Your cooling tower is an expensive piece of machinery. That’s why it’s important to keep your cooling tower in good shape. A well-maintained cooling tower will save energy, prevent issues with the tower itself, and can help to avoid larger and more expensive problems down the road.
Many people don’t know when their cooling tower needs to be repaired because they don’t know what to look for. Most of the time, all you have to do is look at or listen to your cooling tower and it’ll indicate what needs to be done.
If you want to keep your cooling tower running efficiently and safely, you need to know what to look for or even listen for. Cooling tower repairs can be costly but not nearly as a total cooling tower replacement. Here are four signs that indicate your cooling tower needs to be repaired.
1. Strange Noises Coming from The Cooling Tower
This might seem self-explanatory, but listening to your cooling tower is important. Noises like banging, rattling, or humming could indicate something is wrong. This is usually a sign that something is wrong with the fan or even the motor.
Strange noises could indicate the following:
- The motor bearings need to be replaced or greased
- The fan mount is loose
- Some cooling tower components are rubbing against each other
- The fan may be unbalanced
- The fan blocks are loose
- The motor shaft hub might be loose
Any or all these issues could be catastrophic to your cooling tower if not caught and repaired immediately. Call a professional to come out and take a look as soon as possible if you hear any strange noises that you can’t identify. Just that one simple phone call about a cooling tower repair could save you a lot of money in the long run.
2. High Energy Bill
If you start getting higher energy bills at your home, you know to look and see if there is an issue with something structurally in your home. The same goes for your cooling tower. If you see your power bills increasing significantly without explanation, it may be due to the inefficiency of your cooling tower.
Several things could cause this inefficiency. For example, a dirty cooling tower, old equipment, or even incorrect settings can lead to issues that increase your energy bill.
The thermal efficiency and longevity of your cooling tower depends on the proper management of the tower itself and of the recirculated water. If there are issues with the water circulation in the tower, that can lead to a lack of efficiency, and you’ll see that in your energy bills. This is a sure sign that you need to get your cooling tower checked out.
If you see an increase in your bill and can’t find another explanation, contact a professional to come to inspect your cooling tower. Cooling tower repairs are better on your wallet than steadily rising power bills or a total cooling tower replacement.
3. The Cooling Tower Is Leaking Water
A leak is never a good thing, no matter where you find it. And if you see that your cooling tower is leaking water, you need to call a professional immediately. This could be a sign of a crack or hole indicating you need a cooling tower leak repair.
Wearable items on your cooling tower can fail, reducing efficiency and creating leaks. Hot summer months place excessive demands on cooling towers and can even expose areas of weakness. That’s when you’re likely to see leaks.
When you’re looking at your cooling tower for leaks, there are some key areas you’ll want to inspect:
- Joints and seams
- Pipe Systems
- Fan Components
Why is a leak such a big issue? Similar to the engine in your car, the loss of water leads to a loss of cooling capability and can result in serious problems. These can include:
- Excessive downtime for repairs or replacement
- Destruction of your equipment
- Loss of product due to quality issues
- Can cause health issues
- Detrimental effect on the environment
As you can see, if you see or suspect a leak, call a professional as soon as possible and get your cooling tower serviced or repaired.
4. The Cooling Tower Isn’t Cooling Properly
If your cooling tower isn’t cooling properly, it’s time to call in a professional. Several different factors can lead to needing cooling tower repairs when your tower isn’t cooling the way it was intended. Dirty coils, low water levels, or a problem with the pump are just a few examples you’ll need to look for.
If your cooling tower isn’t functioning properly, it could lead to a number of different problems. These can include:
- Decreased efficiency
- Increased energy costs
- Safety hazards
There are many issues that can lead to your cooling tower not cooling the way the manufacturer intended, including:
- Biological contamination
- Corrosion
- Fouling
- Scaling
All these problems can reduce your cooling tower’s ability to cool properly and remain energy efficient. So, if you’re having issues, you need to call a professional to come out, inspect your cooling tower and diagnose the problem and conduct a cooling tower repair.
In Conclusion
A cooling tower is an expensive investment. To have one replaced will average at least $100,000 and up. If you take care of it and know what issues to look for, you can mitigate the potential expenses of a cooling tower replacement by having a professional come out and repair what’s wrong.
Cooling tower repairs are going to be much less expensive and will have a smaller period of downtime. At Pinnacle CTS, we pride ourselves on a safe work environment, high quality of work performed, and customer satisfaction each and every time.
Contact us, and we’ll come out, inspect your cooling tower, and recommend a course of action.
