Worked in a place where there were a lot of green types. Did not like the aircon to be on in the server room, so switched it off and opened the windows because, Hey! It's winter! We can save power!. The temp dropped quite low and the water in the lead acid batteries in the APC UPS froze, cracking them. When I walked into the server room it was freezing and smelled of acid fumes.
by Anonymous Coward writes:
on Monday April 12, 2021 @03:13AM (#61262644)
It's still not long ago or far enough away to post under a username, but, in some small central European country just before the dot-com boom:
Guy is installing UPS batteries for one of our machine rooms. It's a big block of batteries and he's got them all charged up and now has to measure the voltage over them. So he puts a ladder over the top of the battery rack and goes over the battery terminals measuring. Unfortunately, as he's getting down, he knocks the ladder which shorts the entire battery rack.
Being an actual solid ladder, rather than evaporating, as your normal power cable would, it manages to carry the entire current of the short circuit, but starts glowing red. Guy is lucky as hell because he has the presence of mind to kick the ladder which breaks in half breaking the circuit before the entire battery rack explodes. The photos of the room afterward are a shock.
Yeah, I have seen similar situations. Scariest I saw was a 60’ long switchgear lineup that had been completely vaporized. I had been on site the day before, and saw the aftermath a couple days later. Metal was imbedded in all the walls and ceiling.
Seen on a button at an SF Convention:
Veteran of the Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force. 1990-1951.
Frozen UPS batteries (Score:2)
Worked in a place where there were a lot of green types. Did not like the aircon to be on in the server room, so switched it off and opened the windows because, Hey! It's winter! We can save power!. The temp dropped quite low and the water in the lead acid batteries in the APC UPS froze, cracking them. When I walked into the server room it was freezing and smelled of acid fumes.
Re:Frozen UPS batteries (Score:4, Interesting)
It's still not long ago or far enough away to post under a username, but, in some small central European country just before the dot-com boom:
Guy is installing UPS batteries for one of our machine rooms. It's a big block of batteries and he's got them all charged up and now has to measure the voltage over them. So he puts a ladder over the top of the battery rack and goes over the battery terminals measuring. Unfortunately, as he's getting down, he knocks the ladder which shorts the entire battery rack.
Being an actual solid ladder, rather than evaporating, as your normal power cable would, it manages to carry the entire current of the short circuit, but starts glowing red. Guy is lucky as hell because he has the presence of mind to kick the ladder which breaks in half breaking the circuit before the entire battery rack explodes. The photos of the room afterward are a shock.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, I have seen similar situations. Scariest I saw was a 60’ long switchgear lineup that had been completely vaporized. I had been on site the day before, and saw the aftermath a couple days later. Metal was imbedded in all the walls and ceiling.