How to defrost a metal-plastic pipe underground. How to defrost a plastic pipe: an overview of options and some important nuances. Trouble cleared, what's next?

Winter frosts are a test that not only living beings have to endure, but also engineering communications.

In case of violation of the rules for laying pipelines in winter time often they freeze and then the problem will arise in full growth, how to defrost water pipe?

Causes of freezing water in pipes

As a rule, the cause of freezing of water in pipes is an elementary violation of the water supply installation technology. For example, if the pipes were laid without taking into account the depth of soil freezing in a given area.

Or the requirement to conduct pipe insulation was ignored. It happens that pipes freeze not only in external networks, but also indoors if there is no heating in it.

How to avoid freezing pipes?

In order not to require defrosting of water pipes, care should be taken to ensure that the following requirements are met during the installation of the pipeline:

• At underground laying pipeline, ditches should be dug to a depth that exceeds the level of soil freezing in the area.
• It is not necessary to lay the water supply pipeline near reinforced concrete structures. The fact is that the coefficient of thermal conductivity of concrete exceeds that of the soil, that is, when pipes are laid in the immediate vicinity of reinforced concrete elements, the likelihood of water freezing in pipes increases.
• It is advisable to install pipelines complete with a heating cable.
  This, of course, will lead to an increase in the cost of installation, but it will forever get rid of the problem of freezing.
• In places where the pipeline passes through the wall of the building, glass wool insulation should be used to avoid direct contact of the pipe with the wall.
• In pipes of small diameter, water freezes more often, therefore, for plumbing, it is advisable to use pipes with a diameter of 50 mm or more.
• When laying pipelines in unheated rooms and on the streets, it is best to use polyethylene pipes. Such pipes tolerate freezing and defrosting well, unlike polypropylene pipes, which can become unusable if they freeze once or twice.
• If the water supply or sewerage is supposed to be used only periodically (for example, in the country), then during downtime, it is advisable to completely free the system from water so that there is nothing to freeze.

Methods for defrosting metal pipes

There are several ways. They will be described below.

But when choosing any of them, you should adhere to the following general rules:

• When heating pipes, keep water faucet open so that defrosted water can escape.
• It is forbidden to produce a sharp heating of the frozen section of the pipe, starting from its middle.
• Warming is carried out from the water tap towards the riser. But if it requires heating the sewer pipes, then you need to move in the opposite direction, that is, from the riser to the water intake point.
• Heating of the pipe should be started after the location of the frozen section has been assessed. This will help you choose the right defrosting method.

All methods can be divided into two large groups, it:

• Methods based on external impact on the pipe.
• Methods with an internal defrosting method.

Consider how to defrost water pipes using external exposure.

This will require the use of some kind of heating device, it can be:

• Blowtorch;
• Building hair dryer;
• Electrical heating device.

When using a blowtorch indoors, fire safety measures should be taken.

In particular, a metal screen should be installed behind the pipe to protect the walls.

Using any of the listed devices, you should methodically act on the pipe. The success of the measures taken will be evidenced by the water that will appear from the supply tap.

It should not be forgotten that when freezing, water expands in volume, so it is likely that steel pipes will be damaged after freezing.

After the water is warmed up, you should carefully inspect the pipeline for leaks.

The safest and most effective way to defrost pipes by external exposure is to use an electrical heating tape or heating cable.

In this case, you just need to wind the tape around the frozen area and plug it into the network.

To defrost steel pipes, you can also use this method: a welding machine is taken and connected to different ends of the frozen section.

As a result, the pipe heats up. When using a welding machine, the whole process takes 2-4 hours, depending on the length of the frozen section.

How to defrost a plastic pipe?

Recently, steel pipes for plumbing are used less and less, they have been replaced by plastic pipes. Such pipes are not subject to corrosion and do not collapse if water freezes in them.

However, if an ice plug appears in them, practically all methods of external influence cannot be applied to them. Naturally, the use of open fire to heat the plastic will lead to the destruction of the pipe, and the use of a building hair dryer often turns out to be ineffective, since plastic does not conduct heat well.

Connecting a welding machine to such pipes is also completely useless, since the pipes do not conduct electricity.

The mechanical method of action, that is, the removal of an ice plug by inserting a steel bar inside, can be effective when small area freezing, however, its use creates a serious risk of damaging the pipe.

