COOLING TOWER PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

When it comes to cooling towers, one of the most important things when it comes to extending their life cycle is preventive maintenance. Like anything else, you want to perform cooling tower maintenance at least once per year, but in many cases, it’s a good idea to ensure your towers get regular maintenance at least twice a year for maximum efficiency and to elongate their life.

What Is Preventive Maintenance and How to Do it Effectively on Cooling Towers?

No matter what type of cooling tower you have, the water that circulates inside the cooling tower must always be kept clean. Bacteria, such as Legionella, can grow over time. If breathed in, this type of bacteria can cause serious health problems. When it comes to cooling tower preventive maintenance, it’s not just to extend the life of the tower or to promote efficiency—it’s also to ensure that everyone who works near or in the vicinity of the cooling tower remains healthy and isn’t breathing in contaminated air.

When it comes to maintenance, technicians will typically look at several key areas as they perform maintenance:

• Cleaning of all of the motors, fans, and pumps
• Lubrication of all of the motors, fans, and pumps
• Visual inspection of all of the components

These are very general maintenance tips; a cooling tower ideally should be visually inspected at least once per day. Weekly, the belts, pulleys, and screens should be tested, as well as the water quality. Maintenance technicians should also look for any excessive vibration within the unit. Some professionals recommend the installation of a sensor system that is integrated with a computer system. This way, if there is an immediate issue with your cooling tower, you’re notified immediately, instead of waiting for the next routine maintenance checkup.

There are also more detailed maintenance items that can be performed on a weekly or monthly basis, depending on your schedule:

• Clean all debris from the strainers to ensure that any excess materials or dirt aren’t interfering with the operation of the cooling tower.
• Look for scale buildup over the fill coil section as well as dry areas. If it’s not fully wet as it should be, look at the nozzles for cracks or tears.
• Adjust the bleed rate for local water quality regulations
• Fix tension problems on the belt to ensure belt drive performance is at its peak.
• Lubricate fan shaft bearings (at least once every three months).

If you would like more information on how to maintain your cooling towers or would like an estimate for cooling tower preventive maintenance in NJ, contact us today at 732-570-9392 to learn how we can help your cooling towers perform more efficiently.