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Licences and permits

Cooling towers

  • Where cooling towers are used

    Cooling towers and evaporative condensers are devices which cool substances down using a wet cooling system, They are usually found in large manufacturing industries, as well as hospitals, chilled stores, warehouses and premises where heat needs to be removed from a process or area.

    If you own a cooling tower or evaporative condenser, located within the Belfast City Council electoral area, you must register with us.

  • Register a cooling tower or evaporative condenser

    There is no cost to register a cooling tower or evaporative condenser. You should provide us with the name and contact details of whoever is responsible for the tower or condenser so we can contact them to arrange an inspection.

    Register a cooling tower or evaporative condenser in Belfast (link opens in new window)

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  • Why do I have to register?

    We register cooling towers and evaporative condensers because they can be a source of Legionnaires' Disease, a form of pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacterium.

    Our Health and Safety team will arrange an inspection every year to make sure you are managing the risk of legionella. 

    This means your business or premises should also have a legionella control scheme and proper risk management procedures in place (including up-to-date risk assessments). You may consider hiring a water maintenance contractor to help you develop these procedures.

  • New installations

    If you are thinking about installing a cooling tower or evaporative condenser on your premises, call us on 028 9027 0428.

    When deciding whether to install such a device on your premises, you should consider the maintenance costs, including a water maintenance programme, a cleansing and sampling regime and the risks associated with Legionnaires' Disease.

    If you decide to go ahead and install a device, you should register with us as soon as possible.

  • Queries

    If you have any queries or complaints about the inspection or the registration process, or to find out if a cooling tower is registered, contact us.

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