Cooling tower safe work practices. rhinitis

[rebar]

Something just doesn't sound right. Might be that people are in management that honestly don't know the right thing to do.

BINGO

Both barely graduated high school.

Ever hear the saying? It's not what you know, but who you _____"

[BBeerme]

Then your job is to learn as much as you possibly can without their assistance.

When I first got into the trade, the Internet had not been invented yet. Well, that's not quite true, but it was nothing like it is today. I was on the phone on a regular basis, continually requesting to speak with engineers. And I got through to them to get the real scoop on what was going on in the trade.

The reason I was able to get through to the engineers was because of the words I chose. You see, once you learn how to speak properly, using the proper words for our trade, then others will forward your call on to someone smarter than they are, because they can hear the intelligence in your voice.

It's not quite the same today, but you do have lots of resources available. Then, after you've gone as far as you can, you can make that phone call. And your questions will not only be intelligent, but you will more than likely understand the responses you get.

Anyway, back on track, it is your job to learn every single little thing you can. In the case of these towers, learn about the chemicals. Learn about the sensors measuring the chemicals. Find out if there are regular samples being taken and what, if any, analysis is being done.

It's a big world out there, and no one will look after you better than you will look out for yourself.

BINGO

Both barely graduated high school.

Ever hear the saying? It's not what you know, but who you _____"

[rebar]

We'd always drain any cooling tower we were servicing or cleaning. Unless it was just a motor or something like that. But we would never climb into a tower that still had 'water' in it.

You make it sound like the spray nozzles or motor are down in the basin. We never wade around in the basin as that area is just a catch area.

The spray trees and nozzles are 30 some feet over the basins. The fan blades are another 15' over the spray tree's.

Here are the chemicals we add to the condenser water. The concentrations are being determined soon.

Sodium Hypochlorite 12.5%
Sulfuric Acid 66 deg.
Enviroplus 2540
Drew 11-166
Drewsperse 739
Peroxide 26%

[valdelocc]

Sodium Hypochlorite 12.5%
Sulfuric Acid 66 deg.
Enviroplus 2540
Drew 11-166
Drewsperse 739
Peroxide 26%
They are using some nasty crap, the sulfuric acid alone will burn your sinuses really good, with that list, a doctors diagnosis and a good lawyer... dont need to tell you the rest.

[BBeerme]

Yeah, I wouldn't be climbing in there with everything running.

Whenever I needed to clean spray nozzles, you disable the fan and run the pump only, then climb on top. Not rocket science. If they could not shut off the equipment, then as far as I'm concerned, it either isn't broke or it's not an emergency.

You make it sound like the spray nozzles or motor are down in the basin. We never wade around in the basin as that area is just a catch area.

The spray trees and nozzles are 30 some feet over the basins. The fan blades are another 15' over the spray tree's.

Here are the chemicals we add to the condenser water. The concentrations are being determined soon.

Sodium Hypochlorite 12.5%
Sulfuric Acid 66 deg.
Enviroplus 2540
Drew 11-166
Drewsperse 739
Peroxide 26%

[MM3Rangel]

i wonder have you tried to take a sample of the water mixture they use and get it tested to find out what chemical components are in the water and take the msds or sds and compare the levels this should tell you something

[rebar]

i wonder have you tried to take a sample of the water mixture they use and get it tested to find out what chemical components are in the water and take the msds or sds and compare the levels this should tell you something

That's what HPO is in the middle of doing while I take 10 days of vacation. I imagine they will cherry pick the test they want because our HPO department isn't a liaison.

I cant personally take my own samples. How could my lawyer prove where and when they were taken?

[madhat]

I have a much smaller tower, and I always unplug the chemical feed 24 hours in advance to cleaning the tower. Also I'm not allowed to dump the chemical treated water on the ground, so that's another reason I stop the chemicals.

[rebar]

I need to end this thread and say that since I started the "investigation" the old manager is GONE

[raptyr]

The customer should have risk assessments also and have conducted analysis of their chemicals on site. I would never ever go into a working tower, it has to be locked off and pumps stopped as a minimum, the one time i did feel bad when i had to leave a tower , which was shut-down, locked off but not drained was because, in addition, the customer had an Ozone Bug Killing treatment and he was flooding the water system with ozone, basically poison, we felt a little light headed and got out of the tower and went to investigate, that's when we found the ozone system dumping straight into the basin and gassing us.