Data Center Cooling: Precision Air Conditioning, N+1 Redundancy and Monitoring

Critical systems

Precision air conditioners (CRAC/CRAH), chillers and dry coolers, humidifiers, water leak and temperature sensors

Typical redundancy

N+1 or higher; rotating operation and automatic switchover

Maintenance frequency

Generally monthly or quarterly periodic maintenance for precision air conditioners; seasonal cleaning and a pre-winter check for outdoor units

Key risks

Mixing of hot and cold air, humidifier failure, clogged filters and condensers, untested standby units, unmonitored alarms

Recommended inlet air

ASHRAE generally recommends 18–27 °C; the final value depends on the equipment manufacturer

Air conditioning in data center facilities

Data centers and server rooms are not cooled with comfort air conditioning logic. Servers produce almost constant heat every day of the year, so the cooling load barely changes between winter and summer. Precision air conditioners designed for this need control temperature and humidity within tight tolerances, operate at a high sensible cooling ratio and are built for continuous operation. Small server rooms use direct expansion (DX) precision air conditioners, large halls use chiller-fed CRAH units, and sometimes in-rack or in-row cooling solutions are used. Small server rooms in corporate buildings carry the same risks; being dependent on a single split air conditioner is often their weakest point.

Air management is as important as cooling capacity. Racks are arranged with their fronts facing each other to form a cold aisle and with their backs facing each other to form a hot aisle. Aisle containment, blanking panels in empty rack spaces and correctly placed perforated tiles on raised floors reduce the mixing of cold and hot air. The less mixing there is, the more stable the rack inlet temperatures you get with the same capacity. The range ASHRAE recommends for data processing environments is generally around 18–27 °C for rack inlet air; the final target is set according to the equipment manufacturer's values. Measuring rack inlet temperature at different heights helps find hot spots.

Humidity control is a two-sided risk: very dry air increases static electricity risk, while very humid air can cause condensation. In continental climates with dry winters like Ankara's, humidifier maintenance takes on extra importance; the cylinder, electrodes and drain line should be checked regularly. On the roofs and terraces where outdoor units and dry coolers are located, condenser cleaning is done before summer and glycol ratio and freeze protection are checked before winter. At every periodic maintenance of precision air conditioners, filter replacement, fan and belt checks, refrigerant pressures and compressor current values are checked and recorded.

Redundancy is the foundation of data center cooling. In an N+1 configuration, there is at least one standby unit above the required capacity, so capacity does not drop when a unit fails or is taken out for maintenance. Rotating the units, testing that the standby unit really kicks in, and passing alarms correctly to the building management system or monitoring software are part of maintenance. Rack inlet temperature, humidity, water leaks and unit alarms should be monitored continuously, and the relevant people should be notified when a threshold is exceeded. Redundancy only means something when it is tested in the field, not just on paper.

Our services for this sector

Precision air conditioningData center and server room cooling.Chiller maintenanceCondenser, compressor, refrigerant leak test and measured report.Annual maintenance contractScheduled maintenance, priority on breakdowns, single price.Breakdown and repairbreakdown and service line, all brands and systems.Split and multi air conditionersMaintenance, installation, refrigerant charging and repair.Sales, installation and projectsHeat load calculation, equipment selection, installation and commissioning.

How do we work?

For data center work, we first review the existing capacity, redundancy setup and alarm infrastructure. We carry out maintenance unit by unit while the standby capacity is running, and we get the operations team's approval before every intervention. At the end of maintenance, we report the standby unit commissioning test and the alarm check. We work with the precision air conditioning and chiller equipment of all brands. For facilities in Ankara, our teams are in the field every day and we respond to fault calls the same day. For facilities outside Ankara, we send a planned team from Ankara; we work on a project, annual contract and public tender basis. For facilities under contract, we plan the maintenance schedule in advance; in an urgent situation, the time to dispatch a team varies with distance.

Data center investments and cooling needs in Ankara

Data center investments in Ankara are accelerating: in October 2026, the foundation of a 22 MW data center was laid in Temelli (Data Centre Magazine). Alongside the large investments, server rooms in public institutions, banks, hospitals and industrial facilities also need more cooling capacity and redundancy as rack density rises. For precision air conditioning, chillers and hot/cold aisle arrangements, we check the capacity and redundancy of the existing infrastructure. Details: data center cooling, N+1 redundancy, precision air conditioning service.

Frequently asked questions

Other sectors and regions