Cooling towers keep temperatures in check for everything from hospitals and office complexes to industrial plants. But when they aren’t working properly, you’ll notice signs like higher energy bills, strange noises, or unexpected shutdowns.
Typical signs, such as slight vibrations, dripping water, or unusual odors, tell you that trouble is brewing. Ignoring these signals can mean worse problems, higher costs, and more risk to your operation. Routine cooling tower maintenance helps find problems early and prevents costly failures.
In this post, we’ll discuss the warning signs that your cooling tower needs urgent attention, plus what steps to take before those small problems turn into full-blown failures.
Let’s get started:
If your energy usage keeps going up month after month and nothing else in the building has changed, your cooling tower might be the cause. When these systems aren’t cared for, they lose efficiency, forcing your chillers and HVACs to work overtime to maintain the temperature.
When minerals like calcium collect on the fill media or heat exchange surfaces, your system has to use more energy to do the same job.
These block the proper flow of water and air through the tower, lowering heat rejection and efficiency.
Restricted airflow from dirty louvers or malfunctioning fans means your system can’t “breathe,” making it work overtime to move air.
Schedule a professional cooling tower maintenance to pinpoint the problem. A combination of cleaning, descaling, and repairing or replacing worn parts can restore your system’s performance and help lower your monthly costs.
If you hear grinding, banging, screeching, or any strange mechanical sounds, there’s a good chance something’s broken or wearing out. Problems like these can end up with a much bigger, costlier repair.
Bearings about to fail often make grinding or squealing noises when the fan speeds change.
A slipping belt or a busted coupling can cause slapping, banging, or loud knocking while the unit runs.
Wobbly or bent blades throw the whole system off, causing loud vibrations and extra wear on the motor and supports.
These noises are typically your first sign of mechanical trouble, and they can seriously damage your cooling tower or even make the tower unsafe for anyone nearby. Bring in a qualified technician right away. A fix now can help you avoid a full-blown breakdown or the cost of replacing the whole system.
At first, rust spots or small leaks might look harmless, but they’re signs of bigger problems. Corrosion can damage metal basins and pipes, and even cause leaks or water contamination. If you put off cooling tower services, you risk serious safety issues soon.
Bad water chemistry makes corrosion happen faster on metal parts inside your tower.
Water collecting anywhere it shouldn’t, like in trays or basins, leads to rust and can even let mold grow.
If sealants break down and you skip maintenance, metal surfaces end up exposed, so rust forms much faster.
Corrosion can damage your cooling tower and make it unsafe for anyone nearby. Call for professional cooling tower maintenance and services to find the source and make repairs before things get worse.
If your cooling tower keeps setting off alarms, flashing warning lights, or shutting down out of the blue, it’s a real warning sign. Your building automation system is trying to get your attention before you end up with equipment damage.
Overworked or failing motors can trip shutdowns to stop burnout or possible fire.
If water isn’t cooling properly, your tower might be struggling with heat because of scale, clogged fill, or not enough airflow.
Blocked pipes, stuck valves, or low water levels can trigger low-flow alarms and even force the system to shut down.
Bad sensors can confuse your system, shutting it down for no reason, or worse, hiding real problems until there’s major trouble.
Even if your system resets itself and starts back up, repeated alarms and shutdowns put extra stress on all your components. Letting this go on leaves you at risk for early failure of expensive parts and surprise breakdowns. If alarms keep happening, it’s time to call a technician for cooling tower services.
Algae and mold love warm, damp areas, so if you skip regular cooling tower maintenance, your tower becomes an easy target for these growths to take over. Once you see it, you can bet the problem is spreading fast.
When algae clogs louvers, fills, or screens, your tower can’t draw in enough air, so the whole system has to work overtime and cool less efficiently.
That wet slime around the tower makes paths dangerous. Just one slip can mean an injury.
Mold and algae send spores into the air, especially in open systems. These particles can irritate the breathing or trigger allergies.
Standing water and biological mess attract bugs, birds, and even rodents. Then you’re stuck dealing with droppings, chewed wires, or nests in your equipment.
Clean your tower regularly and keep up with water treatments to keep algae and mold in check. If you already see visible growth, consult a cooling tower services expert for a deep clean and have your tower’s water tested right away.
Cooling towers might be easy to forget about, but ignoring them can be costly for you. Next time you go by yours, pay attention, look for leaks, listen for strange noises, and check your utility bills. And if you notice something unusual, call for professional cooling tower services right away.
Supriyo Khan
Supriyo Khan
Supriyo Khan
Supriyo Khan
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