Recommended Placement of UPS Temperature Sensors

[BillP]

Hi All,

Just wondering if anyone has any experience or recommendation on where to place our UPS temperature sensors. We just bought a APC 9631 network management card with the environmental sensor capability so we can configure PowerChute for a temp based shutdown.

Our datacenter looks like this:

Two rows of racks.

The back row has a Symmetra PX 40K UPS and three battery cabinets.
The front row has three IBM server racks with two APC In-Row A/C cooling racks in between.

So basically we have a cool aisle up front and then a hot aisle between the two rows of racks. Where would you recommend we place the sensors? In the front of the IBM server racks where the cool air is being pulled in, or the back where the hot air is being sent? Does it make a difference?

Thanks!

[BillP]

I am personally thinking it should go in the area most representative of the room temperature so you get the most accurate reading of what's going on in that room to determine when your servers should shutdown due to a temperature violation.

[Anonymous user · Accepted solution]

As far as the servers are concerned, you'd want to put your AP9631 temperature probe(s) halfway up the front face of your server racks. Your APC InRow AC's will also have Supply Air Sensors that similarly should have be placed on the front of the server racks so they can remotely regulate the air temp entering the servers. I am wondering how your UPS is being cooled though, if you saying that all your InRow cooling is directed at the faces of the IBM server racks, and you have a hot aisle in between your Server racks and the PX-40/Battery cabinets it sounds like you could be in a situation where wrap around heat from the hot aisle will be drawn around or over the top of the UPS into its front face, and also cause heating of the batteries...which are sitting on the hot aisle ?

Dave