I know it's tough to hear, and just to qualify what I'm about to say... I've been at this a LONG time.... in fact before VFDs became commercially available, I was using the old DC motors/controllers, and I have seen time and again people say "I just can't afford a VFD with an enclosure." Truth is, you can't afford not to. The reason is, I have never seen a homemade enclosure that was able to protect the electronics in an open VFD.....and the VFD ends up shorted out (the way Tracy mentioned above), and the individual(s) end up having to buy another. Often time this scenario happens a few times before the individual(s) breaks down and buys what's needed..... a VFD that is built into a NEMA 4 enclosure. Meaning they spend 2-3X the money it would have cost to buy something like a KBAC 24, 27, or 29 VFD in the first place.... that will be trouble free, and last. I try to operate the shop off the principle of "Buy once, cry once". I've learned that if I buy the "right" tool/appliance the first time, I don't have to buy it again. If I try to cut corners, it always comes back to bite me.