Category Archives: Cooling Tower

Cooling Tower Maintenance

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Cooling Tower Maintenance AZ

With energy costs as high as they are proper cooling tower maintenance can mean better profitability for your company.  With time a cooling tower that’s left neglected leaving water temperature will rise.  This can raise your energy costs by up to 6% for every 2 degrees F that it rises.  To ensure that you keep your energy costs low keeping your cooling tower well maintained with help it to run at optimum efficiency.  With the harsh summers here in Phoenix Arizona it can be the critical difference in the performance of your cooling tower, and your company.

If you’d like to save up to 15 percent on your electricity costs these simple maintenance tips can help you save money.  Regular maintenance also will help you save on water and extend the life of your cooling equipment.

What you need to know – A step by step guide to help you

  • Listen for any unusual noises to set a baseline which will help you notice any possible problems. Also check the condition of the unit as a whole.
  • If it requires some hands on work make sure that you follow the lock-out protocol and disconnect the motor switches to make sure you’re working safely.
  • Clean debris from strainers to keep the system clear from excess materials and inspect it thoroughly.
  • Take a look at the water distribution system and keep an eye out for dry areas over the fill coil area. This will help avoid scale buildup and help add years to the system’s lifespan.  If the surface is not fully wetted, inspect the nozzles for cracks and clogs.
  • Flush debris and dirt from the cold water basin out the tower drain or use a sump strainer to maintain water filtration and prevent dirt from collecting.
  • To conserve water and reduce air entrainment check the makeup water supply for the predetermined water level that is considered appropriate.
  • To prevent an accumulation of solids from recirculating water match the bleed rate according to your local evaporation rate regulations and local water quality.
  • Address any tension issues on the belt to ensure the best belt-drive system performance.
  • Following the manufacturer’s recommendations make sure to routinely check oil level, shaft alignment, oil quality if you’ve got a gear driven system.
  • Lubricate fan shaft bearings on a quarterly interval at the very least to ensure proper operation. Consider talking to the professionals about installing automatic bearing greasers that will save you on monthly maintenance.

The frequency of your maintenance can vary depending on the condition of the water and environment in which you operate your machinery.  Solid maintenance habits will help avoid failure and increase the lifespan of your cooling tower.

Professional Cooling Tower Maintenance

Keeping up with all the steps that you need to take to just keep one part of your operation functioning up to its full potential is a time consuming project.  It takes training and education to understand how to effectively perform the routine maintenance that these towers require.  Using dedicated professionals who only do this day in and day out will help your bottom line when it comes to man hours, training, extending the life of your cooling tower and even helping to cut energy costs through ensuring optimal performance.  Let the experts at All Kote use their expertise, skills, and specialized tools to take the headache and guesswork out of how to maintain these critical parts of your operation.

Give us a call at 480-366-4446 or shoot us an email at info@allkotelininginc.com

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Maintaining Your Concrete Floor Pt. 1

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Concrete floors are easy to maintain and offer several advantages to high traffic and heavy duty facilities.  While it is extremely durable, there are a few things that concrete floors are susceptible to that should be attended to as they are easily avoidable.  Concrete floors can crack and those cracks can become potentially problematic if not quickly repaired. Mildew can also spread across the floor in environments with moisture present.  We will outline a few ways that you can augment the longevity of your concrete floor and keep your facility running clean and efficiently.  This is part 1, we will outline more methods next week in part 2. Without further ado, here is you the beginning of our list!

  1. Keep substances from building up on you floor: Keeping your floor swept and clear of dust buildup will keep your floor both safe and presentable. Dust is not the only substance that will build up on your floor, water and chemical spills can sit and erode at your floor and it’s coating if left unattended. Mopping and sweeping are important everyday steps that should be taken in order to ensure long lasting service from your concrete floor.
  2. Remove Stains: Certain substances can actually stain your concrete floor and leave it with an unattractive and glaring blemish. Some stains can be completely lifted with the proper cleaning materials, but the best way to prevent stains to clean all spills immediately. Removing stains that have set in can be painstaking and time consuming and the longer a substance sits, the more deeply set the stain will be in the pours of your concrete floor.

 

Next week we will return to briefly outline a couple more methods that you can deploy in order to keep your concrete floor in top condition and providing the service you desired when you initially made your investment.

