Data centers that operate without contamination monitoring are flying blind. A modest quarterly program costs a fraction of a single hardware failure caused by particle intrusion and provides the documentation needed to prove SLA compliance to tenants.
What to Measure
Airborne Particle Counts
ISO 14644-1 methodology, using calibrated laser particle counters at defined sampling points. Report particles ≥0.5 µm and ≥5.0 µm per cubic meter.
Settling Plates
Petri-style plates left open for defined durations to capture gravitational fall-out. Useful for identifying fiber, dust, and zinc whisker contamination.
Corrosion Coupons
Copper and silver coupons placed in the hall for 30-90 days measure gaseous contamination (H2S, SO2) that drives creep corrosion on components.
Recommended Frequency
- Airborne particle counts: quarterly baseline; monthly during construction or renovation.
- Settling plates: semi-annually.
- Corrosion coupons: annually or when tenant SLA requires.
Add Monitoring to Your Program
We include quarterly particle counts with all recurring data center cleaning contracts.