Just as important as cooling tower maintenance and safety is regular cooling tower inspection. Performing regular inspections on your industrial cooling towers can help you find small problems before they turn into bigger ones, making sure small repairs don’t become more costly ones later down the line. No matter what type of cooling tower you have, there is a general cooling tower inspection process that all inspectors follow as they look over each tower. Read on to learn more about the process, and what a general cooling tower inspection checklist may look like.
Before the Cooling Tower Inspection
Before any cooling tower inspector begins to investigate the unit, he or she will want to make sure they are outfitted in protective personal equipment or PPE. PPE for a cooling tower inspector would consist of equipment such as a hard hat, work gloves, high-top leather work boots with slip-proof soles, and safety glasses or goggles.
To go inside of the structure of the tower, which is often required for inspection, an inspector will need a full-body safety harness as well as two lanyards that are six feet in length or more (one is not enough).
It’s important to keep in mind that a periodic visual inspection of the cooling tower is different than a full safety inspection. You want to make periodically certain that your water is clean and is not dirty or foul-smelling. Water standards should adhere to ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188 and Guideline 12 to aid in the prevention of Legionella, which causes Legionnaires’ disease.
Cooling Tower Inspection Guide: A Step by Step Inspection Process
The full inspection will have several parts, including the following:
- Tower casing inspection. The inspector will look for cracks, holes, or deterioration, which includes air leaks. If there is asbestos casing, it may be recommended to be replaced.
- Structure of the tower. Corrosion is one of the main things an inspector will look for in the structure of the cooling tower. Inspectors will also look for wood deterioration, particularly around metal.
- Stairway, ladders, walkways, and handrails. Inspectors will look to make sure the stairways, ladders, walkways, and handrails are in good condition and that there are no loose bolts.
- Fan deck. Corrosion is again the primary problem inspectors look for here.
- Cold water basin. Inspectors look for buildup, sludge, and debris, which can lead to bacteria growth.
- Distribution basin. Inspectors look for deterioration and wood decay, as well as steel corrosion.
- Piping. Corrosion is evaluated, as well as loss of coating. There is also a spot check for leaks.
- Valves and spray nozzles. Inspectors look for deterioration, clogging, and signs of wear.
- Fill (packing). This is inspected for buildup of scale and signs of wear.
- Drift eliminators. These are evaluated for debris as well as condition.
- Internal parts. Internal parts are checked for working order, such as the driveshaft, and couplings, fan, fan cylinder, and gear drive. If something is found to be in disrepair components are replaced.
Contact us
If you need to have maintenance performed or you need components replaced or repaired on your cooling tower in New Jersey, contact us today at 732-570-9392 for an estimate or to see how we can be of service.
