Uniformat D3030
Cooling tower
Also called CT, open cooling tower
Service life
Years in service. One stated life so far; the band will widen as sources are added.
Basis
- 25 years · CNA e-Tool Estimated Useful Life Table, p11 · HUD CNA 3.4.2.1.16 “Cooling tower” — U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (planning life)Same life for family and elderly properties. US multifamily housing.
How sources are chosen and recorded: sourcing policy.
Municipal accounting lives for HVAC (D30)
26 municipal policies from Ontario set a life for HVAC as a whole, from 22 distinct tables: 10–50 years, median 20. These are amortization periods chosen for accounting, not measured lives, and they describe the system rather than this component.
Years. Each dot is one stated life and each bar a stated range; equal values stack. The dashed line is the median. Policies that copy the same table count once.
All 35 stated lives
| Municipality | As written | Years | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trent Lakes | HVAC systems | 10 | p10 · 2009 |
| Grey Highlands | Furnace | 15 | p11 · 2026 |
| Kapuskasing | HVAC Systems | 15 | p14 · 2009 |
| Sarnia | HVAC | 15 | p1 |
| The Blue Mountains | Furnace | 15 | p11 · 2019 |
| Meaford | HVAC - Furnace | 15–25 | p17 · 2020 |
| Amherstburg | Mechanical/Electrical - HVA, Lighting, Security systems, Electrical Panel | 20 | p8 · 2026 |
| Amherstburg | Arena - Air Conditioner, Brine Chillers, Compressors, Dehumidifiers | 20 | p8 · 2026 |
| Chapple | Building Improvements - HVAC Systems | 20 | p1 |
| Greater Napanee | E20 Mechanical - Boilers, Fire Panel/Alarm, Unit Heaters, HVAC | 20 | p16 · 2012 |
| Grey Highlands | HVAC | 20 | p11 · 2026 |
| Kenora | Buildings - Mechanical System | 20 | p15 · 2026 |
| London | Building Components - Services (HVAC, lighting, communication, plumbing etc.) | 20 | p2 · 2023 |
| Meaford | HVAC - Air Distribution | 20 | p17 · 2020 |
| Prince Edward | Buildings - HVAC | 20 | p34 · 2022 |
| Rainy River | Building Improvements - HVAC Systems/Generator | 20 | p11 · 2010 |
| Severn | Building Components - Air Conditioner | 20 | p400 · 2019 |
| The Blue Mountains | Boiler | 20 | p11 · 2019 |
| Welland | HVAC/Electrical/Mechanical | 20 | p8 · 2021 |
| Bancroft, Centre Hastings, Hastings Highlands, Wollaston · same table | HVAC Systems | 20–25 | p5, p4, p6, p5 |
| Orillia | Facility - HVAC, Boiler | 20–25 | p19 |
| Amherstburg | Arena - Refrigeration Condenser, Scoreboard, Sound System | 25 | p8 · 2026 |
| Greater Madawaska, Quinte West · same table | HVAC | 25 | p17, p38 · 2025 |
| Greater Napanee | E25 Plant Mechanical & Electrical | 25 | p16 · 2012 |
| Grey Highlands | Boiler | 25 | p11 · 2026 |
| Kingston | Mechanical Equipment | 25 | p15 · 2016 |
| Kirkland Lake | Buildings and Improvements - Mechanical/Electrical | 25 | p10 · 2020 |
| Orillia | Arena - Condenser/refrigeration, compressor, HVAC, heating units | 25 | p19 |
| Severn | Building Components - Furnace/Heating System | 25 | p400 · 2019 |
| Severn | Building Components - Condenser | 25 | p400 · 2019 |
| The Blue Mountains | HVAC System | 25 | p11 · 2019 |
| Greater Napanee | E30 Chillers, Rink Piping, Fuel Storage Tanks | 30 | p16 · 2012 |
| Simcoe | Mechanical | 30 | p19 · 2025 |
| Brockton | Mechanical/Electrical (Heating/Cooling System, Refridgerating System) | 40 | p2 · 2009 |
| Meaford | HVAC - System | 50 | p17 · 2020 |
Each row was matched to its page automatically: the label and the number appear in the text of the cited page. An editor has not yet compared every row with the table, so follow the page link before relying on one. About the policies · All approved rows as JSON
Preventive maintenance
17 tasks in 4 work orders. Intervals that fall due together are one visit: the annual visit also covers the monthly tasks.
- 1Monthly
- 2Monthly
- 3Monthly
- 4Monthly
- 5Monthly
- 6Monthly
- 7Monthly
- 8Monthly
- 9Monthly
- 10Monthly
- 11Monthly
- 12Annual
Months from the schedule start. Daily and weekly rounds run in between. Download the tasks as CSV for a CMMS, or ask the MCP tool get_pm_schedule for dated visits.
Daily · 3 tasks
Source: Operations & Maintenance Best Practices: A Guide to Achieving Operational Efficiency, Release 3.0, 9.5.9 Cooling Towers Checklist
Weekly · 7 tasks
Source: Operations & Maintenance Best Practices: A Guide to Achieving Operational Efficiency, Release 3.0, 9.5.9 Cooling Towers Checklist
| Task | Page |
|---|---|
| Check fan motor condition by temperature or vibration against baseline | p192 |
| Clean suction screen of debris | p192 |
| Test water for dissolved solids and chemistry; adjust blowdown and chemicals | p192 |
| Operate make-up water float switch manually to confirm it works | p192 |
| Check motors, fans and pumps for excessive vibration | p192 |
| Check tower structure for loose fill, connections and leaks | p192 |
| Check and adjust belts and pulleys | p192 |
Monthly · 4 tasks
Source: Operations & Maintenance Best Practices: A Guide to Achieving Operational Efficiency, Release 3.0, 9.5.9 Cooling Towers Checklist
Annual · 3 tasks
Source: Operations & Maintenance Best Practices: A Guide to Achieving Operational Efficiency, Release 3.0, 9.5.9 Cooling Towers Checklist
Frequencies are ISO 8601 durations in the data (P3M = every 3 months).
Open questions
- Only one source so far: HUD planning lives for US multifamily housing. Canadian and observed sources are needed.
Know the answer? Send it with a source to [email protected].
Cite this
Citation
unfinished.one (2026). Cooling tower, v0.2.0. https://unfinished.one/c/cooling-tower/v/0.2.0BibTeX
@misc{unfinished_cooling_tower_0_2_0,
title = {Cooling tower},
author = {{unfinished.one}},
year = {2026},
version = {0.2.0},
url = {https://unfinished.one/c/cooling-tower/v/0.2.0},
note = {CC BY 4.0}
}Licence CC BY 4.0 · How to cite · JSON · Versions: 0.2.0, 0.1.0