Room cooler anyone?

[chall]

Hi folks. Congratulations for such a quality site.

 

This is my first post here, and i want the advice of all the people like me that have to sit in a boiling hot cupboard (server room) all day.

 

Basically, myself and our network manager work in our school's server room, it has no windows, and is always boiling hot.

 

Finally it seems that our SMT have realised that it's not very wise keeping all of our servers at this temperature (plus the fact i have been bugging them for 6 months) So they have given the OK to get a room cooler. My question is, does anyone here use one in their school? I know there are plenty out there to purchase, but i always assumed that you need a window for the air to escape. But because our server room has no windows, that is not possible.

 

Can you get coolers that will cool down a room to a specific temperature, but does not need a window?

 

Any help or advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

chall

Technician, RRS.

[indiegirl]

Look in your yellow pages for local air conditioning fitters - who will provide a free, no obligation quote for your cupboard.

 

With air conditioning, you'll have to have an outlet drilled through the wall but that'll be covered by the installation.

 

As an example, our 9x3 cupboard with 7 HP Proliants (in varying forms) and switches aplenty, plus loads more junk [sorry, equipment] was assessed by a firm local to us, and they quoted £1600 all in.

 

Other than that, ask about the possibility of moving to another office, after much hassle (and the threat of pulling my union in as the server room broke about 6 health and saftey regulations for the workplace), suddenly we were found a new room... complete with window and away from the servers. Magic!

[Nij.UK]

I would def go down the route of having Air Con fitted.... depending on the size of the room, u could prob get a decent little unit.... and in the long run i would say it the best option...

 

I have use air coolers before, but i dont think they work aswell as Air Con... and with air con u can leave it running over nite aswell, so u dont have the security risk of having to leave a window open for the air cooler to work

[ChrisC]

Also, some coolers don't help with humidity, which can effect the equipment (if you live in the carribean)

 

Chris

[Geoff]

It's most likely you'll have to have air con fitted. Sounds like your breaking the H&S regulations.

[chall]

Thanks for all your swift replies. Ideally i'm just after something that will sit in the corner of the room, not require any windows or hole drilling, and will cool the temperature down "on its own" so to speak.

Air con seems the best way to go, but our office is simply nowhere near anywhere outside.

 

For example, on B&Q's site, they have "Airforce Easy Fit Discreet Climate Control" which seems to be the most expensive unit. However:

 

# A discreet speaker style unit

# Requires one 3.5 inch hole through the wall and sufficient space for the outdoor unit

 

It requires an outdoor unit. Would i be best following IndieGirl's advice of getting professional air con fitters in rather than going for something from somewhere like B&Q?

[GrumbleDook]

I would *always* go for a professional's advice rather than B&Q for a public building.

 

Nearly all good A/C units have an extranl unit, but you can get some that will just shift the hot air eslewhere ... but you start looking at complete ventilation systems for that.

[DMcCoy]

I got around this by getting a 4KW blade center, then I *had* to have air conditioning

[chall]

Thanks everyone. I am going to ring a couple of firms tomorrow and see if i can get somone in to give me a quote.

[SteveT]

Beware.... I`ve got a Mitsubishi air-con sitting on the wall in my cupboard/server room. Works brilliantly.... but..... when the weather is hot I get a blast of freezing cold air directed directly at my neck!!! I get strange looks from people who see me sitting there with a coat on (and occasionally a hat as I`m becoming rather follically challenged) when the sun is cracking the flags outside. 8O

 

When I complained about this recently it was suggested I should have it moved below the desk where it would cool different parts of my anatomy (followed by various comments about having 4 children already and getting married again this Saturday!!!). Bloody comedians!!! :twisted:

[ChrisC]

I'm sorry, but I couldn't read that without laughing!

 

Does it not have temperature control, or power control?

 

Chris

[indiegirl]

chall, we've got one of those standalone machines in the cupboard at the moment, but it's useless. On top of that, it only directs the air wherever you point it, whereas the aircon I've experienced in offices before have fans to assist in circulation. The standalones just aren't up to the job. Ours also has a habit of leaking when moved...... not good!

 

Professional installers can advise according to the roomsize and equipment needed to cool. Do you have access to the roof from where you are? Aircon will sit on the roof (and that keeps it away from vandals too).

 

SteveT - I know how you feel! In my last school they had two aircon units on the wall cooling the entire room - us included! Whilst the IT staff would run in and stand under the units, I'd be sat there with a cardigan on as it'd be 19-20c in there and positively cool, despite the 30+ temps we had around this time last year! I too got funny looks (but maybe that was just for being me...!)

[Face-Man]

Get the pro in, our air con failed last summer and I had to work in the 35 degree plus shuting everything down :oops: while waiting for the same day service contractor to come it. Found out some kid had got on the roof and turned the maintence switch off (now encased in locked box).

[crc-ict]

I'm sorry, but I couldn't read that without laughing!

 

Does it not have temperature control, or power control?

 

I'm really hoping you are talking about the Air Con unit here?

[Joedetic]

During a LOT of building work on site there have been a lot of power interruptions. Albeit only short ones...but that's the problem.

 

You can go into the serverroom and find condensation dripping down the metal shelving just under the air con...brilliant

 

It was a lot of fun during easter last year when I was crouched down inside the server cab (from behind...so no easy way out) when the power went out (as expected) and came on sooner than expected. Of course the air con didnt have time to reset properly and it started getting warmer....only did i notice when the cab i was adding cable ties to started dripping

 

Moral of the story = have the AC set to stay off in power failures because despite it causing a draft on your neck, you dont really want it blowing warm

[john]

Get the pro in, our air con failed last summer and I had to work in the 35 degree plus shuting everything down :oops: while waiting for the same day service contractor to come it. Found out some kid had got on the roof and turned the maintence switch off (now encased in locked box).

 

I hope that every member of staff has a key as I was told under H&S and Fire Regualations that you have to be able to get to those isolators in an emergency, and fumbling round for your key or the person with the key / code is not acceptable. We have had the same issue of kids turning isolators off, and we put a padlock through them so they couldn't be turned but when we had a H&S Inspection they were flagged up as an issue to look at but not dangerous, but the local fire officer demanded they be removed ASAP and put in his report that they were dangerous locked on like that as if a fire occured if they were still running in the room with fire they could help spread the fire to other parts of the building, roof spaces etc so we had to unlock them and we asked about cages but they said you have to be able to reach in and turn them off through the cage, but that defeats the point of the cages. Touch wood nothing like that has happened yet, but there is still a few weeks of term left....

[pete]

@john

depending on how likely you think the kids are to turn it off again, you can get an environmental monitoring box for ~£200 (temperature sensor + one other sensor) that will email or SMS you if the temperature goes outside a range you define.

 

Blackbox have them available and most air-con installers will know of a similar solution.

[john]

I am having a re-vamp / move and ive got an APC environmental Monitoring kit kicking around under my desk from a mate so thats going in as well as the isolators are moving from the roof to a wall which will need Ladders to reach, which means they are kid proof but still accessible if needed as the firemen will have ladders if they need access.