We are delighted to announce that we have just added a range of metal cable grommets to our on-line store.

The grommets are suitable for use in a desk or a raised access floor and will match all types of furniture styles.

The full range of metal grommets can be found here: METAL CABLE GROMMETS

Don’t forget that our range of plastic grommets can also be found in our store here: PLASTIC CABLE GROMMETS

Our range of brush cable grommets (koldlok) that reduce by-pass airflow can be found here: KOLDLOK BRUSH CABLE GROMMETS

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Partitioning off perimeter corridors SAVES ENERGY, which SAVES MONEY!

Creating dedicated “hot and cold aisles” or “rack and row” data center equipment placement configurations with PLENAFORM increases the static pressure delivering a higher volume of cooling through perforated tiles and at a further distance from the CRAC units. The Venturi effect is attained, whereby more air pressure rises in the dedicated cold aisles.

With the deployment of PLENAFORM, a “VUF” vertical under floor partitioning system, air flow distribution may be directed more efficiently from the CRAC units for maximum equipment air cooling or air blocking requirements in a data center raised floor plenum space.

Installing PLENAFORM to direct air flow from the “source of the air” plenum level, a data centre manager can better achieve a thermally tuned data centre. Integrating PLENAFORM into the data centre design helps to mitigate thermally associated risk to equipment hardware.

The key word here is high density computing and PLENAFORM helps to solve thermal imbalances in your data centre environment simply and inexpensively!

Do you want to lower your Data Centre energy consumption?

Not a problem with PLENAFORM. Decide where you want the air to flow, snap the panels together at the desired height for the under floor space, drop them in, and attach them to the pedestals.

PLENAFORM is a passive and contributory holistic solution that can be easily installed as an effective “VUF” or vertical under floor partitioning system, to direct air flow within the plenum space.

PlenaForm directs the source of the cold air from the CRAC units to where the air is needed most.

PLENAFORM helps to maintain the static pressure further away from a CRAC unit and is a simple solution to cool thermal hot spots in your Data Centre.

Since PLENAFORM is fire-rated they can even be used to make vertical blanking panels between racks or on the sides of open server racks to keep hot air from wrapping around and mixing with the intake air.

Partitioning off perimeter corridors SAVES ENERGY, which SAVES MONEY!

Plenaform Installation Guide

A flexible, snap together, air flow baffle system which helps to solve dynamic thermal imbalances in data centres.

PLENAFORM is scored both vertically and horizontally so sections can be removed or added onto to meet any height or width requirement. All angles of bend radius may be attained, including inside and outside mounting to raised floor pedestals.

Continuous punch out hole pattern allows attachment to any style raised floor pedestal at any height or width location with cable ties.

PLENAFORM is formed from a flame retardant polypropylene compound that is inert, non-conductive, and non-hygroscopic.

Easy to Install - Right Out of the Box!

· Control and Balance Data Center Airflow

· Separate Hot Aisles from Cold Aisles

· No Installation Tools Required

· On-Site Configurable (Width and Height)

· Fits ANY Raised Floor Pedestal

· Reduces Energy Consumption and Operating Costs

· An Inert, Non-Conductive and Non-Hygroscopic Material

· Flammability rating of UL V- 0 per UL94

· RoHS and WEEE Compliant

· An Energy Saving and Thermal Tuning Tool

PLENAFORM has many uses:

1. Seal off below tape auto loaders to stop tape reader condensation.
2. Seal off under PDU’s.
3. Works above the floor to stop lateral heat transfers in server racks.
4. Create dedicated return air paths above ceilings.
5. Create CRAC extension intake heads.

Plenaform Installation Guide

So you have to do some construction work in your Data Centre?

How do you control and manage the dust that will be created in the Data Centre?

You insist that your contractor uses the ZipWall Dust Barrier System during the construction work.

The ZipWall Dust Barrier System is an easy to construct modular dust barrier system that can contain the dust, to allow for a controlled clean-up after the construction work has been completed.

