Will a 2-post open rack suffice?

Instead of starting yet another thread, maybe those subscribed to this one will have some ideas....

My next challenge is getting the wire overhead of the room. Right now, a good portion of it is being suspended by nylon rope tided to nails. Not a good long term solution.

I wish I could find a good cheap cable raceway...but I don't think those exist. Basically just an open-bottom tray for the wire to sit in. I've considered making one using open wire fencing and metal 2 X 4's...but that could look bad really quick.

so how do you guys do your wire distribution from where it enters the wiring area to where it goes to the equipment? I could always buy a lot more of those 3" conduit clamps that I used for supporting the wire up in the attic, I suppose...but I like the idea of being able to move the wire around if I need to (of course, the whole point of this rack and patch panels is NOT having to move the wire around again)
 
I guess I should have asked this too....what is the "U" value of a rack? Like I see 42U and 38U, etc. Up to now, I've just been concerned that it's 19".
 
beelzerob said:
I wish I could find a good cheap cable raceway...but I don't think those exist. Basically just an open-bottom tray for the wire to sit in. I've considered making one using open wire fencing and metal 2 X 4's...but that could look bad really quick.

so how do you guys do your wire distribution from where it enters the wiring area to where it goes to the equipment? I could always buy a lot more of those 3" conduit clamps that I used for supporting the wire up in the attic, I suppose...but I like the idea of being able to move the wire around if I need to (of course, the whole point of this rack and patch panels is NOT having to move the wire around again)
Click to expand...

Cheap is the opposite of good. I don't need to span any open space but I am using a bunch of the plastic cable trays with a snap off top to carry my wire around my components. It is not stiff enough to use in an unsupported bridge arrangement. However, you might try some large PVC pipe with a section of the top cut out so that you have a plastic tray with an open top. Another option is rain gutter. Depends on how dressy you want it to look.
 
Sorry to come in late and spoil stuff, but DON'T DO THE 2 POST RACK!!!

I absolutely HATE mine. The slide-out shelves only anchor in the middle, and my 2 heavy components (Denon 3805, PC) generated so much torque when they were pulled out that i've gone through 2 shelves each. On the Denon, i've now got a non-movable shelf that's killing me. At $60/each, that's $180-$240 down the drain. (the PC was removed, so no replacement needed).
 
Thanks for the wiki link, sace...explained it perfectly.

That chatsworth stuff is exactly what I was looking for...but as I had guessed, it was going to be beyond what I want to pay. I think what I'll try to do is find the largest radius metal hook I can, and see if I can just lay them in there. I don't want to tightly bundle them, as I want to be able to move cables around if needed. Of course, I've got a buttload of velcro still, so that would work well for securing and then still having access.

I think I'll haunt lowes one more time. I'm still thinking wire shelving...it'd be strong enough and open, and the wire could just sit on it. I'd just need some way to support it from the ceiling, maybe metal plumbing strap. I dunno.....

IVB! You killed the buzz, maaaaan! :( I really don't care about rolling shelves, though...I'm going to be able to walk all the way around this thing, and even if it DID have shelves, I still hate 'em. In my experience, equipment on shelves means that it rolls out far enough so that the back is merely inaccessible. :p I want full, complete, unfettered access to the back of every piece of equipment I have down there.

So far, the only rack-ready heavy piece of equipment I have is the autopatch 4ydm. Otherwise, it'll mostly be patch panels, which should be close to 0 stress on it. I did see a 42u 2 post rack on ebay, but it's aluminum...I think I'll pass. Yours were steel, IVB?

Basically, my options so far are to get a 2 post rack and make it work, or not get any rack, just due to the expense if nothing else. This isn't an immediate need, so I'll hold off. But a 2-post rack, secured at the top and bottom, with the heavy stuff on the bottom tiers....what can go wrong??? :lol:
 
Yep, I used a couple of rolling shelves, and gave up on them. I only use fixed shelves now, and place 2 tower servers side by side without problem. You just need to make sure to keep some space behind you rack so that you have access. The racks will have no problem holding the weight, though. For years, we had 6 2Kva rack mounted UPS units mounted in a single steel rack. Each of the UPSs was over 60 pounds each, and we never had a problem. We did have the rack bolted to the floor using 1/2" concrete anchor bolts.
 
Yea, typical 19" racks work great for patch panels, rack mount gear and a few fixed shelves. Sliding shelves are pretty worthless except for keyboards. Don't discount aluminum, they are very strong and sometimes look better - a nice brushed finish vs a painted frame.

As for ladder rack alternatives, if you go the wire shelf route, DON'T use the white coated ones, they will tend to get sticky after a while. Get the metal ones from the garge section. Also in the garage section they make overhead shelf kits which are essentially metal shelves with bars to attach/suspend from ceiling. They are more square than long but they may work for you.
 
Oo, good advice about the white covered shelving...that's probably what I would have tended towards.

And I'll keep aluminum in mind then. When IVB was bursting my bubble, I thought he was saying the 2-rack system wasn't able to handle the strain...I didn't realize he was just talking about the shelves.
 
I actually have a nice aluminum 23" rack I would be happy to just give to anyone, but shipping would be ridiculous, plus 23" is not really what you want for panels and stuff.
 
Sacedog said:
Example of ladder rack:

View attachment 1744

Example of a nice looking 2-post rack install (from my previous post :p ):

View attachment 1745

We purchased Chatsworth ladder rack, and while not cheap, it was better priced than any other manufacturer we found.

http://www.chatsworth.com/Common/PageTempl...ain.aspx?id=372

The other option, that would be cheap, is to bundle your wires tightly together, and use d-rings on the ceiling.
Click to expand...


How are those rocks attached to the ground? I have some concrete "hammer" bolts that I think I'm going to use...but I'd like to see what other people are using before I drill into the concrete floor.
 
Steve said:
I actually have a nice aluminum 23" rack I would be happy to just give to anyone, but shipping would be ridiculous, plus 23" is not really what you want for panels and stuff.
Click to expand...

I understand IVB likes 23" racks. :p He'd probably pay a premium to have it delivered, too.
 
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