
If your filter only catches the largest particles in the water, it’s leaving the system vulnerable to bacterial growth and may require excessive amounts of maintenance, as basins, filter beds, bags, and other equipment get clogged. As particles accumulate in the cooling tower water, they hasten the growth of biofilm, clogging tubes and hoses, thus quickly reducing the energy efficiency of the unit.
Roughly 90% of suspended solids in cooling tower water are smaller than 10 microns, according to the DOE paper “Side-Stream Filtration for Cooling Towers.” That means most cooling tower filtering mechanisms capture only a small fraction of suspended particles, as demonstrated in the chart below.
Especially in regions that experience excessive airborne dust, dirt, pollen and other pollution, a filter’s ability to remove even the smallest suspended solids and organics becomes increasingly important. The Aqua-Stream™ high efficiency sand filter removes suspended particles to the submicron level (0.5 microns) and features one-of-a-kind Pathex® filter media technology that kills bacteria on contact.
EPA-registered Pathex is the only antimicrobial filter media that treats water without using biocide chemicals and does not produce harmful disinfectant byproducts.
Pathex can often work within your current filtration system as a drop-in replacement for most sand and multi-media filters.
Selecting the correct filter can be a daunting task. The next time you’re faced with choosing a cooling tower water filtration system or replacing your filter media, be sure to ask about the particle removal level ability of the proposed solution.
Please contact us with questions about the best filter solutions for your cooling tower, or visit our Industrial Filtration Products page to learn more about the Aqua-Stream side-stream filter and Pathex antimicrobial filter media.