Maintenance Tips for Your Cooling Tower

Maintenance of your cooling tower is key to ensuring that it functions optimally. Since cooling towers are usually kept or installed in out-of-sight areas such as on rooftops, you can easily neglect maintaining them, which can reduce the cooling efficiency of your cooling tower. To avoid this, act on the following cooling tower maintenance tips.

Preventive Maintenance Schedule/Programme

Your preventive maintenance schedules should include regular inspection of the tower, periodic treatment of the water, and maintenance of the electrical and mechanical systems of the cooling tower. Schedule monthly inspections of the starter contacts and coils, lubrication of the moving parts as required, and the condition of the belts, couplings, and pulleys. Inspect for corrosion and leaks at least monthly or quarterly.

Consider scheduling annual replacement of the belts to ensure that the fan continues functioning optimally.  Check the insulation of the motor yearly as well and remember to have the cooling tower inspected monthly for excessive vibrations. Some of the signs of excessive vibrations fan blades that are out of balance and worn out bearings.

Effective Water Treatment

Routine treatment of the water is important because it eliminates biofilm and harmful bacteria. Effective water treatment will also help control corrosion, build-up of scale, and solids. One of the best ways to ensure effective water treatment is to implement regular chemical treatment programs to control biological organisms, corrosion, and scale.

Enhance the Performance of the Pump

Some types of cooling towers, such as the closed-loop type, use a pump to facilitate the flow of water that is needed for evaporative cooling. Effective operation of the pump will ensure proper flow of water, which is necessary to attain maximum heat transfer. Therefore, to enhance the performance of the cooling tower pump, take care of things such as excessive vibrations, failing bearings, loose connections, and clogged strainers.

Improve the Flow of Air

Poor flow of air can reduce the efficiency of your cooling tower by reducing the transfer of heat. Poor airflow may also cause failure of the fan or motor. For this reason, in order to improve the flow of air in your cooling tower, you need to fix anything that can affect the smooth flow of air. Some of the things that can cause poor airflow include excessive vibrations, clogged inlets and outlets, and loose motor and fan mountings among others.

Effective maintenance of your cooling tower helps to extend its service life and prevent regular failure of the machine. Visit Breezewater Pty Ltd for more information.