No Plumbing, No Problem…No-Drainage AC Solution Keeps Small Data Center Cool

Companies with an abundance of data and a lack of space have no choice but to get creative. For one mid-sized Internet Service Provider, serving more than 3,000 business customers, was proving to be a challenge in their small space.

Three racks’ worth of servers and gear occupied a small 10’-x-5’ closet in the company’s office. They could get the room no cooler than 86 degrees, and 90-degree-plus temperatures were the norm. And to make matters worse, without plumbing they needed a no-drainage AC solution.

“My gear is cooking,” the network manager told MicroAge’s John Noble.

They had already tried a portable air conditioner, and not only did it fail to lower the closet’s temperatures far enough, but it also required manual water drainage. Plus, a power outage would permanently shut down the unit until someone manually restarted it. All of these factors made the client decide he needed something else.

Every AC unit and evaporative cooler that the company explored would have required building modification, which the landlord prohibited. Never mind that the price tags were hovering around $18,000 for equipment and services.

“I remembered that there was a company that makes something just for this problem,” John says. “Tripp Lite makes an AC unit for IT closets that have only electricity and no water drainage.”

John recommended Tripp Lite’s SRCOOL12K Portable AC Unit. And after going onsite with the client to walk through their environment, John was able to confirm that this was the best product for them.

“You can direct the cooling to where you need it,” John notes. Plus, the Tripp Lite SRCOOL12K removes water through a humidifier function, meaning there’s no draining, and if power is lost, the unit automatically restarts once power is restored.

“By listening to the market, we discovered the need for a portable cooling solution that could be deployed without the need for costly contract installation services,” adds Tripp Lite Channel Account Manager Jaime Matoba.”We knew we could develop a device that would be compact and portable but the key was eliminating the need for water drainage. With our SRCOOL12K Portable AC Unit, we’ve created a truly plug-and-play solution the market has really embraced. With the expertise and dedication John provides his customers, he was able to understand the problem and knew our SRCOOL12K would be the perfect fit for this scenario.”

The result? A room cool enough for the client’s IT equipment.

“The customer had never gotten the room below 86 degrees,” John says. “After installing this unit, the temperature is 74 degrees.”

And even better — the product’s price tag is a fraction of what a traditional AC unit would cost.

For John’s customer, Tripp Lite’s niche was the perfect fit. “It’s the only product on the market that’s purpose-built,” he says.

If an IT issue is making your temperature rise, stay cool and contact John:  480-366-2131 or john.noble@microage.com.