Cooling Tower Maintenance And Cleaning: Hire Skilled Professionals For These Important Jobs

By Author: Maude Lizotte
Total Articles: 1
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A top-level cooling tower maintenance company must be thoroughly familiar with the operation of both direct/open towers and indirect/closed towers. The company should be experienced in working with and following the maintenance specifications of whatever plant and operation-type it’s serving. Finally, it must follow exacting standards and be committed to an excellent finished product with the goal of increased performance and lowered operating costs.

Cooling tower clearing and maintenance typically include the following services:

Fill sheet repair and replacement
Handrail and ladder inspection
Mechanical fan service
Structural repairs
High-pressure cleaning of unwanted biological debris
De-watering of basin sludge
Nozzle inspection and replacement
Concrete and steel coating prep and repair

Regular cooling tower maintenance brings an important benefit to any plant: reduced downtime. It’s just like with your car – mechanics and dealers will tell you that following a comprehensive maintenance schedule will add years of life to your vehicle. ...
... It will also reduce the downtime when your car is in the shop, having repair work done that could have been avoided.

The time (and cost) required to perform maintenance on a cooling tower is negligible when compared with the time it can take to perform extensive repairs. Cooling tower cleaning and maintenance is one of the simplest ways to bring down the costs of operating this piece of equipment. When a tower is inoperable and undergoing repairs, nothing is getting done, and no revenue is being generated.

When plant management is preparing to contract with a service company, they should seek one that provides comprehensive cooling tower cleaning and maintenance schedules for a variety of cooling tower types. This company must have the ability to implement and execute its tasks in strict accordance with regulations and their client’s specific mandates.

A critical element in servicing cooling towers is the high-pressure washing of undesirable biological debris. Also called “hydrolazing” or “water blasting,” this cleaning is a lot more than what we commonly think of as pressure washing. The water flows at a rate of up to 40k PSI, making it the safest way to clean a cooling tower while allowing its structural integrity to remain intact.

A final element of this service work is safety. Cooling tower maintenance companies are trained to spot any structural malfunction or damage that could result in an injury to a worker. If the company’s technicians aren’t expert in this investigation, it’s probably not the right company for you.

It’s clear that the maintenance and cleaning of cooling towers is a complex discipline that demands service personnel have extensive training and field experience. By hiring a good firm, a plant will save money, perform more efficiently and increase the safety of its workers.

Maude Lizotte is a freelance writer for The Merrick Group Inc., providers of high pressure waterblasting and cooling tower maintenance services in and around West Hazleton, Penn. Interested in finding out more about The Merrick Group? Visit our website today for more information.