Data Center Fire Suppression: Overview and Protection Guide - C&C Technology Group (2023)

Last updated on January 21, 2023 by Josh Mahan

A fire can cause significant damage, especially in a data center.All these data and devices can be lost. If you want to protect your data center, you must have a proper firefighting plan in place that can help prevent a fire from causing widespread problems. However, not all firefighting plans are created equal. Here is an overview of fire suppression systems and how to implement one in your data center.

Do you manage a data center and want to find ways to properly maintain it? Fires can occur for a variety of reasons, including equipment that has not been properly cleaned. inside, we offer power, cleaning and other solutions to keep your data center in top condition.

What is data center firefighting?

A data center fire suppression system refers to various methods to prevent a fire from spreading throughout the data center. Many of themFire suppression systems are designed to target specific areas of the data center, such as: B. Racks or individual rooms.. Most fire suppression systems prevent fires from spreading throughout the building. Unfortunately, if you can't contain a fire, you could lose all that valuable data. While most data is stored in the cloud, a fire that damages your hardware or other physical media can hurt your business financially.

If you're ready to invest in a data center fire suppression system, keep this in mindAll data centers have inherent fire risks. These fire hazards can include damaged or faulty wiring, hardware, HVAC equipment, and wiring. Even these raised floors and drop ceilings can increase the likelihood of a fire in your data center. Fire suppression systems are designed to stop a fire as it starts, protecting data center equipment and personnel. While portable sprinklers and fire extinguishers can help workers put out a fire or get to safety in the event of a fire, these extinguishing systems can prevent widespread damage.

Related:Best practices for cleaning data centers

Fire protection walls and floor attachments are known as passive fire protection., and can slow the spread of fire. A data center fire suppression system helps protect your equipment. Yes, if a sprinkler goes off on your equipment, all of those components will be damaged. However, a fire suppression system in the data center can detect and stop the fire before the water-based equipment in the room explodes.

This data equipment is expensive. The last thing you want to do is replace it due to water damage. In addition, your computer contains all the important information. This is why you should think about these specialized firefighting systems.

Risks in the data center

Data centers are, for the most part, well-oiled machines, howeverAccidents can happen. Even though data centers work with the best equipment and technology,data center firescan always happen. According to the Uptime Institute, there were25 data fires in recent history.

Unfortunately, with any type of data center service, there is a risk., including Amazon Web Services, Google Drive and iCloud. Most data centers use fire suppression systems to reduce the impact of fires. You need to find a professional data center provider that can help you deal with these disasters.

Many things can be the cause of a data center fire.Raised floors, cables, wires, digital equipment, dropped ceilings, and HVAC equipment are often responsible for these fires.. The cables could be damaged and cause a fire. A buildup of debris and dust on racks makes its core vulnerable to fire. If the dust heats up, it can start a fire in these rooms. Even poor repairs and maintenance can result in a devastating fire and costly damage.

While some ofThe causes of a data fire can be characterized as an accident, many more of these fires could have been prevented with maintenance and repairsData center cleaning.

Automatic fire suppression systems are vital for data centers

These firefighting systems are designed to do thatrecognize each fire as soon as it begins. Once detected, the system works to remove it immediately. All fire extinguishing systems have one goal: to prevent the fire from spreading to the center and the rest of the facility. When there is heat or flame, the system will alarm and work to suppress the fire.

ÖState Fire Brigade Association classifies fires into five classes, Including:

• Class A: Loaded with combustible materials such as wood or paper
• Class B: filled with flammable liquids or flammable gases
• Class C: includes electrical equipment
• Class D: uses combustible metals as a fuel source
• Class K: uses cooking oil or fat as a fuel source

Most data centers use Class A, B, and C fire suppression systems. Classes D and K are not common in data centers.

Fire fighting systems for data centers

Take a lookdifferent types of fire suppression systems for a data center. Many of these systems differ from each other. They can fall into the categories of Engineered Fire Suppression Systems or Pre-engineered Fire Suppression Systems. The critical part of any data center suppression system isStop the fire without damaging expensive equipment. The best data center firefighting methods leave no messy residue to spray the room with water.

These technical firefighting systems flood the room with a "clean agent". These agents are gaseous, suitable for fire extinguishers or electrically non-conductive. EITHERThe most important cleaning agents are halogenated hydrocarbons and fluorinated ketones.. When these funds are distributed, they do not affect the oxygen in the room. They combine chemical and physical mechanisms to extinguish a fire.

