cooling tower cti best practices legionella

Check with organizations such as the Cooling Tower Institute and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers for their latest recommendations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended closing intakes within 30 meters.ĥ. Close building outdoor air intakes within the vicinity of the cooling tower. Boots, protective clothing, and goggles will help protect their eyes and skin from chemicals.Ĥ. Respirators will reduce the risk of inhaling Legionella bacteria.

Provide personal protective equipment for the workers. Physically cleaning a cooling tower without disinfecting it chemically beforehand is like aggressively sweeping a dirty garage floor–you might eventually get it clean but in the short term you’ll inhale a lot of dust. Otherwise, the Legionella risk could get worse before it gets better. Perform online disinfection of the cooling tower prior to cleaning it physically. More information on the method can be found in the Cooling Technology Institute’s publication Legionellosis Guideline: Best Practices for Control of Legionella, which can be downloaded free at Cooling Technology Org.Ģ. A typical online disinfection basically amounts to maintaining a free chlorine concentration of approximately 5 parts per million (ppm) for at least 6 hours. A full offline disinfection and cleaning is more thorough but is expensive and presents some serious risks, as discussed below.Īlthough the online method does not address the physical cleaning of the cooling tower, it is effective in killing Legionella and is much safer, cheaper, and quicker. The offline procedure involves shutting the cooling tower down and scrubbing it physically in addition to disinfecting it with chemicals. Cooling towers can be disinfected “online” or “offline.” The online procedure involves only chemical disinfection while the cooling tower is operating. Perform “online” rather than “offline” disinfection unless full physical cleaning is absolutely necessary at the time. Bassett’s August 6th order to disinfect their cooling towers:ġ. New York City building owners should consider six key safety precautions in complying with health commissioner Dr.

Cooling tower cti best practices legionella