Cooling towers are essential for maintaining proper temperature control in a wide range of industrial processes and facilities. Cooling towers vary in size, shape, and type – depending on how and where they’re utilized. They’re used in larger facilities including power plants, oil refineries, and manufacturing plants. You’ll also see them in schools and hospitals.
These systems are a large investment. Cooling tower cleaning services are essential to prolong this investment. Without proper maintenance, the efficiency of your cooling tower decreases. This leads to higher energy bills – not to mention the people in your buildings being uncomfortable. Moreover, skipping routine maintenance runs the risk of needing more expensive repairs or even a costly replacement.
Proper maintenance and cleaning cooling towers are crucial to ensure efficient and safe operation. This is a complicated task to perform on your own. In this post, we’ll go over the top five benefits of using professional cooling tower cleaning services. Let’s dive in.
Improved Efficiency and Output
Professional cooling tower cleaning services use advanced methods and technologies to remove buildup from your towers and optimize their performance. By having a professional conduct this service, you will guarantee the job is done correctly the first time.
Cooling tower cleaning services provide the following benefits:
- Save on energy expenses
- Extend the life of your equipment
- Reduce the amount of water being consumed
- Decrease the number of chemicals needed for water treatment
- Lower overall operating costs
The purpose of a cooling tower is to remove heat from a system and introduce cool air using water. Regular maintenance keeps the fill, distribution nozzles, mist eliminators, and strainers clean. If not kept clean, your system is forced to work harder. This increases your energy bills and puts added pressure on your cooling towers, increasing the risk of needing a more expensive repair.
Reduced Risk of Damage
A poorly maintained cooling tower is more prone to corrosion, leaks, and other types of damage. A repair can be an expensive endeavor but a cooling tower replacement will generally cost over $100,000. It is much cheaper to service your cooling tower and maintain a regular maintenance schedule with a professional.
While you can typically spot debris or leaks around your cooling tower, issues inside your towers are something entirely different. Professionals will get inside the system to remove debris and scrub the tower’s surfaces of algae, mold, or other biological hazards.
Professional cooling tower cleaning services use descaling techniques, chemical treatment, and other methods to remove buildup from the towers, reducing the risk of damage over time. Most importantly, the professional performing the scale preventative maintenance will be able to spot warning signs of damage in the early stages – and mitigate them before costly fixes are needed.
Legionnaire’s Disease Prevention
Cooling tower water can easily become a breeding ground for microorganisms such as Legionella, which can lead to serious illnesses like Legionnaires’ disease. Legionnaires’ disease is spread when someone breathes in water droplets containing the Legionella bacteria. It’s estimated that nearly 10,000 people contract this annually, although the CDC says that the numbers are most likely higher due to cases being under-reported.
Cooling towers that aren’t cleaned regularly or receive preventative maintenance can become breeding grounds for bacteria and other biological hazards. This includes Legionnaire’s disease. Legionnaire’s disease is a serious health concern for anyone who comes into contact with cooling towers. The bacteria that causes it can be extremely harmful if inhaled.
Cooling towers emit steam and mist. Contaminated droplets can infect anyone that comes into contact with them. This aerosol can be spread for miles. Most people will never know they were exposed until they get sick. Illnesses caused by these Legionella can escalate quickly.
Legionnaire’s disease is a lung infection that can be fatal, especially if there is any underlying condition present. Pontiac fever is another common condition associated with Legionella that shows up as flu-like symptoms and gastrointestinal distress.
Regular cooling tower cleaning services can prevent these bacteria from growing and spreading. Although not universally governed by state or federal laws, it is recommended that you test your cooling tower quarterly for Legionella and have your cooling tower cleaned and serviced twice per year. No one wants to compromise the safety of workers and the public at large. If in doubt, contact a professional cooling tower cleaning company to perform service on your towers.
Improved Safety and Compliance
A clean cooling tower is a safe cooling tower. Regular cooling tower cleaning services can detect any clogs, leaks, or other problems early on and address them before they become more serious. This can prevent more costly maintenance and even extended downtime for your tower.
In addition, professional cooling tower cleanings are often required by law in many areas as part of ongoing compliance with health and safety regulations. For example, four states currently have existing regulations regarding cooling tower cleaning. This is done to prevent Legionnaire’s disease outbreaks.
These states include:
- Illinois
- Michigan
- New York
- Virginia
Five other states are in the final stages of finalizing regulations regarding cooling tower cleaning:
- California
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
All of these pending and final regulations are based on ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188-2018 which establishes minimum requirements for legionella risk management for cooling towers. It’s important to stay compliant with existing laws and to know about new ones that are coming down the pipeline. Your cooling tower cleaning professional will make sure that your towers are cleaned properly so you’re compliant with all rules and regulations.
Peace of Mind
When you work with a professional cooling tower cleaning service, you don’t have to worry about the quality of their work or the condition of your cooling towers. You’re busy enough with all your other responsibilities. There are times when peace of mind is more important than doing it all yourself.
You can rest assured knowing that your cooling towers are in good hands and will be properly maintained. A cooling tower cleaning service will have all the necessary tools, equipment, and supplies necessary to keep your towers functioning properly and efficiently. They will ensure that your workers and people in and around your buildings are safe from the spread of diseases, such as Legionnaire’s.
They will work diligently so cooling tower downtime is kept to a minimum. The best part is you can count on trained technicians to do quality work the first time. They will be able to assess your cooling towers and offer guidance and recommendations based on their years of experience. No guesswork is involved.
The Wrap Up
Pinnacle CTS knows that regularly and correctly cleaning your cooling towers can result in less costly repairs down the road and ensures that you’re breathing fresh air, protecting against things such as Legionnaire’s disease. We’re a cooling tower service company in New Jersey that specializes in cooling tower scale removal, cleaning, preventative maintenance, cleaning tower repair, and replacement of all makes and models.
Contact us
Contact us today and we’ll offer a free inspection and consultation. We offer a safe work environment, high quality of work performed, and customer satisfaction as our core foundational values. We will never compromise these values.
We’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the Great Tri-State area (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. Let our experts show you why we’re safety-driven, detail-oriented, and quality-focused.
