Server Racks in the Garage

[RobertFontaine]

How low a temperature can you run your server environment without risking condensation?
I understand the dew point varies with the humidity but here in Canuckistan we often have a dry cold

Of course when things thaw and freeze humidity can get high and condensation could be an issue.
Not sure what I can actually get away with vs "servers must be kept in a climate controlled room at all times between 18 and 22 celsius" etc.

 

[Patrick]

Sounds like you need vents that open based on temperature. By the time you are at "racks" I would imagine you should be able to keep an insulated garage heated.

 

[Scott Laird]

I'm in Seattle, which is similar to southwest Canuckistan, and with one rack the hard part is keeping it cool in the summer. I don't think I've ever seen it below 65F in the winter.

So, if things start getting too cold, add more computers.

 

[NetWise]

I've wondered the same more than once. I have an attached insulated unheated garage and it mostly stays warm all winter. I have a stupid garage door with 45 degree angle corners that doesn't seal well on the top corner recessed panels though. But it doesn't take a lot of an electric heater to make it bearable to work out there in the winter unless it's like -30C Or so. As Patrick says, by the time you get to a full rack you might have the equivalent of 1500-3000 watts of electric heat coming out, 24/7, which should keep it pretty steady.

I'd be interested in what your results are, if you give it a shot. Definitely out some SNMP temperature monitoring on things if you do.


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[RobertFontaine]

I am overdue to insulate the garage and add an insulated door. The car that I never drive has been on jack stands in there for over a year now. Winter accessibility might actually have me finish the job.

I have been using a propane heater to extend my play with the car season into december. Up to about -15 or so celsius it doesn't take much to bring the working temp up to 5 or so celsius. I wish I had in floor heating. I can't see running much more than 4-10 nodes so except for the darn noise it could be a pretty small rack with 2 nodes in a 1U or 2u chassis.

 

[TuxDude]

I've thought about moving my rack out to my garage - a detached un-insulated model also located up in Canuckistan. The cold during the winter doesn't really worry me, everything should run fine down into the -15/-20C range which is the range I would expect inside the garage to be with 2-3 kW of gear running and -30/-40C outside temps. Condensation should also not be an issue - so long as your equipment is on it will be warmer than the air around it and shouldn't get any condensation (air at that temp will be so dry that any moisture on a warm surface will evaporate back off REALLY fast), although if you move something back into your heated house to work on it will start getting condensation as soon as that warm humid air hits the cold PCBs.

Main things that have kept me from doing it, are worry about overheating in the summer, and not wanting to deal with the cold in the evenings after I get the kids put to bed and have some time for this hobby. My rack of gear is not setup for colo-style remote admin, I like to get hands-on with it.

 

[PigLover]

At those temps static will be a bigger problem than condensation. Keep your air filters clean and watch for dust build-up around the heatsinks and air-inlets.

 

[RobertFontaine]

I've thought about moving my rack out to my garage - a detached un-insulated model also located up in Canuckistan. The cold during the winter doesn't really worry me, everything should run fine down into the -15/-20C range which is the range I would expect inside the garage to be with 2-3 kW of gear running and -30/-40C outside temps. Condensation should also not be an issue - so long as your equipment is on it will be warmer than the air around it and shouldn't get any condensation (air at that temp will be so dry that any moisture on a warm surface will evaporate back off REALLY fast), although if you move something back into your heated house to work on it will start getting condensation as soon as that warm humid air hits the cold PCBs.

Main things that have kept me from doing it, are worry about overheating in the summer, and not wanting to deal with the cold in the evenings after I get the kids put to bed and have some time for this hobby. My rack of gear is not setup for colo-style remote admin, I like to get hands-on with it.

I'm going to be running ESXi style so remote management won't be a big deal. I would really like some quiet in my office.

 

[PigLover]

Sounds like you need vents that open based on temperature. By the time you are at "racks" I would imagine you should be able to keep an insulated garage heated.

I apologize for this very OT post - but this discussion of low temps in Canukistan and having vents that open reminds me of a goof from my past...

We have a conditioning standard for our equipment rooms that required humidity to be maintained at 40-50%, so we add humidifiers to the building mechanicals. A while back we built a new facility in Helena, MT. We also use big emergency generators (1MW are common). Our A&E firm thought it would be a good idea to incorporate the emergency generators into the building to protect them from cold/snow/ice, so they sectioned off the back corner of the building and included large louvered panels in one wall so that the generator could breath when it was running - before the generator starts the panels open up to allow large volumes of air inside. Somewhere down the line of designers the HVAC team decided to include this room as conditioned space because, obviously, the requirements for the building were that we condition all spaces planned to house "equipment".

Fast forward to the first real northern cold-snap after the building was done. -40f for a a week or so. We had a periodic generator test during the cold snap, so the louvers open, generator starts, and in inrush of supercold air flies into a space with 40% humidity. Within just a few minutes the louvered doors were plugged with the most amazing ice dam you've ever seen, the generator choked out, and we learned first hand why using a "national" A&E firm and their lack of local knowledge can lead to interesting problems.

 

[RobertFontaine]

I was out on a job site 2 years ago where they buried the temporary water lines 5 feet deep but forgot that the winter temperatures were -50. Had to keep the water trickling at all times to keep them from freezing solid. Had to heat the truck engines with a diesel heater and a tarp to have any hope of starting them once you turned them off. Things that aren't suppose to break do and sending out parts takes a commercial plane and charter once the winter road thaws.

The logistics involved for even moderately remote, cold climate jobs is fairly amazing. The guys who do it for a living are some of the most stubborn, resourceful people I have ever met. It's not just a skill set. There is an attitude that goes with these types of jobs is a little bit scary. I learned a lot.

 

[T_Minus]

Glad we get a lot of snow but temps rarely drop into the teens, let allow anywhere near single digits or negative F.
Often we'll get a couple feet of snow, 20s, 30s, and then low 40s for weeks...

With that said my detached garage / office without heat will stay in the low 40s. I'm hoping this winter I can heat the office with servers and not only run my servers but also work in the space w/out having to use 20-30G of propane just to make it usable.

 

[Jon Massey]

Scrapped a rack last month that'd sat in my garage for a year and was rusted though in places. Good ol' rainy England!

 

[Chuntzu]

I have the opposite problem it's 118 today.

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[Patrick]

Within just a few minutes the louvered doors were plugged with the most amazing ice dam you've ever seen, the generator choked out, and we learned first hand why using a "national" A&E firm and their lack of local knowledge can lead to interesting problems.

From what I understand the other big one is bugs. The Intel Santa Clara data center folks have intake fans so they get positive pressure to keep out critters. Last time it was 40 below in Santa Clara? People had no concept of electricity.

 

[TuxDude]

Well maybe I should run a little experiment this winter, and stick an old server or two out in the garage for the season. I'll have to see what I can find for hardware laying around, and I guess maybe an older access-point that I can turn into a wifi-bridge with a few physical ports so I can monitor it out there.

Is there enough interested around here to warrant doing the experiment? I'm thinking probably, since this isn't the first time a similar topic has come up here.

 

[William]

From what I understand the other big one is bugs. The Intel Santa Clara data center folks have intake fans so they get positive pressure to keep out critters. Last time it was 40 below in Santa Clara? People had no concept of electricity.

That's true and I bet it keeps out a lot of dust also.

That's my main problem out here in the central valley, tons of dust.

I have often thought about moving everything out into the garage and making it my man cave sort of thing, one of these days I should do that.