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Why I bought a decommissioned Liebert for scrap price

Datacenter Talk by mateo_dragon 14 replies 982 views
mateo_dragon

Member OP

#1

¿why not¡ I buy server good the Liebert from scrap man, is 20-ton unit, is old but compressor is working. How much cost? 400 dollar. Is need deep clean, is very dirty, but after 3 day the unit is blow cold like new. The AWS charge more for one month than this monster cost. ¿you think is crazy¡ I think is bargain. Is have R-22 inside, is old refrigerant, is expensive now. But is full charge, no leak. I am happy with server room good now. How much cost your cooling?

Is picture before and after, is gross but is work.

The Contabo colo is want 2k for same tonnage monthly. No thanks.

haroldgsm

Member

Grumpy Old Sysadmin

#2
mateo_dragon said:
Is have R-22 inside, is old refrigerant, is expensive now. But is full charge, no leak.

When I started we called these "pump and pray" specials. Twenty years in this trade, I've watched three guys try it. One got a working unit, two got EPA fines they didn't see coming. Mark my words, that R-22 is a ticking time bomb. You can't just vent it to atmosphere when the compressor finally eats itself, and recovery ain't cheap. Kids these days think scrap price means total cost of ownership. The other shoe always drops. I'd put fifty on this thing needing a rebuild before Christmas.

IPv4, IRC, and irssi — fight me
adam20

Member

Ex-Abuse Desk

#3

The ticket said "customer reports loud buzzing from unit, please investigate." I open the panel and find a Liebert with a squirrel nest in the condenser and a handwritten note inside: "runs fine, do not touch." That was at an OVHcloud-related operation in 2019. The "note" was dated 2007. Your deep-clean story is almost heartwarming in comparison. The ticket said the refrigerant was "likely original." It was not original. It was a cocktail. We recovered it into a cylinder and the cylinder grew a tumor.

reported. resolved. repeat.
mateo_dragon

Member OP

#4

Harold you think is funny but I have certificate for refrigerant handling, is from 2018. Is not "pump and pray" for me. I know the R-22 is phase out but is not illegal to use, only illegal to vent. I have recovery machine, is small but is work. The compressor is Copeland scroll, is common, is easy to find when die. But is not die yet. Is blow 12C air right now. The EPA is not come to Buenos Aires my friend.

GE

Member

#5

This is wild. In Rotterdam we just pay the colo for cooling and sleep at night. I cannot imagine dragging a 20-ton unit anywhere, the port fees alone would eat your 400 dollars.

NA

Member

#6

Same here in Buenos Aires, the scrap yards in Villa Soldati have everything. I got three APC UPS units, 3000VA each, for 200 dollars total. One needed batteries only. The cooling is harder because of the transport, how you move this monster Mateo?

mateo_dragon

Member OP

5 #7
nailsavv said:
How you move this monster Mateo?

Is come with crane truck, is cost 150 dollar for one day. The scrap man have friend with truck. We move to my garage first, is clean there, then to my office with smaller truck. Total transport is 280 dollar. Still cheap.

haroldgsm

Member

Grumpy Old Sysadmin

#8
mateo_dragon said:
The EPA is not come to Buenos Aires my friend.

Fair point. I forget not everyone lives under that particular boot. Still, that Copeland scroll's gonna be a pain to source when it goes. Hope you've got a parts stash or a friendly importer.

IPv4, IRC, and irssi — fight me
Ricardo77

Member

White Label

#9

I white-label Contabo VPS and I can tell you their cooling is not your problem until it is. Had a client in Nuremberg hit thermal throttle last summer, ticket took 4 hours. Your scrap Liebert might actually be more reliable.

Vanessa10

Member

802.1Q evangelist

9 #10

I'm more worried about the electrical draw. 20-ton Liebert from that era, you're looking at what, 30-40kW running? In Rotterdam I'd need to upgrade my whole feed. Is Argentina electricity cheap enough this makes sense?

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