Attaching the rack to the concrete floor beneath a raised floor

If you plan to install front or rear ac electrical outlets in the rack, the rack must be bolted to the floor. Learn more about how to attach the rack to a concrete floor, which lays beneath a raised floor.

1. Put your rack in its predetermined location and tighten the locking screws on the casters.
2. Remove the top, left, and right trim panels. Trim panels are held in place with spring clips. See the following illustration.
   Figure 1. Removing the trim panels

   

   Item	Description	Item	Description
   1	Rack chassis	4	Right-side trim panel
   2	Top trim panel	5	Spring clip
   3	Left-side trim panel

3. If installed, remove the front and rear doors. If they are not installed, continue with the next Step 4. To remove a rack door, complete the following steps:
   1. Unlock and open the door.
   2. Grasp the door firmly with both hands and lift it up away from the hinges.
   After you remove the rack doors, go to the next step.
4. Locate the hardware mounting kit and the two mounting plates. Refer to the following illustration. The hardware mounting kit contains the following items:
   • Four rack-mounting bolts
   • Four thin washers
   • Eight plastic isolator bushings
   • Four thick washers
   • Four spacers
5. If you are installing an ac-powered rack, temporarily install the lower plastic isolator bushings to help you locate the rack-mounting plate. After you locate the mounting plate, remove the lower plastic isolator bushings.
   Figure 2. Rack bolt-down hardware

   

   Item	Description	Item	Description
   1	Rack chassis	7	Jam nut
   2	Rack-mounting bolt	8	Leveling foot
   3	Thin washer	9	Lower plastic isolator bushing (used only on dc powered systems)
   4	Top plastic isolator bushing	ac	Typical leveling foot installation for an ac-powered rack
   5	Thick washer	dc	Typical leveling foot installation for a dc-powered rack
   6	Spacer

6. Position the two mounting plates in the approximate mounting location under the rack.
7. Create a rack-mounting bolt assembly by adding the following items, in the order listed, to each rack-mounting bolt.
   1. Thin washer
   2. Top plastic isolator bushing
   3. Thick flat washer
   4. Spacer
8. Insert a rack-mounting bolt assembly through each of the leveling feet.
9. Reposition the rack-mounting plates under the four rack-mounting bolts so that the mounting bolts are centered directly over the threaded bolt holes.
10. Turn the rack-mounting bolts four complete turns into the mounting plate's threaded bolt holes.
    Figure 3. Securing the rack with the triangular brace to the floor
    

    Item	Description	Item	Description
    1	Rack-mounting bolt	7	Leveling foot
    2	Thin washer	8	Lower plastic isolator bushing (used only on dc-powered systems)
    3	Top plastic isolator bushing	9	Mounting plate
    4	Thick washer	10	Threaded hole (used to secure the rack to mounting plate.)
    5	Spacer	11	Anchor bolt hole
    6	Jam nut	12	Traced pattern (use the mounting plate as a template to be trace onto the floor)

    Figure 4. Securing the rack with the "X" brace to the floor
    

    Item	Description	Item	Description
    1	Rack-mounting bolt	7	Leveling foot
    2	Thin washer	8	Lower plastic isolator bushing (used only on dc-powered systems)
    3	Top plastic isolator bushing	9	Mounting plate
    4	Thick washer	10	Threaded hole (used to secure the rack to mounting plate.)
    5	Spacer	11	Anchor bolt hole
    6	Jam nut	12	Traced pattern (use the mounting plate as a template to be trace onto the floor)

11. Mark the raised-floor panel around the edges of the front and rear rack-mounting plates.
12. Mark the plate bolt-down holes that are accessible through the opening in the rear of the rack.
13. Remove the rack-mounting bolt assemblies.
14. Remove the rack-mounting plates from the marked locations.
15. If you are installing an ac-powered rack, remove the bottom isolator bushing from each of the leveling feet.
16. Loosen each of the locking screws on the casters.
17. Move the rack so that it is clear of both areas that were marked on the floor for the rack-mounting plate locations.
18. Reposition the mounting plates within the marked areas.
19. Mark the raised-floor panel at the center of each hole in the rack-mounting plates (including the threaded holes).
20. Remove the two rack-mounting plates from the marked locations on the raised floor panel.
21. At the marked location of the threaded rack-mounting bolt holes, drill four clearance holes into and through the raised floor. The holes ensure that the bolts protrude past the thickness of the rack-mounting plates.
    Note: You must use a minimum of two anchor bolts for each rack-mounting plate to securely attach the rack-mounting plate through the raised-floor panel to the concrete floor. Because some of the holes in each rack-mounting plate may align with concrete reinforcement rods that are embedded in the concrete, some of the rack-mounting plate holes might not be usable.
    Note: The quantity, location, size, or type of concrete anchors and hardware to install the rack-mounting plate must be determined by the Professional Engineer or the mechanical contractor.
    Note: If the hole locations selected at the rear of the rack are not accessible, you must use riggers to install the mounting hardware in the non-accessible hole locations. You must lift the rack to install the hardware.
22. If you are installing a 7014-T42 rack with the X brace feature, go to step 27. Otherwise, continue with step 23.
23. For each rack-mounting plate, select at least two suitable hole locations (A). Select the hole locations as close to the threaded hole areas as possible. Drill pass-through holes at the selected locations into the raised floor panels. Pass-through holes allow the mounting hardware to be inserted into the rack-mounting plate and pass through the raised floor panel to the concrete floor.
    Figure 5. Bolt-down plate hole locations for rack with the triangular brace

