The Critical Role of Data Center Water Treatment
- Mission-Critical Cooling: If the cooling system stops, servers must be powered down to prevent hardware damage, causing unplanned downtime. Data centers cannot afford such interruptions.
- Redundancy: To mitigate these risks, data center water systems typically include n+1 redundancy, underscoring the need for consistent and effective water treatment.
- High 24/7 Cooling Demand: Unlike comfort cooling, data center cooling must handle a continuous base heat load around the clock.
- Increasing Server Densities: As server racks get denser, maintaining adequate closed-loop water flow is even more critical to ensuring efficient heat transfer and extending equipment life.
- Scale & Biofilm: Whether air-cooled, water-cooled, or direct-to-chip cooled, data centers rely on chilled water loops that must be safeguarded against deposits and microbial growth.
- Risk of Corrosion: Even minor pitting corrosion or leaks in these loops can lead to downtime, hardware damage, and costly repairs.
- Stringent Limits: Many regions (e.g., Loudon County) have strict usage and discharge regulations, particularly if reclaimed water is used as makeup.
- Environmental Pressures: Proper water treatment helps data centers reduce consumption, meet discharge requirements, and maintain optimal performance without incurring fines or penalties.
Chemstar WATER delivers end-to-end water treatment solutions tailored to data center cooling systems—helping reduce operational costs, enhance system reliability, and meet sustainability goals.
Data Center Water Treatment
Chemstar WATER’s Data Center Solutions
1. Cooling Water Treatment
Chemstar WATER’s targeted chemical programs prevent scaling, corrosion, and microbial buildup in open cooling loops, cooling towers or adiabatic cooling systems. This is crucial for:
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Maximizing cooling efficiency
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Reducing energy usage (improved PUE)
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Extending equipment life
- Reduce downtime
Chemstar WATER Experience: Over 25 years of treating mission-critical data center cooling, from government facilities to hyperscalers.
2. Microbiological Control
Data center cooling systems are susceptible to microbial growth, which can lead to:
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Fouling of heat exchangers
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Health risks (e.g., Legionella pneumophila)
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Reduced system efficiency
Chemstar WATER employs targeted biocides and monitoring strategies to ensure your systems remain safe and compliant with health regulations.
3. Liquid Cooling System Treatment
With the rise of high-density computing, especially with NVIDIA Blackwell design, liquid cooling is becoming more prevalent. Chemstar WATER addresses the unique challenges of these systems by:
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Customizing water treatment formulations for direct chip and immersion cooling – especially working around the galvanic corrosion
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Preventing corrosion, scale, and microbial growth in closed-loop systems
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Ensuring dielectric nature with sensitive electronic components
This expertise is vital as more data centers transition to advanced liquid cooling technologies.
4. Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) Optimization
Chemstar WATER helps data centers achieve industry-leading WUE metrics by:
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Implementing reclaimed water and cost-effective pretreatment systems
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Optimizing cycles of concentration to reduce water waste
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Providing continuous water testing and analysis for ongoing improvement
Maximizing WUE not only reduces operational costs but also supports sustainability goals.
5. Automated Monitoring and Control
Our integrated water management technologies offer:
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Real-time data collection and system intelligence
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Automated control of chemical dosing and system parameters
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Immediate alerts for deviations or potential issues
This proactive approach minimizes human error, enhances efficiency, and provides actionable insights for facility managers.
6. Additional Services for Data Centers
Temporary Mobile Equipment
When water quality changes dramatically—such as switching from surface to groundwater—Chemstar WATER provides mobile softeners, reverse osmosis (RO) and deionization (DI) systems. These temporary solutions maintain water quality and protect your critical cooling infrastructure during transitions or emergencies.
Vapor Phase Corrosion Inhibitors
CHEMSTAR 404VP represent a leap forward in corrosion protection, offering reliable, long-term shielding for ferrous metals and aluminum—without the downsides of traditional inhibitors. Whether you need preservation during shipping, protection after hydrostatic testing, or storage peace of mind, our biodegradable, vapor-phase inhibitors deliver comprehensive coverage that is easy to apply and maintain.
Sustainability Audits and Consulting
Our team conducts full-site sustainability audits, identifying opportunities for:
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Water conservation and recycling
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Eco-friendly chemical alternatives
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System upgrades for improved efficiency
We help data centers align with environmental regulations and corporate sustainability objectives.
“We’ve worked with many water treatment providers before, but Chemstar WATER is the only one that truly cares about our facility. They focus on solving our problems instead of just checking boxes. Chemstar has not only met but exceeded our expectations in safety, quality, delivery, and cost.”
