patrick.net

IT Unprofessional
@it_unprofession

Facilities just sent me an email asking why the server room temperature is set to 62°F.

They said it's "excessive" and they want to raise it to 68°F to save on cooling costs.

I replied with a six-paragraph email explaining "thermal load balancing," "equipment MTBF degradation," and "catastrophic failure risk."

I cited a "study" that showed every degree above 65°F reduces server lifespan by 15%.
There is no study. I made that up.

But I CC'd the CFO and said if Facilities wants to take ownership of a potential $200K hardware replacement due to overheating, they're welcome to adjust the temperature.
Facilities backed off immediately.

Here's the truth: the servers would be fine at 70°F. Data centers run hotter than that all the time.

But I like the server room at 62°F. It's the only place in the building where I can go to cool off and get some peace and quiet.

Plus, now I have an email chain proving that I "advocated for infrastructure longevity" while others wanted to "cut corners."

Technical decisions are rarely about what's right. They're about who's willing to use more jargon.