Humidity problems!

[localzuk]

We're having some major issues here with low humidity in our server room, so I thought I'd ask if anyone else is having similar issues?

 

I've had a look at average rainfall for our area and the rainfall this year and the rainfall has been consistently less than a third of average... Could this be a cause of our humidity issues?

[Dos_Box]

What problems is the lack of humidity actually causing? I know Suan and I suffered in Denver because it has almost zero humidity and left us in need fo a drink after only a short walk!

[localzuk]

What problems is the lack of humidity actually causing? I know Suan and I suffered in Denver because it has almost zero humidity and left us in need fo a drink after only a short walk!

 

A memory module has fried itself so far. I know that computer equipment usually has an operating humidity level of > 20% and ours is hovering around that - it has dropped to 18% at one point. My solution at the moment has been to put a couple of tubs of water on the shelving behind the servers to allow them to evaporate the water - which has increased the humidity by about 5% so far.

 

Its also horrible working in there, as it feels like all the moisture is being sucked from my body.

[elsiegee40]

What is this "low humidity" you speak of? It implies the use of the mythical "air con"

 

 

seriously though... it sounds like your air con is being over-zealous... can it be adjusted (I haven't a clue as we don't own any)

[DMcCoy]

Low humidity causes static buildup. You need to make sure it doesn't go too high or low when using air conditioning, see what modes are available on the unit.

 

I have some small air vents to outside, left from when it was just air cooled which help to keep humidity normal.

[Geoff]

The main issue with low humidity is that static can build up. An large electrostatic discharge in your server room could really ruin your day.

 

Personally, I'd nip the problem in the bud and stick a humidifier in there. You should aim for around 50% humidity.

[SYNACK]

This lot Server Room Air Conditioning recommend 40% minimum, one of these may help and be a little safer than the tubs of water Humidifiers | Room Humidifier, Portable Humidifiers, Industrial Humidifiers, Home Humidification

[dhicks]

I've had a look at average rainfall for our area and the rainfall this year and the rainfall has been consistently less than a third of average... Could this be a cause of our humidity issues?

 

From looking at air conditioning units just recently I understood the problem is that an air conditioner re-conditions the same air in an air-tight server room over and over again, and air conditioning removes water from the air. If your server room is air tight (or air tight-ish) you'll eventually air-condition all the mopisture out of the air. I don't know just how air-tight a room has to be for that to happen, though, or really what the humidity of a server environment should be - I'd kind of assumed "as low as possible", but obviously not. You could try putting a humidifier in the room, that might do better than just tubs of water.

 

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David Hicks

[dhicks]

Low humidity causes static buildup. You need to make sure it doesn't go too high or low when using air conditioning, see what modes are available on the unit.

 

Hey, now I know :-) Thanks, that's very useful to know - we've given no thought to the humidity of our server environment, or how to measure the humidity in the first place. We haven't bought an air conditioner for our second server cupboard yet, what sort of features am I looking for that enable an air conditioner to maintain the proper humidity level?

 

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David Hicks

[localzuk]

Aye, I'm wanting a humidifier (I've asked our aircon guys to provide me with some details), but my boss's response when I brought up the humidity issue was 'why have we never had this problem before? we can't afford a humidifier, so tough'...

 

Ignoring the fact that the equipment in there will come to, what, £50k + in value...

[plexer]

Are there no windows/air vents in your server room?

 

Ben

[localzuk]

Are there no windows/air vents in your server room?

 

Ben

 

The room is underground, fire-proof sealed air-tight door too... So, nope.

[Sirbendy]

our 2 airedales have humidifiers built in, and presettable levels. According to the Cli-Mate, we're currently sat at 22.33degrees, at 36% relative humidity. It was up to about 60% this morning before I forced unit 1 offline for a regenerate cycle of the bottle. Unit 1 hasn't been the same since the screwdriver-wielding monkeys of Company X poked it. It's not often we have to call security to have a contractor removed from site for services to sheer muppetry. Ah well, it's coming up for a full service anyway.

[gizmo2005]

i came into work today at about 19 stone, think i have lost around 4 stone in a day due sweat lol

[dhicks]

our 2 airedales have humidifiers built in, and presettable levels.

 

Do they need to be plumbed in, or do you top them up with a watering can or something? Is this something I need to be massivly worried about - we have an air-conditioned cupboard, the door is pretty tight but I shouldn't think it's "air tight". Do I need to drill some vent holes in the door?

 

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David Hicks

[Sirbendy]

Ours are plumbed into the mains for filling and drainage. They went in before the server room was finished and the raised floor was installed.

[SYNACK]

Is this something I need to be massivly worried about - we have an air-conditioned cupboard, the door is pretty tight but I shouldn't think it's "air tight". Do I need to drill some vent holes in the door?

 

Depends on your specific environment, you probably want to get a climate moniter that can tell you the humidity and just check directly. The less air the AC has to work with the more this problem rears up as the removal of moisture is a direct byproduct of the AC working. This means that if your AC is working really hard and/or it has a small volume of internal air to work with this problem will be more apparent.

 

We have not had issues with this problem but volume wise our server rooms are quite big and are not too well sealed. One has a couple of vents right at the top where some of the hot air can escape so the cool air is free to pool at the bottom. If it is a really small cupboard it may be worth puttins a little venting in but would check with a climate probe first to see if it is a problem in your environment. We also have realitivly high humidity at most times of the year so this also helps stop this issue from ocouring.