When it comes to caring for expensive systems like cooling towers, preventative actions go a lot further than reactive maintenance. If you want your system to function at top efficiency, don’t wait for something to go wrong to schedule professional treatment.
Cooling towers are a vital part of many commercial HVAC systems. Like any air conditioning setup, these towers require ongoing care and cleaning to perform safely. Preventative maintenance is the key to extending the lifespan of cooling systems – and saving money.
When we talk about preventative cooling tower maintenance, we’re not just recommending annual inspections. We’re talking about daily, weekly, and semi-annually steps you can take to ensure your tower stays in pristine condition.
Why does preventive maintenance matter so much? Here are three big reasons to invest in advanced care for your cooling tower systems.
1. Prevent Significant Mineral Buildup
As cooling towers are operated, they continuously remove bacteria, dust, pollen, insects, and other debris from the air. If the towers are not thoroughly disinfected, these contaminants can build up, resulting in a breeding ground for bacteria and high accumulations of minerals.
If you’re at all familiar with the challenges of cooling tower maintenance, you’ve likely heard of scaling. Scale deposits form when the dissolved minerals in the cooled water become too soluble. When this happens, the scale-forming minerals concentrate in the water instead of evaporating.
As a result, scale buildups can compromise the abilities of the cooling tower. Mineral accumulations often contribute to many serious problems, including but not limited to:
- Reduced heat transfer capacities
- Increased power/energy consumption
- Premature system failures
Although you can tackle scaling with heavy-duty cleanings, the better choice is to prevent significant buildups in the first place. Cooling tower facilities can do this by investing in scaling pretreatment.
Pretreatment involves the removal of scales that have already started to form via cold line softening and other tactics. Rather than waiting for system inefficiencies to set in, turn to professionals who can offer preventative maintenance that keeps serious scaling at bay.
For further information on scaling pretreatment, feel free to reach out to the Pinnacle CTS team.
2. Control Corrosion in the Tower
Preventative maintenance isn’t just an important part of scale control. By acting in advance, you can also minimize the effects of corrosion throughout the cooling tower system.
Corrosion occurs when chemicals react with the metal in their environment. Because water is constantly circulating in cooling towers, every mental component in the system is at risk for corrosion. You can’t wait until corrosion occurs to act – you need to prevent it from happening in the first place.
In terms of cooling systems, corrosion causes two significant problems. Corrosion can:
- Result in the failure of equipment, leading to pricey repairs and replacements.
- Decrease the system’s efficiency by lowering heat exchange rates.
The problems don’t stop there, though. Cooling tower corrosion can also lead to distressed metal structural problems, which gradually worsen over the years.
Although many cooling tower systems are now built with corrosion control in mind, you may still need to prevent corrosion by placing protective calcium carbonate films on metal surfaces. You’ll also need to keep an eye on oxygen levels in the water, which can result in corrosion when too high.
Additionally, we recommend speaking to cooling tower experts about installing corrosion inhibitors. These are substances that significantly reduce the risk of corrosion, as long as they are applied preventatively.
Keep in mind that corrosion doesn’t just impact old cooling towers. We’ve seen corrosion get out of hand in as little as seven years, so it pays to act now to prevent corrosion from getting out of hand. Allotting funds to corrosion prevention might seem like a pain, but preventative maintenance is far less expensive than replacing tower elements once they’ve corroded beyond repair.
3. Avoid Unexpected Cooling Tower Shutdowns
Lastly, preventative maintenance is arguably the best way to avoid unnecessary, unexpected shutdowns. Although most cooling towers are turned off during cold seasons, the last thing you want to deal with is a breakdown in the middle of a blazing hot summer or peak operations.
Cooling tower breakdowns can be real nightmares. Not only are they emotionally and financially costly, but they also result in uncomfortable workplace conditions, compromised products, lost revenue, and countless headaches. If you’re working in a large-scale facility or complex, you’re probably thinking that a cooling tower shutdown simply isn’t an option.
When we’re called in to deal with unexpected cooling tower shutdowns, the most common culprit is poor maintenance. Far too many facilities wait until serious problems have occurred. By then, the only choice is to turn off the system while repairs and cleanings are conducted.
You’ve likely seen some cooling tower breakdowns in the news over the past few years. For example, back in April of 2021, the public finally learned about serious Legionella outbreaks in New Jersey state prisons, which resulted in a massive outcry as well as pricey treatments.
That’s why we so adamantly recommend preventive maintenance on a regular basis for any cooling tower system. It’s not just about preserving system efficiency, but also about protecting human safety.
Many operators balk at the idea of spending money before real problems appear. In reality, they’re going to face some much heftier expenses if they let things get out of hand.
Schedule Maintenance Today with Pinnacle CTS
If your New Jersey facility has been skimping on preventive cooling tower maintenance, don’t worry – it’s always better to start late than never. Our Pinnacle Cooling Tower Services are here to help you catch up on cleanings, inspections, and general tower care.
When we arrive on the scene, we don’t only recommend necessary system fixes. Our crew of cooling tower technicians will help you implement upgrades and safeguards that benefit your system in the long run, not just today.
Contact us
To learn more about cooling tower preventive maintenance, or to schedule an appointment, contact us today. We’re happy to arrange a 100% free cooling tower inspection, then provide you with upfront cost estimates for necessary services.
