Cross-Connect Blog

Five Key Components Often Overlooked During Rack Installation

May 14, 2015

 

Rack SystemsMany contractors and installers aren’t aware of this, but it’s possible to improve the performance of open racks if certain installation practices are considered.

Whether installing a Two- or Four-Post Rack, some key components must be taken into consideration for superior performance of the telecommunications room or premise network system.

Here are five inside tips from Chatsworth Products’ (CPI) specialists:

Cable Management: You can choose between a good cable management system that will just get the job done, or a finer system such as CPI Evolution® Cable Managers, that manages cables like no other.

CPI Evolution Cable Management provides an engineered solution for managing high-density cabling applications on open Two- and Four-Post Racks, delivering increased performance to match the demands of data center applications.

Featuring snap-on doors, Evolution Cable Management provides innovative interior features to help maximize the capacity and utility of vertical and horizontal cable management. (Pro tip: Always match the horizontal cable manager with the vertical one, so they align and valuable space is not lost.)

Accessories: Not all equipment that is going to be installed is rack mountable, so it’s important to consider what type of shelves to install, especially the dimensions. CPI racks support 19-inch EIA wide shelves. Mounting positions are marked and numbered, making it easy to position and install equipment or shelves.

Elevation Kits: Whether using CPI’s Ladder Rack or Cable Pathway, make sure Elevation Kits are used to provide a clean path for cables. They allow installation of the radius drop, which supports proper bend radius.

Power: Reliable power is a must-have component to a successful open rack system. CPI provides vertical or horizontal power strips, or eConnect®, CPI’s intelligent power distribution units (PDUs), which support high heat loads and feature PDU linking for IP consolidation of up to 20 PDUs.

Grounding and Bonding: A common item that’s missed by installers and contractors, grounding and bonding on CPI open racks are simple. Our Two-Post Racks come with integrated grounding and bonding—top angles, base angles and side channels are electrically bonded by assembly hardware, and a masked mounting location for grounding is provided inside the side channel, near the top and bottom of the rack. (Pro tip: Use Grounding Jumper as a rack-bonding conductor).

For more information on CPI Racks, go here

Raissa Carey, eContent Specialist

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