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Benefits of Polished Concrete Floors

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Many facilities employ the use of concrete flooring as it is very durable and long lasting. However, there are ways you can make a concrete floor even more resilient which will cause it to last even longer. Polishing a concrete floor is a great way to extend and maximize your investment in your flooring.  Here are a few ways that a polished concrete floor is advantageous to have instead of an unpolished one.

Reduction of Necessary Maintenance = Saved $

Polished concrete floors are resistant to stains and the general wear and tear from the chemicals, tires, and everyday foot traffic that they may see. The necessity of periodically stripping and replacing wax and sealers disappears with polished concrete because the finish does not need to be reapplied.  Polished flooring also improves lighting with its reflective surface and is not abrasive to tires.

Dust Free

Unpolished concrete floors develop cracks and openings that house dust and also allow it to pass through to the floor’s surface. This leaves the floor with a coat of dust that can be both unsightly and unsafe. The dust from an unpolished floor will inevitably settle on everything in the room and create a scenario in which everything in your facility needs to be cleaned and maintained more frequently. Polishing a concrete floor eliminates this issue and presents a smooth, easy to clean surface that also will be more aesthetically pleasing.

Slip Resistance

Standard polishing is very slip resistant and meets OSHA’s standards for safety. The slip resistant qualities can be enhanced even further by adding special conditioners to the polish that augment the non-slip quality it will add to your flooring.

There are more benefits to having a polished concrete floor such as the fact that you can add designs to the floor to make your space more pleasing to the eyes. Whether focus on safety or visual appeal, a polished concrete floor is superior to an unpolished floor in every way. Call All Kote Lining Inc today and find out how a polished concrete floor can benefit you!

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Finding A Full Service Cooling Tower and Flooring Maintenance Company.

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If you are in the market for cooling tower services or flooring upgrades or repairs for your facility finding a company that can cover all aspects of cooling tower maintenance and flooring is ideal. Having the same entity handle all of your cooling tower maintenance and flooring needs is beneficial in many ways, the least of which is that over time the company will have intimate knowledge of your situation and that can greatly benefit and streamline the maintenance process. That is why we at All Kote Lining inc believe that taking a comprehensive approach to cooling tower and flooring maintenance is most beneficial to all involved, especially our customers.  In this blog we’ll outline some of the services we offer at All Kote Lining inc.

Coatings: We offer several fiberglass coating options for various applications. Over time the containment integrity of cooling towers and storage tanks can become compromised and will need some form of restoration.  All Kote is equipped to restore your fiberglass tanks, ceramic coating, steel tank, and sandblast your tanks and surfaces among several other services.

Cooling tower repairs: Cooling towers are large scale complex devices that can house many components that help them separate heat from water. Over time these components naturally wear down along with the overall structure of the tower. All Kote can repair your tower and its components and keep it operating at optimum levels.

Epoxy flooring: Keeping floors clean and conditioned is an important part of running any facility. Protective floor coatings wear down over time and lose much of their protective properties. Having your floor epoxy restored will improve both the look and performance of your facilities flooring.

Floor repairs: If your floor is cracked or damaged it can seriously effect your operation. Having your floor repaired and restored to ‘like new’ conditions will have your facility running on schedule and sporting the look that you want to portray to potential clientele and business partners.

All Kote is All You Need – Cooling Tower Company

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All Kote believes in being a dynamic, full service cooling tower maintenance company that can cover any cooling tower related needs in the Phoenix, AZ area.  We strive to offer the very best service possible in order to increase our base of satisfied customers as well as remain the leader in cooling tower maintenance in our area.

All Kote’s goal is to achieve excellence in all aspects of our business, starting with our interactions with our clients and ending with their satisfaction with the results of the service we have provided. We employ top-quality, highly experienced technicians to ensure that All Kote is fully capable of handling anything in the range of possible cooling tower needs.  If your cooling tower is in need of new coating or if it is totally offline, our techs will be fully equipped and prepared to tackle the situation quickly and efficiently.  Emergency situations are no different; we will attend to your situation as quickly as possible with a plan of action to alleviate any urgent needs.

