Humidity

The measurement for the amount of moisture content within the air

Maintaining the correct humidity is important for the health of a data centre. If there is too much humidity then it is possible for condensation to build on computer and other electrical components with the potential for failure caused by electrical shorting out.

Where the humidity is too low, electrostatic discharge can be experienced. This is a dangerous event as it is equivalent to receiveing an electric shock and the potential for electronic equipment shutdown and/or damage is heightened with low humidity. In such cases it would be necessary to have humidify equipment which should operate within ASHRAE's recommended humidity boundaries, however, it should be noted that other factors can cause electrostatic discharge.

In cases of high humidity, condensation can form on the coils of a cooling units which will cause the unit to operate harder as it tries to compensate for the condensation. This is a costly scenario as effectively the cooling system is over-working, (latent cooling) and therefore inefficient.