Start with the opening designer note of the issued Section 23 65 00 and confirm that the cooling tower schedule gives the design wet bulb, flow, entering and leaving water temperatures, fans, motors, sound rating, operating weight, makeup water flow, and basin heater data, and that the equipment type kept in the section, an open cell tower, closed circuit cooler, or evaporative condenser, is the one scheduled. Then check that the foundation, vibration isolation, condenser water piping, makeup and drain connections, power for the fans, heaters, and water treatment, fire protection under NFPA 214, controls, and field acceptance tests match the drawings and the related sections.
Assemble the review package
Gather the mechanical equipment schedules, the cooling tower plan and elevations with clearances to walls and screens, the condenser water flow diagram and piping plans, the plumbing plans for makeup water, metering, and basin drains, the structural foundation or dunnage details and the roof framing if the tower sits on a roof, the electrical plans and panel schedules for fan motors, variable speed drives, basin heaters, and water treatment, the controls sequence, points list, and schematics, the fire protection drawings and the NFPA 214 analysis, the acoustic criteria for nearby spaces and buildings, and the issued Section 23 65 00 with Sections 23 64 26, 23 25 00, 23 64 10, 26 29 23, 23 05 93, and 23 05 48.19 and the controls section the project uses. Follow one tower cell from its schedule row through its piping, power, controls, and test requirements before assuming the others match.
WBDG publishes UFGS 23 65 00: Cooling Towers and Remote Evaporatively-Cooled Condensers as a public guide-specification reference (accessed November 3, 2026). Use your project’s issued specification and amendments for the actual comparison; the guide specification does not automatically govern your project. The checklist below is an original suggested review workflow, not a reproduction of the UFGS requirements.
Eight checks to run against the issued set
Use one record per location or system. The CSV contains the same eight prompts plus fields for source revisions, observed evidence, the review owner, the decision, and closure references.
| Check | Sources to compare | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled capacity and design data | Opening designer note on drawings + Performance article + Testing article + mechanical equipment schedules | Does the schedule give the design wet bulb, flow, entering and leaving water temperatures, fan quantity and motor data, sound rating, operating weight, makeup water flow, and basin heater data the note lists, do they agree with the chiller and condenser water schedules, and is the tower required to carry CTI Std-201 certification or, if it is not certified, field verification under CTI ATC-105? |
| Tower type and construction kept | Open Cell Cooling Towers, Factory Assembled Towers, Field-Assembled Cooling Towers, Closed Circuit Coolers, and Remote Evaporatively-Cooled Condensers articles + Cooling Tower Materials articles + Fill article and its designer note + schedules + design analysis | Is only the equipment type that is scheduled kept, with the others deleted, are the frame, casing, basin, and hardware materials chosen for a coastal or corrosive site, as the stainless steel and basin notes advise, and is the fill type suited to the water, since the fill note warns against film fill where debris is likely? |
| Fans, drives, motors, and variable speed | Electrical Work, Fans, Blowers, and Drives, Fans, Speed Reducers Gears and Drive Shaft, Electric Motors, and Vibration Cutout Switch articles + equipment schedules + electrical drawings + Section 26 29 23 | Do the electrical characteristics, starter type, enclosure, and maximum speed on the schedule match the electrical drawings, as the electrical note asks, is the variable frequency drive or EC motor shown where the schedule calls for variable speed, are the vibration and oil level cutouts interlocked with the fan circuit, and are air density and elevation shown where the fan note requires them? |
| Foundations, supports, and vibration isolation | Foundations, Framework, Casing, and Supports, Hot Water Distribution System, and Vibration Isolation articles and their designer notes + structural details + cooling tower plan + Section 23 05 48.19 | Is the foundation or support drawn with its location, size, and reinforcement, or is the contractor-designed option kept with the load conditions and soil bearing value indicated, is the isolator type shown, as the opening note lists, is connecting piping supported independently of the tower, and is seismic restraint coordinated with Section 23 05 48.19? |
| Makeup water, basin, freeze protection, and drainage | Cold Water Basin, Cold Water Basin Equipment, Electric Basin Heater, Meters and Controls, and Cold Water Basin Sweeping System articles + plumbing plans + electrical drawings | Do the plumbing drawings show the makeup water connection discharging above the basin, its meter, the overflow, and the basin drain, are the basin heater ambient temperature blank, heater power, and low water cutout coordinated with the electrical drawings, are other freeze protection measures drawn, and is a basin sweeping and separator or filter system kept only where it is drawn and powered? |
