Posted by Kim Otte on Thu, May 27, 2010 @ 10:43 AM
Thermal imaging or thermography is very important for different components in your data center. It is a must for all electrical and mechanical systems and should be part of the regular maintenance schedule.
Thermography allows you to detect irregularities in systems before they can become a problem. The following electrical systems should have this performed:
- Electrical switchgear
- Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS)
- Automatic transfer switches
- Server systems
- Cooling systems
There can be problems in these systems that cannot be detected with the naked eye. Using infrared thermal imaging can prevent equipment failure and unplanned outages and can help detect overloaded circuits or loose connections which can cause degradation.
Thermography also is important role in detecting hot spots in your server racks and network equipment. If these are not detected, these high temperatures can compromise your data center network reliability.
So you can see that using thermal imaging as part of your regular maintenance is really important to keep your data center or server room up and running continuously.
Have you used thermography as part of your data center maintenance? If so, tell us what problems were detected that otherwise might have ended up being a huge problem for you.
Posted by Kim Otte on Mon, Mar 01, 2010 @ 01:50 PM
One of the topics we're frequently asked is "what are zinc whiskers?" This perplexing issue is extremely common and is found in data centers and computer rooms of all sizes.
The below post comes from Rich DeBlasi of SPEC-CLEAN (http://www.specclean.com/).
What are zinc whiskers?
Zinc whiskers are near-microscopic shavings that affect galvanized metal surfaces, usually the pedestals, stringers and th
e plenum side of floor panels. Though they can be caused by many factors, it's usually daily wear-and-tear (walking, moving equipment, removing tiles) that generates zinc whiskers. They are also quite small; all but the finest of HEPA filters aren't 100% successful in catching them.
What are the problems that zinc whiskers pose in my data center?
Although benign when undisturbed, zinc whiskers become a problem once they become airborne. They pose a threat to computers and other electrical systems in data centers. Zinc whiskers can be responsible for electrical shorts, impacting circuit impedance and can even cause disk failures, along with other catastrophes
What should I do if I suspect I have a zinc whisker problem?
Unlike some other situations, the longer the problem goes unchecked, the more extensive (and expensive) the solution is. Getting 
a lab analysis is a good start; however, hiring a data center cleaning specialist to assess the situation and make a recommendation that outlines the best method for remediating the problem is a mandatory step for any data center that is dealing with possible zinc whisker contamination.
Data center cleaning is something all facility managers need to think about. This type of service should only be performed by companies that are knowledgeable about data center environments. You don't want a traditional cleaning crew to bring in mops and soap that may cause damage to some of the infrastructure. It is recommended that a complete cleaning should happen at least once a year as part of your data center's preventive maintenance best practices.
Posted by Paul Golden on Mon, Nov 02, 2009 @ 10:58 AM
Data Centers rely heavily on power to give it the ability to perform. Testing the power in your data center is something that should be done because you need to know your backup power in your data center is strong enough to handle even the heaviest of loads.
Operating an emergency backup generator in a data center should come with the responsibility of doing preventative maintenance (PM) to ensure it is in peak condition to be able to respond to your 
critical facility's need for on-demand emergency backup power. Besides the standard PMs done on the standby generator, which includes fluid and filter changes, load bank testing is an invaluable tool to determine that a generator set is able to fully handle the load demands placed on it when you most need it.
Load bank testing allows your data center's emergency backup generator to be tested to verify its ability to run at its full rated KW output. Typically, a standby generator is running at a level far less than the units rated output capability.
Most data center customers exercise their standby generators weekly un-loaded (or no load) but very rarely test them with building loads, allowing the occasional utility loss to do the testing. For diesel engine driven standby generator sets this can cause ‘wet stacking'. Wet stacking is when unburned fuel accumulates in the engine exhaust -- this is caused by under loading an emergency generator. When exercising a generator, or running it for short duration outages, while under-loaded the engine may not reach its optimum operating temperature. When this is allowed to continue for long periods of time the unburned fuel accumulates becoming harmful to the engine's efficiency and life span.
