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Rack Mount Air Conditioner

HighTechLab

HighTechLab

AKA Dexter - CTO of Current Connected, LLC
Joined
Sep 23, 2019
Messages
1,693
Has anyone ever purchased an air conditioning unit for use with an outdoor telecom rack and have any feedback/recommendations/experiences?

Something like this but a bit less spendy: https://www.automationdirect.com/ad..._thermal_management/air_conditioners/42661001

I live in Las Vegas and plan to put my battery rack outside due to limited space and the HOA won't allow me to build a shed visible from the street, which means the closest place to my Sol-Ark I could put it is about 50ft away
 
You don't need a top of rack cooler if you aren't running high temp gear.
One of the wall mount midea U units or a regular mini split would be easier and provide plenty of cooling.
Where computer cooling really shines is in humidity control, and I don't think you will have that issue in Vegas.

Could you get away with a longer horizontal shed, say 4 ft high?
If visibility is the issue, then maybe that's an easier solution.
 
Or a portable midea dual hose vented thru floor. Super stealthy. And good EER.
 
I'll get you a picture of one when I get home tuesday. I was gifted a unit from a railroad radio tower. I believe its 48 volt . But I havent looked at it real hard. It's about 2foot by 2.4 feet.

Your welcome to it if you want to drive 90 miles south to needles.
Greg
 
Pyrofx said:
I'll get you a picture of one when I get home tuesday. I was gifted a unit from a railroad radio tower. I believe its 48 volt . But I havent looked at it real hard. It's about 2foot by 2.4 feet. Your welcome to it if you want to drive 90 miles south to needles. Greg
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Wow that would be totally perfect if it's powered on 48v!

jberger said:
You don't need a top of rack cooler if you aren't running high temp gear.
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In summer we have weeks where the outdoor temperature doesn't go below 100F. This would be on the west side of the house so evening sun would really drive temps up.
 
I've used similar units on ships before for our shaft generator cabinets. They do OK keeping the edge off but insulation is going to make or break it. They're much better at maintaining than achieving set points.
 
Pyrofx said:
I'll get you a picture of one when I get home tuesday. I was gifted a unit from a railroad radio tower. I believe its 48 volt .
Click to expand...

Typically, telecom gear is -48vdc. (positive ground) As a result, I don't think you could run it off of your existing 48-volt battery bank. That would be too easy...

EDIT: If you completely isolate the A/C from any path to ground, it might work, but I'm not sure
 
elizabethii said:
Typically, telecom gear is -48vdc. (positive ground) As a result, I don't think you could run it off of your existing 48-volt battery bank. That would be too easy...

EDIT: If you completely isolate the A/C from any path to ground, it might work, but I'm not sure
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I wouldn't remove the AC grounding system.
If the unit is internally bonded. Just remove the bonding.
 
HighTechLab said:
Has anyone ever purchased an air conditioning unit for use with an outdoor telecom rack and have any feedback/recommendations/experiences?

I live in Las Vegas and plan to put my battery rack outside due to limited space and the HOA won't allow me to build a shed visible from the street, which means the closest place to my Sol-Ark I could put it is about 50ft away
Click to expand...
I have used several different kinds of them over the years. They work ok to keep things from boiling but that is about it.

If the SOK batteries are really good up to 140F then I would focus on solar shading first before trying to actively cool them.

Could you wall mount the batteries (vertical) and fashion an enclosure that matches your siding?
 
Shimmy said:
I have used several different kinds of them over the years. They work ok to keep things from boiling but that is about it.

If the SOK batteries are really good up to 140F then I would focus on solar shading first before trying to actively cool them.

Could you wall mount the batteries (vertical) and fashion an enclosure that matches your siding?
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No LiFePO4 battery is good up to 140F. Anything over 100F is just asking for decreased capacity with this chemistry.
 
I'm planning to add 3/4" rigid foam insulation to my enclosure...but the bigger issue I would face is the charge temp limitation. I would be trying to charge the batteries at the time of day this cabinet would be in full direct sunlight.
 
HighTechLab said:
I'm planning to add 3/4" rigid foam insulation to my enclosure...but the bigger issue I would face is the charge temp limitation. I would be trying to charge the batteries at the time of day this cabinet would be in full direct sunlight.
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What color are you going to paint the enclosure? ANSI 61 is about 65% reflectance IIRC, which would give you about 1,400btu/h solar load. Gloss white might get it down to 3-500btu/h.
 
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