Choosing the Correct Server Room Fire Suppression Equipment
Choosing the right server room fire suppression systems becomes a vital issue when you consider the information and data that you are storing in your servers. However, how do you ensure that your server room fire suppression equipment is going to be as efficient as you would want it to be? Here are a few points that would help you with setting up the right fire suppression system for the server room.
The Type of Suppression System Agent
Determining the agent that you are going to be using in the suppression system is of vital importance. There are systems that work with gaseous agents, aerosol based agents and even water. While the gas based server room fire suppression systemshave become very popular these days, there are contractors who still work with the water based systems.
Gaseous systems have been found to be quicker and more efficient than the water based counterparts. Moreover, gaseous suppression agents are safer as they are non-conductive and not harmful to humans. These agents are cleaner and don’t leave spills like most water based systems do. Yet, water-based server room fire suppression equipment is still in use for a number of reasons.
The very first reason why water-based systems are still preferred by some contractors is that these systems are easier to setup and are less complicated. Moreover, water is not harmful to the environment unlike the gas-based systems. Even though some of the gaseous agents are safe for human beings, they often take a serious toll on the environment.
Aerosol Based Server Room Fire Suppression Systems
Aerosol has emerged as a great product for fire suppression systems owing to a number of reasons. First of all, aerosol is not harmful for the environment like the gaseous agents carbon dioxide and Halon. Aerosol based server room fire suppression equipment is easy to maintain and does not create a problem for the assets once they are discharged.
Aerosol systems are not as expensive and complicated as gaseous systems. They don’t result in water spills as seen in the case of water based systems. The aerosol systems don’t require complicated piping setup and are not required to be maintained regularly.
Finally, Setup Issues
Once you have considered all the above options, you now need to understand if the suppression system is being setup correctly or not. If you are using gaseous agents, make sure you don’t go for the heavier gases. Even though some of these units are very efficient in stopping the fire, heavier gases have a tendency to escape from underneath the doors and through cracks.
Make sure the server room is perfectly airtight. This ensures better operation of server room fire suppression systems. Unless you are using water, creating an airtight environment means completely cutting out the oxygen supply. This helps to kill the fire almost immediately when the gas is discharged.
If you are using water-based systems, your attention should be towards safeguarding your servers from water spills in case a fire breaks out and water spills on the servers. These few steps can show you a higher safety from fires for your server room.
For more information on server room fire suppression equipment and server room fire suppression systems, please visit http://fire-suppression-systems.com/