Whether you operate a nuclear power plant, a gas refinery operation, a petroleum processing operation, or otherwise, the cooling towers you have in use serve such a vital purpose. These industrial workhorses are designed to eradicate unwanted heat from either the atmosphere or water. Therefore, when one of your cooling towers is down for repairs, the failure can have a detrimental impact on your entire operation. 

Even though cooling towers seem like complex industrial equipment pieces, they do tend to have a simple internal makeup. Normally, when something goes wrong, you can easily pinpoint which cooling tower parts are likely faulty and need to be replaced. Here is a look at some of the most common issues with industrial cooling towers and the parts that may be required to make the necessary repairs.  

Problem: The cooling tower is refusing to turn on at all. 

Usually, if the system is not powering on at all, you are facing an issue with the primary drive motor. Depending on the size of the cooling tower in use, you could also have a series of drive motors; one may fail and the others may keep running. When this occurs, you will see a marked difference in the efficiency of the cooling action. Therefore, even the failure of one drive motor on your cooling tower should spur you to go ahead source the necessary cooling tower parts and replace the faulty unit. 

Problem: Water is accumulating inside the tower instead of draining as it should. 

When water accumulates inside the cooling tower through the condensing action, the cooling tower's float valve should rise and trigger the drainage port to release the excess water. If you are having issues with rapid water accumulation and no dispelling of water through the drain lines, you likely need new float valves in the base of the tower. 

Problem: You are not getting a proper air-water ratio inside the tower. 

The air-to-water ratio inside of the cooling tower is directly responsible for the cooling capabilities of the tower. if you notice you are not getting enough water in the cooling tower for proper cooling, you should check on your water inlet valves. These valves are designed to kick on and deliver water as the system needs it, but occasionally, the inlet valves fail and will need to be replaced. Check with the manufacturer to track down the proper cooling tower parts numbers for the inlet valves, and reach out to a supplier for help. 

For more information, contact a local cooling tower parts supplier.