Cooling Tower Problems & Solutions | ChemREADY

What Is a Cooling Tower?

A cooling tower is a powerful heat exchanger designed to regulate temperatures for various industrial processes. Unfortunately, these vital systems can face numerous issues—especially when maintenance is neglected. Without proper care and water treatment, cooling towers may become damaged, less efficient at heat exchange, and more prone to downtime and costly repairs.

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With consistent maintenance and effective water treatment, you can keep operations running smoothly, cut costs, and maintain high cooling efficiency.

Common Cooling Tower Problems & Solutions

Cooling towers face a range of challenges, many of which are interconnected. When left unresolved, these issues can compound, creating a cycle of performance losses and frequent maintenance headaches. Below are the top five problems you’re likely to encounter:

1. Biofilm and Fouling
   Over time, microbial deposits—like algae, fungi, and other contaminants—form a biofilm (slimy buildup) on heat transfer surfaces. This biofilm reduces heat exchange efficiency, clogs water and air flow, and can even weigh down tower components enough to break them. Mud or grime buildup can exacerbate the situation.

   Tip: Regular cleaning and proper biocide use help prevent biofilm and fouling.

2. Dirt Particles and Fine Particulate
   Cooling towers continuously accumulate dirt and other small particles. These particulates can clog tower packing, slowing heat transfer. Fine particles—especially those under 5 microns—are particularly troublesome because of their high surface area and difficulty to filter out.

   Tip: Use side stream filtration or other advanced filtration methods to remove fine particulates.

3. Scaling
   Scaling occurs when dissolved solids (like calcium sulfate or silica) exceed their solubility limits in water. High temperatures within cooling towers reduce solubility, leading to scale deposits on heat transfer surfaces and decreased cooling performance.

   Tip: Monitor water chemistry closely and use anti-scale agents to prevent buildup.
   [Learn more about the costs of scaling here!]

4. Corrosion
   Water with a high concentration of electrolytes can corrode metal components. Open, recirculating cooling towers exacerbate corrosion by constantly exposing water to air. Unstable pH levels further increase the risk.

   Tip: Maintain balanced water chemistry and treat the system with corrosion inhibitors.
   [Learn more about the costs of corrosion here!]

5. Foaming
   While less common, foaming can still disrupt cooling tower operations. Cascading water sometimes generates foam, which can overflow the sump or be blown out of the tower by the fans. The foam often contains microbiological contaminants, contributing to fouling.

   Tip: Address underlying water chemistry issues and use defoaming agents when necessary.
   [Learn more about the costs of foaming here!]

How Do You Maintain a Cooling Tower?

Filtration? Chemicals? Or Both?
Many cooling tower problems stem from or are made worse by ultra-fine particles in the water. These particulates interfere with biocides, promote fouling, and even accelerate corrosion by damaging equipment surfaces. As biofilm accumulates, heat transfer declines, driving up energy costs and risking equipment failure.

To combat these issues, combine chemical treatment (to control scale, corrosion, and biological growth) with filtration (to remove damaging particles). However, not all filters are created equal. High-efficiency side stream filtration units can remove particles down to 0.45 microns—outperforming conventional screen or disc filters that only handle particles around 10 microns or larger.

Benefits of High-Efficiency Side Stream Filtration:

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• Reduced water and energy consumption
• Lower maintenance costs
• Improved plant productivity and less downtime
• Better biological growth control

When filtration is paired with the right chemicals, you’ll maintain a cleaner, more efficient cooling tower system.

How ChemREADY Can Help

At ChemREADY, we specialize in optimizing cooling tower water treatment. Our particle analysis service pinpoints the exact filtration solutions you need, while our high-quality chemicals ensure the water is in prime condition before entering the filtration process.

We offer high-efficiency side stream filtration units that remove ultra-fine particles and keep your tower packing free of harmful deposits. You can choose from two base options:

• 70 GPM Unit for larger industrial systems
• 30 GPM Unit for smaller commercial applications

Our experts will guide you through selecting and installing the right filtration system and chemicals for your unique setup. With ChemREADY on your side, you can keep your cooling tower running efficiently, reduce costs, and extend the life of your equipment.

Why would you want to try to clean tower packing. Not only is it time consuming, but the packing gets brittle over time. Just throw it out. Re-core the tower, and be done with it.

Because I read about it in multiple places online. I don’t know. I’m just trying to get through this information as best I can, and then have it vetted and make changes as necessary. I’m having to learn all this as I go. It’s a slow painful process and my sources of information are limited.

No prob, Kenton. Learning is fun. Also, the key is your use of the word “excessive”. If a tower is fouling up annually, then that is excessive, and there’s a problem, and it’s not the fill. Cleaning fouled fill is meant to be a cheap alternative to get you through to the next budget cycle, and not a viable long term strategy if the goal is preserving the asset’s full, uninterrupted functionality for its full lifespan. I wouldn’t be caught dead recommending to a customer that he clean his 10 year old fill for the next ten years. Mitigate the problems (if there are any), and just replace it. Treat the water continuously, monitor performance, and anticipate re-coring the tower every 10 years.

My experience is with large commercial towers op to 300 tons. In this case we clean them every year with a pressure cleaner. Water treatment of the entire condenser water open loop is the most important factor. If the fills have heavy scale the odds are good the pipes and tubes have scale as well. Call a water treatment company and see if they can add a chemical that will reduce the scale and it will benefit the entire system.

My understanding is that some scaling isn’t unusual or much of a problem, but excessive accumulation of slime, sludge, or scaling is a problem, both in system operation and in possible health considerations, and can be a result of an inadequacy in the water treatment system, possibly caused by a change in water of some sort (or of water velocity) in well-established systems. But eventually, fill will need replacement, and that timeline would depend on a number of things.

Doesn’t seem like there’d be much wear to the structure, except for corrosion or decay due to proximity to water and excessive drift, but I guess anything exposed to moving water, like the pipes, basins, sump, spray nozzles, and all the mechanicals are all subject to wear.

Ok, yes, I’m still on the tower and have to address chillers yet. I have a section on water quality and read about the possibility of Legionnaires Disease. I guess Legionella in drift can get pulled into the building indoor air by downwind RTUs?