2. Repair Work

Thankfully it has remained nice and cold outside today so our HVAC system, which is designed to use outside cool air if available to reduce compressor load, is running 100% on outside air. This allowed us to continue to run the HVAC while the technicians remove the old compressor and install the new one. So from the perspective of the datacenter things appear no different than a normal day here at digital.forest. All the action is happening up on the roof:

In the top image above the techs wrestle the new compressor up a temporary ramp and into place. In the bottom shot you can see the new compressor in place, and the old broken one on the handtruck, ready to be removed.

The Trane Intellipak is an excellent HVAC system that has a myriad of control options. Below you can catch a glimpse into the heart of the controls, which are usually locked behind a steel panel. We usually interface with these systems via software down in the office, but occasionally it is good to have a look at the atoms represented by the bits.

Above is a close up of the breakers and control units for the compressors. You can see that several breakers are in the "off" position, providing safety for the technicians while they work. Others remain "on" so that the system can still function and provide air handling for the datacenter.

Above: digital.forest Facilities Manager Kevin Teker explains how all of this works.

The next step requires the complete shutdown of the HVAC and Fire Suppression Systems, as the HVAC technicians braze some plumbing. Stay tuned.