Server Room Temperature Control - Does anyone have a similar setup?

Solution 1:

We have done the exact setup, with far more equipment. You are actually spreading the heat to the entire office, but you are also getting help from the building HVAC to deal with the heat. Mold shouldn't be a problem if there is good air flow in the plenum. Most portable units have a condensation reservoir that will need to be checked and emptied.

Solution 2:

I would recommend doing it right the first time. Do not hack together a cheap portable unit to cool your production equipment. In small server rooms I usually recommend going with a Mitsubishi Mr. Slim AC only unit. They offer very energy efficient units. The last project I did was a small server room with a three cabinet Toshiba phone system, three Dell 2U servers, two gigabyte switches, router, and a bunch of other misc equipment. I estimated the BTU output just over 5000. We installed a Mr. Slim 9000 BTU unit. Works very well. The room is at a constant 74-75F. I don't know the exact humidity however, but its probably around 50%.

You can get BTU estimates from your equipment manufactures website. Dell and HP had great information that was easy to find!

Solution 3:

I use those portable A/C units for temporary cooling when moving equipment or in case of multiple cooling failures.

They work fine for the most part, but you will need to have plumbing installed for the condensation drain. Otherwise it will require a daily emptying of the collection bucket (which may be a problem over weekends when it is running the most).

I would price out a small dedicated A/C unit for the room with an outside condenser, as it may be a better long term solution.

As for sizing. Use your UPS to determine the total wattage of the equipment and then convert to BTU using 1 kW = 3412 BTU. Don't forget to add some extra load for lights, people and other miscellaneous equipment.