Cooling tower upgrades and upkeep are specialties of All kote and are our ‘bread and butter’ so to speak. Our staff’s level of expertise allows us to come up with solutions that are both efficient and cost effective. Top quality results that are economically friendly are a win-win for everyone involved. They keep our clients happy and our phones ringing with service requests. All Kote truly are your Valley of the Sun experts when it comes to cooling towers. Our region presents unique challenges and conditions can be tough on cooling towers. All Kote can maximize the longevity and efficiency of your cooling tower systems and save you money and valuable time over the long run. Trust us with your cooling tower needs and upkeep, you won’t be disappointed. We guarantee it because we believe in what we do. We think you will too.

Types of Cooling Towers

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Cooling towers are used to extract heat from water and disperse it into the atmosphere, but not all towers do this the same way. There are many types of cooling towers out there because there are so  many various environments and situations that they need to perform in. We are going to cover a few of the common cooling tower types here:

Hyperbolic: Commonly used in nuclear facilities, hyperbolic cooling towers work due to their stack/chimney style design. This design is used to take advantage of the times when the air outside of the tower is cooler than the air inside the tower which causes the warmer, heavily humid air inside the tower to rise and eventually leave through the top of the tower. The upward draft effect cools the water in the tower.

Crossflow: These towers are designed to cool water by sending air across water descending from the distribution basin horizontally. Once the water has descended to the flowing collection basin it has been adequately cooled. While more these type of towers don’t usually cost as much as other types, they are more prone to freezing which could offset the benefit of the lower cost in the long run.

Counterflow: In these type of towers air moves vertically against water descending water and sends the extracted heat out of the top of the tower. It takes power to send the air upward so counterflow towers tend to cost a little more. They are also more compact and ergonomically efficient which is can offset some of the sting of the higher costs of construction and operation.

There are many, many more cooling tower types out there and the science behind the design of each is fascinating. Finding the right cooling tower to for a facility is a huge decision that will have major financial implications in the big picture. Knowledge is your best weapon against wasting valuable resources.

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10 Tips to Maximize Your Cooling Towers

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Here are 10 tips to help you get the most out of your cooling tower:

  1. Thoroughly check the condition of your units. Check for the presence of unfamiliar noises. Doings so routinely will give you a record of the behavior of your units so you have a better idea of when to schedule maintenance and repairs without minimal interruption to its everyday use.
  2. Make sure you follow protocol when it comes to beginning work on your unit. Make sure all lock out procedures are accurately followed and motors etc are disconnected. This is a safety measure and should be followed without exception.
  3. Clean all debris that may be near or in your cooling tower system to keep build ups from happening.
  4. Check the water distribution system to make sure the fill coil area is properly moisturized. If it is not uniformly moist, check nozzles for damage or clogging.
  5. Make sure debris and dirt in the cold water basin is washed through the tower drain. This is important because it allows for water filtration to remain effective and to keep dirt from starting to collect.
  6. Make sure the make-up water supply is at the appropriate level.
  7. Prevent solids from accumulating by making sure the bleed rate is adjusted to be in line with the quality of your water and the local evaporation rate regulations.
  8. Make sure the tension level of the belt is proper.
  9. The quality of the systems oil, its oil level, as well as the alignment of the shaft for the gear drive system of your tower.
  10. Make sure the bearings of the fan shafts are well lubricated at least every three months. You can even install automatic systems to grease your bearings.

These tips should help you maintain optimal operation of your cooling tower. Stay on top of your tower and it’s components by consistently monitoring their condition and performance.

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Tips to Streamline Your Cooling Tower Maintenance

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Cooling towers are widely used to keep large facilities comfortable and cool. Cooling towers are the size of Large Dinosaurs and keeping them working in top condition can take some work, especially if you fall behind on your maintenance schedule. It is not difficult to keep your towers humming; it just takes some dedication to the process and the time to do so. This blog entry is going to suggest some ways you can stay ahead on maintenance and keep your cooling towers working efficiently without having to break your budget.

Make needed updates

Cooling towers are a large investment to have installed as a part of your facilities operations. That kind of investment is meant to last and that means there are plenty of cooling towers out there that have already seen decades of service. These towers can stay efficient because their owners have made necessary upgrades as time when on and innovations were made. Keeping up with the times in regard to your cooling tower will maintain and even increase the efficiency of your tower’s performance.

