Repair & Rebuild
FlowMatrix is a recognised leader in cooling tower repair and rebuilding, boasting over 30 years of industry experience.
This extensive expertise allows them to ensure commercial and industrial cooling systems operate at their peak, extending their lifespan across Australia.
Repairs
A repair is needed when a component — or multiple components — are damaged, worn out, scaled, corroded, or are simply not operating as intended.
These are the core issues we address:
- Mechanical Failure: The fan has broken or the motor has failed (see Fans and Motors).
- Heat Transfer Issues: The fill pack is brittle or scaled, or the drift eliminators are faulty.
- Water Management & Distribution: Water nozzles are not correctly dispensing water, the strainer is corroded, or the plumbing lines are broken.
- Structural Integrity: The steel is corroded, the fibreglass is cracked, or the legs and seams are leaking.
- Containment & Spill Risks: Water splash louvres are failing to stop water loss, the basin is overflowing, or the access hatches are leaking.
- Coatings: The steel is corroded, the fibreglass is cracked or damaged, or the basin and casing seams require professional resealing.
- Water and chemical leaks: The basin legs are leaking, the basin is overflowing, or the access hatches are failing to contain water and chemicals.
Repair or replace a cooling tower?
It can be very expensive and extremely difficult to replace an existing cooling tower.
This is often due to limited access, especially when the tower is located on top of a high city building with no crane access to remove the old unit or lift a new one into place.
A new cooling tower is also likely to be a different size and shape, meaning all associated pipework and structural supports must be upgraded. Replacing the old tower with the same type is not a progressive option, as older designs are outdated and may no longer meet today’s regulations and standards.
In some cases, the cooling tower may be located in a plant room where the roof must be removed just to extract the old unit.
FlowMatrix repair and upgrade old cooling towers to comply with current State regulations and Australian Standards. We remove old and obsolete components and install modern, modular replacements. Repairing and upgrading an existing cooling tower can deliver significant cost savings and extend the operational life of the system.
Rebuilding
A cooling tower rebuild is a comprehensive solution to upgrade an entire unit to a modern standard, restoring the condition of construction materials to an as-new state.
A rebuild is a cost-effective alternative to replacement, potentially halving the price while avoiding the need for disruptive craning, and generally leaving the existing plumbing, ducting, and electrical systems in place. This approach provides your asset with another 10 to 20 years of reliable service life.
Our Complete Rebuild and Modernisation
FlowMatrix provides complete rebuilds that integrate modern upgrades. Our goal is to make all components modular, increase cooling performance, allow for easy ongoing maintenance, and significantly reduce the Legionnaires’ Disease risk.
A typical rebuild includes:
- Installing a modern fan and motor
- Replacing the fill pack with high-performance modular blocks, or replacing drift eliminators with high-performance drift reduction parts
- Coating steel and fibreglass casing/basins, inside and out
- Installing water splash louvres that also block out sunlight
FlowMatrix offers an initial inspection, a clear labour quotation, a detailed scope of work, project timeline, and a comprehensive report, allowing you to easily compare our price against the cost of a full replacement.
Prevention is better than cure
Prevention is always better than a cure, and in today’s world, that’s truer than ever.
An unplanned cooling tower breakdown can be incredibly costly. For industrial businesses, it means lost production, and for commercial city buildings, it can lead to a complete loss of air conditioning.
Our engineering performance maintenance plans and inspections are designed to prevent these situations. We’ll ensure all your cooling tower systems and components are running at peak efficiency. We also keep a record of critical parts so we can act quickly to get you back up and running if an issue does arise.
Service compliance and solutions
With three decades of industry experience, our technicians provide a complete range of cooling tower repairs and rebuilds. We keep spare parts readily available to minimise downtime, ensuring your units are back to optimal efficiency as quickly as possible.
Key Outcomes of Our Cooling Tower Upgrades
- Maximised Cooling Performance: We install modern, high-efficiency components — not just replacements from obsolete equipment manufacturers — to boost thermal output.
- Enhanced Bacteria Control: Installing modular components improves hygiene and access, significantly reducing Legionnaires’ Disease risk.
- Assured Government Compliance: Modular system upgrades ensure your tower meets all current regulatory and compliance standards.
- Reduced Water Loss: Targeted repairs and component replacement minimise wasteful water consumption.
- Lower Energy Costs: Modern, efficient components are installed to reduce power consumption and improve operational efficiency.
- Environmental Protection: System improvements help minimise chemical discharge and environmental loss.
Long after your cooling tower’s original manufacturer has ceased operations, we offer off-the-shelf replacement parts for all units, and can retrofit parts to fit your system, all with AS/NZS 3666 Compliance.
Repairs to all brands and models
Our expertise covers the repair and rebuild of all commercial and industrial cooling systems, including steel, fibreglass, and timber units across crossflow and counterflow configurations.
FlowMatrix has industry-leading experience with these brands:
Request a Quote
Get in touch – we’re here to answer your questions and provide the support you need.
- Or call us on 03 8765 9522
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