Mission Critical recently posted about Upsite Technologies’ newest white paper on specifying air-sealing grommets in new data center design and construction. From the article:
Tate® and Upsite Technologies®, Inc. have announced the publication of a new white paper, “Six Reasons to Specify Air-Sealing Grommets in the Design of a New Data Center.”
Available for free download on the Tate and Upsite Technologies website, the paper discusses the importance of including air-sealing grommets in the design of a new data center. According to the paper, air-sealing grommets rarely are installed at the same time as the raised floor during construction of a new data center. In fact, in many cases the grommets are forgotten even after construction is complete and the facility is up and running. This can be a costly mistake, with the potential to reduce the capacity of the data center and increase cooling costs.
“It is critical for our industry to take any and all steps to seal these openings,” said Ken Brill, founder, Uptime Institute and Upsite Technologies, “This includes new builds. Organizations and data center architects need to commit to specifying cable cutout grommets in new raised floor space. To get ahead of the problem, proactively seal these openings during the initial construction of the data center. Don’t wait until later.”
One perceived limitation is that the cutout location is not known when the initial floor is installed, as equipment is not in place. Tate has identified two standard cutout locations, which ensures the cutout will always be in the proper location under any size or shape rack, thereby allowing air-sealing grommets to be specified in the design of a new data center. The paper goes on to describe the many advantages of installing air sealing grommets during initial construction of a data center, including faster construction, reduction of dust from cutting and assurance that the proper grommet is used, preventing air leakage from the underfloor plenum and saving energy and cooling capacity.
