Good as new! See the difference on the right side of this filthy cooling coil as our technician removes the grit and grime. By having the large coil properly cleaned and returned to operational efficiency, the customer dodged having to invest in a new one. He's also happy about the 180% increase in energy efficiency!
Quick Answer: Professional cooling coil and cooling tower cleaning can restore HVAC systems to peak efficiency — and prevent equipment replacement costs of $30,000 or more. When coils and towers are fouled with dirt, scale, or biofilm, systems work harder, energy bills spike, and critical environments like server rooms become at risk. Service-Tech uses advanced power-washing equipment sized to each job to protect your equipment during cleaning.
Signs Your Coil Needs Immediate Attention: Your cooling coil may be overdue for cleaning if you notice a sudden spike in energy bills, your A/C running longer cycles without reaching set temperature, reduced airflow from supply vents, or a static pressure reading well above design spec. Don't wait for a breakdown — these are early warnings that cleaning can still prevent a costly replacement.
Read More – Why Commercial HVAC and Air Duct Cleaning is a Great Investment
When a large media center in Florida called Service-Tech to service its air conditioning unit, namely the cooling coil, it was in such bad shape the customer was worried it may need to be replaced. Due to plugged coils from the build-up of dirt and contaminants, the air conditioner was running at a static pressure six times higher than its normal operating range. The customer was facing a cost of $30,000 to replace the unit which cools the area housing the computer servers where temperature control is critically important.
Our technician carefully cleaned the 10-inch deep coil so the A/C could run at high efficiency once again. Service-Tech uses advanced power-washing equipment with a wide range of flow rate and pressure settings to accommodate different components, materials, and conditions in HVAC systems to protect the equipment during cleaning.
It's not too soon to schedule cleaning and servicing your cooling coils so that you're ready to turn the A/C back on this Spring. And be sure to get your reheat coils checked if you haven't already.
Dirt and contaminant buildup doesn't just look bad — it quietly drives up your operating costs while pushing your equipment toward failure. When coil fins become clogged, airflow is restricted and heat exchange efficiency drops. Your system compensates by running longer and harder, consuming significantly more energy to deliver the same cooling output.
The consequences compound quickly in facilities where temperature control is non-negotiable — data centers, server rooms, food processing plants, and hospitals chief among them. A coil running at six times its normal static pressure, like the one Service-Tech restored at the Florida media center, isn't just inefficient. It's a system on the verge of failure.
Worth Knowing: According to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), dirty coils can cause an HVAC system to consume 20 to 50 percent more energy than a clean one. For a large commercial or industrial facility, that inefficiency compounds into tens of thousands of dollars in avoidable energy costs every year.
Cooling towers face an additional risk: the warm, moist environment inside an unmaintained tower is an ideal breeding ground for Legionella bacteria, the pathogen responsible for Legionnaires' disease. Scale, biofilm, and sediment buildup don't just impair performance — they create a compliance liability and a genuine health hazard for building occupants and nearby workers. To prevent the spread of Legionella bacteria, routine professional cleaning is essential, not optional.
Cleaning frequency depends on your facility type, usage intensity, and environmental conditions. The table below reflects industry standards and OSHA guidance for commercial and industrial settings. When in doubt, err toward more frequent cleaning — the cost of a cleaning is a fraction of the cost of a repair, a replacement, or a compliance violation.
| Facility Type | Recommended Frequency | Key Risk if Neglected |
| Office buildings & commercial spaces | Annually (minimum) | Energy overconsumption, poor IAQ |
| Industrial & manufacturing facilities | Every 1–3 months | Rapid scale buildup, equipment damage |
| Data centers & server rooms | Every 3–6 months | Temperature excursions, hardware failure |
| Cooling towers (standard) | Twice yearly (spring & fall) | Legionella growth, compliance violations |
| Cooling towers near saltwater or high-dust environments | Monthly to quarterly | Accelerated corrosion, fin damage |
Cooling coils and cooling towers are two sides of the same HVAC equation. A clean coil that feeds into a fouled cooling tower is still an underperforming system. Scale, sediment, and biofilm accumulate in tower basins, fill media, and distribution decks — reducing thermal efficiency, restricting water flow, and shortening the lifespan of the entire system. A new cooling tower can cost between $50,000 and $200,000 installed, making routine cleaning one of the highest-ROI maintenance investments a facility manager can make.
For a deeper look at what a comprehensive program involves, explore Service-Tech's approach to cooling tower cleaning and maintenance, or read about the importance of cooling tower cleaning for commercial and industrial facilities.
Is your cooling coil or tower overdue for service?
Service-Tech provides free estimates for HVAC cooling coil and cooling tower cleaning at commercial and industrial facilities nationwide.
In most cases, yes — even severely plugged coils can be restored to full operating efficiency with professional cleaning. The Florida media center featured in this post was facing a $30,000 replacement bill before Service-Tech cleaned the coil and returned it to normal static pressure ranges. Replacement should only be considered when fins are physically damaged, the coil is corroded through, or cleaning has been attempted and failed to restore performance. A professional assessment before committing to replacement can save tens of thousands of dollars.
Key indicators include a spike in energy bills without a change in usage, the system running longer cycles to reach the set temperature, reduced airflow from supply vents, a static pressure reading above design spec, visible scale or biofilm on accessible surfaces, unusual odors near the cooling tower, and — for towers — elevated approach temperatures. Any one of these symptoms warrants a professional inspection. Catching the problem early almost always means cleaning rather than replacement.
OSHA recommends a minimum of twice per year for most commercial cooling towers — typically once in spring before peak cooling season and once in fall before winterization. Industrial facilities, data centers, and towers in high-dust or saltwater environments should be cleaned more frequently, ranging from monthly to quarterly depending on conditions. A water management plan compliant with ASHRAE Standard 188 will define the right schedule for your specific system.
Legionella is a bacteria that thrives in warm, stagnant water — exactly the environment inside a neglected cooling tower. When tower water is aerosolized by the system's fans, anyone nearby can inhale the bacteria, leading to Legionnaires' disease, a severe and potentially fatal form of pneumonia. Regular professional cleaning and disinfection is the primary method of controlling Legionella risk in cooling towers. Compliance with CDC guidelines and ASHRAE Standard 188 is not just a best practice — it is increasingly a legal requirement for commercial building operators.
Service-Tech uses advanced power-washing equipment with adjustable flow rate and pressure settings, allowing technicians to match the cleaning approach to the specific component, material, and condition of the system. This protects delicate fin surfaces from high-pressure damage while still removing deep-seated scale, biofilm, and compacted debris. For cooling towers, the process includes draining and vacuuming the basin, pressure-washing fill media and distribution decks, inspecting drift eliminators, and applying EPA-approved biocides before refilling.