“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is as true for cooling towers as it is for humans. Side stream filters remove fine dirt, dust, smoke and organic particles that collect in the water and foul cooling tower fill and strainers. But preventing those contaminants from getting into cooling towers in the first place can give your system extra years of use and significantly lower energy and maintenance costs.
Custom-fit Permatron Prevent Air Intake Filters keep debris out without diminishing airflow or static pressure. Easy-to-clean polypropylene media captures and holds small particles but do not absorb moisture or promote bacterial growth. By keeping out debris that fouls hard-to-clean coils, air intake filters reduce bacteria proliferation, promote efficient cooling tower operation—and reduce energy and maintenance costs.
That's a great start Tova and you are so very correct that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but air filters are only part of the problem reducing cooling tower efficiency. More often, its scale buildup! For every 1/4" of scale on heating elements or surfaces, it takes 40% more energy to heat the water + all those nasty microbes use the scale as a "no-tell motel" to reproduce increasing bio-foul.
Scalewatcher products are designed specifically to eliminate scale. By reducing the scale buildup, cooling towers cycle better and more efficiently saving down time, water, and energy. Use of Scalewatcher products can reduce the amount of chemicals used and therefore show increased savings.