Be Ready for Fall with These Cooling Tower Layup Best Practices!
August 27, 2024
Shorter daylight hours, if not cooler temperatures, are a bittersweet signal that summer is almost over and cooling tower layup season is almost here. If you are a water treatment specialist or facility manager, we encourage you to be ready for a successful seasonal layup by following these three best practices from Cortec’s Certified Water Technologist, Scott Bryan.
1. Clean the System
According to Scott, “the cleaner the system is before you put your preservation product in, the more effective it can be because it’s not fighting with other things in that water.” He recommends physically cleaning out any “garbage” (i.e., solid materials) that may be in the cooling tower and circulating a non-oxidizing biocide before bleeding down the system and adding the Cooling Loop Gator® (for smaller towers) or VpCI®-649 (for systems >3,000 gal [11,356 L]).
2. Plan Ahead
Scott recommends having extra products on hand for winter warm spells when the cooling system may need to be turned back on for a few days. Since the cooling tower is often partially drained after corrosion inhibitors have been applied for layup, refilling the system for a warm spell means the concentration of inhibitors will drop. Having some extra Cooling Loop Gators on hand can help restore the proper concentration before the layup resumes. It is also helpful to stock enough Cooling Loop Crocs to provide a blast of corrosion inhibition during the warm spell or final seasonal startup when the normal chemical operating program is not yet in place.
3. Ensure Good Circulation
Having good corrosion inhibiting chemistry like the Gator, Croc, or VpCI®-649 will not be effective unless it is thoroughly distributed throughout the cooling tower. Scott says the best place to add these products is right in the center of the cooling tower basin where there is the most turbulence. This is especially true for Cooling Loop Gators and Crocs, which come in water-soluble bags that need to be added one at a time and allowed to dissolve. Since VpCI®-649 is a liquid, it can be poured into the cooling tower all at once but adding it to the turbulent center is still important for best circulation.
As much as we might want summer to stay, time keeps moving onward. Let’s make the most of this season’s layup by following best practices to keep cooling towers in peak condition during the off season. Contact Cortec® for more cooling tower layup support and a smoother startup next spring!
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