How Can I Seal Air Leaks?

After you install a data center, you need to make sure it stays at an optimal temperature and that any hot or cold aisle containment systems are operational and keeping your servers running at optimal temperatures. Sometimes, though, you may not have been able to fit a server’s cabinet racks properly, or open spaces may be present, causing air to leak out. Air flow leaks can create fluctuating temperatures for your data centers, increasing the likelihood of overheating. To keep your data centers as safe as possible, you may need to consider air sealing accessories as part of your air flow management system. We’ve outlined some potential sealing solutions for you:

Curtain Enclosures

Ideal for: An added component for air leak control; customization options

Data center curtain panels are commonly used for air flow containment and management. They are placed between and around the server racks to minimize leakage. When choosing curtain enclosure for your data management system, you have many options that allow for customized air leak prevention in your space. Data Center curtain enclosure panels are effective at managing the flow of air intake and exhaust and are a vital component of both hot aisle containment and cold aisle containment. Well designed data center curtain systems come with weighted bottoms to reduce air flow at floor level and are custom engineered for an effectively sealed layout.

Air Containment Cubes

Ideal for: Irregularly sized openings

For a soft yet protective barrier against air leaks inside and around server racks, air containment cubes can be a perfect solution for your containment systems. These air leak prevention cubes compress to fill gaps on all sides of areas where you are not using blanking panels. Air containment cubes are ideal for a business who wants flexibility when sealing air leaks. If you ever need to move your data center, you can easily remove these cubes and place them wherever needed. They are compressible and fit tightly into the gaps of open rack spaces.

Blanking Panels

Ideal for: Cost efficiency

When you want tight air enclosure while staying within a budget, blanking panels can work for you. These panels are lightweight yet still have the strength and rigidness to block any gaps between a server aisle enclosure and the server rows. You can use blanking panels for hot or cold aisle containment systems to block off any open spaces. Because the panels can effectively block air from escaping, you’ll save on your energy costs, making them a cost-effective system for your air flow management. Blanking panels come in both horizontal and vertical configurations and a variety of sizes.

Brush Grommets

Ideal for: Targeted air leak control for electronic cables

When you need to manage multiple server units, you may have electronic cables in an area that is leaking air. Brush grommets can stop this leakage from air flowing through outlets. For these grommets, 4” round brush are the most common, but you can also choose from square and rectangular brush grommets.

Contact FabraCraft with your server room or data center design to discuss custom enclosure curtain panel and track system layouts for ideal management of air flow.