    
24. Transfer the locations of the anchor bolt holes (exclude the clearance holes that you drilled for the rack-mounting bolts) from the raised-floor panel to the concrete floor directly beneath. Mark the hole locations on the concrete.
25. Drill holes in the concrete floor to secure the anchor bolts.
26. Go to step 30.
27. For each rack-mounting plate, select at least four suitable hole locations (A). Select the hole locations as close to the threaded hole areas as possible. Drill pass-through holes at the selected locations into the raised floor panels. Insert the mounting hardware into the rack-mounting plate and pass through the raised floor panel to the concrete floor.
    Figure 6. Bolt-down locations for the rack with the X-brace

    
    Note: The quantity, location, size, and type of concrete anchors must be determined by the Professional Engineer or the mechanical contractor that is installing the rack-mounting plate.
28. Transfer the locations of the anchor bolt holes (exclude the clearance holes that you drilled for the rack-mounting bolts) from the raised-floor panel to the concrete floor directly beneath. Mark the hole locations on the concrete.
29. Drill holes in the concrete floor to secure the anchor bolts.
30. If the raised-floor panels were removed, position the raised-floor panels back into position over the anchor bolt holes.
31. Position the front rack-mounting plate within the marked area on the raised-floor panel.
32. Using your anchoring method, secure the front rack-mounting plate on top of the raised floor and through to the concrete floor, but do not tighten.
33. Replace all required raised panels to position the rack over the front mounting plate.
34. Position the rack over the front rack-mounting plate.
35. Insert two of the rack-mounting bolts through a flat washer, a plastic isolator bushing and a thick washer, and through each of the front leveling feet.
36. Align the two rack-mounting bolts with the two tapped holes in the front mounting plate and turn 3 to 4 rotations.
37. Position the rear-mounting plate over the holes in the raised floor.
38. Using your anchoring method, secure the rear rack-mounting plate on top of the raised floor and through to the concrete floor, but do not tighten.
39. Insert two of the rack-mounting bolts through a flat washer, a plastic isolator bushing and a thick washer, and through each of the rear leveling feet.
40. Align the two rack-mounting bolts with the two tapped holes in the rear mounting plate and turn 3 to 4 rotations.
41. Using torque requirements that are provided by the Professional Engineer or the mechanical contractor, torque the hardware that secures the front rack-mounting plate to the concrete floor.
42. Using torque requirements that are provided by the Professional Engineer or the mechanical contractor, torque the hardware that secures the rear rack-mounting plate to the concrete floor.
43. Replace all raised panels that you removed when you are aligning and securing the mounting plate hardware to the concrete floor.
44. Adjust the leveling feet downward as needed to take the load off the castors (ensure that they spin freely) and until the rack is level. When the rack is level, tighten the jam nuts against the base of the rack.
    Figure 7. Adjusting the leveling feet
    

    1

    Rack front (base)

    2

    Leveling foot (quantity 4)

    3

    Jam nut (quantity 4)

45. If you have multiple racks that are connected as a suite (bolted to each other), go to Connecting multiple racks with rack-to-rack attachment kit. Otherwise, torque the four bolts to 54 - 67 newton-meters (40 - 50 foot-pounds).
46. If you are not installing doors on your rack, install the top, left, and right trim panels.
47. Connect the power distribution system. For instructions, see Connecting the power distribution system.
48. After the rack is bolted down and you are going to attach a front electrical outlet, go to Attaching the front or rear ac electrical outlet.
49. If you are not going to attach a front electrical outlet and you are installing rack doors, go to Attaching the rack doors.