5 Steps to Better Cooling Tower Maintenance
What are the Five Steps to Better Cooling Tower Maintenance?
These five steps can lead you to better Cooling Tower maintenance. Cleaning cooling towers is a complete process, not just one task. To prevent these massive systems from failing, you must prioritize regular maintenance. To maximize your maintenance efforts, you will have to make sure to provide attention to all components of the system. To help facilities optimize the process of cooling tower maintenance, here are some steps to ensure adequate cleaning of your cooling tower system.
1. Inspect towers
Inspect towers at least monthly. Sediment, scale, and slime can lead to buildup and help Legionella grow and thrive. Regular inspections will help determine when to schedule cleaning.
2. Disinfect the Tower
Cooling towers can be a dangerous breeding ground for bacteria, making it essential to reduce the nutrients available for Legionella growth. BioSpray® Tower can kill 99.9% of Legionella and is on the EPA list of disinfectants for use against SARS-COV-2 when appropriately applied on hard non-porous surfaces. It offers a labor-saving, no-rinse formula. Protocols for the disinfection of Legionella are well defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
3. Remove Sludge In Tower Basin
The most common area is the basin where sludge can accrue and can impact the longevity and performance of the cooling tower system. A cooling tower fill cleaner will remove dirt and debris and inhibit the growth of other bacteria when utilized in conjunction with appropriate biocides. You can use specialized vacuums to remove the sludge in cooling towers.
4. Fix Clogs and Fouling in the Fill
The most predominant part of the heat exchange within a cooling tower system occurs in the cooling tower fill. The fill is what leads the passing air in the system to produce cold water and remove heat efficiently. When the fill becomes fouled or clogged, the cooling doesn’t take place because the air can’t touch the heat source as planned. As a result, it generates higher electricity bills. If sediment is visible, the basin needs to be cleaned, and cooling tower vacuums make it easier to remove contaminants without shutting down or draining your system.
5. Descale the Fill
The tower fill provides the perfect environment for bacterial growth, especially Legionella. A descaler will dissolve the scale and mineral deposits that Legionella likes to hide in, leaving the surface ready for cleaning.
What Are The Results?
Routine maintenance of cooling towers reduces the risk of system damage and health issues and increases safety and health, durability, performance, and efficiency. Failure to do so can incur high costs and, even worse, someone’s life is put in danger due to dangerous bacterial growth. Regular checks help you use your equipment to the fullest while also creating a safe, compliant, and clean environment.
1. Safety And Health
Legionella or other microbe-borne diseases can spread rapidly through air conditioning systems. One of the most common sources for Legionnaires’ disease is an infected cooling tower, and poorly maintained towers can lead to a potential outbreak. The warm waters in these buildings create perfect conditions for bacteria like algae or mold, which help grow dangerous pathogens such as Legionella that could spread through the air released when a cooling tower is in use.
2. Performance
A fully functioning cooling tower maintenance program ensures detection of problems early on and assures optimum performance during its lifetime. Frequent maintenance enables you to discover issues at an early stage that can cause excessive or undue wear and tear on your cooling tower systems, allowing for prompt correction.
3. Efficient And Economical
A cooling tower working at optimum performance delivers the desired results. However, minor faults or damages can affect the undertaking, and if overlooked, it can lead to expensive repairs and high running costs.
The Bottom Line
Whether you require reactive cooling tower maintenance or are planning to develop a routine preventative maintenance schedule, it’s imperative to have sound knowledge about cleaning cooling towers. What is going to make your maintenance easier to complete is the right tools. Our Cooling tower basin cleaning systems provide a solution that allows cleaning without having to shut down towers. When cleaning cooling tower fills, industrial descaling chemicals paired with cooling tower fill cleaning systems will provide complete product from efficiency-robbing foul and dangerous bacteria. Our cooling tower products help you keep cooling towers clean and meet ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188-2015, a standard for maintenance and the remediation of Legionella in commercial building water.
Next Steps:
Click here to use our Cooling Tower Cleaner Buying Guide to choose the right system for your cooling tower needs.
To learn more about cooling tower maintenance, click here to watch an on-demand webinar Goodway presented on the topic.
