Server rooms generate heat continuously.
When permanent air conditioning fails, is taken offline for maintenance or can no longer handle the IT load, temperatures can rise quickly.
Temporary server room cooling can provide replacement or additional capacity while permanent equipment is repaired, serviced, upgraded or replaced.
For an active cooling failure, the immediate priority is maintaining suitable operating temperatures. For planned work, temporary cooling can often be installed and tested before the permanent system is taken offline.
But choosing the right temporary solution involves more than simply placing an air conditioner in the room.
IT heat load, heat rejection, available power, condensate, access, redundancy and the expected hire period can all influence the right setup.
Aircon Rentals provides commercial and industrial temporary cooling for server rooms and other equipment-critical spaces across Australia using two main approaches:
- Portable air conditioner hire
- Temporary chiller hire combined with fan coil units
Need temporary server room cooling now?
Request a Temporary Cooling Quote
When Is Temporary Server Room Cooling Required?
- Permanent server room AC failure
- Planned HVAC maintenance
- Chilled-water shutdowns
- Cooling-system replacement
- Cooling-system upgrades
- Additional IT equipment installation
- Increased server load
- High ambient temperatures
- Temporary IT environments
- Emergency cooling requirements
The right setup depends on both the cooling requirement and what can practically be installed at the site.
Start With the Server Room Heat Load
Server room cooling should not be sized from floor area alone.
A 30m² office and a 30m² server room can require very different cooling capacities because servers, switches, UPS equipment and other electrical infrastructure continuously generate heat.
Where available, the IT electrical load is one of the most useful starting points when assessing the cooling requirement.
- IT equipment electrical load
- Current room temperature
- Maximum acceptable temperature
- Existing cooling capacity
- Number of racks
- Operating hours
- Whether equipment operates 24/7
- Planned IT expansion
- Existing cooling redundancy
Our Portable Air Conditioner Sizing Guide explains why equipment-heavy rooms need to be assessed around their actual heat load rather than floor area alone.
Which Temporary Server Room Cooling Solution Is Right?
There are two main temporary cooling approaches Aircon Rentals may use for server rooms.
| Solution | Best Fit | How It Works | Key Considerations |
| Portable Cooling | Smaller to moderate server-room cooling loads | Portable units provide cooling directly into the room or towards critical equipment | Heat rejection, available power, condensate, room space and number of units required |
| Chiller + Fan Coil Units | Larger server rooms and higher cooling loads | A temporary chiller supplies chilled water to fan coil units positioned to cool the server-room environment | Chiller location, fan coil positioning, hoses, pumps, power, access and redundancy |
Portable cooling can suit smaller to moderate server-room loads, while higher cooling loads may require a temporary chiller and fan coil system.
Portable cooling may involve an air-cooled unit with exhaust ducting or a water-cooled split system where conventional hot-air exhaust is difficult.
For larger cooling requirements, a temporary chiller and fan coil unit arrangement can provide substantially more capacity without filling the server room with multiple portable units.
Before selecting equipment, consider:
- Required cooling capacity
- IT heat load
- Heat-rejection options
- Available electrical power
- Space inside the room
- Access
- Condensate management
- Redundancy requirements
- Hire duration
- Criticality of the IT environment
Temporary server room cooling should therefore be assessed as a complete system rather than simply choosing equipment based on rated kW capacity.
Can Portable Air Conditioners Cool a Server Room?
Yes, where the cooling load, room layout and installation conditions suit portable equipment.
Portable cooling can be a practical solution for smaller server rooms, individual equipment rooms or situations where a limited amount of temporary cooling is required.
Aircon Rentals has a range of commercial portable air conditioners that may suit server-room applications, including:
- 4.4 kW Reverse Cycle Air Conditioner
- 4.5 kW Mobile Spot Cooling Unit
- 4.8kW Water-Cooled Split System Hire
- 4.9 kW Portable Air Conditioner Hire
- 6.1 kW Portable Air Conditioner Hire
- 4.5kW Mobile Spot Cooling Unit Hire
The appropriate unit depends on the actual heat load and installation conditions.
For air-cooled portable units, the heat removed from the server room still needs to be rejected somewhere suitable.
- Outside the building
- A suitable plant area
- An approved ceiling space
- Another area capable of accepting the rejected heat
For applications requiring focused cooling around equipment or racks, you can also view our Spot Cooler Hire range.
Real Project: Emergency Server Room Cooling in Perth
A Perth data centre experienced an air-conditioning failure over the Christmas period.
The server room was underground, with no opening windows and no simple heat-rejection route.
Aircon Rentals installed two 4.5kW mobile spot coolers.
Hot discharge air was directed away from the room, while condensate pumps and collection arrangements were installed to manage water around the electrical equipment.