Guide to ZipWall Dust Barrier System.pdf

Purchase the ZipWall Dust Barrier System

The guys at CIX.ie have published an interesting white paper that deals with how they plan to maximise the Air Conditioning at their new data centre facility in Cork, Ireland

1) Utilise Free Cooling - By taking advantage of the of the low out-door temperatures in Ireland.

2) Maximise Chilled Water Temperature

3) Eliminate Water Mixing

4) Eliminate Air Mixing - By utilising a cold aisle containment system (the opposite of the more common hot aisle containment system).

5) Utilising a low resistance slow speed air path - by taking advantage of the large under floor void and the high ceiling space.

6) Minimise humidification

The full white paper can be found here http://www.cix.ie/air-conditioning-efficiency-at-the-cix-data-centre/

We would also recommend that they fit Koldolk Cable Grommets to reduce by-pass air loss and by using the plenaform under floor air barrier system to direct the cold air to exactly where it is needed.

We look forward to following the progress of the new Data Centre Build.

As part of our cleaning service, we clean underneath raised access floor. So we have plenty of experience in lifting raised access floor tiles.

Some raised access floor tiles are “Screwed Down” this is where there is a screw in each corner of the four corners of the tile. The Screw joins the floor tile and the pedestal head.

Occasionally we will come across a floor tile that has a damaged screw. Either the screw head has been wrung or it is “free spinning” and just wont come out.

The best and easiest way of removing the screw is by using a “Damaged Screw Remover” or “Damaged Screw Extractor“

Removing Damaged Screws From Raised Access Floor Tiles

1. First we need to “Burnish the Screw” so we fit the screw extractor into the chuck with the burnisher end showing.
2. Set the screw gun to the reverse setting (counter-clockwise).
3. Place the burnishing end of the remover into the centre of the damaged screw and apply a slow power to your screw gun while applying pressure onto the screw.
4. Stop when there is a distinct 1/16″ or 1.5mm deep clean area in the centre of the screw.
5. Flip the remover tool around in the chuck so the that the “Remover” end of tool is now showing and place it into now smooth screw head.
6. Maintaining reverse setting (counter clockwise) apply a firm downward pressure, drill at slow speed. Apply lowest level of power to the screw gun.
7. Remover end will thread into screw head and remove.
8. For “Free Spinning” screws pull lightly on the screw gun to extract the screw.

The damaged screw remover that all our technicians carry in their tool kit can be purchased from our on-line store.

This is Part 2 of our guide to the Koldok range of Products

Part 1 can be found here

The KoldLok Surface Mount (Model 2020) is for existing holes with cables already in place.

It splits apart to encircle the cables and then snaps together as one piece. The unit is then adhered to the top of the tile with the included adhesive mounting kit.

The KoldLok Surface Mount offers all the features of the Integral (with the exception of the NFPA requirement), but with the added benefit of easily sealing holes without having to disconnect existing cabling.

Since it is mounted on top of the tile, it seals any size or configuration of opening in the tile up to10″ x 7″ in size. The KoldLok Surface Mount L (Model 2030) and XL, (Model 2040) include metal plates for sealing larger openings.

The KoldLok Surface L seals openings up to 10″ x 10″ and the XL seals openings up to 10″ x 13″.

Koldlok Split Surface Mount - Raised Floor Grommet - Model 2020 - Technical PackageKoldlok Split Surface Mount - Raised Floor Grommet - Model 2020

Koldlok Split Surface Mount - Raised Floor Grommet - Model 2030

Koldlok Split Surface Mount - Raised Floor Grommet - Model 2030 - Technical Package

Koldlok Mounted Xtra-Large Raised Floor Grommet Model 2040- Drawing

Koldlok Surface Xtra-Large Mount Raised Floor Grommet Model 2040 - Technical Package

Keyboards help MRSA spread in Hospitals

A study by Dr Gary Noskin of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, shows that keyboards and other computer equipment used in hospitals can aid the spread of “superbug” such as MRSA.

Merely touching a keyboard is enough to pick up bacteria such as MRSA, which could easily be passed onto vulnerable patients. Plus due to the design of normal keyboards found in hospitals, typical keyboard cleaning procedures are not practical to remove the bacteria.
In response to rising concerns about hospital acquired infections, Data Clean in conjunction with iKey have developed a series of cleanable medical keyboards and mice solutions.

