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All Posts By

Jeff Womack

Modernizing Aging Data Centers

By Conduit

Data center design practices have improved over the years due to industry lessons, equipment design improvements, increased operational reliability, innovations in mechanical system control technologies, and enhanced programming capabilities. However, electrical equipment’s reliability rapidly decreases after 20 to 25 years; parts availability dwindles, compatibility between new and older technology becomes problematic, and failures become more frequent and difficult to repair. Built in 1978 as an office building for an aerospace company and later converted to…

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Making the Case for Data Center Maintenance

By Conduit
Proper acceptance testing, preventive maintenance, and a recovery plan go a long way toward eliminating facility failures. Below are a few painful lessons learned from the field. Telecom Provider Learns More is Not Always Better This owner was performing generator testing with 100% block loading every week, causing insulation breakdown in the alternators. As a result, they experienced damage to multiple alternators leading to two generator failures and prompting testing of all their generators to...
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Fit for Life? Avoid Equipment Failures

By Conduit

Fitness centers are busy at the start of each new year as people renew their commitments to health and fitness with the help of sophisticated electronic equipment such as treadmills, exercise bikes, and stair climbers. One such facility contacted us desperate for help with repeated electrical problems, including variable frequency drive (VFD) failures, fitness equipment control screens locking up and requiring frequent reboots, and physical damage to electronic components requiring replacement. Building managers frequently blame…

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