Your cooling tower is the backbone of your HVAC system. If it’s not maintained properly, everything else fails to keep up, leading to inefficiency, costly breakdowns, and even health risks.
Skipping cooling tower maintenance can cause corrosion in metal components, permanently weakening the structure. This could lead to costly repairs and frequent breakdowns, which can put your entire building at risk during winters and summers.
Worse still, the stagnant water inside your system can become a breeding ground for bacteria like Legionella, putting anyone breathing in the circulated air at risk. The greater tri-state area has had its fair share of legionella outbreaks, including the one in 2023.
Given what’s at stake, you need a cooling tower maintenance checklist. A list helps you create a solid maintenance plan, which in turn, helps prevent breakdowns, extends the life of your system, and ensures your cooling tower runs at its peak.
Let’s find out what needs to go on your maintenance checklist.
1. Perform Regular Inspections and Servicing
Regular inspections are the foundation of a practical cooling tower maintenance plan. Start with daily inspections, which involve reviewing water levels and irregular temperature changes to find any small issues before they can turn into major problems.
While every day inspections are a good idea, they may not always be a practical approach. If you can’t perform everyday inspections, plan for weekly or monthly checks. During your monthly checks, take a closer look at fans, motors, and pumps for potential damages. This is also an excellent opportunity to check the water quality and clean out debris (if any).
However, DIY inspections and servicing can go only so far. At least once a year, hire a professional cooling tower service provider to fine tune your entire system. They can take a closer look at every part and ensure everything is in top shape.
2. Don’t Forget About Water Treatment
Water quality makes a big difference in how effective your cooling tower is. If you don’t treat the water right, you’re asking for trouble—scale buildup, rust, and bacteria can wreak havoc on your system. That’s why water treatment should be a part of your cooling tower’s operation and maintenance.
The best way to prevent your water quality from going down is chemical treatment, which involves using:
- Biocides to stop bacteria and algae from spreading.
- Corrosion inhibitors to protect metal parts from rust.
- Scale inhibitors to prevent mineral deposits from clogging your system.
Another important thing to keep in mind is filtration. Your filtration system can fall victim to physical damage, corrosion, and biofilm. However, regular chemical treatment can help you keep it running smoothly.
3. Routine Cleaning is a Must
A dirty cooling tower leads to performance issues at best and serious health problems at worst. When dirt, debris, and mineral buildup start collecting, your system works harder, driving up energy costs and increasing the risk of breakdowns. If left unchecked, bacteria like Legionella can thrive in this dirty system, putting everyone at risk.
This means regular cleaning also must be a part of your cooling tower maintenance. Most industrial cooling tower manufacturers in the US recommend a cleaning schedule for their systems. It’s better to stick to this timetable. If not, you can speak with a professional and create your own schedule depending on current state, size, and usage.
If you’re taking the DIY route, clean out the basin and fill media first. You might find yourself dealing with a huge amount of sludge and scale, if you haven’t cleaned your system in a while. While cleaning the system, find out if there is any water loss and how you can prevent it from jeopardizing the system’s efficiency.
4. Extend the Life of Your Equipment
Regular cooling tower maintenance is the best way to keep the mechanical parts in your system running smoothly and avoid expensive breakdowns. Fans, motors, belts, and pumps need routine attention to ensure everything works as expected.
During your preventive maintenance, check for lubrication. Lubrication is a must for bearings and motors since it reduces wear and extends their lifespan. Similarly, belts should have the right tension to keep the fan operating efficiently, and pumps need to be checked for overheating and water flow issues.
5. Adjust to Seasonal Changes
Your cooling tower needs to perform efficiently year-round, but without proper planning and maintenance, that’s not always guaranteed. A cooling tower maintenance checklist helps you stay ahead of seasonal challenges.
The greater tri-state area gets varying climates throughout the year, including cold winters and hot summers. In summer, excessive evaporation can lower water levels in your tower faster than expected, so keep an eye on them. Maintain a fresh supply of feedwater to keep levels from running low.
In winters, the risk of frozen pipes and ice buildup increases, which can put stress on your system and lead to damage. Insulate pipes and use antifreeze to protect them and other parts from freezing. Optimizing your cooling towers for seasonal climate changes will help you prevent unplanned downtimes and costly repairs.
Listen to Your Cooling Tower
Whether it’s an unusual sound or an inability to keep temperatures in check, your cooling tower might be trying to tell you something. If your system continues to struggle, like inconsistent cooling or a sudden spike in your energy costs, you should have it checked.
Typically, you can handle some cooling tower operation and maintenance tasks in-house, but a professional can catch issues untrained eyes might miss. If you see any of these signs, call a cooling tower maintenance company immediately:
- Unusual Noises: Loud rattling, grinding, or vibrations signal mechanical issues.
- Reduced Cooling Efficiency: Rising temperatures or poor heat transfer indicate scaling or clogging.
- Visible Scale or Rust: Mineral buildup and corrosion weaken components and reduce performance.
- Unpleasant Odors: Musty or foul smells suggest bacterial growth, including Legionella risk.
- Leaks or Water Loss: Unexpected water loss points to drift eliminator issues or system leaks.
To Sum It Up
Taking care of your cooling tower goes beyond simply avoiding breakdowns. Regular checkups, proper water treatment, and seasonal adjustments help prevent bigger (and more expensive) problems you and your cooling water might have to deal with. Whether you handle maintenance in-house or bring in professionals, staying consistent is what matters most.
If you need a hand with cooling tower maintenance in the greater tri-state area, Pinnacle CTS is ready to help. We also offer on-call, 24/7 emergency service. Call us at 732-570-9392 or Reach out today to schedule an inspection!
