RECAP | ROUNDTABLE | Poor Air Quality Creates Hidden Data Center Risks

Uptime Institute’s CTO, Chris Brown, joined an Inside Track roundtable about managing air quality. All participants at this November 20th roundtable used filtration systems to limit particulates, mostly to address concerns about server life. Few, if any, however, were actively measuring air quality.
Similarly, the roundtable participants all maintained comprehensive cleaning programs, including anti-static mats and underfloor cleaning, that minimized the spread of particulates.
After establishing that the participants were taking steps to maintain good air quality, Brown took a few minutes to overview the risk from particulates in the air. He said that filters would never catch every particle, adding that even low levels of particulates could cause damage to a data center, depending on air temperature and relative humidity. He also said that poor air quality could raise operating costs to control humidity and damage cooling and power infrastructure as well as servers.
Several of the participants raised questions about specific particulate sources. One worried about emissions from a nearby roadway, and another noticed black residue near and around aging electrical cables, with Brown suggesting that older ceiling tiles tended to slowly disintegrate and create air quality problems.
The diversity of these potential particulate sources underscores the importance of good cleaning and filtering, but it also points out that filtration systems must be customized to address facility risks. It also highlights the need to monitor air quality, as the types-- as well as the quantities--of particulates can change over time. Monitoring is the only way to ensure that changing chemistries do not have a negative impact on the facility.
While few reasons were given for the general lack of monitoring in participants’ facilities, cost is certainly a consideration. Poor air quality is a long-term risk, and it may be hard to identify it as the proximate cause of equipment failure. Few recognize its effect on operations.