The Invisible Threat: How Zinc Whiskers on Access Flooring Threaten Your Data Centre

Protecting Your Servers: The Critical Link Between Zinc Whiskers and Data Centre Flooring

For any manager responsible for a modern server room or data centre, maximizing uptime and protecting sensitive equipment is paramount. One of the most insidious and often overlooked contaminants within the raised floor environment is the Zinc Whisker.

These microscopic metallic filaments pose a severe threat to your IT infrastructure. As specialists in computer room access floor systems, The Access Flooring Company provides the technical insight and solutions you need to mitigate this invisible risk and ensure the longevity of your hardware.

"Close-up image of zinc whiskers on a metal surface, illustrating the phenomenon of zinc whisker growth in electronic equipment and its potential impact on reliability."

What Are Zinc Whiskers and Why Do They Cause Downtime?

The Science of Contamination

A zinc whisker is a tiny, hair-like crystalline structure (often less than a micron in diameter and several millimetres long) that spontaneously grows from surfaces plated with pure zinc. This phenomenon is commonly observed on older or improperly manufactured raised access floor components, particularly the galvanised steel panels and the sub-structure elements (pedestals and stringers).

The Pathway to Catastrophe

When these whiskers reach a critical size, vibrations, foot traffic, or air turbulence within the data centre floor void can cause them to break off and become airborne.

The danger arises when these conductive filaments are drawn up into the racks and equipment by the cooling air flow. When a zinc whisker bridges two electrical conductors on a circuit board:

1. It causes an electrical short.

2. It can lead to equipment failure, corrupted data, and complete server shutdown.

The intermittent nature of these failures makes zinc whiskers notoriously difficult to diagnose, leading to frustrating and expensive downtime.

 

Zinc Whisker Mitigation: Why Standard Access Floors Aren’t Enough

Older or lower-grade raised floors often use zinc-plated components that can grow conductive zinc whiskers. These filaments detach, circulate, and threaten sensitive IT hardware—especially in data rooms.

Why Cleaning Fails

Vacuuming or “deep cleans” only remove loose dust and can dislodge more whiskers. To remove the source, full replacement of contaminated elements is required.

The Zinc-Whisker-Free Approach

Replace all affected panels and sub-structure with zinc-free components:

  • Powder-coated steel with zinc-free coatings

  • Aluminium (non-whiskering)

  • Calcium sulphate / concrete core systems with suitable encapsulation

  • Advanced anti-corrosion coatings

These materials support a clean, static-dissipative environment for mission-critical equipment.

Contact us to discuss this topic further.