When buying or managing a building, water treatment may not be the first thing on your mind. But for Maintenance Leads and Facilities Managers, it’s a common concern: which water treatment technology is best for boilers and cooling towers?
Clearly, there are many options to consider. Many of them consist of heavy liquid material handling equipment like drums and totes when introducing liquid chemicals into systems. These chemicals act as disinfectants and scale/corrosion inhibitors, which reduce bacteria and prevent mineral build-up and metal removal in boiler or cooling water systems.
Maybe your facility’s water isn’t contaminated, but you’re noticing a lot of pipe corrosion or scale build-up. That could mean the water needs to be adjusted and chemicals may be necessary.
Boiler chemicals combined with reverse osmosis or softening is another, albeit complicated way to go, so it’s no surprise that giant drums of liquid chemicals have been the standby method for many years.
While standard liquids have certainly worked, they aren’t without downsides. One downside is that liquid chemicals are much more likely to spill or leak either in transport or storage, causing dangerous toxic messes. Though this may be a somewhat obvious risk, it can be entirely avoided with a solid water treatment chemical solutions: same benefits minus the risk of spills.
Aside from the risk of spills with liquids, many people don’t realize the added energy (and therefore cost) it takes to actually transport those liquids. They’re heavier and bulkier than the solid water treatment solutions because they require added caustic chemicals to maintain the pH levels. By eliminating this added weight, it’s less expensive and better for the environment to ship solids.
Another important benefit of a solid solution is that it can help buildings become more sustainable and can qualify for LEEDS certification, because the water treatment technology uses eco-friendly products, eliminates exposure to hazardous chemicals, and does away with drums that may not always be recycled and end up in landfills.
Speaking of those 55-gallon drums: they typically weigh about 500 pounds. Why choose to move those around (and perhaps risk injury to yourself or employees while doing so) when you can handle our 10 lb. solid containers (a case of four containers weighs about 40 lbs.)?
Water treatment technology is an important aspect of building maintenance and ownership. Consider all options before choosing your preferred method, and choose solid-chemistry as the safe and more sustainable choice.