Make and execute a plan

Developing a methodology for the upkeep of your towers is both extremely important and massively beneficial.  It takes time to learn your towers and their idiosyncrasies, but once you have a good idea on their behavior you can draw up a standard procedure for all to follow in regard to maintaining your cooling towers.

Collect as much data as possible

As stated above, it takes time to learn the behavior patterns of your cooling tower.  In the initial stages and beyond, collecting as much data about the various aspects of your cooling towers will arm you to be able to keep them running well with the least amount of effort put into their upkeep. Streamlining the maintenance process is only possible with enough data available to do so.

How Do Cooling Towers Work?

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Cooling towers have a very important commonality with the human body, sweating. At least in principle. We sweat when our body needs to cool itself down by emitting water over the skin and allowing the evaporation to cause a cooling effect which lowers the core temperature of the body. That effect isn’t exclusive to the human body, spreading water over any surface and allowing it to evaporate will leave the area or item much cooler than it was prior.

The environment you are in dictates how well this process works to cool via moisture. Air has a saturation threshold and one it’s reached it’s limit it cannot hold any more moisture. In areas with extremely humid conditions this process doesn’t work very well because the sweat and moisture remain on the skin instead of evaporating and can actually cause an increase in heat. Sweating in Arizona is much different than sweating in Georgia because the air in Arizona is very dry and has plenty of room for saturation whereas Georgia is very, very humid and the air becomes fully saturated very quickly even though it is much hotter temperature-wise in Arizona’s desert. This means that towers will work differently and utilize different measures to achieve optimal efficiency. There are variations to almost every component of cooling towers on top of the various styles that the towers themselves are designed within in order to accommodate differing needs and climates. Knowing which type of tower works best in your region is paramount to getting the most out of your cooling tower investment. The type of maintenance as well as the schedule you keep in regard to maintenance will differ by region as well.

Cooling Towers work in much the same way although the amount of water involved that needs to be evaporated is much greater than what the human body produces. This means that extra components will be needed in order for the process to be carried out efficiently. Fans are used to cycle saturated air out of the tower so unsaturated air can be brought in to promote further evaporation. Water is constantly circulated via various devices in order to replace evaporated water and keep the thermodynamic process going. Heat sources are also involved to ensure the water is always being heated to levels it can vaporize and evaporate. Cooling towers and their maintenance are very complex and their components can vary in type and number, but at the heart of the whole operation, the fundamentals are as simple as sweat.

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Your Damaged Concrete Floor Could Be Damaging Your Forklifts

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If you have damaged concrete floors in your facility you not only run the risk of lost efficiency and unsightly patches of your flooring, you may also be damaging and accelerating the wear and tear on your forklifts. It may seem easier and cheaper to repair your forklifts instead of repairing your concrete flooring, but it is not the case over time and you may push your forklifts to the point that replacements could be necessary.  The prospect of having a floor repaired in uncomfortable because it brings a lot of inconvenient possibilities into the fold such as temporary closures and interruptions to everyday functions. Those inconvenient possibilities pale in scale to having to potentially replace your fleet of forklifts or constantly have them repaired throughout their serviceable lifetimes.  Once your floor is repaired the right way, the temporary inconveniences listed above will prove to be worth dealing with as your floor and facility return to optimum levels of efficiency and performance. Those forklifts will enjoy the benefit of increased longevity and you will enjoy the benefit of not footing all of those repair bills constantly.

Both your flooring and your forklift fleet are major investments that are integral to the overall success of your operation. If you floor in such disrepair that it damages your forklifts you will actually see your investments working against each other and harming the overall durability and serviceable lifetime of the forklifts. Keeping both your flooring and your forklift fleet in good working condition is integral to the success level that will be possible for your operation.

Making sure you find the right company to come to your facility in order to assess and ultimately repair your floor is very important and can save you a lot of headaches.   All Kote Lining Inc in the Phoenix, AZ metro area will provide the results you desire with our valley leading concrete flooring restoration services. A member of our team will come out to your facility, inspect the situation and make recommendations to you while explain your options and pricing quote. Once you have made your decision our team will quickly attend to the damaged portions of your floor and be out of your facility as soon as possible. Give us a call today at (480)966-4446 and let us get your concrete flooring back in top shape!