Saving Water in Data Centers with Tekleen
Water use in data centers is a growing concern around the world. Tekleen Automatic Filters has been making automatic self cleaning water filters for over 40 years. Backed by global partnerships and technical integration expertise, their systems help facilities save water, protect equipment, and align with ESG and sustainability objectives. We spoke with Dan Flanick, Chief Revenue Officer at Tekleen, to learn more about their solutions for mission critical facilities.
The need for these solutions is very clear today. As Nagui Elyas, Chief Executive Officer of Tekleen, recently stated, “Water security is no longer a distant sustainability discussion. Global research organizations have identified water risk as a material economic and operational threat, and data center water consumption is now under public focus. The answer is not simply reducing intake. It is engineering systems that reuse more water within the process.”
Dan shares his insights below on how Tekleen is helping to fix this problem.
Q: Global water stress is becoming a material concern for data center operators. What was the core insight that led Tekleen to develop this integrated approach?
Water has become a board level operational risk. The core insight was recognizing that cooling water systems must be optimized as an integrated strategy. Our approach combines full flow water filtration, cycles of concentration optimization, and advanced dewatering. This enables facilities to reduce freshwater dependency, lower discharge volumes, and improve water productivity without compromising cooling performance or reliability.
Q: You mentioned helping facilities increase cycles of concentration. How does full flow filtration enable operators to safely reduce blowdown volume without compromising cooling tower performance?
Full flow filtration protects the entire cooling loop continuously. Cleaner circulating water allows operators to safely increase cycles of concentration while maintaining precise conductivity control. Higher cycles reduce blowdown frequency and freshwater makeup demand. Tekleen automatic self cleaning water filters maintain uninterrupted flow during backwash, ensuring system stability.
Q: The Point of Discharge recovery and dewatering component is a critical piece of this strategy. How does Tekleen’s Advanced Dewatering Technique work in practice?
Our Advanced Dewatering Technique concentrates solids and allows facilities to reclaim usable water from discharge streams. Facilities can recover meaningful percentages of discharged volume depending on water quality and system design. This reduces freshwater consumption, lowers wastewater handling costs, and improves water reuse efficiency.
Q: Data centers operate in mission critical environments where uptime is non negotiable. How does Tekleen ensure this, and what have you learned from installations already supporting data centers?
Tekleen automatic self cleaning water filters are engineered to maintain uninterrupted flow during backwash. Filtration continues while individual elements clean automatically, ensuring continuous cooling water delivery. We support installations with 24 hour technical support, spare parts access, and structured maintenance programs.
Q: Looking ahead, how do you see water management evolving for data centers over the next three to five years, and where does Tekleen fit into that future?
Water management will become more data driven, regulated, and performance based. Cooling systems will be engineered for both thermal efficiency and water efficiency optimization. Tekleen will continue delivering automatic self cleaning water filtration solutions that improve operational resilience, reduce water risk, and protect uptime.
