Data Center Roofs Under Control – VILPE Sense Prevents Downtime and Complements Roof Warranty Protection
The risk of a roof leak in a data center cannot be underestimated. Even a small leak or humidity buildup can endanger the entire server infrastructure and cause significant downtime. Relying solely on roof repair warranty can become costly for data centers.
Traditional roof insurance only covers sudden damage, such as when a tree falls onto the roof. However, roof warranty does not automatically cover hidden humidity problems or leaks that develop inside the roof structure. Even a small incident, such as a missing seal in solar panels, can lead to a roof leak.
Since traditional roof insurance does not cover all types of damage, data centers benefit from VILPE Sense’s remote roof supervision. This continuous data collection supports roof warranty verification, strengthens roof repair warranty coverage through documented performance data, and minimizes the risk of downtime. VILPE Sense provides extra protection for the roof.
Challenge: Why Roof Leaks Are Especially Critical in Data Centers
In data centers and other critical infrastructure buildings, the roof serves as an important protective layer that safeguards equipment and ensures uninterrupted operations. Even a minor leak in such facilities is unacceptable. Leaks or humidity issues can compromise sensitive systems, disrupt services, and cause significant financial losses. Ensuring absolute roof integrity is therefore essential to the reliability and safety of the entire facility.
Unfortunately, standard roof inspections often detect leaks or moisture only after damage has already occurred. The presence of building technology systems on the roof complicates inspections and conceals potential risks. In addition, issues with roof warranty may limit compensation if the damage is caused by third-party installations or maintenance work. Without proper documentation or monitoring, such cases can also complicate roof repair warranty claims, potentially leaving the data center owner liable for significant repair costs.
If you want to find out how long your roof warranty is, the most reliable way is to check the insurance documents. These papers also specify what kinds of roof damages the warranty covers. The roof material manufacturer and the company responsible for installation often have their own warranties as well, so it’s worth confirming their duration. Knowing how long your roof warranty is helps you understand the level of protection your property has. If the property’s warranty is short or does not cover hidden humidity damage or leaks, VILPE Sense helps detect potential problems early. This way, the property owner gains additional protection beyond the standard warranty.
How VILPE Sense Works in Data Centers
Install VILPE Sense leak detectors in the roof’s insulation layer using VILPE Croco fasteners. The sensors measure humidity levels within the structure. A mobile base station receives the sensor data and sends it to the cloud service. Based on this data, it generates a humidity map of the monitored area.
The humidity map clearly highlights areas with elevated humidity levels compared to others, which can indicate a potential leak. Once alarm limits are set, facility management automatically receives a notification if humidity levels rise. This means that facility manager doesn’t need to actively monitor the data.
For example, the Tet DC7 data center in Latvia uses VILPE Sense. The project includes two main buildings — the data center and an adjacent office section — with a combined roof area of 2,157m² (395 m² + 1,762 m²). The roofs are insulated with multilayer stone wool, finished with a PVC membrane, and supported either by reinforced concrete panels in the flat roof sections or by profiled steel structures in the sloped server hall roof. VILPE Sense is installed across the entire roof area, with 110 sensors connected to two mobile base stations.
Results: Achieved Benefits
VILPE Sense offers clear advantages for data centers:
- Prevention: Early detection of leaks. When sensors detect rising humidity levels, it may signal hidden damage or a minor leak. By identifying these issues early, repairs can be made before more serious harm occurs.
- Reliability: Downtime risk mitigation. The VILPE Sense detects humidity or leaks before they reach indoor spaces or damage servers, allowing timely repairs.
- Cost savings: Decrease maintenance costs. Fixing a small issue early saves time and money.
- Remote monitoring and maintenance: Continuous roof supervision without on-site inspections. Roof conditions can be monitored remotely via a phone or computer interface – eliminating the need for routine on-site inspections. Maintenance teams gain real-time visibility into roof status without having to climb onto the roof.
- Roof warranty verification. VILPE Sense data shows when damage occurred. This helps clarify whether the issue is related to installation, materials, or external factors.
Warranty Doesn’t Prevent Leaks — Monitoring Does
Roof insurance cannot prevent damage. Even roofs built according to the highest standards can deteriorate over time. Another issue is inspection intervals: if you check the roof twice a year, months may pass between inspections, allowing small leaks to cause significant structural damage.
It’s unlikely that roof insurance would cover humidity-related downtime costs for a data center. That’s why continuous roof monitoring is essential for downtime risk mitigation and accurate roof warranty verification. The VILPE Sense system in the Latvian data center complements high-quality roofing. VILPE Sense’s remote monitoring and maintenance support the goal of maintaining a secure and reliable data center environment.
Remote Monitoring as a Core Feature for Critical Infrastructure
The Latvian DC7 project shows how modern data centers prioritize not only performance and efficiency but also resilience in their design. Every element of the building envelope is carefully engineered to support uninterrupted operations. By integrating VILPE Sense, roof integrity is continuously monitored—adding a layer of intelligent protection to the physical structure.
For Tet and Citrus Solutions, this means equipping the facility with both robust structural protection and intelligent monitoring technology. It’s part of a broader effort to safeguard critical infrastructure across Europe, where even a minor construction defect can lead to major consequences.
See how VILPE Sense protects the DC7 data center roof in Latvia.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does VILPE Sense differ from a regular roof inspection?
Traditionally, you check the condition of a roof is a few times a year. A maintenance company employee or the property owner must climb onto the roof – a process that can take several hours and still miss hidden moisture issues.
VILPE Sense changes this by offering continuous roof supervision and instant access to roof data via smartphone or computer. This enables early detection of problems before they escalate, helping reduce maintenance costs and improve overall building reliability.
Can you connect the VILPE Sense system to building management systems (BMS)?
The VILPE Sense interface includes an open data transfer interface (REST API), enabling integration with modern building automation systems for seamless remote supervision.
If the building management system supports REST API data retrieval, integration is possible through custom programming (not included in VILPE’s delivery).
Alternatively, the VILPE Sense interface can be displayed directly on the monitoring screen of the building management system.
Additionally, you can adjust the minimum control voltage, reference voltage, and maximum voltage of the exhaust fan via the cloud service.
How long does VILPE Sense operate without maintenance?
Once installed, VILPE Sense requires no special maintenance actions. The system itself will remain operational for decades. The sensors have a lifespan of 10–15 years. A sensor will function until its battery runs out. After that, you need to replace the sensor, as the battery cannot be changed.
How does VILPE Sense support the roof warranty?
VILPE Sense provides objective, time-stamped data on structural conditions and potential anomalies, such as rising humidity levels. This makes roof warranty verification more straightforward by providing clear evidence of when and where changes in the building envelope occurred. VILPE Sense’s continuous roof supervision detects structural problems early, preventing major repairs and protecting the roof repair warranty from unnecessary disputes.
VILPE Sense’s ongoing monitoring does not replace the roof warranty — it complements it, by offering an additional layer of protection and reliable documentation that strengthens both warranty claims and repair processes.
How does the system function if you add other installations (e.g. solar panels) to the roof?
The VILPE Sense system operates effectively even when other technical systems are installed on the roof. However, if the sensors are intended to monitor the roof structure beneath these systems, they should be installed first.