How much cooling is needed for a server room

Server rooms should have their own independent cooling control separate from the rest of the office or building. The main reason for this is that a rooftop unit will supply heat in the winter, which should not reach your server room. Ideal server room conditions also often differ from comfortable working conditions for employees.

Related Posts. June 2nd, May 6th, Water Source Heat Pumps Explained. May 5th, October 2nd, October 8th, Early warning of problems and spare capacity in the cooling system are both highly desirable.

The amount of heat generated is known as the heat gain or heat load. The heat load depends on several factors, by considering those that apply in your circumstances and adding them together a reasonably accurate measure of the total heat can be calculated. The amount of cooling required depends on the area of the room.

To calculate the area in square metres:. If, as is quite common, your Server Room has no windows, you can ignore this part of the calculation. If, however there are windows you need to take the size and orientation into account.

If there are no blinds on the windows multiply the result s by 1. Obviously if you are in the Southern Hemisphere you would swap the conversion factors as the heat on North facing windows is then greatest. Add together all the BTUs for the windows. You will also need to add extra capacity to your cooling system to account for potential equipment failures and load growth.

No piece of equipment is infallible, and at some point, some of your cooling equipment will fail. You will need to take each cooling unit offline for maintenance periodically. You can plan for these needs by adding redundant capacity to your cooling system. The rule of thumb is to add as much redundant capacity as your budget allows. You should also add extra capacity to accommodate potential future load growth.

The amount of data that companies are generating is expanding rapidly, and demand for data storage is growing with it. Oversizing your cooling capacity ahead of time will enable you to meet increasing demand more readily and expand more quickly in the future. The amount of oversizing you should add for potential growth depends on the forecasts for your data center. Once you determine your cooling requirements by considering all of the factors listed above, you can accurately size an air conditioning system.

These factors are:. Once you have all of the above numbers that are relevant to your data center, simply add them up. The result is the cooling capacity you need for your data center. Often, the cooling capacity required is about 1. The cooling load you calculate may differ from this though, especially if you operate a larger data center. There are many different products and techniques you can use to maintain a proper temperature in your data center.

The best products for you will depend on your cooling load, the setup of your facility and other factors. Some of the cooling technologies you can choose from are:. The way you design your cooling system can also have a significant impact on cooling efficiency and effectiveness.

The way you set up your data center and place your cooling equipment impacts the efficiency of your cooling system. You can also design your system to take advantage of natural cooling if the climate where your data center is located allows. Properly calculating your cooling requirements is crucial to the reliable, cost-effective operation of your data center equipment.

Excessive heat and humidity can cause equipment to shut down and reduce its overall lifespan. Working with data center experts like those at DataSpan is another smart strategy for ensuring optimal cooling of your data center.

We offer the latest cooling technologies and can also help you to design, install and maintain your cooling system. Working with the experts at DataSpan is a sure way to make certain you end up with an optimized, efficient and reliable system. Want to learn more about how we can help you to optimize your data center cooling? Contact us today at or click here to find your local DataSpan representative. Request More Information. Request More Information Cooling Methods There are many different products and techniques you can use to maintain a proper temperature in your data center.

Some of the cooling technologies you can choose from are: Chillers: Chillers keep servers cool by removing heat from one element and transferring into another element. Cold aisle containment systems: Some airflow management solutions focus on containing cold air.

Cold aisle containment solutions separate the supply airflow from cooling units, enabling more precise temperature control and increasing efficiency. Hot aisle containment systems: Hot aisle containment solutions contain the hot exhaust air and return it directly to the air conditioning unit, preventing it from mixing with the supply air. Returning warmer air to the air conditioning units improves their performance.

Blanking Panels: Blanking panels block off space between racks, preventing air recirculation between and helping you to maintain a consistent temperature.