For the manufacturing industry, plant engineers and facilities teams, understanding the service life of drift eliminators is crucial to keeping cooling towers compliant, efficient, and low-maintenance. But how long do they really last and what can you do to extend their lifespan?
Vistech have experienced sites that sealed the top of the tower by attaching sheet metal across them to stop the drift escaping, achieving the holy grail of 0% drift loss and the another one where a roof garden was growing through the eliminators!
Whether you’re in charge of the maintenance of a tower or planning its refurbishment, this article breaks down what actually influences drift eliminator longevity and how design choices like eliminator framing and double-depth eliminators can make a difference.
What Is the Typical Lifespan of a Cooling Tower Drift Eliminator?
Most high-quality drift eliminators will last between 3 and 7 years, depending on material type, operating conditions, and how well the system is maintained.
Key factors affecting lifespan:
- Material Composition – Polypropylene (PP) drift eliminators offer better chemical resistance and longevity than PVC in harsh environments.
- Water Quality – High levels of scaling, biological fouling, or aggressive chemical treatment can degrade plastics and shorten service life.
- System Design – Excessive drift loss can wear components faster.
- Environment – Harsh coastal environments and adverse weather conditions can contribute to eliminators reduced lifespan.
- UV Damage – due to the positioning of most eliminators, especially on counterflow tower arrangement,s eliminators are exposed to damaging UV, shortening their lifespan.
- Maintenance Practices – Expert and considered cleaning and inspection help prevent build-up that accelerates mechanical stress and UV degradation.
In many cases, drift eliminators are affected by a multitude of factors listed above and your specific site needs to address these factors as best as possible in order to enhance durability and extend the lifespan of your towers’ drift eliminators. Vistech have experience
What Can Be Done to Improve Drift Eliminator Lifespan?
Vistech Cooling Systems has replaced thousands of drift eliminators across the UK, and we’ve seen firsthand how smart design can double their lifespan and reduce total system maintenance.
Here’s what makes the biggest difference:
1. Proper Stainless-Steel Framing
- We recommend stainless steel corrosion-resistant frames to prevent brittle plastics from collapsing or breaking.
- Robust framing avoids misalignment through structured support T’s, which is a common cause of drift losses and resultant inefficiency.
2. Double-Depth Eliminators
- Using double-depth drift eliminators improves drift removal efficiency to below 0.002%. (Consideration should be given to the pressure drop through the tower)
3. Accessible Maintenance Design
- Drift modules should be easy to remove and clean, with maintenance teams making an effort to ensure that they are handled with care.
- When panels are poorly positioned or oversized, this risks drift escape leading to fouling and structural failure.
Our Perspective: What We’ve Learned at Vistech
At Vistech, we’ve surveyed and replaced drift eliminators on systems from 10 to 40 years old. In many cases, drift eliminators are commonly forgotten about, which is incredible since they are a vital line of defence from drift escape and many compliance headaches
That’s why our Vistech designs always consider accessibility, frame strength, and tower configuration, not just the spec sheet performance.
We’re also seeing increasing demand for replacements not just due to physical wear, but because tightening emission standards require better drift control something that older systems simply can’t deliver.
Need to Replace Drift Eliminators? Let’s Talk
If your cooling tower is more than 5 years old or showing signs of visible drift loss, it might be time to inspect your eliminators. Our team can advise on compliant, low-maintenance replacements to suit your individual needs.
📞 Speak to an engineer at Vistech today about cooling tower drift eliminator replacement or maintenance.