> Judging by all these incorrect assumptions about electrical, I'd suggest stopping while you're ahead before you burn your own house down.
For anyone reading this, this person has no idea what they're talking about. Besides the fact that I once considered becoming an electrician and completed my apprenticeship prior to entering the tech industry, it is a published standard how things should be installed in residential properties in the US, called the National Electric Code or NEC.
The NEC 2020 states that GFCI is required (in additional to a general AFCI requirement) for any 125V or 250V receptacles in kitchens, bathrooms, laundry areas, finished or unfinished basements, garages and anywhere within six feet of a sink. Since my server rack was in a closet in a finished basement, it is /REQUIRED/ by code to have a dual-function breaker.
Also, I once again refer you regarding fire risk to simply search "UPS fire datacenter". UPS fires are the primary cause of datacenter fires. But sure, I don't know what I'm talking about, I've only been responsible for multiple datacenters spanning the globe for one of the world's largest hosting providers as part of my career after giving being an electrician a go and deciding against it as a career in my youth.
If anyone is ever in doubt about how to install something that's electrical: 1. Hire a certified electrician and 2. Read the applicable standard, which is the most recent published version of the NEC. Don't listen to people who make rude smart-ass comments on the Internet.
> UPS fires are the primary cause of datacenter fires
Do you have a source for this claim? I can find no documented evidence of it being true.
The Uptime Institute found[0] data center fires of any cause to be exceedingly rare. Data Center Incident Reporting network reached similar findings[1].
The only example I could find of anyone claiming data center fires have a principal cause is this article[2], and while I'm not saying it's wrong, I've never heard of these folks before and have no idea how credible they are:
"Electrical failures are the most common cause of data center fires. These failures can stem from overloaded circuits, malfunctioning equipment, or defective wiring, each capable of generating sufficient heat to ignite a fire when in proximity to combustible materials."
(Note: they break out battery fires separately, so they are not supporting your claim that batteries are the most common cause of data center fires.)
But, in any case, with details about data center fires being so rare, either because they are rare or because people don't want to talk about it, stating a primary cause accurately seems to me to be very difficult.
Lastly, since you've run multiple data centers, surely you understand the scale of the battery strings involved. Total energy storage is way higher, ampacity is higher, and to the extent lead acid batteries are involved, much, much, more hydrogen off gassing is possible. I just don't see how you can extrapolate that down to fire risk for a 12V, 12AH battery found in a typical home UPS.
The fact remains that GFCI/AFCI aren't really doing anything to address the UPS battery fire risk you're describing, while increasing the chance of problems that knock the power out.
Also the NEC has gotten ever more outlandish with those requirements. Like last time I looked there was no exception for sump pumps, yet you'd be foolish to actually use a GFCI there. Actually a quick search says it's now even explicitly required. rolls eyes. I mean sorry, I'd love to but I'm just too busy restraightening all the prongs on my plugs due to these wonderful "tamper resistant" receptacles.
For anyone reading this, this person has no idea what they're talking about. Besides the fact that I once considered becoming an electrician and completed my apprenticeship prior to entering the tech industry, it is a published standard how things should be installed in residential properties in the US, called the National Electric Code or NEC.
The NEC 2020 states that GFCI is required (in additional to a general AFCI requirement) for any 125V or 250V receptacles in kitchens, bathrooms, laundry areas, finished or unfinished basements, garages and anywhere within six feet of a sink. Since my server rack was in a closet in a finished basement, it is /REQUIRED/ by code to have a dual-function breaker.
Also, I once again refer you regarding fire risk to simply search "UPS fire datacenter". UPS fires are the primary cause of datacenter fires. But sure, I don't know what I'm talking about, I've only been responsible for multiple datacenters spanning the globe for one of the world's largest hosting providers as part of my career after giving being an electrician a go and deciding against it as a career in my youth.
If anyone is ever in doubt about how to install something that's electrical: 1. Hire a certified electrician and 2. Read the applicable standard, which is the most recent published version of the NEC. Don't listen to people who make rude smart-ass comments on the Internet.