CF ChatterFix
Preventive Maintenance

Cooling Tower Water Treatment Check

A cooling tower is warm, wet, and aerated — ideal conditions for Legionella. Water treatment is therefore a public health control before it is a maintenance task, and it is also what protects the chiller from scale and corrosion that quietly destroy efficiency.

Interval Monthly
Est. Duration 1.0 hr
Steps 4
Applies To Facilities & Property Management, HVAC & Building Services Contractors

The Procedure

The steps ChatterFix schedules for this PM. Every step is a checkable item on the work order — a technician can speak their way through it without touching a keyboard.

  1. Test conductivity, pH, and biocide residual; log against limits
  2. Inspect fill, drift eliminators, and basin for fouling and sediment
  3. Verify bleed-off and make-up valve operation
  4. Confirm Legionella control measures per the site water management plan

Why This PM Exists

A cooling tower is warm, wet, and aerated — ideal conditions for Legionella. Water treatment is therefore a public health control before it is a maintenance task, and it is also what protects the chiller from scale and corrosion that quietly destroy efficiency.

What Skipping It Looks Like

Biological growth with genuine outbreak potential, scale that raises condenser approach temperature and chiller energy use, and corrosion damage that shortens the tower's life.

Setting the interval

Monthly at minimum for chemistry, with more frequent checks in warm weather. Follow your written water management plan — for many buildings ASHRAE 188 makes having one mandatory.

Equipment This Covers

Common Questions

How often should this PM run?
Monthly. Monthly at minimum for chemistry, with more frequent checks in warm weather. Follow your written water management plan — for many buildings ASHRAE 188 makes having one mandatory.
How long does it take?
Budget about 1.0 hour for a technician working to the standard procedure. ChatterFix uses that estimate for capacity planning, then learns your plant's actual time from completed work orders.
What happens if we skip it?
Biological growth with genuine outbreak potential, scale that raises condenser approach temperature and chiller energy use, and corrosion damage that shortens the tower's life.
Can I use this checklist in ChatterFix?
Yes — this exact procedure ships in the Facilities & Property Management and HVAC & Building Services Contractors industry pack. Pick your industry at signup and it is scheduled on the right assets automatically, with no configuration.

Related Procedures

Stop Retyping Your PM Library

This procedure — and every other PM for your industry — is already built into ChatterFix. Pick your industry and it lands on the right equipment, on the right interval, in about three minutes.