Media Replacement

Scale on evaporative cooling media can be caused by:

• Water evaporation
  • Areas of highest evaporation
  • Areas of lowest water flow
• Poor water quality
  • Calcium
  • Silica
• Operational sequences/poor water distribution
  • Wet/dry areas
  • On/off cycling
• Pressure drop increases

Scale formed on media

Softening of evaporative cooling media can be caused by:

• Harsh cleaning chemicals
  • Acids/caustic/chlorine
• High purity water or softened water
  • Aggressive
  • Leaches mineral from pad
• Increase in pressure drop
• Gaps form and pressure drop decreases

Media experiencing softening

Softening can also present as fuzzy sheets or collapsed sections:

Fuzzy Sheets

Collapsed Sections

Age of evaporative cooling media

Typical pad life is three to five years.  One of the simplest ways to determine if the media is reaching end of life is the appearance of the factory markings on the pad such as logo, airflow lines and date codes. Faded markings or those that have become obscured by scale are indicators of replacement time.

Odor of evaporative cooling media

Biological growth in the sump and surrounding framework can cause odor.

To mitigate odor:

• Dry pads at least weekly - typical drying time is one hour
• NON-OXIDIZING biocides are good for cleaners and for maintenance
• Avoid chlorine as it breaks down the pads and it becomes food for “bugs”
• If pads cannot be cleaned, they will need to be replaced

The right evaporative cooling pad for the job

Munters newest generation of GLASdek® media, GX30, is an ideal choice for many applications such as data center cooling where adherence to fire codes is required. This latest generation provides increased strength and durability along with exceptional cooling and humidification rates due to its design, manufacturing and materials. It is made from a flame retardent material fortified with special rigidifying agents and is the evaporative cooling and humidification media choice where strict adherence to fire codes is required.

What can I do?

• Monitor water quality per factory recommendations.
• Be aware. Log hours of usage.
• Order replacement pads to have on-hand for critical installations.
• Perform bi-weekly visual inspections.