Cooling towers are a critical part of many commercial and industrial cooling systems, yet they are often one of the most overlooked pieces of plant equipment when it comes to long-term cleanliness and internal condition. From the outside, a cooling tower can appear to be operating normally. The water may look relatively clean, routine maintenance may be occurring, and a water treatment program may be in place to control corrosion, scaling and microbial growth. Despite this, significant fouling can still be developing deep within the tower, which is often why a cooling tower super clean eventually becomes necessary.

Over time, contamination gradually accumulates within internal components such as fill packs, drift eliminators and distribution systems. Because these areas are difficult to access during routine servicing, fouling can build up without being immediately visible. When this occurs, normal water treatment alone may not be enough to restore the internal condition of the tower.

Understanding how and why fouling develops inside cooling towers helps explain why this type of deep cleaning is sometimes necessary. In the sections below, we will look at how contamination enters cooling towers, why routine treatment cannot always remove it,and how a cooling tower super clean can restore the system to proper operating condition.

Cooling towers naturally collect contamination because they continuously move large volumes of both air and water through the system. As air is drawn through the tower to remove heat from the circulating water, it also carries contaminants from the surrounding environment. Over time, these contaminants enter the cooling water and become trapped within the tower. Common sources of contamination include:

Once these contaminants enter the tower, many of them do not simply pass through the system. Instead, they become trapped within internal components where water is distributed, and heat is transferred. Even with regular servicing and a well-managed water treatment program, this material continues to circulate, and deposits gradually accumulate in areas such as:

Fill packs, in particular, are prone to collecting contamination. Their design creates a very large surface area, allowing water to spread out and maximising cooling efficiency. While this improves heat transfer, it also creates ideal conditions for debris and biological growth to become trapped within the structure.

As these deposits build up, they begin to restrict water distribution, reduce heat-transfer efficiency, and create protected areas where microbial growth can develop. Over time, this accumulation can affect both system performance and hygiene, at which point deeper cleaning may be required.

Cooling towers can operate for many years without receiving a deep internal clean, which is why understanding how often a cooling tower super clean should be performed​ is important for long-term system management. Because fouling tends to accumulate gradually, the warning signs are not always obvious at first. In many cases, the system continues to operate, but underlying problems slowly begin to develop.

After the internal components have been cleaned and any loose debris has been removed, the system is rinsed and prepared for recommissioning. Once the tower is returned to operation, the water treatment program can work more effectively because the accumulated fouling has been removed from the system.

Removing accumulated fouling from a cooling tower can deliver several important operational improvements. When internal deposits are cleared from fill packs and distribution systems, water and air can move through the tower more evenly. This allows the tower to reject heat more effectively and operate closer to its original design performance.

Improved heat rejection at the tower also helps reduce the load placed on the connected chiller plant. When condenser water temperatures remain lower, the chiller does not need to work as hard to achieve the required cooling output. Over time, this can reduce energy consumption and improve efficiency across the entire cooling system.

A cooling tower super clean also restores more stable water distribution throughout the tower. Clearing deposits from spray systems and internal components helps maintain consistent water flow across the fill packs, supporting reliable operation and reducing performance fluctuations.

Finally, removing accumulated debris and biofilm helps restore more effective microbial control within the system. Fouling deposits can create protected environments where bacteria survive despite chemical treatment. By physically removing these deposits, disinfectants and other treatment chemicals can work more effectively, supporting ongoing hygiene management and extending the service life of cooling tower components.

A cooling tower super clean plays an important role in maintaining cooling tower performance and system reliability. The key points to remember are:

If your cooling tower has never undergone a deep internal clean, or if ongoing fouling or microbial issues are becoming difficult to manage, it may be worth assessing whether a super clean could help restore proper control of the system. If you would like to discuss the condition of your cooling tower or arrange an assessment, contact our team, and we will be happy to help.

It’s surprisingly common for cooling towers to lack a safe and practical way to reach the drift eliminators. Whether due to missing ladders, corroded walkways or poor tower placement, restricted access not only makes scheduled cleans more difficult, but it can also directly impact compliance, performance and safety.

During a cooling tower clean, technicians must inspect and clean the drift eliminators. This step is essential to ensure the eliminators remain free of scale, corrosion, and biofilm, allowing them to capture water droplets and minimise the risk of Legionnaires Disease. When safe access is unavailable, cleaners can’t complete this element of the cleaning process, leaving the site exposed to both mechanical and compliance risks.

Under Victoria’s Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2019 and associated Risk Management Plan (RMP) requirements, drift eliminators must be inspected and maintained during each scheduled tower clean. These inspections are a non-negotiable compliance task because they directly influence Legionella control and system safety. If cleaners cannot safely reach the eliminators, they cannot inspect or verify their condition. Over time, this can result in incomplete records, repeated non-compliance findings, and even the potential for an RMP audit failure. According to the Department of Health, all components of a cooling tower system, including eliminators, must be safely accessible for inspection and cleaning.

Repeated findings of “inadequate access” may require notification to the local health authority or lead to a direction for rectification under the Act. In practice, the absence of safe access is often identified as a systemic issue that must be addressed through engineering modification, rather than an administrative workaround.

Tandex technicians assess cooling tower access as part of regular water treatment visits and service reviews. If the team identifies unsafe or impractical access to drift eliminators, this is clearly documented and discussed with the site’s maintenance representative. Our goal is prevention. We support customers in resolving physical access barriers before they escalate into non-compliance or audit failure. By maintaining strong communication between service technicians, tower cleaners, and site management, these issues can usually be resolved through straightforward engineering solutions.

For sites without safe access to drift eliminators, the path to compliance is straightforward. Taking the following steps ensures maintenance can be performed safely and inspections can be completed every time:

1. Review your cooling towers to confirm whether drift eliminators can be safely reached for inspection and cleaning.
2. Engage a qualified engineer or tower manufacturer to design compliant access points if they’re missing.
3. Coordinate upgrades with your next scheduled tower clean or refurbishment to minimise downtime.
4. Document the changes in your Risk Management Plan and include photos of new access structures for audit evidence.
5. Verify compliance by confirming the new access allows cleaners to inspect eliminators safely every time.

Before making any upgrades, it helps to step back and look at what really matters most when it comes to safe access. Here are a few quick takeaways to keep in mind:

If access to drift eliminators has been identified as a concern at your site, addressing the issue early can help avoid complications during future cooling tower cleans and RMP audits. Identifying access limitations before they become a compliance issue allows corrective works to be planned and completed in a controlled manner.

For advice on creating or improving safe access to drift eliminators, or to discuss options for cooling tower compliance support, contact us today.