Because cooling towers are frequently used to reject heat from water-cooled refrigeration equipment, the pipe conveying water from the cooling tower is often referred to as the condenser water supply pipe and the pipe conveying water to the cooling tower is often referred to as the condenser water return pipe. This is the naming convention that will be used in this section. However, cooling towers may also be used to reject heat from nonrefrigeration equipment, such as a heat exchanger. In this case, a naming convention for the piping (such as cooling tower supply and cooling tower return) must be developed by the HVAC system designer and used consistently for the project.

Connections for cooling towers consist of the following:

1. Condenser water return piping connection.
2. Condenser water supply piping connection.
3. Equalizer piping connection (where multiple cooling towers will be installed).
4. Makeup water piping connection.
5. Drain piping connection.
6. Overflow piping connection.
7. Electrical power connection.
8. ATC connection.