When To Replace Cooling Tower Fill?

When To Replace Cooling Tower Fill?

There are 5 many signs that your cooling tower fill needs to be replaced.  Read through this list to better understand what to watch for, and know when you need to call your local cooling tower maintenance company.

Damaged Support Grids

Support grids are the structure that holds your fill in place.  If water has degraded the structure, or there have been other types of damage your fill will not be performing correctly.  This can be a cause for fill packs to sag, warp, or simply fall out of place.  If your fill isn’t sitting where it should be, it isn’t doing its job.  Invest in your cooling tower maintenance and ensure that your support grids are up to par.

Calcium Buildup

Makeup water contains a lot of dissolved solids and one of them in calcium.  Calcium from hard water will build up in the fill causing blockages.  When your fill is clogged the air and water cannot pass through and the cooling tower will not work.  In some cases the fill can be cleaned, in others the buildup is severe enough to require cooling tower fill replacement.

Increased Energy Consumption

When fill isn’t doing its job properly the water flowing through the cooling tower isn’t getting cooled.  This means that to do the job the cooling tower is designed to do at your location it will take more electricity to do the same job.  While electricity prices to change if you’ve seen a marked increase in your bill you might check the cooling tower and the cooling tower fill.

Uneven Distribution of Water

All cooling towers are designed to maximize the contact between the water and air running through them.  When the water isn’t being distributed properly because the fill is damaged or clogged it dramatically impacts the performance of the cooling tower.  Much more energy will need to be used to get the necessary cooling needed for your industrial application or HVAC system.

Warped or Sagging Fill Packs

Poor quality or old fill may warp from heat or sag with age.  If this happens you can expect that there is incredibly uneven water distribution.  Replacement of fill is a great option in these cases as one of the common reason fill sags or warps is that it simply old or has been damaged.