Read these Fill Pack facts before you're tricked. Western brand: reliable?

Fill pack, also known as Cooling Tower fill, fill, film fill, filling, and so on, is a crucial component of cooling towers for facilitating internal heat transfer. In light of the fact that the fill pack directly affects the cooling tower's effectiveness, it is essential to make a well-informed decision when choosing one.


I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself before we dive into today's article. Though many of you may already be familiar with Innovek because to the many articles I've published (Click to view all of our articles), for those who aren't:


When it comes to cooling towers, Innovek Asia is the market leader in Thailand mainly due to our dedication to excellence and innovation. We provide an extensive package of cooling tower services, from design to installation to inspection and maintenance, and our team has more than 15 years of experience and expertise in cooling tower products and services. This has been proven by a number of our successful projects both domestically and internationally.


Lets get back to todays article.


To produce a Fill Pack, black plastic sheets (the Fill sheet) are stacked on top of one another until they form a cube. Their pattern will vary widely depending on the manufacturer's company as the designer. There is constant competition among manufacturers to create new designs. Because these patterns will have an impact on the actual consumption of the cooling tower.


Fill Pack functions as a hot water passageway, delaying the water exchange with heat. It enhances the contact time between water and air for as long as possible. Helps a lot with heat dissipation. Many Fill manufacturers strive to develop patterns in order to produce their own unique designs with the maximum cooling efficiency.


With so many manufacturers to choose from, how should consumers decide? Does it need to be a non-Asian brand only? Are international brands truly trustworthy?


Since I've been dealing with this for more than a decade, I can speak from experience. Western companies that brag about being available all over the globe might not be as reliable as they seem.


If you're interested in learning more about the different Fill Pack abnormalities, I think you'll find today's article quite informative. The article does not provide guidance on "Which brand should you choose?" though. But, you'll know which Fill packs are not worth your time because of their low standard after you read.

Fill Pack Deformation

Picture 1: Fill pack deformation case

It's clear from the picture that there are multiple spots where the thing has been deformed. Close inspection reveals melting plastic, indicating heat is almost certainly to blame for this deformation.


A Fill pack typically needs to be heat resistant because it is a panel that handles hot water. This means the previous cooling tower manufacturer the customer dealt with made a poor choice in fill packs, which melt at higher temperatures.


Although the temperature of the hot water running through the cooling tower may vary from company to company, it is important to select a fill that can tolerate extremely high temperatures not only to sustain the water temperature but also to resist heat accumulation.

A quality fill pack should be capable of withstanding average temperatures from 55 to 60 degrees Celsius, and it should also be CTI-136 approved.

Fill pack Disintegrated

Picture 2: Fill pack disintegrated case

There is a wide range of assembly options for the fill pack. However, mechanical assembly and glue assembly are the two most common methods.

• In mechanical assembly, the button on each Fill sheet is used as a sort of handle to bring the sheets together without them breaking apart.
• Glue assembly involves first applying glue on the Fill sheet, then connecting the sheets using the button on each sheet to hold them together.

As can be seen in the second picture, the fill sheet has fallen apart. When you zoom in on the picture, you'll see that the broken fill packs were caused by dented Fill buttons. This fill pack was obviously of the mechanical assembly type.

Picture 4:  Fill pack Mechanical assembly

What this means is that there is still a defect in the mechanical Assembly type that can lead to the Fill pack sheet breaking down after some use. If you want your Fill pack to last as long as possible, assembly using glue is a must.

Cases caused by non-standard fill pack installation

There are a large number of incidents from our customers caused by non-standard fill pack installation. Inappropriate gaps exist between the cooling tower's borders or walls, resulting in insufficient heat exchange between air and water. It also wasted energy where none was necessary.


To install or repair a fill pack cooling tower, any gaps between the cooling walls must be closed in order for the cooling to perform efficiently and conserve as much energy as possible. 


It is ineffective even when the right Fill pack is selected but it is installed by an unprofessional.


A fill pack is an essential component of a cooling tower. From selecting a standard Fill pack to installing a Fill pack, it is critical to choose a service center that has a standard procedure in place for the Fill Pack to be installed properly, ensuring that it sits well and functions effectively.


Installation, repair, and maintenance of cooling towers, as well as parts or partial replacement, should be performed by trained professionals. To guarantee that your cooling tower functions efficiently and has a long service life, as well as to avoid accidents or unexpected events that could cause your cooling tower to fail and cause irreparable damage.


If you've ever had a bad experience with a cooling tower's fill pack or anything else relating to cooling towers, we'd like to hear about it. If you haven't had any of that in the past but have doubts/questions/problems that can't be solved right now, we offer free consultation through email at coolingexpert@innovek.co.th