Specially Designed Raised Computer Floors Protect Vital Equipment

By Iva Cannon


You may have noticed the special flooring that is under the massive number of computers setting in the computer room at work. These are designed for a specific purpose. This type of flooring is too expensive to install in just any room, however, the computers, and the data they hold is much more important than other things in other rooms. That is why the raised computer floors are critical for them.

Computers deal with a lot of data and the ones in most commercial applications deal with a lot more. This data is used for everything from marketing, storage, client relations, or even the service the company provides to their clients. As such it is vital this data stays safe. The floors, believe it or not, help do this.

One of the very dangerous things that can harm computers is heat. They can be impacted by dust and dirt and the room, itself, helps deter this, however, heat can damage these electronic items in various ways. As they get hot, they can start to slow down. As it gets hotter, they will also shut down. When that happens, all data is lost and they become just piles of useless electronics.

What makes these floors so special is the way they are set up. They are raised from the standard sub floor by about one to three feet. This spaces allows the trunk lines that carry the data from point to point and all electrical connectors to be placed in here. The panels that make up the floor you walk on are perforated to permit airflow from one space to another. The chillers, located in another room, will be run through this space to keep all of the electronics cool.

The square panels each have a socket on each of the four corners. These sockets fit over a post fitted onto a stanchion that keeps it all off of the sub floor. They are held firm because of the tight fitting nature of these sockets. If they did not fit properly, the entire system would allow for shifting or swaying which would damage the whole floor. The space can be accessed by lifting a panel or two.

The engineering that goes into each panel and stanchion is an exacting science. The entire room is measured and the number of panels, based on the general size of each, is determined. The runs, or rows of panels are established, starting with the exact center panel and each next one is trimmed to align with one before it. If more than six to eight are removed, at the same time, the entire room may have to be reset. This is a costly project and people who routinely enter the floor work hard not to allow that to happen.

One of the most often performed tasks under these floors is the cleaning. This is done by specially trained personnel who have specific procedures for this. They will lift one panel, with a special tool that is inserted into a perforation. They do the cleaning with vacuum wands and or special cloths.

Since the computer room, when one is needed, is where all of the money is made for the company, these floors are very critical in keeping the data, stored in the computers, safe. This is not a job for just any construction company. They must have the training, the engineers and the experience to do this for you. The cleaning must be performed by professionals who deal with controlled environments as well.




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