With the outbreak of Legionnaires' disease (LD), the country saw itself taking up all possible measures to bring it under control. To further the initiative, preventive aspects of the disease were also looked into. The disease is passed on mainly by intake of contaminated water in any form. Now since it is humanly impossible to test for the presence of bacteria by merely looking at it, what one could be do would be, to look out for its breeding ground and control it right there.
With time and research devoted to the study of the outbreaks of LD, it was found that cooling towers are to be blamed. It provides for the right kind of temperature for the bacteria to breed and grow. And since the water is likely to get aspirated, it goes on to thrive inside the respiratory tract of humans, causing a severe form of pneumonia. What makes it worse is that there is no vaccine in place so far. The only possible treatment is through the intake of antibiotics. Given the high risk posed by these cooling towers, it automatically calls for proper monitoring and treatment of cooling towers. And this has been duly noted. Water treatment companies like FlowMatrix are working on cooling tower solutions. NSW Health recently brought in an updation on the regularisation of cooling towers. This meant owners, who previously had to notify the local authorities on their cooling towers now need to do more. It is also required that cooling towers needs to be registered with the local authorities, tested monthly and also reported if found with high levels of bacteria. Also, each cooling tower should have a risk management plan in place and revised periodically. Among the companies, which specialize in water treatment, FlowMatrix is here to ensure that the stricter regulations do not take a toll on the owners. Keeping the updation in mind, they are here to work with clients to keep a smoother check on the cooling towers, while curbing the disease at the same time. They carry out mechanical inspection, repairs and interpret risk management planning audits to ensure smooth operation. Besides controlling legionella, why do cooling towers need care after all?
-Remove scale deposits: owing to the continuous evaporation, the periodic build-up of scale deposits will happen. These need to be removed for energy efficient functioning. -Ensure proper airflow: failure of this causes the air not to feel cold, poor fan performance, etc. It occurs due to loose components, improper fan alignment, etc. -Clean the tubes: debris may build-up with time depending on the water quality and rate of build-up resulting in clogs. -Inspect water pump: efficiency of the pumping process can increase the performance of the AC. -Treat the water: water quality problems can lead to major scum and scale build-up resulting in the breakdown of the system.
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