• our story
  • our services
  • HSE
  • WHAT'S HAPPENING
  • FAQ
Logo
  • our story
    • Our History
    • Our Team
    • Our Partners
    • HSE
    • Case Studies
    • Testimonials
    • Training
  • our services
    • Indoor Environmental Solutions
    • Mechanical Services
    • Building Automation Services
    • Energy Services
    • Industrial Services
    • Rental Services
    • Markets Served
    • Hunton Engineered Products
    • Emergency Services
    • Special Projects
  • HSE
  • WHAT'S HAPPENING
  • FAQ
  • CAREERS
contact us
713-643-8336 contact us

BLOG

cooling towers
October 20, 2020

The Importance of Cooling Tower Cleaning & Maintenance

Cooling towers are a vital part of many commercial and industrial HVAC systems. However, when you hear about the importance of preventive maintenance programs, often, the narrative revolves around rooftop or package units. Unfortunately, as a result, cooling tower maintenance and cleaning is often completely neglected. This lack of proper maintenance, including regular cleaning and disinfection, can cause major issues that can significantly reduce the lifespan, reliability, and efficiency of the equipment. These consequences can result in serious financial impacts on your business and can even affect the health of those within and around your facility. That’s why we wanted to dive deeper into why it is a smart business investment to implement a proper cooling tower preventive maintenance program.

Health Hazards

During routine operation, cooling towers continuously scrub bacteria, dust, pollen, insects, and other debris from the air. Without a proper cleaning and disinfecting program in place, during periods of non-use such as winter months, the cooling tower becomes a breeding ground. The buildup of bacteria and debris along with stagnant equipment conditions combine to form an idea environment, assisting in the development of biofilms, or slime, which can infest an entire HVAC system. Due to the infestation of microorganisms, which biofilms are comprised of, a wide range of problems can ensue including clogged piping and reduced heat transfer efficiency, which we will discuss later, along with the development of Legionella bacteria that causes Legionnaires disease. When warm water from the system is cooled, vaporized, and released by the tower, that moist air can carry the Legionella bacteria far and wide. It is important to catch this process very early as removing biofilms can be a rigorous and costly process. They are very difficult to completely eliminate even when subjected to high levels of chlorine or other disinfectants. Because of all this, the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Technical Manual recommends cooling tower cleaning and chlorination should be performed a minimum of twice a year. More frequent cleanings may be required if an inspection shows the visible presence of microbiological growth or an excessive buildup of debris. Additionally, systems that have been out of service for an extended period should be cleaned and disinfected before startup to significantly reduce Legionella risks.

Energy Efficiency and Equipment Lifespan

If a cooling tower’s water is not cleaned regularly and in the correct fashion, studies have shown that the cooling tower’s efficiency can be reduced by as much as 40% – 50%. If not properly maintained, the bacteria, airborne dirt, and debris deposits collect and affix to different components of the cooling tower. This restricts air flow, forcing the fans and pumps to operate longer and harder to maintain the desired water temperatures. If water temperatures are allowed to increase by even as little as 2-3%, the return water from the tower will cause the chiller to work longer and harder. All these inefficiencies add up to take money out of your energy budget and can result in a loss of cooling effectiveness for your customers and your employees. Not only will the increased workload on the cooling tower’s components eat away at your bottom line from an energy standpoint, the chances for equipment failure increases, and the expected lifespan of the parts and entire unit decreases. While the process of cleaning and disinfecting a cooling tower can be arduous and labor intensive, the payback can be significant over time.   If you currently do not have routine maintenance performed on your cooling towers, contact Hunton Services.  Our in-house team of cooling tower experts offers a wide range of services.  With the number of cooling tower savvy technicians decreasing across the country and the risks involved with improper cleaning, we want to make sure you are getting the best service possible.

Call 713-643-8336 to schedule your commercial or industrial cooling tower maintenance today!

BlogCalendarNewsNewsletterPartnersUncategorized
commercial cooling towers commercial hvac cooling tower cleaning cooling tower maintenance cooling tower services energy efficiency industrial cooling towers preventative maintenance preventive maintenance

Related posts

no comments

No comments yet

  • Categories

    • Blog
    • Calendar
    • News
    • Newsletter
    • Partners
    • Uncategorized
  • Recent Posts

    • Hunton Services Celebrates National HVAC Tech Day 2025
      June 2, 2025
    • Two Safety Awards, One Memorable Night: Our ISTC Awards Debut!
      May 2, 2025
    • Energy Management Beyond the Meter: How to Engineer Lasting Efficiency in Your Central Plant
      May 1, 2025
    • 6 Essential Steps For Preventative Boiler Maintenance
      March 24, 2025
    • 7th Annual Cool Rides & Hot Rods Car Show
      February 28, 2025
  • Recent Comments

    • Archives

      • June 2025
      • May 2025
      • March 2025
      • February 2025
      • January 2025
      • December 2024
      • October 2024
      • August 2024
      • June 2024
      • April 2024
      • March 2024
      • February 2024
      • December 2023
      • August 2023
      • July 2023
      • June 2023
      • May 2023
      • December 2022
      • October 2022
      • September 2022
      • July 2022
      • June 2022
      • May 2022
      • April 2022
      • March 2022
      • February 2022
      • January 2022
      • November 2021
      • October 2021
      • August 2021
      • July 2021
      • June 2021
      • May 2021
      • April 2021
      • March 2021
      • February 2021
      • January 2021
      • December 2020
      • November 2020
      • October 2020
      • September 2020
      • August 2020
      • July 2020
      • June 2020
      • May 2020
      • April 2020
      • March 2020
      • February 2020
      • January 2020
      • December 2019
      • November 2019
      • January 2019
      • October 2018
      • September 2018
      • August 2018
      • February 2018
      • December 2017
      • November 2017
    © 2024 Hunton Group
    now hiring HOW CAN WE HELP? RENTALS Request Service
    713 643-8336
    Manage your privacy
    To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Statistics

    Marketing

    Features
    Always active

    Always active
    Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
    Manage options
    {title} {title} {title}