Description
Operate and tend industrial chillers and central plant equipment to produce and distribute chilled water or glycol for building and process cooling; monitor and adjust compressors, evaporators, condensers, pumps, and cooling towers to maintain specified temperatures, pressures, and flow rates safely and efficiently.
- • Adjust chiller setpoints, compressor stages, and VFD speeds on pumps and cooling tower fans to meet required supply water temperature and capacity.
- • Monitor gauges, sensors, and BAS trends for pressure, temperature, amperage, flow, and refrigerant levels; adjust controls to maintain specified conditions.
- • Record operating data such as temperatures, pressures, flows, tonnage, and test results in logs or CMMS.
- • Read panel indicators and test kits to verify water or glycol concentration, pH, and conductivity; adjust valves or dosing to meet specifications.
- • Correct minor malfunctions by clearing alarms, removing obstructions, and resetting equipment; inform supervisors of major issues.
- • Start and stop compressors, pumps, cooling tower fans, and valves to place equipment online or offline and transfer loads.
- • Assemble and connect service hoses, gauges, fittings, and temporary piping using hand tools.
- • Remove frost or ice buildup from evaporators, valves, and sensors, or perform controlled defrost to prevent accumulation.
- • Adjust valve positions and differential pressure setpoints to balance chilled water flow to air handlers and process loads.
- • Open bypasses and circulate loops during startup and shutdown to promote even cooling and prevent freezing.
- • Start oil pumps, crankcase heaters, and purge units to protect compressors and maintain system integrity.
- • Measure and add specified amounts of refrigerant, oil, inhibitors, or glycol; charge or recover per EPA and safety procedures.
- • Load chemical feeders and replenish biocides or corrosion inhibitors for water treatment systems.
- • Insert condenser tube cleaning balls and operate automatic cleaning systems to maintain heat transfer efficiency.
- • Isolate, remove, and return strainers, filter driers, and heat exchangers to service as required.
- • Inspect and flush lines, strainers, and heat exchangers; clean with approved solutions or steam; sanitize as required.
- • Sample and test chilled and condenser water using refractometers, pH meters, or conductivity meters; document results.
- • Operate thermal energy storage charge and discharge valves to regulate flow to ice or chilled water storage, when applicable.
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