These medical keyboards and medical mice are designed to reduce cross contamination in hospital environments. The new liquid-proof keyboards feature low-profile silicon rubber keys that can withstand bleach cleaning, and are easily sprayed or wiped down for complete disinfection.
For low-light environments, the keyboards are conveniently backlit. They are ideal for Operating rooms(OR’s), patient rooms, carts, Intensive Care Units (ICU’s) and retractable workstations.

Medical standard keyboards are now available for purchase from our on-line store

Keywords for this Post

Hospital Keyboard, Medical Keyboards, Medical Mice, Medical Mouse, Infection control keyboards, Keyboard spreading infection,

Guide to Koldloks - Part 1

The KoldLok Integral (Model 1010) is for new cable cut-outs and is designed to seal openings before any equipment has been installed on the raised-floor tile.

The KoldLok Integral sits flush with the floor into an opening approximately 9″x6″ or 235mm x 172mm .

The benefits and features of the Integral include a penetrable seal that allows re-cabling with automatic re-sealing, static dissipative properties, and compliance with NFPA requirements to trim cut metal edges of raised-floor tiles. It also assists gas fire suppression systems.

KoldLok also offers the Split Integral (Model 3030) for existing cabling in raised-floor tiles where the rack clearance is too low to accommodate a Surface Mount unit.
Special Features of the Integral Units

• The Split Integral Grommets allow tiles to be moved without capturing cable
• The Grommets integrate with the raised-floor static dissipation system
• 32 square inch usable cabling area accommodates a variety of cabling requirements, including 100 amp power connectors
• The Grommets satisfy NFPA 75 Section 5-4.4 requirement by self-dressing the raw metal edges of raised-floor tile cable cutouts
• The Grommets contain no loose or partially fastened parts, which can become separated or fall through the raised floor.
• Compliant with the directive that restricts the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS)

Koldlok Integral (Model 1010) Raised Floor Grommet - Drawing

Raised Floor Grommet - Technical Package.zip

Koldlok Split Integral (Model 3030) Raised Floor Grommet - Technical Package.zip

Koldlok Split Integral Raised Floor Grommet - Drawing

The higher heat generation of new IT and telecommunications equipment contributes to hot spots in data centres. Due to poor cooling airflow and improper cooling unit utilisation, the ability to reliably cool equipment has become issue in the majority of these data centres. In a study conducted by The Uptime Institute(r), over 70% of conditioned air was not properly cooling the equipment. In addition, air intake temperatures at 10% of the racks exceeded published guidelines for maximum server reliability.
Click here to download The Uptime Institute Whitepaper

The higher ambient temperatures typically found in equipment housed at the top of racks cause reliability “ghosts” and computing outages. Heat-related outages have a dramatically negative impact on business operations—particularly mission critical applications that rely on “always on” data centres. Information outages can bring a business to its knees!
Cable cutouts waste conditioned airflow. This lost conditioned airflow is called Bypass Airflow.
Reclaiming Bypass Airflow by sealing unmanaged openings can help resolve this problem. KoldLok Raised-Floor Grommets have become the “industry standard” for effectively sealing cable cutouts. They are recommend by equipment manufacturers such as IBM, Dell, HP and Sun and by Independent Professional Organisations such as the Uptime Institute.
KoldLok Product Benefits

KoldLok offers a suite of high-quality products that seal unmanaged raised-floor openings and self-seal around cables and conduits to improve computer room reliability.Benefits include:

• Sealing effectiveness up to 98% of cable cut out air losses
• Increased under-floor static pressure
• Increased airflow through perforated floor tiles
• Enable precision delivery of airflow to equipment cabinet air intakes
• AC incapacity from cooling exhaust air instead of computing technology is minimized
• Bleed-off static charge build up on cables to raised-floor conductive surface

Keywords for this article

Koldlok, Hot-Spot, Uptime Institute, Bypass Airflow, Coldlock, Coldlok, Koldlock