Sheleaves no residue after evaporationwhen they fill the space. Clean agent fire suppression systems are designed to stop a fire before the flame or heat causes the sprinkler system to work. Once the clean agent suppresses the fire, building ventilation systems can quickly remove the agent from the room; These systems work without harming the data center equipment or the people working in the room. Clean agents are stored as a liquid but can be released quickly as a gas.

Due to the lack of extinguishing residuesData centers don't have to spend money on new equipment or cleaning up after a fire. If you are looking for an environmentally friendly option, consider inert gases. Compared to halocarbon or fluoroketone based cleaners, these gases smother the fire by reducing oxygen levels in the data center. When the oxygen level is reduced, the fire no longer burns. This process is more environmentally friendly than other types of plants because the inert gases do not contribute to ozone depletion.

A pre-engineered fire suppression system will not be flooded with detergent. These systems are designed to protect smaller spaces such as dash panels, engine compartments and luggage racks.

A water mist fire extinguishing system is designed for a data center. Many fire suppressants use water. For example, sprinklers are often required on a building. While these sprinklers protect the building in the event of a fire, the water will damage your hardware and other equipment. Water puts out fire, but it's also destructive. Instead of dumping water on your hardware,Water mist fire extinguishing systems are an alternative solution.

The water mist fire extinguishing systemuses atomized water droplets smaller than 100 microns. These tiny droplets turn the water into steam. Because these water droplets are smaller than those from a water sprinkler, they evaporate more quickly, reducing the amount of water needed to extinguish a data center fire. Yes, water is still used. However, the water droplets used in the high-pressure water mist system vaporize at a faster rate, meaning that equipment, equipment or other items are less likely to be damaged during the firefighting phase.

Not only can you reduce the risk of water damage to your gear, but you can toolower water consumption for the data center. These high pressure water mist systems use less water than a traditional water sprinkler, resulting in lower water bills in the event of a fire. In addition, there are no high costs for cleaning up after a fire in the data center.

Related:Data Center Cooling 101: From Start to Finish

fire detection methods

Along with fire extinguishing systems there isdifferent methods of fire detection. These methods include a non-electrical fire detection system or an active fire detection system. A non-electrical fire detection system does not require power to detect a fire. Instead, fire alarm tubes are installed in the building. When exposed to fire or heat, the pipes burst, releasing a clean agent to smother the fire.

Active detections work a little differently. this methodconstantly monitors and monitors the data center for smoke or heat. When these elements are detected, the fire system is activated. However, this system requires electricity. If hePower failure in the data center, the fire alarm system is deactivated.

These methods of fire detection and suppression systems can be beneficial for a data center.. They all have the same goal: to stop the fire as quickly as possible. Fire can be prevented from spreading throughout the building and endangering human life.

All of this valuable equipment in a data center needs to be protected from fire. these methodsallow you to protect everyone in those areas.

Now that you understand the importance of data center fire suppression systems, you can choose the best course of action for your needs.Firefighting is essential to keep your data safe.While there are many options on the market, you need to choose a solution that maximizes data center security.

Data center firefighting is an essential system

Unfortunately, data center fires can happen in the blink of an eye. Often these fires are the result of poor maintenance or faulty equipment. In other words, the operators could have warned them if the data center had been properly cared for and kept clean. Even with best practices, there can still be an accident in the data center where equipment can catch fire. In these situations, you want to make surehave a fire suppression system that protects your people and equipment from fire.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to data center suppression systems.Fire suppression is vital to prevent the fire from spreading and to protect all necessary equipment.. In recent decades there has been a growing need for these systems. While you can rely on the traditional water spray method, it will leave you thousands of dollars in damage and extended downtime for your data center. The risk of fire is always there, but you can take steps to prevent major damage.

When it comes time to choose the right option, you will need to work with the data management team to determine what is appropriate for your situation.These systems are critical to the operation of your data center.Whether you use water mist or gas to extinguish fires, you can reduce fire damage. Most of these incidents are usually accidental, but the fire suppression system can prevent the flames from engulfing the entire building. At the same time, you can help save the lives of your dedicated employees.

Looking for a way to keep your data center clean to prevent fires? Take a look at our data center cleaning services from the experienced team at.Contact us to find out what we can do for your data center!