As warmer weather approaches, maintaining proper temperature and humidity in server rooms/areas becomes more difficult. Servers are usually kept in a closet or small room, which allows them to overheat at a much quicker rate than other equipment out in the open. The difference between normal and dangerous operating temperatures isn’t a large margin, so it is important to take a preemptive stance to eliminate any pitfalls before they occur.  When the temperature around and within the server and networking equipment becomes too high the server will shut down and there will be a loss of data.

Server room temperatures are important to monitor even after the warm summer months. As air conditioning is shut off to prepare for cooler temperatures, servers and networking equipment continue to give off heat that can again, cause server and networking equipment to shut down.

For every 10 degree increase a server room experiences, the life of that equipment is cut in half. Here are a few simple tips to ensure your servers run safely in the hot summer months:

  • Don’t leave windows open around your servers. Even though this is a good way to improve air flow, it causes humidity levels to fluctuate, which makes it difficult to regulate server temperatures.
  • Make sure servers are kept on cooling racks to allow proper air flow through the server.
  • Invest in a dedicated, self-contained, air conditioner mounted close to the ceiling to effectively cool the server room.
  • Keep a door propped open or install a ceiling fan in the server area to increase airflow around the equipment.

Plummer Slade, Inc. installs and services temperature and moisture sensors that monitor any increases around the server and networking equipment. These sensors send off alerts when temperatures approach a dangerous level, and allow for a quick response to ensure servers don’t overheat or fail. Remember, it only takes one server malfunction or hardware failure to make you wish you had installed a temperature sensor sooner!

Please call or email Plummer Slade, Inc. with any questions you may have regarding this post or any other computer networking needs at: 412-261-5600 /  office@plummerslade.com