Vertiv Liebert CRV

In-row DX and chilled-water cooling for server rows, 19-50 kW, R-410A with no R-22 history

Vertiv Liebert CRV is one of 4 CRAC and CRAH units tracked in the SecondWatt catalogue, each with specifications, lead times and indicative secondary-market pricing.

Room and in-row air cooling runs out of headroom as rack density rises; above roughly 40 kW per cabinet the load is picked up by liquid cooling, usually retrofitted into halls that keep their CRAC units for the remaining air-cooled rows. The catalogue entries closest to that decision are GRC ICEtank Immersion Cooling and Vertiv Liebert XDU Coolant Distribution Unit.

Vertiv Liebert CRV in-row cooling specs, R-410A refrigerant details, the CoolPhase Row successor, and used equipment pricing for data center buyers.

Liebert CRV is Vertiv's row-based, in-row precision cooling line, not a perimeter downflow or upflow CRAC — it slots into a server row between two IT racks rather than standing at the room perimeter. North American models span three cooling mediums: DX air-cooled and water/glycol-cooled units at 19-35 kW (5.4-9.95 tons), and chilled-water units with no compressor at 32-50 kW (9.1-14.2 tons). All DX variants run a digital scroll compressor with 20-100% modulation. Every DX CRV document located, from a December 2009 manual through the August 2023 design catalogue, specifies R-410A — no evidence of an R-22 generation turned up anywhere. That is a real difference against the perimeter Liebert units in SecondWatt's category research: a 1998-vintage UH245A and a 2004-vintage VH219W, both nameplated R-22. A used CRV does not carry the reclaimed-refrigerant sourcing problem a similarly aged perimeter Liebert can carry. Vertiv has already announced a compliant successor: CoolPhase Row, shipping as CRD30 and CRD40 on R-32 at 675 GWP, announced October 2, 2025 and naming legacy CRV as the product it replaces. The EPA's January 1, 2027 GWP-700 limit restricts new manufacture, not continued use, so a used R-410A CRV remains fully legal to run past that date. Capacity, containment dependency, and proximity to the served racks separate CRV from a perimeter unit, so it cannot be priced against a perimeter DS, VH, or UH unit on nominal tonnage alone.

Why it matters

CRV is the one Liebert precision-cooling line with a refrigerant history confirmed clean of R-22, unlike the 1998 and 2004-vintage perimeter Liebert units that shipped on it. Vertiv has already named CRV as the legacy line CoolPhase Row (R-32) replaces, so a buyer planning a long capital hold should weigh parts and factory-support planning against that roadmap shift, even though a used R-410A CRV remains fully legal to run past January 1, 2027.

Who buys it

Data center and colocation operators retrofitting hot or cold aisle containment onto existing server rows, buyers standing up rack-dense or GPU-pod cooling that needs capacity close to the load rather than at the room perimeter, and facilities adding supplemental spot cooling to an already-cooled raised-floor room. A buyer choosing between the DX and chilled-water CRV variants should already have condenser or chilled-water-loop infrastructure decided before comparing unit price.

Role in the data center

Row-based supplemental or targeted cooling paired with hot/cold aisle containment, sized to the racks it sits beside rather than an entire room; not a standalone room-perimeter cooling source.

Key specifications

Technical summary

DX capacity: 19-35 kW (5.4-9.95 tons), air-cooled or water/glycol-cooled Chilled-water capacity: 32-50 kW (9.1-14.2 tons), no compressor Refrigerant: R-410A (GWP 2,088), all DX variants, no R-22 generation found Compressor: digital scroll, 20-100% capacity modulation, 3,500 rpm at 60 Hz Cabinet: 300 mm or 600 mm wide, 2,000 mm tall, 1,100-1,250 mm deep Weight: 507 lb (230 kg) CR019 to 805 lb (365 kg) CR035 Electrical: 208-230V or 460V, 3-phase, 60 Hz Control platform: Liebert iCOM, 9 in. color touchscreen Standards: CSA C22.2 No. 236 / UL 1995; AHRI Datacom 1360 certified Operating envelope: 75-110°F (23.9-43.3°C), 15-60% RH

Configurations and options

Cabinet width: 300 mm or 600 mm. Cooling medium: DX air-cooled, DX water/glycol-cooled, or chilled water. Voltage: 208-230V or 460V, 3-phase, 60 Hz. Control: Liebert iCOM with 9 in. color touchscreen and up to 20 rack temperature sensors.

Compatibility and dependencies

CRV is an in-row unit, not a perimeter one, and that changes what its nameplate numbers mean. Capacity, aisle-containment dependency, and proximity to the served racks all separate it from a perimeter CRAC: a perimeter unit discharges into a raised floor or overhead duct and cools an entire room, while CRV sits between two racks in a hot-aisle/cold-aisle row and cools only the racks flanking it, generally depending on aisle containment to hit its rated capacity. Confirmed North American capacity ranges are DX at 19-35 kW (5.4-9.95 tons) and chilled water at 32-50 kW (9.1-14.2 tons); a CRV at these figures cannot be priced against a perimeter DS, VH, or UH unit of similar nominal tonnage without accounting for that structural difference.

Pricing and availability

Comparable secondary-market band: 75–700 $ per ton. Trend: flat Warranty, new: One Year Limited Warranty Against Defects in Material and Workmanship, per Vertiv's own CRV product page..

