Whether you're building a powerful network and server system for your business or designing a full data center, being able to consistently cool your equipment requires more than a basic air conditioning unit. With high demands for high-temperature machines, you'll need direct cooling designs and backup plans for emergencies. As you design your computer system, consider a few ways that a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) specialist can help your equipment survive.

Cooling Requirements And Repercussions

As computers are powered by and transfer information using electricity, the heat generation can rise quite quickly. Strides in efficient energy use have reduced some of the power consumption and heating issues, but if you need an entire department of powerful computers, the waste heat temperature can get out of hand if you don't have a dedicated cooling source.

Computer rooms are specifically designed to be easy to clean, free of obstacles that may trap in heat, and able to receive dedicated cooling. Although there are many different factors to consider, the goal is to keep a computer room at or around 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The specific temperature range allows most computer processors to operate at peak performance without becoming so cold that metals and other components contract.

Humidity is also a concern. If your computer does not have a humidifier or if the humidifier fails, temperatures that begin to drop below 60 degrees may cause condensation to short-circuit components inside. A stable 60-degree temperature can keep the vaporized moisture in the air at a gas state that won't be as damaging to computers.

Direct Cooling May Be Necessary

Depending on the design of a computer or its housing cabinet, a computer room's temperature may not be enough. The air from the computer room may not displace heat fast enough for certain high temperature components. When equipment must be in an enclosed unit, you may have to rely on high-pressure air (HP air) pipes to provide a steady supply of cool air.

High-pressure air systems need to be designed at an efficient angle that quickly delivers air. Too many curves and corners over too long a distance may not deliver enough air to cool the system. The air may rise in temperature during travel as well, which is why an HVAC specialist is often required to design and build the most efficient HP air system.

Contact an HVAC specialist like Reed Heating to begin planning your precision computer cooling system.