IT Cleaning Ltd Magazine Article published in Cleanroom Technology
Particulate Matter Analysis
“Contamination has been the indirect cause of more IT downtime than all the fires, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and disgruntled employees combined.” – Jon William Toigo, Disaster Recovery Planning, Third Edition.
IT Cleaning Ltd are able to facilitate laboratory analysis of particulate matter (PM), dust, to determine what the dust is and therefore what the source of the dust might be. We are able to collect samples of the settled PM using a vacuum cleaner with new bags, this bag is then sent to the lab for its contents to be analysed.
Clean Vacuum Bag
Contaminated Vacuum Bag
Prior to collecting the sample, an air particulate survey and visual assessment should be carried out. This will determine if there is an obvious source of the PM. The air particulate survey will show if there is a spike in invisible particulate in a certain part of the data hall. Example near too downflow units. This would suggest the drive belts are shedding PM. A visual assessment may back this up if the dust is thicker nearer the downflow unit. In an enclosed data hall most of the dust present will be generated within the data hall. If the data hall utilises economised air (free air) an external visual assessment should be undertaken. Checking were the air inlets are situated. IT Cleaning have found these facing a railway station, a car park, and even the data centres generators exhausts. All of these were responsible for the PM in the data hall.
Once the lab results are received IT Cleaning will create a report show what PM was present and at what percentage.
This report will also suggest where the biggest contaminator is coming from, and offer solutions.
“Perhaps the most important step to take to control contamination, is to contract with a reputable computer room maintenance company, to perform routine cleaning”. John William Toigo, Disaster Recovery Planning Third Addition.