Depending on the issue and ease of remedy, this can take weeks to months to complete, delaying the construction programme. While the financial implications can be severe, a worse consequence is loss of credibility - especially in a market where partnership and confidence are key.

The FWT is vital as once HVAC equipment is installed in a live data centre, correcting performance issues can be very costly and disruptive. The FWT shifts this risk upstream by identifying potential problems early, such as:

• Capacity shortfalls
• Control or sequencing issues
• Deviations from declared performance
• Component or assembly issues.

For data centre operators, this reduces the likelihood of late-stage surprises. However, catching issues early will still cause headaches in the short term. A failed factory witness test will have serious implications on project timelines - costing time and money - as the product will need to be fixed or replaced and retested. 

Reducing risk of factory test failure

Independent, third-party verification - such as that provided through Eurovent Certified Performance programmes - helps to ensure that performance data used at the design and procurement stage is both reliable and comparable.

Eurovent Certified Performance programmes use state of the art evaluation protocols including laboratory tests, factory audits, selection software certification and evaluation of all submitted data (including data sheets and marketing materials) to ensure the data declared is accurate, verified and certified against recognised standards and real-world requirements.

In addition, Eurovent certified IT cooling units and Very High Temperature Process Chillers enter a surveillance process which includes regular factory audits, laboratory tests and software checks. This ensures the products, and their selection software, remain accurate and compliant with certified data – a critical step in guaranteeing product performance.

For data centre operators, this provides:

• Confidence that equipment performs as stated
• Greater transparency during equipment selection
• Trust in software selection tools as they have also been certified
• A level playing field when comparing different certified solutions.
• Certified performance data supports better decision-making early in the project lifecycle, reducing the likelihood of underperformance later.

Safeguarding the witness test

Certification’s role doesn’t stop there. It can help give assurance that a certified manufacturer’s in-house testing facilities deliver accurate factory witness test results. In certain Eurovent Certification programmes such as its Chillers and Heat Pump programme (LCP-HP) and its IT Cooling Unit programme (ITCU), Eurovent Certification allows manufacturers to use their own laboratories for Eurovent surveillance tests under what is known as the Participant Laboratory option. This option is available only when the manufacturer’s laboratory meets all requirements of the relevant test standards and methods indicated in programme-specific TCR (technical certification rules) documents.

For surveillance purposes, a certain number of units (determined by the programme rules) is selected for testing. Some of these tests may be conducted in the manufacturer’s laboratory, but always by an accredited independent partner laboratory assigned to the tests by Eurovent Certification. The partner laboratory must use its own calibrated measuring equipment rather than the devices available in the manufacturer’s laboratory and must follow the programme rules and applicable standards.

During these tests, Eurovent Certification may also request manufacturers to take measurements with their own devices across selected tests and share these results. Eurovent Certification then performs an internal comparison between the manufacturer’s measurements and those of the independent laboratory to verify that any deviations remain within the permissible limits defined by the programme-specific TCR document and based on the applicable standards. If deviations fall outside the allowable range, Eurovent Certification requires a root cause analysis and, where necessary, corrective actions.

Eurovent Certification also issues an Approval of Compliance document to manufacturer laboratories approved to conduct Eurovent surveillance tests. While this document is not a formal accreditation or certification of the participant’s laboratory, it confirms that the laboratory meets the relevant standards, demonstrates compliant measurement accuracy, and is therefore approved for Eurovent tests.

For specifiers and data centre operators this provides a triple layer of assurance. Certified data guarantees the truthfulness of the manufacturer’s performance claims, while the factory witness test - in a laboratory with test accuracy verified by Eurovent Certification - confirms that the actual delivered unit meets those claims at the project’s critical operating points.

Conclusion: from assumptions to assurance

As data centres continue to grow in scale, density and criticality, the tolerance for uncertainty in cooling system performance continues to shrink. HVAC equipment is no longer selected solely on the basis of nominal capacity or compliance with a written specification; it must deliver proven, repeatable performance under real operating conditions, from day one and throughout its lifecycle.

A robust supply process, underpinned by accurate performance data and validated through factory witness testing, is central to achieving this. If the manufacturers laboratory has also had its test accuracy independently validated, risk of data deviations can be further reduced. However, factory testing alone cannot compensate for unverified declared performance data at the design and procurement stage. If theoretical performance assumptions are incorrect, the risk of failed factory witness tests, design changes, project delays and spiralling costs increases.

This is why Eurovent Certified Performance is essential for data centre cooling systems. By independently verifying that manufacturers declared performance data is accurate, comparable and repeatable, Eurovent Certification provides a trusted foundation for system design and equipment selection. For operators and specifiers, it reduces uncertainty early in the project lifecycle, supports fair comparison of solutions, and lowers the risk of unexpected outcomes later.

Eurovent Certification provides dedicated certification programmes for data centre cooling equipment including its IT Cooling Unit (ITCU) programme (CRAC/CRAH/Hybrid and rear door units) and its Chillers and Heat Pump (LCP-HP) programme which certifies Very High Temperature Process Chillers with or without free cooling. Eurovent Certification also offers schemes for the full cooling infrastructure including cooling towers, heat exchangers, air handling units and evaporative cooling.

Discover more at www.eurovent-certification.com