- Shorts and Damage from WATER.
- POWER Surges and Outages.
- Failure from Excessive HEAT.
WATER – In your utility room, look for gaps between floor, walls, and ceiling, and around conduit entry paths and terminations. Water will follow cables into rack-mounted and free-standing devices, then seek low points on the floor to pool. Being a good conductor with little resistance, water lets big current flow where it shouldn’t, zapping anything in it’s path.
Use Silicone based sealer to fill gaps in walls and around conduit and cable terminations. Patch roof coatings and gaps around flashing now to stop water on it’s way to Arizona.
POWER – Spikes, shorts, lows and outages cause unplanned shutdowns and can damage electronics and data. Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS’s) condition lines against low voltage brownouts and power outages, which can spike when power returns. If power remains off, the UPS can initiate normal shutdown and avoid data loss. Check UPS batteries using monitoring software or dashboard. Make sure power capacity supports what’s plugged in: Servers can require 1500 VA, Desktop PC’s 600 VA, Switches/Routers/Firewalls 350 VA.
If you haven’t checked your backups in a while, now is a good time. Review logs for frequency and successful completion, then restore a few test files and folders. If you’re not sure, create a new full backup before the first storm hits. We’re here if you need help.
HEAT – Monsoon storms are accompanied by excessive heat. As dust accumulates inside enclosures and airflow around components slows down, it’s like wearing a heavy jacket on a summer day with little wind. It won’t take long to exceed your comfort zone. Most electronic components have built-in temperature limits that cause rapid shutdown to avoid damage. The best prevention is adequate airflow around the devices in a relatively dust-free environment, with all internal fans working well. Don’t forget annual device cleanouts. Monsoon storms can be dramatic, but these tips can help protect both network and data.
