Cooling Towers

All premises where cooling towers and 'evaporative condensers' are situated must register with the local authority under the 'Notification of Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensers Regulations 1992'.

Owners of premises using either of these must register this equipment with Blaby District Council. Such equipment may be found in some engineering works and 'wet' air conditioning systems.

Owners and/or operators of this notifiable equipment have a duty to notify Blaby District Council in writing of any changes within one month of such changes.

A cooling tower notification form is available to download.

Legionnaires Disease

Bacteria that belong to the family Legionellaceae are responsible for outbreaks of Legionnaires Disease, resulting in serious cases of infection and fatalities. A severe cough can be the first sign of a lung infection. Many patients have nausea, vomiting, and stomach discomfort. Other common symptoms include headaches, muscle aches, chest pain, and shortness of breath.

Legionella organisms are natural inhabitants of water and can be detected in rivers, lakes, and streams. They reproduce to high numbers in warm, stagnant water, such as that found in certain plumbing systems and hot water tanks, cooling towers and evaporative condensers of large air-conditioning systems, and whirlpool spas.

The organisms can survive in a wide range of conditions, including temperatures of 0 to 63 °C. They can colonise and attach themselves to various materials found in water systems including plastics, rubber, and wood. This is more likely if tank temperatures are between 40 and 50 °C.

Cooling towers

Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensers are usually located on rooftops, creating the potential for infecting large numbers of people due to the generation of fine water droplets and their transport by air current.

Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensers need to be well designed, maintained and operated. Systems should be cleaned and disinfected at least every six months and in accordance with the operator's risk assessment. Water should be treated to prevent scale, corrosion and microbiological growth and where reasonably practicable, cooling towers should be replaced with dry cooling systems to reduce the escape of spray.