Business Data Security: A Guide To Server Room Cooling With Portable Air Conditioners

Most buildings aren't designed specifically for the unique needs of a server room, so it's no wonder that many server rooms aren't properly designed in terms of cooling. The solution for most has been to bring in portable air conditioners or spot coolers to take the unique needs of the server room.

Computers and server room equipment need to be kept cool-even in the winter months when heat is being pumped into the building to keep the staff warm. Because there normally isn't a way for the hot air to be diverted from the server room and even less likely that a building's HVAC system allows for controlled temperatures on a room-to-room basis, the problem is a serious one.

Choosing a portable air conditioner: There are several different features to look for when comparing portable air conditioners for use in a server room. The first is the number of BTU's that the spot cooler produces. BTU's, or British Thermal Units are the metric that determines how much heat a particular portable air conditioner can displace.

In order to arrive at the number of BTU's necessary for a portable air conditioner to cool your server room, you'll need to take measurements of the room and any windows in the room, add up the total wattage for the equipment in the room, count the number of lights in the room, and document the number of regular occupants. A portable air conditioning expert can then use this data to recommend a spot cooler with the right number of BTU's to do the job. It's a good idea to get more BTU's than you need currently to handle future growth.

Monitoring the temperature: The ideal temperature for a server room is between 68 and 71 degrees. An acceptable range is between 50 and 82 degrees. Any hotter and you're risking damage to your server chips. When getting a temperature read on the room, keep in mind the number of occupants that spend most of their day in the data center or server room. A person working in the room can add a good deal of body heat, enough to displace about 400 BTU's of cooling power. Also, the current temperature outside will affect the room, as will the air conditioning or heat filling the remainder of the building.

What you'll need is a way to consistently monitor the temperature of the room to ensure that your portable air conditioner is maintaining the temperature properly. There are motoring devices that generate an alert when data center temperatures get out of range and can even point out any hotspots in the data center. Even if your portable air conditioner is doing its job on the overall temperature of the room, it's important to identify hot spots where small fans may be necessary.

The potential cost of not addressing the issue is disastrous. Imagine what your company would do tomorrow if suddenly all of your critical data was gone or inaccessible for several days. The process of brining in adequate cooling for your data center isn't a difficult one. Portable air conditioners can be rolled in and used immediately with about 20 minutes of set up time by a portable air conditioning specialist. Once your server room cooling system is set up, you can rest easy knowing that you've taken precautions to preserve your company's data.

For more information on server room cooling units, visit http://www.coldair.net.

Basics of HVAC

What is HVAC? You've probably heard of the term from different contractors, engineers, or perhaps colleagues and business partners; but you're still wondering what the initialism means. Well, HVAC ("H-V-A-C" or "H-VAK") stands for Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning--three closely related fundamental functions found in homes, offices, and other building structures.

The beginning of HVAC is not clear, though as early as second century, a lot of Roman cities were using a central heating system known as hypocaust. This is further popularized during the Industrial Revolution as big factories used it. Now most modern buildings that you see have integrated HVAC.

The HVAC system is also known as climate control. This is because these three functions are essential in maintaining comfort in every dwelling.

The primary use of HVAC is to regulate room temperature, humidity, and air flow, ensuring that such elements remain within their acceptable ranges. Effective control of such factors minimizes health-related risks. A very humid atmosphere impairs the body's ability to regulate body temperature as it prevents the evaporation of sweat. High humidity also decreases physical strength, which usually leads to fatigue. An unhealthy surrounding can also affect people's thinking abilities. Hypothermia, heat stroke, and hyperpyrexia, among others, are some of the illnesses that may also occur.

There are three basic functions of HVAC. Heating is significant in maintaining adequate room temperature especially during colder weather conditions. There are two classifications of heating: local and central. The latter is more commonly used because it is more economical. Furnace or boiler, heat pump, and radiator make up the heating system.

Ventilation, on the other hand, is associated with air movement. There are many types of ventilation, but they all function similarly. Ventilation is necessary to allow carbon dioxide to go out and oxygen to get in, making sure that people are inhaling fresh air. Stagnant air causes the spreading of sickness, usually airborne, and allergies. But it is also essential to maintain an efficient ventilation system, especially in the attics. Insufficient ventilation usually promotes the growth of bacteria and fungi such as molds because of high humidity. It will also decrease the effectiveness of rafter and roof sheathing insulation because of water vapor condensation.

The air-conditioning system controls the heat as well as ventilation. They often come in different sizes. Most air conditioners have large air ducts, so it is better to check out the building first to see if they can be installed. Or else, you can use the split system or remote coils. It is necessary, though, that air ducts are properly cleaned. Pathogens thrive in dirty air ducts. Return-air grills are also vulnerable to chemical, microbiological, and radiological elements. Thus, HVAC return-air grill height should be that it is not accessible but visible for any observation.

HVAC has gone a long way over the years. Now, you may be wondering, how has technology changed in the HVAC field? Well, using PLCs (programmable logic controllers) in HVAC is the trend nowadays. But a great deal of development of the HVAC system lies on the ever-changing technology and continuous innovation. Companies are adopting wireless technology after they found out that networking HVAC controllers, which often use sensors, can eventually cut installation and labor costs. A lot of engineers are also focused on further improving this technology through the use of mesh wireless setup, which will work for both the wireless sensor and wireless controller networks. The only downside of this could probably be the risk of being exposed to RF (radio frequency) radiation.

The installation of an HVAC system is imperative if we want to achieve maximum comfort and be healthy in our homes, office spaces, or other building facilities. But you also need to consider the building size in installing an HVAC system. Optimum efficiency and comfort level are best achieved if the system is appropriate for the size. After all, any ineffective system usually means more incurred costs in the future. You should also see to it that HVAC is carefully integrated to the overall building design so other aspects needed for proper operations, such as cabling, are not sacrificed.

Milafel Hope Awe is a freelance web writer, project leader, and a loyal mom to her 16-year-old stepdaughter and 2-year-old son. Right now, she's writing articles for HVAC Home. In her spare time, she writes poetry, travels, and plays the guitar.