Load bank testing of the emergency backup generator allows the engine to reach this full operating temperature and ‘burns out' the accumulation of un-burnt fuel, allowing the unit to run cleaner and more efficiently. It also offers peace of mind that your standby generator is operating as it was designed to. Any generator set, whether the prime mover is diesel or gaseous fuel driven, can benefit from undergoing a load bank test.
Load banking allows testing of the emergency backup generator with no interruption to your facility's loads. This service is in no way intrusive, and can be done at your convenience or during a scheduled PM. Most original equipment (OEM) manufacturers agree a generator set that is frequently run lightly loaded, or never loaded at all, can benefit from being load bank tested on a yearly basis.
While load banking a standby generator up to its rated output a technician is able to monitor critical engine parameters such as; oil pressure, engine temperature, fuel pressure, etc. These readings should be recorded to show that once the unit reaches full rated load it runs at normal operating temperatures and pressures.
Electronic Environments offers load bank testing and we provide a full report of the readings including generator output readings such as; voltages, amperages, KW amounts, etc.
Do you currently run a load bank test on your backup power or have ideas/questions pertaining to backup power, feel free to comment here or contact me:
Paul Golden
Standby Power Supervisor
pgolden@eecnet.com
Posted by Kim Otte on Mon, Oct 19, 2009 @ 02:44 PM
Preventive maintenance is one of the key approaches to protecting a facility through detection of potential points of failure before the deficiency initiates a system-wide malfunction, this is key for mission critical facilities. What if the output of your UPS or DC power system was interrupted for even a few seconds? This would cause a huge disruption in your critical load, which in turn could cost your business serious downtime and money.
Neglecting to maintain equipment or implementing improper maintenance procedures are two of the biggest reasons why mission critical equipment fails. Two of the heaviest hitters in the data center - power and cooling equipment - require regular maintenance to ensure that power, temperature, or humidity fluctuations do not cost a company thousands, if not millions, of dollars. According to Ken Nason, Power Technician at Electronic Environments, 90-95% of failures that he sees in the field are caused by batteries, capacitors and fans that have not been properly maintained.
Timely and Proper Equipment Maintenance
There are a few important questions that IT and data center managers need to ask themselves to make sure they are on the right track in terms of timely and proper equipment maintenance; these include: What maintenance needs to be done on the equipment or hardware? When? How often?
Pictured here is a damaged UPS Inverter Assembly, the damage happened when one of the aging capacitors blew up; this is the type of damage that can occur if your UPS isn't properly maintained.
There are different scopes of work for each piece of equipment and most equipment manufacturers have a recommended maintenance schedule. Maintenance should include a visual inspection where you are looking for dust, leaks, or corrosion. In the end, a properly maintained system will ensure that when called upon, the system performs according to the manufacturer's specifications.
Electronic Environments' preventive maintenance visits serve as an in-depth examination of specific equipment, as well as a general review of the site conditions. Electronic Environments' goal is to minimize unscheduled emergency visits and maximize infrastructure run time.
Conclusion
In today's critical environments, IT service continuity is a high priority; incorporating a preventive maintenance program will help keep your systems up and running continuously. The below figure depicts the change in the mindset of IT managers today. (provided by Forrester Research, Inc.)
Posted by Michael Kingsley on Mon, Oct 19, 2009 @ 11:42 AM
Engineering, construction and maintenance has become an increasingly complex undertaking in today's data centers. Our blog is to promote an open exchange of ideas, questions and recommendations relating to these issues in data centers, computer rooms and other mission critical facilities.
The blog is hosted and monitored by knowledgeable and experienced engineers and maintenance experts at Electronic Environments Corporation.
We will discuss best practices and trends relating to the physical infrastructure in critical environments like data centers and server rooms; including power, cooling, fire protection, equipment layout, preventive and proactive maintenance, energy management solutions and more.
Electronic Environments offers a broad range of expertise; from engineering, construction and maintenance services (with emphasis on electrical and mechanical systems), to data center cooling and energy management and monitoring solutions. Our mission is to help you keep your critical facility up and running continuously.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks,
Mike
Michael Kingsley
President
Electronic Environments Corporation
mkingsley@eecnet.com