Professionals working with computers are constantly aware of the challenges associated with maintaining these servers and keeping them cool at all times. Sometimes even the most experienced professionals have a hard time.
This was once a situation that only a fraction of professionals dealt with, but today the small business has had technology thrust upon them in a short amount of time. From storage hardware to networking gear the small business has a small cache of digital technology upon which its growth and prosperity relies.
While technology has built some resilient computer hardware, many business owners overestimate this quality and arrange their computers in the most haphazard way possible and this can lead to trouble.
Why Is it Important to Keep Servers Cool?
When servers become overheated, you will see that they begin to perform poorly and your hardware is noticeably struggling. Keeping the temperatures of your servers low is essential not just to optimal function but optimal longevity as well. After prolonged exposure to temperature extremes, the servers you have can begin to lose functionality, some of which may never be restored.
Even if the problem doesn’t reach catastrophic levels, you still lose your investment as your servers begin to suffer. This modern age is a techno-paradise built on speed and efficiency and this is where properly cooling your data center can keep you at the competitive edge. Because servers release plenty of heat as they work they must be kept in a cool well-ventilated room.
This is usually relegated to a smaller room in the back, many business owners make the bad idea of doubling this room for storage of other equipment, but this is a bad idea. The more objects you place in a room, the greater the thermal mass is and the warmer it can get.
Servers will work better in a clear and cool environment where heat is quickly expelled and the servers kept cool. It would be a crying shame to have all that expensive equipment replaced after a few short months of operations in a heated environment. This is why more and more people working in IT will be looking for the most cost-effective way to keep their servers and server rooms cool.
5 Effortless Ways to Cool Your Server Room.
While complex cooling and dedicated HVAC units can be one effective solution, they can be costly. On the other hand, there are plenty of ways to keep temperatures low on a shoestring budget.
1. Use low-heat lighting.
The lighting in the server rooms will need to be ample and sufficient. IT technicians operating in the dark are at an increased risk of human error. But in a well-illuminated room tasks can be done quickly and precisely. The best options are low-heat lighting options such as fluorescent tubes or LED array, these have good lighting and promote low temperatures.
2. Let hot air escape the room.
Server rooms are often too small for the amount of equipment they are storing and this can result in servers operating in higher temperatures than normal. The lack of usable space adds to the problem with low air circulation. Be sure the room you have chosen has an option for ventilation. If the space can be cooled your servers can be saved.
If you are forced to use a smaller room for your server room, you can look for other ways to keep the room cool. Make use of a ventilation system if you have one in operations, a rack mounted computer like this from Chassis Plans can help with cooling. If you have a low-security server system, you can pull out a ceiling tile or two and allow the heat to escape from this point.
3. Raised Access Floors.
Raised access floors make it a lot easier to install the right sort of cooling equipment – such as Airfixture’s Underfloor Air Distribution (UFAD) systems- and also add to the accessibility of servers and related wires in a server room. Many companies provide custom designs, meaning they are made for your space.
4. Use fans to cool equipment.
A well-situated fan can keep the air moving and the convection heat transfer moving out and away from the servers. Fans are a far more affordable solution than air conditioning. Keeping a small but powerful fan right at the heat vents of the servers will do much to keep them from overheating.
5. Inspect and adjust your HVAC system.
Keep an eye on the conditions and function of your HVAC system to keep your servers in proper conditions for the longest time possible. A semi-annual maintenance check of your office air conditioning will keep things energy efficient and fully-functional.
