Zinc whiskers are tiny, crystalline slivers of zinc, formed by the degradation (corrosion) of galvanized metal surfaces in data centers from such objects as flooring panels, electrical components, raised-access structures, ceiling hangers and grid systems, server racking, and even nuts, bolts, and washers.
These slivers become dangerous when they break free from the surfaces they’re emerging from and go airborne, circulating throughout your facility and getting blown into equipment. Given that zinc is conductive, it’s no surprise that this can lead to intermittent or even permanent short circuits of equipment.
Zinc whiskers are small, which means they’re difficult to detect and will require professional remediation.
In a worst-case scenario, you could face catastrophic data loss.
It’s also important to note that in addition to being harmful to equipment, there have been concerns raised about the potential health hazards that zinc whiskers pose to humans. Check out our white paper to read more on that.
When dealing with a center full of hyper-delicate, expensive equipment, a precautionary analysis is the best move you can make.
Critical Facilities Solutions partners with our customers to identify, trace, test, confirm, and control Zinc Whiskers. We remediate or replace infrastructure, where possible, or manage the zinc whiskers as part of a bespoke cleaning package.
We investigate the source and cause of zinc whiskers in critical plant, power, and data center environments within UPS’s, active equipment, IT hardware and servers, sub-floor and ceiling voids, raised access structures and panels, containment solutions, and all throughout the facility.
Read our zinc whiskers white paper.