Read the Emergency Data Centre Cooling Case Study
The project demonstrates why heat rejection and condensate management need to be considered alongside cooling capacity.
Portable cooling unit installed beside server racks to provide temporary server room cooling during HVAC maintenance or cooling system failure.
What If There Is No Practical Hot-Air Exhaust Route?
Some server rooms are located deep within commercial buildings where conventional hot-air exhaust can be difficult.
- No external windows
- Limited ceiling access
- Long distances to an external wall
- Restricted duct routes
- Security requirements
- Limited internal space
In these situations, a conventional air-cooled portable unit may not be the most practical option.
Air-cooled portable units require a practical hot-air exhaust route, while water-cooled split systems can reject heat away from the server room using glycol hoses.
A 4.8kW Water-Cooled Split System can provide another portable cooling configuration.
The indoor cooling unit remains inside the server room and is connected by glycol hoses to a remote heat-rejection unit positioned elsewhere.
This means the indoor unit does not require a conventional hot-air exhaust duct from the server room.
If you are comparing these two portable approaches, see our Air-Cooled vs Water-Cooled Portable Air Conditioner Guide.
When Is a Chiller and Fan Coil System More Appropriate?
Portable cooling has practical limits.
As the required cooling capacity increases, using multiple portable units can introduce more:
- Equipment inside the room
- Electrical leads
- Exhaust ducting
- Condensate-management requirements
- Access restrictions
- Potential failure points
For larger server-room loads, Aircon Rentals can configure a temporary chiller and fan coil unit system.
The temporary chiller is positioned outside the server room and supplies chilled water to fan coil units positioned within or adjacent to the conditioned space.
This can be more practical where:
- The total cooling requirement is high
- Multiple portable units would be required
- Server-room floor space is limited
- Exhaust ducting would become difficult
- Higher airflow is required
- Cooling redundancy is important
- The existing chilled-water system is being shut down
For higher server-room heat loads, a temporary chiller can supply chilled water to fan coil units positioned inside the room, keeping heat rejection outside.
Temporary Chillers and Fan Coil Units
For larger server-room cooling requirements, temporary chillers can be combined with fan coil units to deliver cooled air into the space.
Aircon Rentals’ 25kW Fan Coil Units can be incorporated into temporary chilled-water systems where portable air conditioners are no longer the most practical solution.
The number and capacity of chillers and fan coil units required depends on:
- Total server-room heat load
- Required room temperature
- Airflow requirements
- Available equipment locations
- Temporary hose routes
- Power availability
- Redundancy requirements
Aircon Rentals’ chiller hire fleet includes a wide range of temporary air-cooled chillers for commercial and industrial applications.
For example, the 60kW Air-Cooled Heat Pump Chiller may suit some temporary cooling applications, while larger server-room loads may require higher-capacity or multiple chillers.
The equipment should always be selected around the actual cooling requirement rather than assuming one standard chiller size will suit every server room.
Real Project: Chiller and Fan Coil Cooling for a 130kW Hospital Server Room
A Melbourne hospital required approximately 130kW of temporary cooling for its server room during an 18-hour chilled-water shutdown.
Portable air conditioners were considered but ruled out because achieving the required capacity would have required too many units inside the room, along with additional electrical leads, condensate management and exhaust ducting.
There was also no suitable heat-rejection path for a large number of portable units.
Aircon Rentals instead installed:
- Two temporary chillers
- Six 25kW fan coil units
- Two generators
- Temporary hoses, cables and supporting equipment
The fan coil units delivered cooled air within the server room while the temporary chillers provided the chilled-water supply.
The server room remained operational throughout the shutdown.
Read the Hospital Server Room Temporary Cooling Case Study
Smaller server-room loads may suit portable cooling. Larger or more complex requirements may be better served by a temporary chiller and fan coil unit system.
For larger requirements, explore our Chiller Hire range.
What Should Be Checked Before Temporary Cooling Is Installed?
Cooling capacity is only one part of the temporary setup.
Several practical factors can determine which solution will actually work.
Power Requirements
Temporary cooling creates additional electrical demand.
- Available outlets
- Circuit capacity
- Whether dedicated circuits are available
- Electrical connection locations
- Extension or distribution requirements
- Whether temporary generation is required
This becomes particularly important where several portable units or a larger chiller-and-fan-coil system need to operate continuously.
At the Melbourne hospital, temporary generators were required because the available site power could not support the complete temporary cooling arrangement.
Condensate Management
Portable refrigerated cooling and fan coil units can produce condensate.
- Integrated collection tanks
- Condensate pumps
- Temporary drainage
- External collection
For a server room operating continuously, relying on someone to repeatedly empty a collection tank may not be appropriate.
