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Difficulty: MediumSafety Procedures and Environmental Controls

A technician brings a replacement enterprise server into a warm, humid data center after it was transported in an unheated vehicle during sub-zero winter temperatures. Moisture immediately forms on the exterior of the chassis. Which of the following is the most appropriate environmental safety procedure to perform before connecting power to the device?

  1. Allow the server to acclimate to ambient room temperature until all internal moisture has evaporated.Answer
  2. B
    Attach an ESD wrist strap to the chassis and immediately power on the server to let internal fan airflow dry the components.
  3. C
    Use a high-velocity thermal heat gun directed into the ventilation slots to rapidly warm up the internal circuit boards.
  4. D
    Wipe down the external casing with concentrated isopropyl alcohol to strip surface water droplets.

Answer

Allow the server to acclimate to ambient room temperature until all internal moisture has evaporated.
When cold electronic components are introduced to a warm, humid environment, moisture condenses on internal circuit boards. Allowing the hardware to acclimate unpowered until it reaches room temperature ensures all moisture evaporates safely, preventing short circuits upon powering up.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the environmental safety hazard present in the scenario.
Moving electronics from a freezing environment into a warm, humid environment causes condensation (dew point accumulation) both outside and inside the chassis.
Water droplets on internal printed circuit boards act as conductive paths, causing short circuits if energized.
2
Determine the proper corrective environmental procedure.
The hardware must remain unpowered while sitting in the target room environment to equalize temperature naturally.
Thermal acclimatization allows moisture inside and outside the enclosure to evaporate safely before electric current is applied.

Key Concept

Environmental Temperature Acclimatization and Condensation Control
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Topics

Safety Procedures and Environmental Controls

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