MWBC takes out financial data center
MWBC takes out financial data center
We had just finished a new headquarters building for a large credit union, which includes their new data center. They host all of their IT services in-house - their website, their online banking, the ATM network, their internal teller network for all the branches. Everything state-wide runs through that room. Next to the room is a closet with the Qwest fiber termination equipment for their internet connection. The Qwest equipment is fed by a pair of 30A twist locks, each it's own dedicated circuit, that supply a pair of redundant power supplies in the cabinet. That way either circuit can fail and the equipment stays up. It has 90 minutes of battery backup just in case. Well, the twist locks got wired with a shared neutral, and the wirenut came loose in the middle of the afternoon about a week after the data center came online. Both power supplies shut down due to overvoltage (no damage thankfully), and the clock starts ticking on the backup battery. Every time we open the cover on the box, the neutral comes back into contact and it works normally. Every time the cover goes back on, the wire moves and it goes out. We figured it out with about 15 minutes of battery remaining!