Water-Cooled vs. Air-Cooled Equipment: How Should You Stay Cool?

When seeking to cool a large scale commercial or industrial facility, insufficient information often leads to an unsatisfactory solution. While some stakeholders choose water-cooled chillers because they believe the cooling tower in these systems offers more efficiency, others prefer air-based cooling systems because of the less prohibitive upfront price. And with recent technological advances made in both air and water-based chilling systems, determining which option is the right fit has become even more challenging. To decide which system best suits a specific project’s needs, it’s important to understand the pros and cons associated with each option.

Same Basic System

Water-cooled chillers and air-based cooling systems both contain an evaporator, condenser, compressor and expansion valve. Liquid refrigerant flows over the evaporator tube bundle and evaporates, absorbing heat from the chilled water circulating through the bundle. The compressor draws the refrigerant vapor out of the evaporator, then pumps it to the condenser, raising its pressure and temperature. As the refrigerant condenses on or in the condenser tubes, its heat is emitted to the cooling water or air. At this point, the high-pressure liquid refrigerant passes from the condenser through the expansion device, reducing the pressure and temperature as it enters the evaporator, then flows over the chilled coils absorbing more heat and completing the cycle. The difference between air and water-based systems begins at the condensing stage.

Key Differences

A water-based cooling system requires cooling towers, condenser water pumps, reservoirs of cooling fluid, and make-up pumps. While upfront costs for a water-cooled chiller are typically higher, these systems often last longer than air-based coolers, resulting in a lower life-cycle cost, thereby offering increased ROI. The use of water rather than air also translates to a smaller footprint, requiring less space comparatively. However, if access to clean and plentiful water is limited, the water-cooling method becomes too expensive and quite challenging to maintain.

On the other hand, air-based systems use fans to create a moving current of air, requiring no cooling towers or water to operate. This option may preferable for poor quality makeup water or in areas with higher than normal water costs. However, to remove unwanted heat from structures, these systems need access to a lot of fresh air, resulting in more space required to house them.

The Right Option Versus the Right Cost

So what’s the simplest way to determine the best option for a project? It comes down to comparing accessibility and usage with life cycle versus initial cost. If water is in good supply and accessible, and budgets permit a higher initial purchase, efficient, longer-lasting water-based systems provide a lower cost of ownership. If a consistent water supply is unavailable or the initial cost of a water-cooled system seems prohibitive, with less equipment and maintenance required, an air-cooled system may be the better option.

When a water-based cooling system is the right fit, Chem-Aqua has solutions that can reduce associated costs. Chem-Aqua provides custom water treatment solutions to minimize energy, water, and maintenance costs, ensuring critical water-based cooling systems run reliably, efficiently, and safely. To learn how Chem-Aqua can help bring water cooling costs down, contact us today!

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

DXpedition
Icom Powers 3Y0K : Ham Radio’s Most Ambitious DXpedition to Remote Bouvet Island Part 1
July 11, 2025

Bouvet Island sits at the edge of the world. It is frozen, uninhabited, and almost impossible to access. Fewer people have set foot there than in space. That level of remoteness is exactly what makes it so valuable to amateur radio operators. The island ranks tenth on ClubLog’s list of Most Wanted DXCC entities,…

Read More
entrepreneurial success
The Hidden Key to Entrepreneurial Success: Build Momentum Through Personal Branding and Authentic Networking
July 10, 2025

What if the biggest pivot of your career started with a conversation?  In this episode of Professional Quotient, host Jason Winningham welcomes Fanny Dunagan, CEO and Content Strategist of PathLynks, LLC. Fanny shares her journey from high-pressure consulting in Singapore to founding her own media and branding company — and why learning to network…

Read More
Q2 2025
RM Q2 2025 Wrap Up
July 9, 2025

Rogue Marketing continues to lead with intention in a space often driven by noise. Q2 2025 reflected a strategic focus on substance, where each initiative supported long-term brand growth. The team transformed internal recognition efforts into enduring brand assets and refined event strategies through immersive, results-driven experiences. Website launches during the quarter balanced visual…

Read More
amateur radios
Hamvention Spotlight: Emergency Preparedness Led PrepHam Paul to Amateur Radios and a Rising Voice in the Field
July 9, 2025

PrepHam Paul (K5VLP) celebrated his first visit to Dayton Hamvention by marking a major channel milestone. He hosted a giveaway of the  IC-2370B mobile radio from Icom to thank viewers for helping him reach 10,000 subscribers. His passion for emergency preparedness, rooted in his experience as an Eagle Scout and later studies in emergency management,…

Read More