Preparing Your Chiller For Summer

Summer is an unreliable season and hot weather tends to surprise us – usually during the working week when we have little time to enjoy it.

Like overheating the engine in your car, the loss of cooling capability from industrial chillers and cooling towers during hotter weather can create huge problems for manufacturers such as excessive downtime, damaged chiller parts and product wastage.

To avoid being surprised by a failure to your process cooling equipment and ensure that production downtime is minimised, it is worthwhile asking the following questions:

How old is your equipment?

Chillers are expected to last for a good 12 years, of course their lifespan is dependent on the conditions and frequency they operate at and how well they are maintained.

Planned preventative maintenance programmes will help to keep components clean and in good working order, so that they are not put under strain from spikes in temperature.

With innovations in technology such as scroll compressor chillers, it is worth considering replacing equipment over the age of 8 years.

The benefit of new equipment usually means a warranty of up to 3 years on parts – providing greater reassurance.

How are you protecting your system?

Dosing your water system with Glycol as an inhibitor is highly recommended.

It’s not just an anti-freeze, it helps to maintain the condition of the water that is flowing through your expensive chiller and heater components and pipework.

How are you monitoring your equipment?

The development of software means you can now remotely monitor the conditions that a chiller is operating in.

You no longer need to be on-site to access and rectify system faults and you can instantly control issues such as temperatures creeping above desired control tolerances – helping to avoid costly production down-time and waste.

With secure, real-time information on the operation and running conditions of the plant machinery you’ll be able to identify energy, cost savings and system inefficiencies before production is affected.

Are you checking water quality?

If a chiller’s water and glycol mix is incorrect, the effects can be rapid and disastrous, leading to corrosion, the build-up of rust, system deterioration, and leaks.

In addition, the build-up of scale (particularly in hard water areas), algae and debris can also clog vital components and cause them to work harder or even harder still in more extreme temperatures.

A simple pH test and water samples will determine the condition of your system water and using industry experts, steps can be taken to restore your system and the water flowing throughout.

7 steps to summer chiller maintenance

After an autumn and winter of wind, rain, leaves and debris, your chiller is probably in need of a thorough inspection and a good clean before the summer weather arrives when it will be put under greater pressure.

We have put together 7 practical steps you can take in advance of an annual or bi-annual maintenance visit.

These steps should only be undertaken whilst the chiller is stopped and isolated electrically and by a competent person who has undertaken a risk assessment and is fully aware of the potential hazards and necessary safety procedures.

1. Dust, dirt and grime

Windblown dust and dirt will permeate every nook and cranny on the chiller, its panels and the air-cooled condenser coil(s). Remove any waste, rubbish and general debris from the surrounding area and inside the chiller. This would otherwise be likely to be drawn into or onto the condenser air intake filter or the condenser coil itself.

2. Condenser

Any accumulation of dirt, dust and grime will cause progressive under performance. As dirt builds up on your condenser coils, it makes it harder for those coils to transfer the heat from your process to the air outside.

This forces your chiller to work harder, which reduces its cooling capacity and increases its energy consumption. The accumulation of dirt will also impose a greater load on the fans, drawing air through the coil, again resulting in loss of both performance and efficiency.

Dirty coils cost money, in terms of bigger energy bills, higher Climate Change Levy charges (where applicable) and a shorter life for the system and its components. The condenser fins and coil may have been treated with an anti-corrosion protective spray, so take care to avoid damage to this coating – do not use hard or wire brushes.

A soft hand brush or a purpose made narrow coil brush should be used to reach deeper into the finned coil block. If the condenser is heavily fouled or the dirt is difficult to move, contact us to arrange for a full chemical wash and straighten any fin damage.

3. Condenser intake filer

Where an air intake filter panel is fitted, it should be removed, examined, and cleaned. If dirt and/or dust is allowed to accumulate, it will have the same impact as a dirty condenser coil.

4. Protective condenser fin/coil coating

Once the fins and coil have been cleaned up, examine the fin coating. If it looks like it needs patching up or recoating, contact us to arrange for a full examination and re-treatment advice.

5. Panels and steelwork

Wash down all panels and steel work and repair/treat, as necessary. Check for water accumulation around and under any supporting structure; check the condition of all supports and structures and repair/ retreat as necessary.

Any dirt or mould left untreated or cleaned off will quickly become permanent and may become corrosive.

6. Leaks

Check for leaks inside the chiller. Water leaks will be self-evident and should be repaired immediately.

Refrigeration leaks are much more difficult to detect and generally require an examination and leak test by a qualified refrigeration technician, but small leaks can sometimes be identified by traces of oil directly under the source.

Do not try to repair the leak yourself – contact us to arrange an examination and leak test.

7. Insulation

Examine the condition of the thermal insulation – make sure it is in good condition and properly fixed to the vessel/pipework and that there are no condensation seepages; repair/replace, as necessary. Check all gauges and displays and clean where necessary.

It is useful to keep a daily/weekly log of all gauge readings to assess the continued proper operation of the systems.

Chiller servicing and planned maintenance is preventative and is the most effective way of ensuring your chiller equipment remains operational and efficient over its full maximum life.

Learn more about Planned Preventative Maintenance