The normal operation of a cooling tower provides an ideal environment for the growth and incubation of many organisms, including the Legionella bacteria. Periods of non-use (winter lay-up) exacerbate the problem. Although a consistent biocide program can reduce the potential for this, it is still the best management practice to clean a cooling tower at least twice a year. This cleaning and disinfection will provide a good method of reducing risk and liability associated with the potential of Legionella. This is even more important for nursing homes and hospitals where patients are more susceptible to infection.
According to The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Technical Manual, all cooling towers should be thoroughly disinfected at a minimum of twice per year. At Clarity, we not only treat your towers to prevent corrosion and harmful bacteria like Legionella, but we also can manually clean and disinfect them as well. In fact, many of our clients have this service as part of their contract. The following paragraphs describe the general cleaning process.
“Cooling towers should be cleaned and disinfected at least twice a year. Normally this maintenance will be performed before initial start-up at the beginning of the cooling season and after shutdown in the fall.”
- the OSHA Technical Manual – Section III: Chapter 7
Cooling Tower Fan Housing Cleaning and Maintenance
The fan housing should be carefully scrubbed and disinfected. This is a common problem area; chemical treatment cannot always prevent bacteria from getting a strong hold in these areas. Vapors from the air cause condensation to form and biological growth can be difficult to remove with traditional on-line treatment programs. Your Tower Hygiene Team will clean and disinfect this area in an effort to prevent the spread of airborne pathogens and minimize the risk of corrosion.
Cooling Tower Basin Cleaning and Maintenance
Tower basins should be cleaned and disinfected as well. These large volume areas are extremely critical as they see a large amount of the cooling water. This area pools and allows bacteria to grow. This water is also tempered, oxygen rich and provides a great breeding ground for biological activity. Cleaning, disinfecting and adding the proper chemicals to the end or start up of your cooling season can only enhance your overall water treatment program.
Cooling Tower Distribution Pan Cleaning and Maintenance
These areas can sometimes become clogged with debris that is not removed from the system through normal filtration. All distribution pans should be opened and cleaned providing increased water flow. Reduction in flow from clogged distributors can reduce the tower ability to cool water tremendously. Left untreated, this can cause major increases in energy usage.
Pricing and Costs associated with Cooling Tower Cleaning
Tower Hygiene pricing is based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, the size of the tower cells, how many cells, the location of the towers, and their overall condition.
