More prevalent than commonly acknowledged. We identify, contain and remediate zinc whisker contamination so your data centre keeps running reliably.
Zinc whiskers are a phenomenon that can occur on the bare metal surfaces of access flooring systems — some wood-core and concrete-core computer-room floor panels, plus certain pedestals and stringers. Whiskers grow on the underside of panels or the exposed surfaces of structural components.
Whiskers are typically 2 µm in diameter and over many years can grow to several millimetres in length. While attached to the panel or pedestal they are largely benign. When they break free, they become airborne and can circulate freely through the facility — and into your equipment.
Zinc is a metal and a good conductor. A whisker landing on an exposed circuit card can cause an intermittent short — the hardest kind of fault to diagnose.
- Unexplained hardware failures — particularly disk drives and power supplies.
- Unexplained data corruption problems.
- Problems getting worse after moving equipment or working in the underfloor.
- A brand-new server or CPU that seems less reliable than the legacy kit it replaced.
Sticky-pad sampling
We sample your data room using sticky pads placed under the floor and in key zones, then send them for lab analysis to confirm whether zinc whiskers are present.
Why filters don't stop them
Zinc whiskers are so small that standard IT equipment filters are ineffective. HEPA filtration is required to keep them out of live hardware.
Managed remediation
Once a surface is a whisker source it will always be a whisker source. We help you manage it — informing and training service staff, HEPA extraction during works, and a plan to reduce further release.
Whiskering is a normal by-product of the electro-plating process. High molecular-level stress in the plated zinc coating is relieved by the crystalline structure enlarging outward — pushing material out of the surface as fine whiskers. Bell Labs first reported metal whiskering in the telecommunications industry in the 1940s. It's not new, and it's not going away.
The good news: with awareness, sampling and a proper containment/cleaning regime, you can live with zinc whiskers and continue reliable operations. The bad news: ignoring them is expensive.