Has your phone or computer ever overheated? Due to the rise of the device’s internal temperature, its capabilities became limited and led to immense frustration for you. However, it wasn’t the constant use of the device that increased its temperature; it was the external temperature.
Temperature fluctuations are also common in many business server rooms. Although some may have cooling fans and A/C units installed, ensuring your equipment doesn’t overheat can still be challenging.
So in today’s article, we’ll be discussing the optimal temperature for your server room to keep your IT equipment running. Continue reading to learn more.
What Is the Optimal Server Room Temperature?
The recommended server room temperature should range between 50 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit. However, you should try and maintain a temperature range between 68 to 71 degrees.
The common sense thing to do is to adjust the thermostat and leave it be. But several factors contribute to temperature fluctuations, such as:
- Humidity
- Room “hot spots”
- The extent of equipment processes
With these external factors, you have a tough job on your hands trying to ensure your server room is at the right temperature. The heat needs to be low enough so it doesn’t damage your equipment, but you’ll also need to make sure your cooling costs aren’t too high from consistent use.
Related: Data Center Cooling 101: From Start to Finish
ASHRAE Baseline Standards
The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) governs the requirements for the accepted air temperature level and humidity ranges for data center environments. ASHRAE’s Technical Committee 9.9 determined that a class A1 data center should maintain a temperature level between 59 degrees Fahrenheit and 89.6 degrees F, along with a relative humidity of 20 percent to 80 percent. ASHRAE suggests that centers should not go beyond these standards.
Developing Possibilities and Requirements
ASHRAE’s guidelines are continuously in flux, having been altered in 2004, 2008, 2011, and 2019. They assist data center supervisors in being well-educated about these altering requirements. For instance, in 2015, ASHRAE was looking at widening the relative humidity envelope for data centers to support increased efficiency.
Some centers are taking the temperature beyond the presently accepted standards: Google’s Belgium data center operates at a shocking 95 degrees F. This assists in suppressing cooling costs and reduces the environmental effect of these colossal computing facilities.
The Importance of Maintaining Server Room Temperatures
Server space temperature level is among the essential metrics in any data center environment. So, keeping the equipment at a consistent temperature is a crucial part of a center supervisor’s job, and a long list of required tools can help in this venture.
Datacenter supervisors must stay informed of the guidelines to keep their facilities in tip-top shape. A variation of a couple of degrees in either direction might not appear like much, but it can make a big difference in the long run. Stressful circumstances can occur when device temperatures wander off outside the accepted ranges.
For instance, when the environment is too hot, overheating can happen, which can result in unanticipated server downtime. This occurrence happened to a Microsoft data center in 2013, triggering servers related to the Outlook and SkyDrive services to experience an unintended failure.
It’s also possible for servers to be too cool. While this might not result in server downtime, data center supervisors might not wish to look at their electrical power bill if they’re keeping their computing spaces at certain chillier temperature levels. The ecological effect of keeping servers this cool is also definitely not negligible. The goal is to keep facilities at the highest temperature you can while ensuring that servers won’t get too hot.
Keeping server rooms listed below the maximum temperature level and above the minimum is vital for performance in the long run. However, some crucial concerns remain: How do managers monitor their facilities’ temperatures at all times? How do they keep those temperatures within the acceptable variety uniformly?
Keeping a strict minimum and optimum server temperature is a crucial part of the job of data center managers. By installing an effective cooling management system, data centers can minimize the possibility of unintended downtime and keep their electricity costs low. In addition, containment options can assist centers to remain effective and boost loads without spending additional money on cooling devices.
What Happens If the Room Gets Too Hot?
Whenever your serve room temperature increases beyond its recommended levels, it can severely impact your equipment. Some of your devices may stop working altogether, or the data in your servers may get corrupted.
As a result, it could affect your relationship with customers and other entities associated with your company. So that’s why you’ll need to figure out an efficient way to keep server room temperature from going above the recommended levels.
How Can You Maintain Correct Server Room Temperature?
Server rooms typically house hundreds of wires and data cabinets in a large room, making it tough to maintain optimal temperature. Although it can be complex, there are various steps you can take to mitigate fluctuations.
Place Thermostats In Different Places
To help you maintain an optimal temperature in your server room, place thermostats in various areas. As we mentioned above, one external factor affecting room temperature is “hot spots.”
These areas show where cooling is ineffective and contributes to the lack of efficiency in your equipment. Once the spots are found, record the data, so you know which areas to tackle first.
Airflow Planning
Once you find the “hot spot” areas, you should plan an efficient way to increase airflow. Data cabinets and other equipment tend to take up a lot of space.
Unfortunately, this means there won’t be much airflow in the room, especially if your data center infrastructure isn’t organized well. Devise a plan to increase airflow in your server room to ensure your equipment’s performance is no longer affected by temperature fluctuations.
Cooling Duct Placement
An essential part of airflow planning is cooling duct placement. Cooling ducts can help regulate the temperature in your server room.
However, having them in one area won’t do much for your equipment. Instead, place your cooling ducts in various places throughout your server room to ensure there’s an even temperature throughout the room.
Related: Cooling Capacity: Everything You Need to Know
Reliable Air Conditioning Unit
Besides cooling ducts, you’ll need to make sure that you have reliable AC units in your server room too. Since these units are constantly running, try using efficient units that won’t cost you too much.
Energy-efficient units will cost more than standard AC units, but you’ll be saving costs in other areas of your IT infrastructure. To find which units have the best rating, check out their Energy Star label.
However, if you don’t want to settle for an AC unit, you can use other cooling methods like chilled water or outside air cooling systems. But these will be dependent on your outside environment.
What If No One Is On-Site To Handle a Problem?
If your business isn’t open 24/7 or on the weekends, another problem you face is monitoring your equipment when no one is on the premises. However, by installing server monitors, you’ll continue to stay abreast of your server room’s status.
Depending on the monitor you install, you can get alerts such as text messages or emails to let you know the severity of your problem. All you need to do is set the threshold that your server room temperature shouldn’t pass.
If it does, you’ll get notified right away. But if you can’t handle the problem yourself, you can also choose who receives the alerts, increasing the efficiency of your responses.
Related: How To Calculate Data Center Cooling Needs
Now You Know the Optimal Server Room Temperature
As you can see, keeping your server room at an optimal temperature is integral to the success of your business. Again, try to keep the temperature between 68 – 71 degrees Fahrenheit.
When your server room gets too hot, your equipment can get damaged, leading to damaged equipment or a loss of data. No company wants to experience such a situation.
So to ensure your server room maintains the correct temperature, follow some of our suggestions above. Not only will you keep your business running efficiently, but you’ll also keep all of your IT equipment safe from overheating.
Are you ready to build an efficiently structured data center? If so, contact C&C Technology Group today for a consultation.
Last Updated on January 20, 2023 by Josh Mahan