| Condenser water piping and water treatment | Condenser Water Piping and Accessories, Cooling Tower Water Treatment Systems, Cooling Tower Passivation, and Meters and Controls articles + condenser water flow diagram + Sections 23 64 26 and 23 25 00 | Do the condenser water piping, valves, and connections on the drawings follow Section 23 64 26, are the chemical feed, blowdown meter, and conductivity controller connected and given the power circuit the opening note asks for, and is passivation kept for towers with galvanized metal, as its note advises? |
| Fire safety, access, sound, and drift | Fire Safety, Safety Requirements, Stairways and Ladders, Hand Railings, Access Doors, Sound Power Level, and Drift Eliminators articles and their designer notes + fire protection drawings + NFPA 214 analysis + site or roof plan | Is the tower located and protected as the NFPA 214 analysis requires, with any sprinkler protection added to Section 21 13 16, are the catwalk, ladder, and guardrail kept in the safety article shown on the drawings with the Division 05 sections named, is the sound power basis checked against nearby occupied spaces, and does the drift eliminator option chosen match the counterflow or crossflow tower drawn, as the note ties it to the IgCC? |
| Controls, start-up, and field acceptance testing | Temperature Controls, Meters and Controls, Start-Up Testing Report, Test Plans, and Testing articles + controls sequence, schematics, and points list + Section 23 05 93 | Do the drawings include the sequence of control, control schematic, and ladder diagram the controls note asks for, covering tower fans and condenser water pumps, is the controls section named in the brackets the one the project uses, are the field acceptance tests chosen and tied to the performance values on the schedules, and is testing, adjusting, and balancing listed as a prerequisite? |
Worked example: a rooftop tower schedule that stops at flow and temperatures
Illustrative example: a medical clinic in a cold climate has two packaged induced draft cooling towers on a rooftop dunnage platform near patient rooms, serving water-cooled chillers. The tower schedule gives flow and entering and leaving water temperatures but no design wet bulb, sound rating, operating weight, or makeup water flow, the issued Section 23 65 00 keeps the field-assembled tower and evaporative condenser articles, the basin heater ambient temperature is blank and no heater circuit appears on the panel schedules, the plumbing plans show makeup water but no meter or basin drain, and the controls drawings have a chiller plant sequence with no tower fan staging.
Ask the mechanical engineer of record to complete the tower schedule from the opening designer note, delete the equipment types not used, fill in the basin heater ambient temperature, and add tower fan staging and condenser water pump interlocks to the sequence and schematics. Ask the electrical engineer to add the heater and water treatment circuits, the plumbing engineer to add the makeup water meter and basin drain, and the structural engineer to confirm that the dunnage carries the scheduled operating weight, then check the sound rating against the clinic’s acoustic criteria. The published equipment-consistency finding shows why tags, duties, and sequences should be reconciled across schedules, plans, and controls.
See the published equipment and sequence finding. The illustrative scenario above is separate from that published finding.
Avoid a false conflict
Section 23 65 00 covers the tower, closed circuit cooler, or evaporative condenser and the items furnished with it. Condenser water piping is specified in Section 23 64 26 and the chilled water piping guide, water treatment in Section 23 25 00 and the mechanical water treatment guide, chillers in Section 23 64 10 and the water chiller guide, variable frequency drives in Section 26 29 23, motor wiring in Section 26 20 00, seismic restraint in Section 23 05 48.19, sprinkler protection in Section 21 13 16, and catwalks, ladders, and railings in the Division 05 sections the safety article names, so check those before calling a requirement missing. The current guide section cites CTI Std-201, CTI ATC-105, NFPA 214, NFPA 70, and ASA S1.13, and its drift eliminator note points to the IgCC through UFC 1-200-02; confirm the criteria and editions your project invokes with the mechanical engineer of record and the authority having jurisdiction.
When requirements disagree, follow the project’s document-control and clarification process. Do not assume that drawings always override specifications, or the reverse. Identify the exact sources and request an authorized decision.
Close the issue across the affected documents
Record the location or tag, drawing and specification references, issue dates, observed difference, and the decision needed. Assign an owner and keep the item open until the response identifies the governing requirement. Check the revised drawings and specification references together; a response email alone may leave the issued package inconsistent.
For the overall process, use the guide to drawing and specification conflicts. Mark an inapplicable checklist row with a reason, and distinguish a verified correction from a question that still needs design information.
Where Groundbook fits
Groundbook’s drawing and specification review helps investigate potential disagreements in the documents you supply. Include the relevant specification sections and drawing references, then verify the cited evidence with the responsible reviewers before acting on a finding.