Clean Agent Systems

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Clean agent systems can activate faster than traditional wet-pipe sprinklers and, since they do not use water, will not damage your electrical equipment when used. Debris, smoke, and water clean-up wreaks havoc on electronic gear. It also prevents your business from getting back to business as usual.

For suppression systems to work properly, your server room construction needs to be specifically designed to limit leaks and hold the gaseous agent.

Server Room Construction for a Clean Agent Suppression System

Server rooms are generally constructed with the perimeter walls extending from the true ceiling (as opposed to drop ceilings and the like) to the lowest structural unit, either the floor itself or the concrete slab underneath the floor. This creates a fire rated barrier for the room and reduces the leaks a room will have in an Integrity Fan Test.

Server rooms should be prepared for a clean agent suppression system by inspecting the walls and slab for leakage points, sealing them with fire retardant materials, and fitting the doors with pressure seals around the jams and thresholds.

Pressure Relief Vents

While ensuring that your server room is sufficiently sealed to contain the suppression agent for at least 10 minutes, you also have to take into consideration the maximum amount of pressure the room’s construction can withstand. The suppression agent is released with force, in a sealed room, if not calculated properly the pressure could be higher than the room can withstand. NFPA 2001, Section 5.3.7 states, “if the developed pressures present a threat to the structural strength of the enclosure, venting shall be provided to prevent excessive pressures.” Your suppression system designer should calculate Peak Pressure equations for your server room to determine if you need Pressure Relief Vents installed.

If Pressure Relief Vents need to be installed, here are some guidelines we use for optimizing performance:

• Install vents as high as possible so that the lighter air, not the denser agent, is vented
• Vents should open at pressures no lower than .007 PSI (50 Pa) so they don’t open unintentionally under normal HVAC pressures and no higher than .02 PSI (100 Pa) so the pressure is vented early enough to prevent it from becoming excessive
• Specify the correct direction for venting with the Pressure Relief Vent. Inert agent discharges always create positive pressures and must have venting out of the enclosure, but halo carbons may create positive and/or negative pressures creating a need to be vented in either direction or both, depending on the agent and the humidity
• All Pressure Relief Vents should be inspected annually to confirm they will open according to their specifications and to verify that the vent path to outdoors has not been accidentally restricted