Humidity in the Data Center: As Detrimental as Cooling

– Richard Grundy, director of engineering at AVTECH Software (www.avtech.com), says:

Is humidity just as detrimental on data center equipment as cooling?

Humidity is often not considered a priority when implementing an IT & Facilities Environment Monitoring solution. However, it can have a major impact on the long term reliability of equipment in the data center or computer room. ASHRAE recommends that the humidity in a data center environment be maintained between 40%-55% relative humidity. When relative humidity levels are too high, water condensation can occur which results in hardware corrosion and early system and component failure. If the relative humidity is too low, computer equipment becomes susceptible to electrostatic discharge (ESD) which can cause damage to sensitive components.