Condensate planning becomes particularly important where water reaching the floor could affect electrical or IT infrastructure.
Cooling Redundancy
For critical IT infrastructure, consider what happens if one temporary cooling component becomes unavailable.
- Is spare cooling capacity required?
- Can the load be divided across several portable units?
- Can multiple fan coil units share the cooling load?
- Does permanent backup cooling remain operational?
- Does the site’s criticality require an N+1 arrangement?
- How quickly could replacement equipment be deployed?
Redundancy should be determined according to the criticality of the environment rather than assumed for every server room.
Access and Equipment Positioning
A technically suitable cooling system still needs to physically reach and operate safely at the site.
- Door widths
- Lift dimensions
- Stairs
- Loading access
- Equipment weight
- Security restrictions
- Hose routes
- Duct routes
- Equipment locations
- Fire egress
- Electrical-panel access
- Maintenance access
- Site inductions
Temporary equipment, hoses, cables and ducting should also be positioned so they do not interfere with rack airflow, emergency access or routine maintenance.
Emergency Failure vs Planned Shutdown
Temporary server room cooling can be used for both urgent breakdowns and planned HVAC works, but the installation approach can be very different.
Emergency Cooling
During an active cooling failure, the priority is establishing sufficient cooling as quickly and safely as practical.
- Required cooling capacity
- Equipment availability
- Site location
- Available power
- Heat-rejection options
- Site access
- Installation complexity
For a smaller server room, portable air conditioner hire may provide the most practical response.
For a larger requirement, the site may require a temporary chiller and fan coil unit arrangement.
Having key site information already documented can make assessment and mobilisation easier during an emergency.
Planned Maintenance
Where HVAC maintenance, chilled-water shutdowns or cooling-system replacement is planned, temporary cooling can often be:
- Delivered
- Positioned
- Connected
- Commissioned
- Tested
before the permanent cooling system is isolated.
This gives the site team an opportunity to confirm that the temporary arrangement can maintain the required conditions before relying on it.
Can Temporary Server Room Cooling Run 24/7?
Temporary cooling equipment can be used for continuous applications where the selected equipment and installation are suitable.
- Condensate management
- Continuous electrical supply
- Airflow around portable units or fan coil units
- Temperature monitoring
- Alarm and escalation procedures
- Maintenance requirements
- Backup cooling capacity
The temporary system should be planned around the operating requirements of the server room rather than assuming that simply leaving cooling equipment running will be sufficient.
Plan for Monitoring During the Hire
For critical IT environments, temporary cooling should not simply be installed and forgotten.
- Who monitors room temperature
- What temperature limits apply
- Who receives alarms or escalations
- What happens if temperature begins rising
- Who should be contacted if cooling performance changes
- What backup cooling capacity is available
The appropriate level of monitoring depends on the criticality of the equipment and the site’s existing monitoring systems.
How Long Can Temporary Server Room Cooling Be Used?
Temporary cooling can support both short and longer-term requirements.
- A few hours during planned maintenance
- Several days while permanent AC is repaired
- Several weeks during equipment replacement
- Longer periods while a permanent HVAC or chilled-water system is upgraded or replaced
The most practical equipment configuration can change depending on the expected hire period.
Portable cooling may be ideal for a short emergency or smaller load, while a chiller and fan coil system may become more practical for larger or longer-term requirements.
How Quickly Can Temporary Server Room Cooling Be Deployed?
Response time depends on the requirement.
- Cooling capacity
- Equipment availability
- Site location
- Available electrical power
- Heat-rejection requirements
- Access
- Installation complexity
- Whether chillers, fan coil units or temporary generators are required
Providing accurate site information early can help Aircon Rentals determine the most appropriate temporary cooling arrangement more quickly.
What Does Temporary Server Room Cooling Cost?
There is no single hire price because the total requirement depends on the equipment and installation.
- Cooling capacity
- Number of portable units
- Chiller capacity
- Number of fan coil units
- Hire duration
- Delivery
- Installation
- Heat-rejection requirements
- Ducting
- Glycol hoses
- Pumps
- Electrical distribution
- Temporary generators
- Condensate management
- Redundancy requirements
For smaller portable applications, see our Portable Air Conditioner Hire Cost Guide.
For chiller and fan coil unit systems, the complete site requirement will normally need to be assessed before pricing can be determined.
Common Temporary Server Room Cooling Mistakes
Sizing From Floor Area Alone
Server rooms can generate significantly more heat than similarly sized occupied spaces.
IT and electrical heat loads should be considered when sizing temporary cooling.
For more detail on the factors that affect portable AC sizing, see our Portable Air Conditioner Sizing Guide.
Assuming Portable Cooling Will Always Be Enough
Portable cooling is highly useful for smaller and moderate loads, but it becomes less practical when large numbers of units are required.
