Cooling Tower Water Consumption ^new^ Jun 2026

How do you know if your tower is drinking too much? You need to do a water audit.

This is the pump flow rate (GPM - Gallons Per Minute). cooling tower water consumption

Most municipalities charge for sewer based on the volume of water entering the facility (make-up water). If you reduce blowdown, you reduce make-up, and you slash your sewer charges. Some utilities even offer rebates for installing conductivity controllers or implementing water recycling programs. How do you know if your tower is drinking too much

| Parameter | Typical Value | |-----------|----------------| | | ~1.0–1.2 gallons per minute (gpm) per 1 million Btu/hr of heat rejection (or ~0.1–0.12% of recirculation rate per 10°F range) | | Make-up water | 1.5–2.5% of recirculation flow rate for a 10–15°F range | | Blowdown (at CoC = 3–6) | 0.2–0.5% of recirculation rate | | Drift (modern eliminators) | 0.0005–0.005% of recirculation rate | | Total water use per ton-hour | ~1.8–3.0 gallons (air-cooled chillers use ~0 gallons for cooling tower) | Most municipalities charge for sewer based on the

Increasing CoC is the low-hanging fruit of water conservation.

As pure water evaporates, the minerals (like calcium and magnesium) and dissolved solids stay behind. If left unchecked, these minerals become concentrated, leading to scale buildup and corrosion that can destroy equipment.

Many towers use conductivity controllers to automate blowdown. These sensors measure the electrical conductivity of the water (a proxy for mineral content).