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  1. #1
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    Amonia cooling tower cleaning help



    Hey all,

    I have a newer amonia cooling tower, system has 160 gallons, and needs to be cleaned.

    A person from another facility is telling me to clean the tubes with a high power pressure washer? This does not seem like a good idea to me, I thought chemical put into the cooling tower to circulate is the best way, a pressure washer could puncture a tube plus you are only cleaning the top row of tubes, please advise, thanks.



  2. #2
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    Brian_UK is offline Moderator I am starting to push the Mods: of RE Site Moderator : and general nice guy
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    Re: Amonia cooling tower cleaning help

    If your tubes are that thin that a pressure washer will cut them then you need a new tower, that one is shot.
    Brian - Newton Abbot, Devon, UK
    Retired March 2015

  3. #3
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    Re: Amonia cooling tower cleaning help

    Normally for heavily fouled or scaled up towers you would use a combination of chemicals and mechanical cleaning methods. (In your case the pressure washer)

    Nevertheless, your best option is always to get a specialist in to advice you. Not only would he (or she) have plenty of experience but they would also know what the local legislation demands.


  4. #4
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    Re: Amonia cooling tower cleaning help

    It depends on your water. We have very good quality water in my area.
    I had a condenser that had a lot of what seemed like mud in it with scale on the tubes.
    The bleed had been shut off for some time. I opened the bleed up and the condenser was clean in a matter of a year or so.
    Note that not using chemicals and relying on a bleed to keep the cycles of concentration down may not work in areas with hard water.

  5. #5
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    Re: Amonia cooling tower cleaning help

    Hi FWB
    As suggested by Viking use a water treatment company. If you decide to use chemicals make sure they do not damage the galvanizing on the tubes. There is probably a Thread or two on this forum relating to cleaning the scale off condenser tubes. Try searching for these they could answer you questions.
    Regards
    Paul
    Born to fish, forced to work

  6. #6
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    Re: Amonia cooling tower cleaning help

    for cleaning of condenser with heavy fouled .

    1) clean condenser mechanical as much as you can
    2) use chemical dis-clear for second washing
    3) again clean condenser with mechanical and with high pressure water .
    be careful PH of water during second and third washing.
    in this method you save you condenser from using more damage it may comes from dis-clear .
    Last edited by mbc; 19-12-2014 at 12:40 PM.

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