Don’t sweat it! Beat the Heat and Treat Cooling Tower Water
When summer hits full stride, cooling towers become the frontline defense against the heat. Proper water treatment keeps your system clean, balanced, and performing at its best. From controlling scale and corrosion to managing biological growth, effective water treatment helps extend equipment life and reduce downtime.
Here’s how to keep your cooling tower running smoothly all summer long.
Biological Growth Thrives in Warm Water
Summer heat creates an ideal environment for algae, biofilm, and bacteria growth— including Legionella.
Cooling towers are under increased biological pressure when:
- Water temperature exceeds 85°F (29°C) — a common summer condition,
- Sunlight exposure promotes algae growth in open basins,
- Organic nutrients accumulate in the system due to airborne contaminants.
A robust biocide program, including both oxidizing and non-oxidizing agents, along with bio-dispersants and cleaning protocols, is essential to avoid microbial fouling and public health risks.
Reduced Cooling Efficiency = Higher Energy Costs
As the thermal load on your cooling tower rises, even minor inefficiencies are magnified. Scale just 0.02” thick on a heat exchange surface can reduce heat transfer efficiency by up to 10%. Combine that with biological fouling and mineral deposits, and suddenly your chiller plant is consuming significantly more energy to achieve the same cooling output.
Proper water treatment maintains:
- Higher cycles of concentration without scaling
- Cleaner heat exchange surfaces
- Stable heat rejection performance, even on 95°F+ summer days
This directly translates into lower kW/ton consumption, reduced compressor runtime, and long-term cost savings.
Increased Water Usage = Tighter Operational Margins
High ambient temperatures increase evaporative loss, which:
- Raises water demand for makeup water
- Concentrates dissolved solids faster
- Requires more frequent blowdown if water isn’t properly treated
By optimizing your treatment program, including precise conductivity control, anti-scalants, and automated feed systems, you can reduce both chemical waste and water usage — critical during the summer when municipal supplies may be limited or more expensive.
Summer Is When Systems Fail — Unless You’re Ahead of It
Most emergency service calls we receive happen in peak summer, and most are preventable.
Summer is when:
- Underserviced systems experience biofouling shutdowns
- Poor chemistry control leads to tower fill damage or chiller trips
- Fluctuating load profiles cause treatment programs to fall out of spec
Our clients that invest in proactive summer-readiness programs — including system audits, automation upgrades, and seasonal chemical adjustments — avoid these headaches entirely.
Stay Ahead of Summer With Proven Water Treatment Solutions
Summer heat isn’t a surprise — it’s an engineering challenge you can plan for. Your cooling tower needs a water treatment strategy built to handle peak seasonal demand with precision and reliability.
Whether you operate a manufacturing plant, data center, or healthcare facility, our team delivers:
- Customized chemical treatment plans
- On-site service and treatment
- Automation solutions for real-time monitoring and control
- Compliance with ASHRAE 188 and other guidelines and regulations.
Don’t wait for a heatwave to expose the weak points in your system. Contact us today and let’s optimize your cooling tower water treatment before the next 95°F day.