Blanking plates
I am looking for a cheap stand alone product to place between racks in a LAN room with hot isle cold isle configuration. We would prefer not to place an empty rack with blanking plates as this is cost prohibitive. Seems there should be something like this already on the market. Just need a free standing barrier 2ft wide by 7ft tall to prevent hot or cold air blending around racks one footprint apart.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Troy Brandon
Software/Hardware used:
Software/Hardware used:
ASKED:
March 25, 2009 5:09 PM
UPDATED:
March 30, 2009 4:56 PM
Answer Wiki:
I don't know of any product per say, but a sheet of plywood, a couple of two by fours and some L brackets and you'll have what you need for about $40 US.
I asked this question a couple of years ago and never got a response. I looked through various
types of vendors and found nothing. I think the plywood and two by fours is a good solution. Using
the lightest weight materials you can find would make it more manageable, cheaper (maybe) and still serve the purpose.
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Troy,
I had this issue in my data center and was able to get my HVAC maintenance vendor to fabricate a piece of sheet metal that I fastened to my APC racks on either side of the opening using the holes and screws used to bay the racks together. They painted it black to match the cabinets and it looked good until I replaced it with a tape library. Good luck.
Sheet metal is a better answer. We have a policy not to use flamable products in our data centre. Also sheet metal is easier to keep clean.
If this is a temporary situation then you might conside using plastic wrap like the kind they use to wrap shipping pallets. You would need some kind of frame (got any old telecomm frames or unused shelving?)
Another option which we use for hot / cold aisle isolation is freezer curtains like to see in a grocery store freezer room doorway. They are fire rated to be non toxic. They are not terribly expensive. You need to suspend a metal bar for them to hang from. You can walk through them as needed.
Hope some of these ideas are helpful!