Lifecycle and maintenance

Vertiv's own product page states a one-year limited warranty against defects in material and workmanship on new units. CRV shipped on the Liebert iCOM control platform natively from its earliest located documentation in 2009, and it does not appear on Vertiv's own list of legacy platforms eligible for iCOM retrofit, which covers DS, CW, DSE, PDX/PCW, and Mini-Mate. It never needed the control-upgrade path those perimeter units require, so a used CRV does not carry that control-obsolescence risk.

Thermal and emissions profile

CRV runs R-410A on every DX variant, GWP 2,088, with no evidence of an R-22 generation in any document located, from a December 2009 manual through the August 2023 design catalogue. That contrasts with perimeter Liebert units in SecondWatt's category research — a 1998-vintage UH245A and a 2004-vintage VH219W, both R-22 nameplated — so a used CRV does not carry the reclaimed-refrigerant sourcing problem a used perimeter Liebert of similar age can carry. The chilled-water CR0xxRC variants carry no compressor at all; their exposure sits upstream at whatever chiller plant serves them. The Jan 1, 2027 GWP-700 limit restricts new manufacture, not continued use, and Vertiv has already named CoolPhase Row (CRD30/CRD40, R-32, 675 GWP) as CRV's successor, announced October 2, 2025.

Common failure points

• Digital scroll compressor — Loss of cooling capacity, failure to stage past 20% modulation, high discharge temperature
• EC fan motor/bearing — Audible bearing noise, reduced airflow, vibration at the top of the cabinet
• iCOM control board — Blank or unresponsive 9 in. touchscreen, no communication over Modbus/SNMP, unit defaults to local-only operation
• Condensate pump — Water accumulation in drain pan, nuisance high-water alarms, drain line backing up
• Refrigerant line joints (post-relocation) — Slow refrigerant leak, subcooling drift over weeks, repeated low-charge nuisance trips
• Humidifier/reheat subsystem (where equipped) — Humidity setpoint not maintained, canister scale buildup, reheat element failure
• Digital scroll unloader/modulation valve — Compressor stages full-on/full-off instead of smooth 20-100% modulation, higher energy draw, temperature swings in the served row

Inspection checklist

Nameplate refrigerant type — confirm R-410A, not a relabeled or field-converted charge, before pricing against its 2,088 GWP Compressor model and type — confirm digital scroll, not a swapped generic scroll, and record the serial date code Base indoor unit refrigerant charge — verify against nameplate: 5 lb (2.7 kg) CR019RA, 7 lb (3.2 kg) CR020RA, 10 lb (4.5 kg) CR035RA — a mismatch indicates prior field service or a leak repair Subcooling reading at current ambient — target range runs from 22°F (12.0°C) at 0°F ambient down to 0°F at 125°F ambient per the OEM table — a reading well outside this band signals charge loss or a metering-device fault Compressor oil level and type — POE ISO 32 centistoke viscosity is the OEM-specified oil for the digital scroll compressor; wrong oil type is a red flag for non-OEM service history Condensate pump flow rate — rated approximately 6 GPM at 30 ft head on 600 mm units, 4.6 GPH at 17 ft on 300 mm units — test under load, not just at idle Drain line pitch — OEM spec calls for a minimum 1/8 in. fall per foot of gravity drain run — verify no standing water or reverse pitch from a prior relocation iCOM controller firmware revision and touchscreen function — confirm the 9 in. color touchscreen powers up and reports no fault codes — a blank or cracked display is a controller-replacement cost, not cosmetic Digital scroll capacity-modulation range — confirm the unit still steps through its full 20-100% modulation band rather than staging on/off only, which indicates a failed unloader valve EC fan run hours and vibration — listen and feel for bearing noise at full and reduced speed; EC fan assemblies are the most commonly cited wear item across the Liebert precision-cooling line Piping equivalent length from indoor unit to remote condenser — OEM maximum is 300 ft equivalent length; a system re-piped beyond this on relocation will underperform regardless of unit condition Vibration and leveling clamp spacing on refrigerant lines — OEM spec calls for support every 5 to 7 ft; missing supports on a relocated unit predict future line fatigue and leaks Gas and liquid line separation — OEM minimum is 1 in. between refrigerant lines; incorrect field routing on a used, relocated unit is a common installation shortcut worth checking Cabinet width and model-number match — confirm the physical cabinet, 300 mm or 600 mm, matches the nameplate model prefix, CR019 versus CR020/035/040/050 — mismatched panels from parts cannibalization are a documented risk on an aged secondary-market unit Electrical short-circuit current rating label — OEM spec is 65,000A SCCR on most configurations; confirm the installed breaker or disconnect on-site actually matches this rating before re-energizing after relocation

Procurement channels

This is consistent with in-row units being installed in smaller quantities per room, more tightly coupled to a specific row or containment build-out, and less commonly decommissioned as a standalone salvage item than a perimeter unit pulled whole from a raised-floor room.

Regional notes

North American CRV documentation (2009-2023) consistently uses CR0xx model numbers, 208-230V/460V 3-phase electrical, and imperial/metric dual dimensions. A separately branded 'CRV+' variant in Vertiv's EMEA/APAC literature uses different model codes (CR025/CR035-style) and 380-415V 3-phase electrical, and should not be assumed parts-compatible with North American CRV stock.