An adhesive manufacturer had a cooling tower that was in a sad state of structural disrepair and suffering from severe corrosion. Cooling towers are an integral part of a building's air cooling system. Most large buildings have them. They can be found in various sizes and shapes in universities, hospitals, factories, and other industrial and municipal buildings. After several years, cooling towers lose their efficiency because the water flowing through them will start to corrode the metal, build up mold and become stagnant in areas where it cannot run freely. The moist conditions also can lead to rust in the metal framework, and eventual structural instability. Building owners and managers do want to be wary of disrepair, because with the air filtrating throughout the building, bacteria buildup like legionella and mold can lead to health problems for the occupants. Additionally, an unstable frame can cause rust and debris to fall and be a risk. New cooling towers can cost upwards of $100,000 however, so getting the most out of the existing one makes good business sense. Pumpcoat has the solution.
Pumpcoat has been doing "life extensions" on cooling towers for a number of years with excellent results. With a proper inspection, they can determine the extent of the corrosion and structural damage. With the tower at the factory, they found several issues:
*The distribution trays had corroded in several places and were leaking.
* There was structural damage with the frame, and once the pan was removed, they found the crossbeam had corroded as well.
* The distribution tray covers that would normally keep debris out of the water were also missing.
* The louvers on the outside frame were rusty and not allowing proper air intake.
Pumpcoat cleaned, blasted and epoxy coated the trays. They did weld repairs to the internal cross beam and frame. They fabricated new metal distribution tray covers, and new outside louvers and replaced the existing ones. These repairs not only increased the efficiency of the unit and added several years to its usefulness, but also offered a significant cost savings over purchasing a new one.
If you have problems with your cooling tower or other facilities maintenance issues, please call Mike or Yvonne at Pumpcoat, 508-540-5878 to see how they can help you. Also visit us on the web: www.pumpcoat.com.