Winter Maintenance & Cooling Shutdown | Optimise Your Plantroom
Properly preparing your plant room for winter is essential to ensure the efficiency and longevity of your HVAC systems during the colder months. Additionally, if your facility utilises cooling towers, implementing a systematic shutdown procedure is crucial to prevent damage and facilitate a smooth restart in the spring.
Key Winter Maintenance Activities:
1. Optimise System Filtration
Installing or maintaining side stream filtration devices, such as VEXO’s X-POT, helps keep your system free of harmful debris, improves water quality, and reduces the risk of corrosion and breakdowns during peak heating demand.
2. Apply Water Treatment Additives
Treating your system water with additives like VEXO’s X-PO can prevent corrosion and scale build-up in heating systems, ensuring smooth operation and energy efficiency throughout the colder months.
3. Inspect and Upgrade Components
Conduct thorough inspections to identify and repair any wear and tear, leaks, or other issues that may have developed. Upgrading components, such as replacing standard y-type strainers with magnetic strainers like VEXO’s DZR Brass Y-MAG, can enhance the functionality of boilers and pumps, preventing breakdowns in winter.
4. Control and Monitor Systems
Implementing a Smart Building Management System (S-BMS) allows for optimised energy use and remote monitoring of system performance. Ensure your building management systems are configured to meet winter heating demands effectively.
Cooling Tower Winter Shutdown
Properly shutting down your cooling tower for winter is critical to prevent damage and ensure a trouble-free restart. Key steps include:
Conduct a Thorough Inspection: Before shutdown, inspect the cooling tower for signs of wear, corrosion, leaks, or other issues. Address these problems before proceeding.
Drain the System: Remove all water from the tower basin, piping, and heat exchangers to prevent freezing and potential damage.
Clean and Disinfect: Thoroughly clean the interior of the cooling tower to remove debris, algae, and scale. Consider disinfecting the system with VEXO X-PO additives to prevent microbial growth during downtime.
Insulate or Cover Components: Protect vulnerable parts, such as pipes, valves, and pumps, by insulating them or using specially designed covers to shield against freezing temperatures.
Disconnect Electrical Components: Turn off and disconnect all electrical power to the cooling tower, including fan motors, pumps, and control systems. Protect exposed electrical components from moisture and cold.
Lubricate Moving Parts: Apply lubrication to moving parts, such as fan bearings and motor shafts, to prevent rust and ensure smooth operation upon restart.
Document Shutdown Procedures: Maintain detailed records of the shutdown process, including dates, actions taken, and any issues discovered, to facilitate a smooth restart.
By adhering to these maintenance and shutdown procedures, you can ensure your plant room and cooling systems operate efficiently throughout the winter and are prepared for a seamless restart in the spring. Reach out to our team for product support or to schedule an energy saving solutions demo.
Case Studies
Somerset House Case Study
In this case study we explore how Somerset House avoided some of the pitfalls of traditional wired BMS installations by introducing LoRaWAN smart controls by VEXO S-BMS.
Portsmouth City Council Case Study
How Portsmouth City Council in the UK has saved 25% in their energy bill using VEXO S-BMS to remote control heating and cooling systems.
Allen + Shariff
Allen + Shariff is an international MEP engineering firm providing consulting, design, and project management services in the United States and the Middle East.