A Guide to Temperature and Humidity Standards in Data Center Server Rooms

The creation of an optimal indoor environment in data centers is a crucial requirement that determines the speed of IT equipment wear and the durability of network system functioning. Violation of optimal humidity or temperature can lead to severe problems. In the article, we’re going to consider how an indoor climate affects network hardware and its operation.

Temperature and humidity come as the most influential factors that can disrupt performance and affect hardware service life. Thus, we’re going to focus on these parameters and discuss the ideal server room temperature and humidity.

Temperature in DCs: How Does It Affect Equipment?

Temperature surges can cause irreparable harm to IT hardware. An incorrectly maintained temperature range leads to two possible consequences:

- hardware overheating due to too high temperature and increased heat exchange;

- increased wear of system components if the temperature is too low.

However, high temperature is more damaging for network devices. The thing is that servers and other equipment pieces emit heat during operation. Insufficient server cooling or inability to remove extra heat from rack enclosures results in heat exchange and overheating.

According to international standards, the best temperature for a server room should be maintained between 60-90 °F. The maintenance of the server room temperature standard allows for creating an optimal climate for stable and smooth system performance.

When setting an optimal server room temperature for proper climatic conditions, technicians take into account such factors, as:

- the presence of windows in rooms, their size, and location;

- floor surface area;

- lighting;

- occupants.

The consideration of these factors allows for getting a rough estimate of the produced heat in network racks. Based on this information, it’s possible to calculate the capacity of the required cooling system and enrolled chilling devices for recommended server room temperature maintenance.

Humidity in Server Rooms: Influence on Equipment & Methods of Control

Although humidity seems to be less harmful than the server room temp, it can also become an aggressor for IT hardware. An adverse effect of incorrect humidity causes:

- static charge accumulation if humidity is too low, which can lead to short circuits;

- condensation at high humidity, which results in corrosion of electrical circuit boards and equipment.

According to commonly set and accepted standards, the optimal humidity for server rooms must be maintained at 45%.

How to Check Temp and Humidity in Data Centers?

Regular maintenance and control of climatic indicators is a key to long-term successful functioning. Specialists offer versatile monitoring methods to check the level of environmental conditions in premises. Monitoring capabilities are wide; they imply sensor installation to control, record, and alarm about an indoor climate. Depending on the place of installation, the following sensors are applicable:

- SpeedFan utility for controlling temp in servers, GPU, chassis, and CPU;

- Environment Monitor app connected to ESensor EM01B devices to watch for the environment in a room;

- PA Server Monitor is used for prompt alarming about violations in climatic indicators.

Different types of sensors exist on the market and allow system administrators to develop high-quality monitoring systems. Such solutions are connected to computers to ensure a quick reaction to climate change.

If you need some ventilation units for your network rack or cabinet, visit the Sysracks website and study its catalog. The company offers a wide list of cooling solutions for any need and infrastructure scale. Managers will help pick appropriate devices to arrange and maintain data center ideal temperature and humidity.

How can the Levels of Temperature and Humidity be regulated?

The violation of both environmental parameters leads to system shutdown and downtime, meaning loss of time and money for businesses. Thus, when arranging server rooms, technicians pay particular attention to the organization of a ventilation system and plan cooling techniques in advance.

Fortunately, the modern industry offers diverse solutions for effective room cooling and indoor climate monitoring. Before you put a network infrastructure in operation, it’s important to consider possible cooling strategies. The following technologies are applied to arrange powerful cooling systems in computer rooms and ensure sufficient airflow to keep hardware cold:

1. Temperature control panel with fans. These are sets of fans united within one base. They allow for the creation of a powerful stream of air and remove heat effectively.

2. Shelf fan trays. It’s a single-place box for installation fans in rack or cabinet bodies and their reliable fastening. High mounting flexibility allows for installing it as you need to manage airflow direction.

3. Wall-mount roof fan kit. This set is designed to cool the space inside cabinet or rack enclosures. It’s installed instead of a roof and forces the air to circuit in the set direction.

Besides, note that chillers, humidifiers, liquid cooling systems, and other modern devices are used for keeping an indoor climate within the norm and preventing damage to equipment. Compliance with ASHRAE data center temperature and humidity standards guarantees the durable and effective functioning of network systems. The installation of ventilation server rack units allows for maintaining the optimal environment in cabinets and racks and ensuring effective heat removal. Taking steps will protect servers from malfunction and help keep datum secure.