TRiM: Tower Risk Management

When it was crafted by The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers in 2015, ASHRAE 188 outlined building-wide best practices for minimizing risk from Legionella. The standard addresses every part of a building’s water systems.

At Chemtex, we have traditionally treated cooling towers, treating towers and cooling systems. Long before ASHRAE 188 was developed, we set our clients up with systems designed to ensure efficient use of resources while minimizing total bacterial growth. Minimizing bacterial growth has always been an important goal in water treatment programs. It is essential for tower function, even when risk of infection is not part of the equation.

However, as the medical community learned more about Legionnaire’s disease, they recognized that bacterial growth in water treatment can also have severe public health consequences. In response to this increased body of knowledge, ASHRAE 188 was crafted. It formalized a new set of protocols specifically designed to minimize risk from one specific and potentially very harmful bacterium: Legionella.

Chemtex TRiM Program Modeled After ASHRAE 188

By incorporating and implementing the best practices outlined in ASHRAE 188 for cooling towers, the Chemtex TRiM program calculates, recommends, and documents all efforts made to minimize Legionella risk in a plant’s cooling tower. We include a schedule of tower cleanings and recommendations for the best biocide and biocide feed strategy .

Employing a program such as TRiM is essential for preventing the legal nightmare which might result from an outbreak of Legionellosis.

Our TRiM program addresses cooling towers maintenance only, including year-round best practices as well as Legionella testing and disinfection plans. We can also prepare a complete Water Management Plan for the facility, which is a much more comprehensive project.

ASHRAE Best Practices

If you haven’t updated your water treatment program in the last decade or so, you might be operating under outdated standards. While your program might be well designed to optimize efficiency and maintain equipment life cycle, it may not be addressing the very real public health risk of Legionella exposure.

Give Chemtex a call. We’ll be happy to help evaluate your cooling tower treatment program, and determine how well it minimizes Legionella risk in the tower according to the best practices outlined in ASHRAE 188.