Contrary to what some people are thinking out loud, blanking panels, filler panels or rack spacer panels have very beneficial purposes. Just about any server rack configuration needs vital assistance in promoting good cool air flow, sealing out reheated exhaust air and reduction in dust particle exposure. It is essential that your valuable rack mounted IT equipment is consistently maintained for needed ambient temperatures.
Why Does Our Rack-Mounted IT Equipment Need Filler Panels, Aren’t They Just Used to Fill in the Blanks?
When setting up your air flow management plan for air circulation efficiency, check out some of the available studies that confirm blanking or filler panels reduce operating temperatures of your rack-mounted IT equipment by more than 20º F.
In fact, the use of some types of hot-blocking panels actually improve the reliability of IT equipment by reducing high intake air temperatures, while supporting optimization of cooling the infrastructure. Filler panels prevent hot exhaust air from circulating to the front of IT cabinets.
Filling the blank rack spaces in enclosed rack server cabinets serves several functions. Re-directing and circulation of hot air away from the coolers prevents overheating from hot exhaust which increases reliability and reduces downtime. The added filler panels inserted into blank rack space also increases the rack stability and blocks unwanted easy access.
Financial concerns:
If you find that steel metal filler panels are too expensive for your existing IT budget, there are aluminum alternatives, snap-ins, and affordable plastic blanking panels to cover up hot air leak holes. Not filling those rack space holes is a problem because a 1u or 2u space can let in enough warm air to force cooling fans to work overtime, increasing costs of energy usage.
Another way to save on cost, is to use metal screw in filler panels that service up to 6u, which avoids having to purchase multiple smaller panels, and prevent mixing of hot and cool air.
Remediation of Hot Spots:
As the efficiency and larger capacity data machines of new gen IT hardware require packing more tech into the same rack spacing, square foot power consumption and heat density steadily increases. You get hot spots within the computer room that causes inefficient delivery of cooled air into IT equipment air intakes.
Keeping the environment clean of dust particles, and adding sufficient blanking panels to your rack systems ensures the best possible cooling air flow can reach your IT hardware consistently.