Maryland

Servicing Maryland One Test at a Time

 

NuChem has been servicing customers in the state of Maryland for more than 3 decades and in the early 2000’s we established a regional field office in Baltimore.  In a number of areas throughout the state, groundwater is of poor quality and surface water is favored.  Calcium, magnesium, sulfate, and bicarbonate variations are principal constituents of dissolved solids.  In some agricultural areas, nitrates have become a problem as the result of fertilizer leaching into the groundwater.  Along some of the coastal areas, the infusion of sea water has impacted and contaminated the aquifer from heavy groundwater pumping, primarily in the industrial area of Baltimore.  As a result, chloride levels have been elevated in some of those regions.

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Water from the Susquehanna is non-tidal and chemically very suitable for most uses. But at low flows, the water tends to be very hard.  With all the years we have spent servicing locations in this state, NuChem has become very familiar with the challenges posed in treating your heating and cooling systems as it relates to water chemistry. 

 

Boilers

 

When your water tends to the harder side, as it does in many parts of this state, scaling can quickly and easily build up inside of boilers causing those systems to run less efficiently.  Silica and marble, which is principally calcium carbonate, give hardness to the water which varies significantly across the state.  Harder water can also lead to an increased risk of scaling and corrosion inside of your boiler.  Our goal is to treat and protect your capital investment and to get the most use out of your equipment.

 

Cooling Towers

 

Currently, new regulations have been discussed regarding the treatment of cooling towers, spas, public showers, etc. in Maryland to help in the prevention of legionella and the spread of Legionnaire’s Disease.  Legislation has already been put into place in New York State and the New York City area and introduced again into the New Jersey State Senate on January 25, 2018. We anticipate that within the next few years Maryland and possibly the larger metropolitan areas will move forward on passing more stringent laws regarding the treatment of all cooling towers.  The Maryland Department of Health has created a list of helpful links to various fact sheets to provide information as to what legionella is and steps that can be taken to reduce the risk on their website. 

 

NuChem strongly recommends that if you own a building with a cooling tower, you begin to put into place now a plan regarding its treatment and the prevention of legionella growth.  We recommend that your tower be cleaned and sanitized a minimum of once yearly while in operation and legionella testing be performed every 90 days.  Taking these steps now will help you along the path to compliance when these regulations become law.  Contact us today to set up a free quote and site inspection of your cooling tower, steam boiler, and your hot water system.