In a data center, you have many electronics in one room. You know that if you stand too close to your computer while it’s running, you’ll feel a bit of heat. Now imagine the heat put out by those large servers in your average data center. (Hint: it’s a lot.)
A data center would feel incredibly uncomfortable to work in with all that heat around. That kind of heat is also no good for electronics. Heat can cause equipment to malfunction. When that equipment is your servers, which hold all the information for your business, you must do everything you can to protect that equipment.
That’s why every data center needs a good HVAC system. An HVAC system controls the temperature and moisture in the data center. It also controls the amount of dust present in the room. Dust is yet another hazard to electronics.
Our friendly and knowledgeable team at Ambient Edge can help you find the right HVAC system for your data center. Call us today for a free consultation.
Controlling Temperature
Temperature is incredibly important to a data center. A hot data center makes its employees uncomfortable and risks the breakdown of several thousands of dollars of equipment. That is also quite the loss of data. An air conditioner can cool the air down, sure, but that’s not all an air conditioner does. An air conditioner also helps dry the air. Like heat, moisture is also very bad to have around your servers.
But how do you know which air conditioner is best for your data center? That’s where a professional HVAC technician can help. Our team at Ambient Edge follows guidelines created by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) when designing data center HVAC systems. These guidelines help us help you select the right HVAC system to keep your data center consistently running at the appropriate temperature and humidity levels.
Where to Put Your Data Center’s Air Conditioner
While it’s important to have an air conditioner in your data center, it is just as important to know where to install it. Our professional technicians here at Ambient Edge can inspect your data center and use the ASHRAE’s guidelines to determine where to install your air conditioner. Your server room must be the focus here, with everything else designed around it. There is no negotiating that point.
Where your servers are is just as important as how big they are. The raised floors in server rooms are also important to remember, as they can hinder an HVAC system’s ability to control airflow, humidity, and temperature.
The ceilings in server rooms can also affect where to install an HVAC system. These ceilings are usually higher than those in a typical office building are, especially if there are large equipment racks in the data center. These larger ceilings create additional space that an HVAC system must cool and dry.
Reducing Dust and Other Harmful Particles
Particles in the air can be just as harmful as moisture or the temperature of the air in a data center. Data centers usually have rules regarding who can come in and what they can bring with them. This helps reduce the number of particles that can end up inside the data center.
Dust seems harmless, but over time, those tiny particles accumulate into something larger. Enough dust can eventually cause a buildup that leads to equipment malfunctions. Did you know dust could even lead to a fire? You are at an even higher risk of fire if the air in the data center is too dry.
HVAC systems, especially those equipped with HEPA filters, have filters and ventilation systems that work to pull every little particle out of the air – or at least most of them. This is yet another benefit of having an air conditioner in a data center.
Cooling Off Your Employees
Not only do the electronics in the data center need to be kept cool to work efficiently, but so too do the employees who work there! While your HVAC system may be enough to keep the room comfortable, you may also want to consider installing a computer room air conditioner, or CRAC system.
You’ll see CRAC systems more often in larger data centers, but even employees who work in smaller data centers can enjoy some of the benefits. Talk to our team at Ambient Edge to decide whether a CRAC system is a good idea for your data center.
If You Need an Air Conditioner for Your Data Center, Ambient Edge Can Help!
It is perhaps more important to have an air conditioner in a data center than any other business. Not only does it keep your employees more comfortable, but it is also crucial in the protection of several thousand dollars of servers and other electronic equipment. The better you protect your servers, the less you have to worry about losing the data saved to them.
Ambient Edge has several years of HVAC experience at both the commercial and residential level. We know every part of every HVAC system, including which parts are best for your business. Give us a call today, and let us help you find the right HVAC system to save you stress and protect your servers!