Cooling tower fills play a significant role in the process of transferring heat. It also plays a part in keeping deadly bacteria from flourishing inside the cooling towers. Mineral, scale, and biological deposits on cooling tower fill can speedily become breeding grounds for deadly bacteria which becomes the cause of Legionella growth in your cooling systems. The reason behind this is the fact that these cooling towers are giant.
These giant air scrubbers can actually become a home for a variety of other debris. The scale build-up and mineral deposits on tower fill occur due to the natural evaporative action of towers. Even the most rigid water treatment struggles to keep the scale on halt and bacteria at bay.
What is the cooling tower fill?
Cooling tower fill is a medium that is used to increase the surface area of the cooling system. The widened surface area enables cooling towers for maximum contact between the water and the air; this allows for higher evaporation rates.
So the greatest heat transfer surface can be achieved by a cooling tower fill.
Types of Fills
While you replace your cooling tower fills, it is essential to have some basic knowledge of types of fills available. There are two common types of fill
- Splash fill: Splash fill is made of layers of horizontal bar or slats designed to interrupt the water and cause.
- Film fill: Film fill is made up of thin PVC sheets placed close together, creating a vast surface area allowing hot air to circulate and come into contact with the fill.
Reasons to replace fills
The benefits of replacing the cooling tower fills can be numerous. Replacing cooling tower fills at the right time can significantly impact the efficiency of your cooling tower system. The older fills get the lower its rate of heat transfer gets. The decline in the efficiency of cooling towers can be detrimental to other dependent systems.
Periodically replacing cooling tower fills lead to increased performance of the cooling systems, and this will be reciprocated to the dependent system as well. It also increases the lifespan of the cooling tower unit. So ultimately, replacing cooling tower fills at the right time will save maintenance cost and utility bills of the tower and will enable your cooling towers to give you maximum output.
Telltale signs that show your cooling tower fill need replacement.
You must be wondering how you can know when it is time to replace your cooling tower fill? So here are five telltale signs that show when your fill is worn out and needs to be replaced. Notice any of these signs in your cooling tower system know that it is time for a replacement.
- Calcium build-up
Makeup water consists of a lot of dissolved solids, including calcium. Calcium from hard water builds up in the fill, which results in causing blockages. The air and water cannot pass from the clogged fill restraining cooling tower from working efficiently.
In some cases, it is easy to clean up the fill, and if the build-up is severe, then you might have to replace the cooling tower fill.
- Warped or sagging fill packs
An old fill or the one with poor quality may warp from heat or sag with time. With warping and sagging of fill packs, you can expect that the incredibly uneven distribution of water. Replacing the fill is the best option in such situations as the warping and sagging of fill packs only occur when they have been damaged or gotten old.
- Increased consumption of energy
You can tell very clearly when the fill of your cooling tower is not doing its job correctly, and the water flows through the cooling tower does not get cooled. Henceforth, to work efficiently, it will have to consume more electricity. So in case, you notice your electricity bills to raise, your cooling tower fill might be the reason behind it.
- Uneven water distribution
Cooling towers are created with the purpose of maximizing the contact between the air and water running through them. If the distribution of water isn’t proper because of the clogged or damaged fill, then it dramatically affects the performance of the cooling tower. You might require a lot more energy to get the required cooling needed for your industrial application.
- Damaged support grids
Support grids hold the fill of your cooling tower in place. In case water damages the structure your fill will not perform optimally. This is also one of the causes of sagging and warping of fill packs. If you notice that your fill isn’t sitting where it should be, you can be sure it isn’t doing its job. Make sure that you invest in periodical maintenance of your cooling towers and keep the support grids up to par.
How to replace the cooling tower fills.
- Remove old or damaged fills and dispose of the material.
- Remove old fiberglass fill support
- Install the fill support grids and fill
- Install the from the bottom upwards, inside and outside following the support grid
If you do not possess the skills and knowledge required for the replacement of cooling tower fills then it is recommended to contact companies that specialize in the job of cooling tower fill installation, maintenance, cooling tower services, repair, and replacement.
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