– a hyperscale data center operations director
Sustainable Practices for a Greener Future
Sustainability is at the heart of Chemstar WATER’s operations. Our commitment includes:
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Reducing water consumption through advanced treatment and recycling
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Minimizing chemical usage with targeted, efficient formulations
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Supporting customers in achieving green certifications and regulatory compliance
For example, Chemstar WATER helped one data center reduce its water consumption by 16 million gallons (about 40%) annually through better control and recycling strategies.
How Chemstar WATER Supports Your Data Center
End-to-End Partnership
From initial assessment to ongoing maintenance, Chemstar WATER partners with data centers every step of the way:
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Site surveys and water quality assessments
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Custom program design and implementation
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Continuous monitoring and performance optimization
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Emergency support and mobile equipment deployment
Agile and Responsive Service
With strategically located engineers and account managers across the U.S., Chemstar WATER ensures prompt, reliable support—minimizing downtime and maximizing peace of mind.
Future-Proofing Your Facility
As data center technologies and regulatory requirements evolve, Chemstar WATER stays ahead of the curve. Our R&D team continually develops new solutions to address emerging challenges, from liquid cooling to water reuse and beyond.
Why Choose Chemstar WATER?
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Unmatched Expertise: Trusted by leading data center operators nationwide.
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Tailored Solutions: Every data center is unique—so is our approach.
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Proven Results: Documented reductions in water usage, energy costs, and environmental impact.
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Sustainability Leadership: Helping clients meet and exceed their green goals.
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Responsive Support: Nationwide coverage for rapid, expert service.
Ready to Optimize Your Data Center’s Water Treatment?
As the digital world expands, efficient and sustainable data center operations become ever more critical. Chemstar WATER is your partner for innovative, reliable, and eco-friendly water treatment solutions—today and for the future.
Contact Chemstar WATER to learn how we can help you achieve operational excellence, protect your assets, and support a more sustainable planet.
For a detailed consultation or to schedule a site audit, reach out to Chemstar WATER today and take the first step toward optimized, sustainable data center operations.
Commercial water treatment solutions
Influent Water Treatment Water & Energy SavingsBoiler Water TreatmentWastewater Treatment Microbiological ControlCooling Water Treatment
Influent Water Treatment Solutions
Treating incoming water to the facility is a key first step to minimize the microbial contamination downstream. Chemstar WATER has been a trusted provider for secondary potable disinfection systems for many commercial and residential buildings. We utilize cutting-edge technology when solving our customers’ water treatment challenges such as water filtration and softening systems, demineralizers, dealkalizers, reverse osmosis, electrodialysis reversal, electro deionization, and electrolysis processes.
Water + Energy Savings
At Chemstar WATER, we are committed to minimizing water use and maximizing energy efficiency resulting in a reduced carbon footprint. When we deal with cooling systems, boiler systems, all of the improvements we make have a direct impact on water and energy use. We envision a global economy that uses business as a force for good, is purpose-driven, and creates benefit for all stakeholders; our people, our communities, and our planet.
Boiler Water Treatment
At Chemstar WATER, we design our boiler water treatment programs to protect the integrity of boilers and all related heat exchange equipment, such as economizers, air preheaters, deaerators, superheaters, and steam turbines.
Many leading industrial and government customers have been trusting Chemstar WATER with their large steam boilers for decades. As you will see in one of our case studies, Chemstar WATER delivers outstanding performance regarding scale, deposit, and corrosion control in the boiler systems.
Wastewater Treatment
Chemstar WATER addresses each wastewater treatment situation with a unique solution to ensure that the right handling, chemicals, and care are given to serve each customer appropriately and effectively. Our engineering team designs efficient wastewater solutions with the right chemical and service makeup while keeping the total cost and effectiveness in mind.
Microbiological Control
In industrial water treatment programs, effective microbiological control is one of the essential pillars — alongside scale inhibition and corrosion mitigation — needed for maintaining system integrity and efficiency. These three elements form a “three-legged stool” of water treatment. If any one of the legs is deficient, the entire system’s performance and reliability can be compromised.
Cooling Water Treatment
Cooling towers are essential for industrial and commercial operations, but without proper water treatment, they are vulnerable to scale formation, corrosion, and microbiological contamination. These issues can reduce heat transfer efficiency, increase energy consumption, and lead to costly repairs.
At Chemstar WATER, we provide customized cooling water treatment solutions that optimize system performance, extend equipment life, and ensure compliance with industry regulations.
