How To Keep Data Centers In Perfect Temperatures

A data center is a place where huge computer systems and associated equipment are stored and operated. They can be very large operations, using up more energy that a small town does. That's a lot of energy.
As we all know, computer and telecommunication equipment can be very expensive and have to be kept in environmental conditions that will protect them. Humidity and temperatures are a significant concern when housing computer systems. Why? Well, moisture can damage the inner workings of computer systems and affect how they run. Also, computer systems generate lots of heat and keeping them in a cool space helps to counteract the possibility of overheating.
How Humid Should A Data Center Be?

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning engineers have worked out that data centers operate best in relative humidity that lies between forty and fifty-five percent. What is relative humidity exactly? A real world example will be useful here. If relative humidity is at one hundred percent, our sweat cannot dissolve into the air. If relative humidity is much lower, say at 20, we can sweat freely.
Another way to put this is to say that relative humidity is a measurement that tells us how much moisture the air can hold at a particular temperature. When the air can no longer hold its moisture, it releases it in the form of water.
The same society of engineers also recommends using the dew point as reference point for climate conditions in a data center. The dew point is the temperature at which dew is formed. A data center should have a dew point between forty-two and fifty-nine degrees. This means that the data center temperatures must avoid this range.
What Happens When A Data Center Is Dry?

If the level of humidity in a data center falls too low, shocks can be sparked that could damage computer equipment or at the very least shut it down. Research shows up that these shocks usually occur when the humidity is below thirty-five percent.
What Happens When A Data Center Is Too Moist?

The problem with high humidity in data centers is that it eventually causes water to form and we all know how dangerous that water can be to computer equipment. Science tells us that condensation will eventually cause rust and hence damage to equipment.