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Cooling the Server Room?

Posted by Cliff on from the if-its-above-freezing-its-too-warm dept.

kolchak asks: "As the Australian summer heats up, we are looking at a cooling solution for our computer room. We have 4 racks (almost all full) with around 40 machines, switches, routers, 2 UPSs and 2 monitors. Unfortunately, its located in the middle of the office with no windows available for ventilation. We can vent the exhaust into the ceiling space which in turn is vented outside. Also, since the room is so small, we need to install any cooling device outside the room (a store room backs on which will house the cooling unit and potentially pipe hot / cold air through the wall). All the units we've seen so far need to be in the room, we just don't have the space. Anyone come across and solved this? Any ideas on good cooling units we can install easily and cheaply?"

4 of 61 comments (clear)

  1. Not pretty but.. by n00bieriffic · · Score: 5, Interesting

    one of the best solutions I have seen was at a local isp. They ran copper tubing just above the ceiling (hidden by the foam tiles) in a switchback layout similar to a radiator. They had a small pump just outside that moved water through both the internal and external radiators. It worked quite well and lowered the temperature in their main room by 20 degrees. Wasn't the prettiest thing with the tubing on the outside, but I'm sure you can find a way to hide it.

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    Ohhhh, look at all the pretty shiny things.
  2. Once again... by R2.0 · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/10/20/23 59209&mode=nested&tid=126&tid=137

    http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/07/22/ 05 45253&mode=nested&tid=126&tid=134

    http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/03/14/ 13 9215&mode=nested&tid=137

    Or search for "cooling" in Ask Slashdot.

    I'll boil it down for you:

    1: Get professional help (arch, engineer, contractor)
    2: Repeat #1.

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    "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
  3. Let's make a deal by cybermace5 · · Score: 5, Funny

    See, I live in Wisconsin. And it's starting to get kind of cold. We'll let you run an air duct from here to Australia and take our cold air, if you put in another air duct blowing some of your warm air back here. Give us a call and we'll talk it over.

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    ...
  4. Whatever you do... by jarndt · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...don't do this.