It is imperative that you perform regularly scheduled, annual inspections of your cooling tower. There are several critical
factors that effect both the structural integrity as well as the proper performance. Not inspecting your tower is no different than
buying a brand new Mercedes and never changing the oil or rotating the tires. Below are several key areas that need to be
inspected and why.
The first reason you want to perform and inspection annually is to identify any structural issues. Poor structural integrity is the
number one reason that towers collapse. There have been several already this year and you do not want your company to
join the statistic.
The second reason is to insure OSHA compliance. There are several components on a cooling tower that can become loose
or fail within a years time. Safety is our number one priority and I am sure that it is yours and your companies' as well.
The next reason would be for mechanical equipment reliability. The mechanical equipment runs 75 - 100% of the time in the
plants that we visit and any downtime can cost your company a great deal of money. We actually recommend inspecting your
mechanical equipment twice a year. Once prior to the hot summer months which requires the cooling tower to operate at
100% load constantly and once after the summer to insure the components did not wear out prior to running through the mild
winter. It is a small cost to maintain versus the potential loss.
The final two areas that need to be inspected have to do with the performance of the tower. Since the only way a tower will
operate at full capacity is to have the maximum amount of airflow and water distribution, these two areas will be examined. The
airflow will be checked by adjusting the fan blade pitch, checking for holes or gaps, and making sure the fill and drift eliminators
are securely in place and not plugged. For the water distribution in a counterflow tower, make sure that the header, laterals,
and nozzles are free of debris and that the nozzles are functioning properly. In a crossflow tower, the valves, splash boxes,
and nozzles need to be free from defect and functioning properly. The curbs need to be sealed, free from rot or cracks, and
the water level needs to be checked/adjusted. All of these items need to be checked annually to be sure that the tower is
performing at capacity.
As you can see, these are all critical items to ensure the safe and efficient operation of your tower. There is usually no cost for
you to find out where you may have issues. Let a qualified cooling tower company help you budget for the coming years. If
you have any questions, feel free to contact us anytime.
factors that effect both the structural integrity as well as the proper performance. Not inspecting your tower is no different than
buying a brand new Mercedes and never changing the oil or rotating the tires. Below are several key areas that need to be
inspected and why.
The first reason you want to perform and inspection annually is to identify any structural issues. Poor structural integrity is the
number one reason that towers collapse. There have been several already this year and you do not want your company to
join the statistic.
The second reason is to insure OSHA compliance. There are several components on a cooling tower that can become loose
or fail within a years time. Safety is our number one priority and I am sure that it is yours and your companies' as well.
The next reason would be for mechanical equipment reliability. The mechanical equipment runs 75 - 100% of the time in the
plants that we visit and any downtime can cost your company a great deal of money. We actually recommend inspecting your
mechanical equipment twice a year. Once prior to the hot summer months which requires the cooling tower to operate at
100% load constantly and once after the summer to insure the components did not wear out prior to running through the mild
winter. It is a small cost to maintain versus the potential loss.
The final two areas that need to be inspected have to do with the performance of the tower. Since the only way a tower will
operate at full capacity is to have the maximum amount of airflow and water distribution, these two areas will be examined. The
airflow will be checked by adjusting the fan blade pitch, checking for holes or gaps, and making sure the fill and drift eliminators
are securely in place and not plugged. For the water distribution in a counterflow tower, make sure that the header, laterals,
and nozzles are free of debris and that the nozzles are functioning properly. In a crossflow tower, the valves, splash boxes,
and nozzles need to be free from defect and functioning properly. The curbs need to be sealed, free from rot or cracks, and
the water level needs to be checked/adjusted. All of these items need to be checked annually to be sure that the tower is
performing at capacity.
As you can see, these are all critical items to ensure the safe and efficient operation of your tower. There is usually no cost for
you to find out where you may have issues. Let a qualified cooling tower company help you budget for the coming years. If
you have any questions, feel free to contact us anytime.
|
| Headquarters: 1310 West Main Street La Porte, TX 77571 (office) 281-484-2665 (fax) 281-484-2371 |
| (C) 2010 Cooling Towers of Texas, All rights reserved. |
| ARTICLES |