Air conditioning for your server room

Why is cooling a server room critical?

Servers and network equipment continuously produce heat when in use. Without adequate cooling, the temperature in a server room quickly rises to levels at which equipment overheats, performance drops or systems fail. Most server manufacturers specify a maximum ambient temperature of 18 to 27 degrees, with an optimum of around 20 degrees.

The consequences of insufficient cooling are immediate and costly: unplanned downtime, data loss, a shorter equipment lifespan and, in the worst case, permanent damage to servers or storage media. A professional cooling system is therefore not an option but a requirement for every server room, however small.

Which cooling solution suits your server room?

The right solution depends on the size of the server room, the heat output of the equipment and the redundancy required. For small server rooms or server cabinets with a heat output of up to 5 kW, a single-split air conditioner from Daikin or Mitsubishi Electric with sufficient capacity is enough for most smaller server rooms in small and medium-sized businesses. For medium-sized server rooms with a heat output of 5 to 20 kW, a multi-split system offers more capacity and the option of redundancy, where a second system automatically takes over if the primary system fails. For larger server rooms with a heat output of 20 kW or more, we always recommend a tailored solution after a thorough survey. Factors such as hotspot cooling, underfloor cooling and N+1 redundancy play a role here.

Where do you place the air conditioner in a server room?

Placement in a server room differs fundamentally from an office or living space. The aim is not to cool people but to remove the heat produced by the equipment.

Cold air must be supplied at the front of the server cabinets and warm air extracted at the back. A badly placed air conditioner cools the room but leaves hotspots in the server cabinets untouched. The air conditioner in a server room runs 24/7, including in winter, and the system must be designed for continuous use and cool effectively even at low outdoor temperatures. For business-critical server rooms we recommend a second cooling unit that automatically takes over if the primary unit fails. Our advisers discuss the level of redundancy you want during the survey. The indoor unit produces condensation water that must be drained continuously. In a server room water damage is an extra risk, and our engineers make sure the drain is watertight and controlled.

What capacity do I need for my server room?

The capacity you need depends on the total heat output of the equipment, not on the size of the room. As a rule of thumb, the cooling capacity must be at least equal to the total electrical power drawn by all equipment in the room, because all of it is converted into heat.

Our advisers calculate the cooling capacity you need based on the specifications of your equipment, free of charge during the survey.

What does air conditioning for a server room cost?

The price depends on the capacity required, the type of system and the redundancy you want. Aircobrabant always works with a fixed price including installation, pipework and commissioning.