Using Water to Cool a Data Center

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If your data center is consistently running too hot, or if you're dealing with extra density from blade servers, you may not have much choice than to consider an in row cooling solution that uses water. Putting water in a data center goes against everything data center operators have been taught for years. But with skyrocketing heat loads, it's going to become more common.

One thing to keep in mind is the connections. Connections can range from a simple clear rubber tubing with hose clamps to threaded brass connections.

Also keep in mind how connections are routed under the floor. What if a fitting cracks or a pipe leaks? Are the shutoff valves easy to locate? Are the workers trained so they can quickly and easily shut a valve off? Are seal-tight electrical conduits used? If not, power connections won't be protected from leaks. And if a pipe does leak, can water easily flow to a drain, or will it be restrained by a mass of tubing and conduits, which could cause flooding.

For more on cooling, see the FaciliesNet Data Centers topic page.