In recent years, we’ve seen a growing emphasis on reducing waste in both residential and commercial settings. There’s heavy discussion around the impact of buildings’ energy use and carbon waste – but those aren’t the only areas that could use some improvement.
Water conservation is a crucial element to consider as we move toward more sustainable, efficient industrial environments. Many of the biggest manufacturing and industrial corporations have the largest water footprints, potentially mismanaging millions of gallons of water.
Under the scrutiny of increasingly strict environmental regulations (and the public eye), most facilities are looking for ways to prioritize their water management. One of the key elements many assess is their cooling tower efficiency levels.
A poorly functioning or outdated cooling tower system can waste enormous amounts of water, energy, and money. Let’s take a look at the effects of poor cooling tower efficiency, and how a team like Pinnacle CTS remedies them (and saves your organization money).
Cooling Equipment Can Consume a Lot of Water
Commercial and industrial facilities use a tremendous amount of water, especially when it comes to cooling. There are more than two million cooling towers in the United States alone, and even just one small (inefficient) tower can bleed an excess of over a million gallons of water.
Cooling towers dissipate heat by recirculating the water used in air conditioners and industrial processes. As a result, they consume multiple gallons of water per minute while dumping water through forced bleed-off. A traditional cooling tower can consume upwards of two gallons per minute, but an inefficient tower could consume and waste far more.
The key to preventing water waste from cooling equipment lies in preventative maintenance, proper cleaning, and regular updates. When facilities stay on top of these, they are able to better protect their equipment and create a more sustainable environment.
If facilities fail to keep up with cooling equipment care, they could be wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars on excessive or inefficient water usage – and that doesn’t benefit the planet or the company’s budget.
Controlling Scale and Corrosion in Cooling Water Systems
As a cooling tower evaporates water, it leaves behind a concentration of dissolved solids including mineral deposits, as well as other chemicals used in industrial processes. This is known as scale and appears as a chalk-like substance built up within the cooling tower.
These scale buildups dramatically impact cooling tower efficiency, restricting the water flow and therefore increasing overall water consumption. If the deposits reach a certain threshold, they can also bleed into the system, causing serious corrosion and health risks for workers, including the potential spread of Legionella.
Furthermore, inefficiencies caused by scale buildups can cost organizations thousands in increased energy consumption and water waste. It also puts many organizations at the risk of incurring fines for non-compliance with state, federal, or industry-based environmental regulations.
To protect workers and to ensure water cooling equipment isn’t wasteful, facilities need to control these scale deposits. This can be achieved through the use of chemical additives, but it’s better to prevent heavy deposition in the first place by ensuring the tower operates at sub-saturation conditions.
Our team at Pinnacle CTS helps New Jersey facilities perform cooling tower preventative maintenance multiple times each year. Not only does this prevent harmful scale buildups, but it can also elongate the equipment’s lifespan and help with cooling tower efficiency.
Schedule a Cooling Tower Water Conservation Audit
Arguably the most effective way to avoid wasting money and water is to understand where the waste can occur. Although not as popular as energy audits, water audits can determine:
- Exactly how much water a cooling tower uses
- Where there are opportunities to use/waste less
- The extent of scale buildups or biofilm growth
- Opportunities for equipment upgrades
Water audits can be especially useful for companies with multiple facilities. A team of utility professionals can help compare and contrast the performance between buildings, which may then influence the process of upgrades and refittings as necessary.
A full system audit can also help you understand if your cooling tower is actually the right size for your facility’s needs and usage. Many companies are dealing with systems that are too large, which results in scaling and additional waste. At the same time, there are facilities that use too-small systems that shut down when they run out of water.
At Pinnacle CTS, we perform cooling tower system audits throughout the state of New Jersey. Our goal is to help corporations in a wide range of fields (manufacturing, food processing, mechanics, and more) maintain safer, more efficient work environments.
If you want to understand more about how your cooling system uses (and loses) water, contact us to schedule an audit. We know the exact cooling tower efficiency formula to ensure you’re avoiding monetary and material waste.
Find the Most Efficient Cooling Towers and Services
Audits aren’t the only way to minimize water waste. Fortunately, cooling tower equipment has evolved substantially within the past decade to offer better water management solutions and monetary savings.
Depending on the types of cooling towers at your facility, you could have the opportunity to implement several field upgrades that extend the life of your towers and help them operate more efficiently. For instance, our team has removed helped facilities switch from galvanized steel to stainless steel, which lasts longer and is less susceptible to corrosive “white rust.”
We have also performed internal mechanical upgrades, added protective barrier coatings, and installed drift separators to prevent the spread of diseases within the water. In some cases, we’ve worked with cooling tower facilities to optimize for the chance to recycle water wherever possible.
At the end of the day, we make updates that promote smart water-cooling tower efficiency and savings for your wallet. To learn what field upgrades your system may be eligible for, speak with a Pinnacle CTS representative. It’s never too early to start thinking about ways to create a high-efficiency cooling tower system that benefits you and the environment.
About Pinnacle CTS
We’re firm believers that a facility can only be as efficient as its equipment – and that there’s always room for improvement when it comes to water and energy conservation. Cooling tower systems are a crucial part of many industrial and manufacturing processes, but it’s crucial that we all do our parts to ensure they minimize waste and promote safe, sustainable workplaces.
The Pinnacle CTS team serves cities throughout New Jersey, as well as the NYC area. As a mechanical contracting company, we specialize in the preventative maintenance, installation, repair, and upgrades of all makes and models of cooling towers.
Contact us
If you have questions on how to improve cooling tower efficiency and waste less water, don’t hesitate to reach out. We have factory-trained mechanics and technicians on-call, ready to help you improve your cooling equipment setup. Call 732-570-9392 or send us a message online.
