Using Load Banks in a Data Centre: All You Need to Know

Data Center  

In a data centre, you have a great deal of sensitive electrical equipment, high power requirements, and a constant need for growth. Your responsibility is to stay running even when the power grid goes down. To support your needs, load banks are indispensable pieces of equipment that can safeguard your assets.  

By allowing you to test equipment as if it has a full electrical load, load banks give you the valuable feedback you need to keep your data centre expanding and running, even when the power goes out. Find out how below.

What is a Load Bank? 

Load banks are used for electrical testing. Essentially, they apply a full load of electricity to a piece of equipment as a test. It’s the only way to practically replicate use conditions for many pieces of electrical equipment.   

Why Do We Need a Load Bank? 

At a data centre, load banks are essential equipment that allow you to offer more reliable services and grow your offerings.   Load bank testing is a common practice at data centres. You can use load banks to test your: 
  • Server racks 
  • Backup power systems 
  • UPS systems 
  • HVAC systems 
  • Bus tracks 
  • Tap offs 
  • Power distribution units 
  • Remote power panels 
  • And more 
While using a load bank may be optional in some circumstances, it is necessary for others. For example, if you use a diesel generator to run your backup power system, you need a load bank to prevent wet stacking. This is a build-up in the generator that could render it useless when you need it most. Using load banks is like exercising your generators, ensuring they’re ready for action when you need them most. Unsure if renting or purchasing is the right decision for your organization? Contact our team today! 

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Data Centre Load Bank Testing 

One of the most important uses of a load bank in a data centre is to test critical equipment. But testing isn’t just important to ensure proper functioning. It is also important to test equipment that is not yet in use. It is common practice in data centres to build more capacity than required, knowing that expanding your services is almost inevitable. In the case that you’ve built larger, you want to make sure this excess capacity is ready for when you need it. Testing it with a load bank is a critical step in doing so. 

Load Bank Rental or Purchase from VCM Solutions 

We offer load bank rental services that can make it simple for you to test and calibrate equipment without hiring or training staff to maintain this new equipment. VCM Solutions also offer load bank setup/teardown options with qualified, experienced technicians to help with your testing. We can perform all maintenance and repairs to help you focus on other aspects of your work. If you’d rather own your load bank, we understand that too. We sell a wide range of load banks, many of which are custom fit to meet the needs of your data centre. Reach out to VCM Solutions to discuss if renting or purchasing a load bank is the right decision for your organization.