How to enhance cooling tower water efficiency?

Water is an important component of responsible facility management. It is critical to know how water is being used inside a building. Restrooms and irrigation systems are some of the most water-intensive systems. Cooling towers also require a large amount of water to run efficiently.

For those unfamiliar with the term ‘cooling towers’, here’s what they do. Cooling towers are heat exchangers that are specifically designed to reject heat from a system using the power of evaporation. To get the job done efficiently, cooling towers use a fair amount of water to get the job done. Cooling towers come in various sizes – from large ones installed at power stations to smaller rooftop machines that are responsible for facilitating central HVAC systems.

If you are looking to enhance the water efficiency of your cooling tower, here are some tips.

• Just like any facility system, cooling towers require regular maintenance and monitoring.
• It is important to inspect cooling towers for leaks and malfunctioning valves on a regular basis.
• Installing flow meters on make-up and bleed-off lines.
• Reading meters regularly and keeping a log of make-up and bleed-off quantities.

The best way to benchmark and monitor a facility’s water use is by installing a water meter data management device, such as a water signal. This helps in collecting data and monitoring any unexpected leaks. This will also help in measuring if any water is lost due to evaporation. It can also help qualify for cooling tower evaporation credits.