 KA3SGM- -... ...- -Premium
join:2006-01-17
West Chester, PA
 ·Verizon FiOS
 ·Cricket Broadband
| Automated Sprinklers In A Data Center??? WTF?
Data Center Fire Suppression using WATER???
I hope that's just a joke.
I wouldn't trust any place that didn't use HALON 1211, CO2, or one of the more Ozone-Friendly HALON Replacements.
It has to be some type of Oxygen Depleting Chemical Vapor Extinguisher.
Anything like Powdered Dry Chemical or Water, destroys everything it touches.
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 WiFiguruTo infinity... and beyondPremium
join:2005-06-21
Los Gatos, CA
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| said by KA3SGM:WTF? Data Center Fire Suppression using WATER??? I hope that's just a joke. I wouldn't trust any place that didn't use HALON 1211, CO2, or one of the more Ozone-Friendly HALON Replacements. It has to be some type of Oxygen Depleting Chemical Vapor Extinguisher. Anything like Powdered Dry Chemical or Water, destroys everything it touches. Yeah, from what I hear...the fire sprinklers used produced water out of the spouts....I know where my equipment sits, it has special fire powder/CO2 -- NOT water. |
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 MadDog3057Ex Astris, ScientiaPremium
join:2002-02-26
Miami, FL | reply to KA3SGM
I was just thinking the same thing. There's even one that I remember reading about that has a reduced oxygen level to prevent combustion. |
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According to the article, this happened where the power connects to the building, not the server room.
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KA3SGM- -... ...- -Premium
join:2006-01-17
West Chester, PA Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
·Cricket Broadband
| reply to MadDog3057
said by MadDog3057:I was just thinking the same thing. There's even one that I remember reading about that has a reduced oxygen level to prevent combustion. I wouldn't want to work in that type of Reduced Oxygen Environment, I actually like breathing.
Do we need to earn a new MCSE certification??
Micro$oft Certified Suffocating Engineer
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Romney2012Defeat Obama 2012-Chg we can believe inPremium
join:2002-03-03
USA
kudos:4 | said by KA3SGM:said by MadDog3057:I was just thinking the same thing. There's even one that I remember reading about that has a reduced oxygen level to prevent combustion. I wouldn't want to work in that type of Reduced Oxygen Environment, I actually like breathing. Do we need to earn a new MCSE certification?? Micro$oft Certified Suffocating Engineer It is not as bad as it sounds. Years & years ago I worked in a data center that had these systems(mine was Halon). And 30 secs before they were activated a screaming siren and flashing lights warned of discharge. Plenty of time to leave the affected area. And if the worst case prevented exit somehow, their were emergency switches placed everywhere to disable the discharge of the Halon.
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 KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
·AT&T DSL Service
1 edit | Yeah, it's not common that fire suppression systems kill people, but it has happened. I remember a case in 2000 in NYC where a bank employee was locked into the basement.... thinking she'd pull the fire alarm and then the NYFD (or someone) would rescue her, she pulled a switch which activated a CO2 based fire suppression system---- and she suffocated to death. 
AEP had a close call last month.....
»www.caller.com/news/2009/jun/04/···offices/
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 tshirtPremium,MVM
join:2004-07-11
Snohomish, WA
kudos:3
 ·Comcast
1 edit | reply to KA3SGM
The fire was in a VENTED electrical vault, a no go for halon, dry chemical may lead to arcing/poses clean hazards/problems for minor fires, and is death to generators (powder is somewhere between baking soda and comet cleanser)
The error seems to be the design that put the single utility feed, generator and transfer switches in the same area (two utility feeds/vaults SHOULD be in different locations, the gensets in 1 or more other locations and the transfer switches and chases (the ONLY common point) SHOULD be sealed and halon/CO2/low Oxy protected.
I believe this was due to the TV station which uses the roof space (Common generator location) for a heli-pad and roof deck( broadcast location for weather/etc.)
Given that there are several nearby (within a few blocks)data centers with better/ more dedicated/survivable designs, this has to be hurting future space sales. |
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b10010011Whats a Posting tag?
join:2004-09-07
Bellingham, WA | reply to KA3SGM
Any worse than automated sprinklers in an electrical engineering R&D lab?
Makes one hell of a mess, believe me. |
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| reply to KA3SGM
said by KA3SGM:WTF? Data Center Fire Suppression using WATER??? I hope that's just a joke. I wouldn't trust any place that didn't use HALON 1211, CO2, or one of the more Ozone-Friendly HALON Replacements. It has to be some type of Oxygen Depleting Chemical Vapor Extinguisher. Anything like Powdered Dry Chemical or Water, destroys everything it touches. some fire codes force them to use water |
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KA3SGM- -... ...- -Premium
join:2006-01-17
West Chester, PA Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
·Cricket Broadband
| Do Fire Codes require your local firefighters to put out an Electrical Substation Fire with Water???
With the power still turned on??
What's the big deal with 35,000 volts and a little bit of water anyway... 
I'll have to research this with the NFPA codes, because it doesn't sound logical at all.
I don't want to be holding onto a Soaker line, that is dumping water onto ANYTHING electrical, that is still live.
I still would never in a second, consider deploying a critical computer server at a facility that uses a Water Sprinkler system.
Forget the Ammonium Sulfate/Phosphate "Dry Chemical" as well.
I have done restoration work on a computer center that had a fire that was extinguished with "Dry Chemical", and every computer within a 50 foot radius was destroyed by the fire extinguisher.
The abrasive dry chemical "magically" found itself contaminating the bearings of every cooling fan around, completely seized them up, and burnt up every single computer, due to the lack of cooling air.
Go pour a bucket of sand into your PC and see how long it lives....
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MadDog3057Ex Astris, ScientiaPremium
join:2002-02-26
Miami, FL | reply to KA3SGM
said by KA3SGM:said by MadDog3057:I was just thinking the same thing. There's even one that I remember reading about that has a reduced oxygen level to prevent combustion. I wouldn't want to work in that type of Reduced Oxygen Environment, I actually like breathing. Do we need to earn a new MCSE certification?? Micro$oft Certified Suffocating Engineer It's not that bad. It's just a bit harder to breathe just like if you were up on a mountain.
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