Cooling towers are an essential component of many industrial systems, and their failure could mean catastrophic results, both financially and in terms of personnel safety. Because of that, regular cooling tower maintenance is extremely important.
Below are 5 cooling tower maintenance tips to ensure that your cooling tower is always operating at its best.
1. Clean Related Heat Exchanger Tubes
Heat exchangers play a critical role with cooling towers in the overall cooling process. The system continuously cycles water from heat exchangers to cooling towers, then back to heat exchangers in a loop. That means that any debris in your heat exchanger tubes is being pushed through the cooling tower and back again, causing problems and inefficiency in the entire cooling process.
Regular cleaning of your heat exchanger’s tubes is a great place to start with cooling tower maintenance and will keep debris buildups to a minimum, saving you time and money in the long run by preventing costly breakdowns of your system.
2. Treat the Water
Perhaps the most vulnerable component of your cooling tower is the water itself. Water quality can cause fouling throughout the rest of the system, reducing efficiency and damaging components. Investing in regular water treatment can prevent major scum and scale buildup, as well as deter an accumulation of bacteria and biological buildup. It’s recommended to have a full-time water chemist or chemistry company test and analyze the water frequently and make adjustments to this water chemistry in order to successfully maintain water quality and avoid scale and biological build-up.
3. Cooling Tower Maintenance: Maintain Proper Airflow
If your air temperature reads higher than normal or if your cooling tower’s fans are acting up, you probably have an airflow problem. These problems can happen because of improper fan alignment or damage to fan blades, loose components, or improper gearbox maintenance.
Of course, proper fan maintenance can help prevent airflow problems. That means checking your blades and cleaning dirt buildup at least annually, lubricating bearings and checking drive couplings, pulleys and belts quarterly, and checking fan alignment, balance, and security to the shaft once a year.
4. Maintain Your Motors
If the motor in your cooling tower fails, it can mean a whole world of trouble. Not only is motor replacement extremely costly, but it’s a real pain to install as well. Motors are extremely heavy and require hoisting and difficult maneuvering.
Regular motor maintenance will save you a lot of major headaches and is well worth the effort. That means quarterly starter coil and contact inspections, regularly measuring operating current and voltages against the guidelines found on the motor nameplate, and checking for excessive vibration which might cause worn out bearings and imbalanced fan blades. On top of that, you should annually check the insulation of the motor, examine the motor mount’s resiliency, and tighten all of the electrical connections.
5. Use a Cooling Tower Biocide
Micro-biologically influenced corrosion is a constant threat to your cooling tower. Bacteria can form a biofilm
along the inside of your machine, eating away at materials and causing all sorts of problems including flow disturbances and component malfunctions.
There is also the possibility of the bacteria called Legionella building up in your system. Legionella causes Legionnaire’s Disease and Pontiac Fever, presenting a major health and safety concern for your operators that could even lead to death. Disinfecting your system and cleaning it of bacterial presence isn’t just an operational concern. It could save lives.
For all your cooling tower cleaning and maintenance needs, Projectile Tube Cleaning is ready to serve you. Contact us today and find out how we can help!