For higher cooling loads, a temporary chiller and 25kW fan coil unit system may provide a more practical arrangement.
Ignoring Heat Rejection
Cooling the server room means moving heat somewhere else.
Air-cooled portable units need a practical exhaust route.
Where conventional exhaust is difficult, but the cooling load remains within the portable range, the 4.8kW Water-Cooled Split System may offer another approach.
Overlooking Electrical Capacity
Multiple portable units or larger chiller systems can place significant additional demand on the site’s electrical supply.
Poor Condensate Planning
Condensate management needs to suit continuous operation and the surrounding electrical environment.
Blocking Airflow or Access
Temporary equipment, fan coil units, hoses, ducting and cables should not interfere with rack airflow, fire egress, electrical access or maintenance.
Relying on a Single Cooling Source Without Assessing the Risk
Where IT infrastructure is critical, the consequences of losing one portable unit, fan coil unit or chiller should be considered during system design.
Who Should Be Involved in Planning Temporary Server Room Cooling?
Depending on the site, temporary cooling may require input from several teams, including:
- IT
- Facilities
- Engineering
- Electrical
- HVAC
- Security
- Building management
Early coordination can help confirm cooling loads, electrical supply, heat rejection, access, temporary equipment locations and shutdown timing.
What Information Should You Provide for a Server Room Cooling Quote?
You do not need to know which portable air conditioner, chiller or fan coil unit you require.
Provide as much of the following information as possible:
- Site location
- Room dimensions
- IT electrical load where known
- Existing AC capacity
- Current room temperature
- Required maximum temperature
- Number of racks
- Operating hours
- Available electrical power
- Heat-rejection options
- Drainage
- Access restrictions
- Required start date
- Expected hire duration
- Whether the requirement is emergency or planned
- Required level of cooling redundancy
Aircon Rentals can then assess whether portable cooling or a temporary chiller and fan coil unit system is more appropriate.
Before requesting temporary server room cooling, provide key site information such as the IT heat load, room conditions, available power, access, heat-rejection options and required hire period.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a portable air conditioner cool a server room?
Yes, where the heat load and installation conditions suit portable equipment.
What size air conditioner does a server room need?
Server room cooling should be based primarily on the heat generated by IT and electrical equipment rather than floor area alone. Existing cooling capacity, required room temperature, operating hours and redundancy should also be considered.
What if there is nowhere to exhaust hot air?
A 4.8kW water-cooled split system may provide another portable option where a conventional hot-air exhaust duct cannot practically be routed from the room. For larger cooling requirements, a temporary chiller and fan coil unit arrangement may be more appropriate.
When should a chiller and fan coil system be used for a server room?
A temporary chiller and fan coil unit system may be preferable where the cooling load is too large for a practical number of portable units, internal space is limited, heat rejection is difficult or higher redundancy is required.
What does a fan coil unit do in a temporary server-room cooling system?
A fan coil unit receives chilled water from the temporary chiller and uses it to cool air within the server room.
Can temporary server room cooling run continuously?
Yes, where the equipment and installation are suitable. For continuous operation, condensate, power, airflow, monitoring, maintenance and backup cooling should all be considered.
Should temporary server room cooling have redundancy?
It depends on the criticality of the IT infrastructure. Some environments may require multiple portable units, multiple fan coil units or additional chiller capacity so the room is not dependent on a single cooling component.
Can temporary cooling be installed before planned HVAC maintenance?
Yes. For planned shutdowns, temporary cooling can often be installed, commissioned and tested before the permanent cooling system is isolated.
How quickly can temporary server room cooling be deployed?
Response time depends on cooling capacity, site location, equipment availability, power, heat rejection and installation access. A portable solution may be faster to deploy for smaller requirements, while larger chiller and fan coil installations require more site planning and connection work.
How long can temporary server room cooling stay in place?
Temporary systems can support short emergency requirements as well as longer repairs, upgrades and replacement projects. The most practical equipment configuration may change depending on whether cooling is required for hours, weeks or several months.
Need Temporary Server Room Cooling?
Whether permanent cooling has failed, planned maintenance is approaching or IT loads have increased, Aircon Rentals can assess the heat load, site conditions and installation requirements and recommend an appropriate temporary cooling solution.
Depending on the cooling load and site conditions, the solution may involve:
or
A temporary chiller and fan coil unit system
You do not need to select the equipment yourself. Provide us with the server-room load, required conditions and site information, and our team can assess the most appropriate temporary cooling setup.
Request a Temporary Cooling Quote
Call 1800 626 996
For broader critical infrastructure requirements, including larger HVAC and temporary power systems, visit our Data Centre HVAC & Power Solutions page.