not the same thing. And if you are a drone owner, you must understand the difference between both. Water-resistant drones aren’t waterproof because all they can do is deflect some water headed their way. That means if you fly a water-resistant drone and there is an unexpected fast sprinkle of rain, the drone may deflect that small amount of water. However, if there happened to be a torrential downpour, that would damage the drone.
However, waterproof drones have ample protection against water to the point that a torrential downpour would not significantly affect them. The major problem with drone manufacturers is that they often use the terms “waterproof” and “water-resistant” interchangeably, which is incorrect because they do not mean the same thing. So, if you are unsure how the rain can damage the DJI drone, let’s talk about that and break that down further.
How Can Water Ruin The DJI Drone?
If you fly your DJI drone in a light rainfall, whether the droplets are tiny, you may think that would be harmless because how can tiny droplets like that ruin the drone? However, it does not matter how tiny the water droplets are because if they contact the electric motors, the batteries, and the circuit boards, it will cause damage.
You may find that it would not make a difference right away because you will find that your drone operates even when there is water damage. However, over time, it will cause rusting, corrosion, and shorting, which will cause the electric parts of the drone to fall apart, and no one can repair them. In addition, you already know that batteries do not mix with water, and once the battery has exposure to water, it will likely no longer work.
Additionally, aside from the water aspect, if the weather conditions are unstable, it will harm how stable the drone is in the air. You have to remember that water is not only a conductor, but it will also absorb the radio signal. Now, you may want to know what you should do if you are flying your DJI drone and there is unexpectedly a rainfall, even though the weather reporters did not warn you about this?
What Do You Do If Your DJI Drone Unexpectedly Comes In Contact With The Rain?
If you fly your DJI drone in the clear sky, then suddenly a rain cloud sweeps over, and it begins raining, you may panic. However, the best thing you can do is get your drone to base right away. If the rain is light, you can successfully bring it back to base as the blades can spin at a very high RPM, potentially providing some moisture protection. Bring the drone back and make sure it dries somewhere that does not have any moisture at all. Unfortunately, this situation can happen without warning. Weather predictions are far from perfect, which is one example of how that is. You may wonder if you can fly your drone over water as well. So let’s talk about that.
Can You Fly Your DJI Drone Over A Lake Or An Ocean?
You know that your DJI drone is not waterproof, nor are many models of it water-resistant. However, many people have safely flown DJI drones over lakes, ponds, and oceans. Nevertheless, there is still a recommendation not to do that since there could be unexpected waves of water coming up from any large body of water, especially that can cause some damage to the drone. It is something you may want to do at your risk, and if you choose to do that, you will want to at least look into getting a commercial water-resistant drone. It is understandable to do so as you want to capture breathtaking photos.
Conclusion
You may want to know if you can fly your DJI drone in the rain as you could capture some incredible images. However, the issue is that the DJI drone is not waterproof, and most models are not water-resistant either. There is a difference between waterproof and water-resistant. Water-resistant drones can deflect a little bit of water away from them, but if too much water gets into it, it can ruin the electric parts, battery, and motor. Even if you do not see any damage happening to a drone that had exposure to water, there will be corrosion over time.