What type of grease should I use on my fan shaft bearings and how often should they be greased?
For ball bearings, a lithium based, water resistant, inhibited grease is the proper grease to use in the bearings used to support the fan shaft. Also, ensure the grease is good for ambient temperatures ranging from -65°F to +250°F. If the grease is not water resistant, water may get in the bearing displacing the lubricant causing the bearing to fail which in turn may cause catastrophic failure to the cooling equipment. Below is a list of acceptable greases and their respective manufacturers:
American - Rycon #3
Exxon - Beacon #325
Mobil - Mobil #28
Shell - Aeroshell #17
Chevron - SRI
Keystone - 84 EP Light
Under normal operating conditions, the bearings should be greased every 2,000 operating hours or at least every six months. The bearings should be greased at seasonal start-up and shutdown.
How long should my cooling tower last?
The real answer to this question is "That depends!" We've seen cooling towers last as long as four decades. A cooling tower with proper water treatment and maintenance can theoretically last forever. However, we cannot always rely on "theory" in the real world. Studies have shown that the average cooling tower, fluid cooler, or condenser has a useful life of about 17 years. But, this varies in different areas of the country due to water quality and the length of the cooling season. B.A.C. is continuously striving to increase the useful life average through its research and development of new products and the promotion of proper maintenance through its aftermarket.
Refer to our section on routine maintenance for a more detail description of what proper maintenance entails. Proper maintenance and replacing parts with B.A.C. factory authorized parts are two tools to ensure a long life span of you cooling equipment. Using B.A.C. factory authorized parts will assure proper fit and parts that are specifically designed for their respective applications.
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