Thus, if it is necessary to defrost plastic pipes, the only way left is to use hot water poured inside.

Below are several ways to defrost plastic pipes. All of them are quite effective, however, it is advisable to use them only on small diameter pipelines.

The first way to defrost is to organize the supply of hot water to the place of freezing.

It is done like this:

• To defrost a plastic pipe, a pipe or hose of high rigidity with a smaller diameter should be prepared.

To remove an ice plug in a pipe with a diameter of 20-30 mm, a pipe or hose with a diameter of 16 mm should be used.

• If the damaged section of the pipeline is straight, then it is more convenient to use a metal-plastic pipe. In the event that the frozen pipeline has bends, the use of a hose is required.

Ordinary irrigation hoses are not suitable for this operation. The fact is that they soften greatly under the influence of hot water, so it will be problematic to push them further.

For defrosting use gas or oxygen hoses.

• Metal-plastic pipes are sold, as a rule, rolled into coils. Therefore, the pipe should first be unbent, and then begin to move along the pipeline, pushing the ice plug all the way.
• Now you can pour hot water into the pipe, trying to maintain the highest possible temperature.
• Defrosted water will flow out at the pipe connection, so a collection container should be placed there.
• As the ice melts, the plastic pipe will need to be pushed further and further until the problem is completely fixed.

This defrosting method is good if an ice plug has formed in an area located near the entrance to the pipe. If the pipe is frozen far from home and there are turns and bends in the pipeline section, then the pipe cannot be pushed into the pipeline.

• To carry out the work, you will need a hydraulic level, a coil of steel wire with a diameter of 2-4 mm, and an Esmarch mug, that is, a device that is used in medicine for cleansing enemas.
• We take the tube of the hydraulic level and wrap it with wire or attach the wire to the tube with adhesive tape or electrical tape. This must be done so that the wire does not stick out in different directions, while the tip of the tube should protrude by one centimeter.
• Now we connect the second end of the hydraulic level tube to the outlet pipe of the Esmarch mug and begin to push our structure into the pipe.
• Since the hydraulic tube has a small diameter and weight, there are no difficulties when pushing through, even if there are turns along the way.
• Push the tube until the tube hits the ice plug.
• Now pour hot water into Esmarch's mug and open the supply valve.
• As the ice plug decreases, push the tube further.
• A suitable container should be installed at the junction of pipes to collect the escaping water.

This method of defrosting is quite effective, but it takes time. For one hour of work, you can have time to free from ice about 0.8-1.0 m of the pipe.

So, there are several fairly effective ways to help solve the problem of how to defrost water pipes. However, all of them are time-consuming, so it is more correct to take the necessary measures, for example, to prevent freezing of water in the pipeline.

Causes of pipes freezing
Methods for heating pipes
Do-it-yourself heating of plastic pipes
Heating of metal-plastic pipes

plastic pipes in last years became a very common material. To date, they are used both for laying pipelines in apartments, and for arranging risers and long highways.

Plastic pipes owe their popularity to a considerable number of advantages, among which it is worth noting:

• Good visual qualities;
• Complete resistance to corrosion;
• Simple and fairly quick installation;
• Conductivity of electric current.

Despite good performance, plastic pipes can freeze just like any other. A pipeline that has stopped its work due to frost is always a serious problem that needs to be addressed promptly. This article will discuss how to warm water in plastic pipe.

The main reason for the freezing of water pipes located in the ground is the too small depth of the pipeline. When installing pipes on the street, it is necessary to calculate the depth of their occurrence so that they are below the freezing level of the soil. If this condition is not met, then the pipes will freeze annually.

An exception to this rule is any large-diameter main water supply: in such systems, the movement of water is constant, so it cannot freeze. However, such pipes are usually used for laying industrial routes, and in private construction, pipes with a diameter of 20 to 32 mm are used, which must be laid at a greater depth.

In some cases, installation of pipes at a sufficient depth is not possible. To avoid freezing, you will have to use active or passive insulation, which will protect the system from exposure to low temperatures.

If the pipeline freezes with noticeable regularity, then to prevent this factor, it is worth leaving the system running even at night. A very important nuance is that the pressure increase in the system is inversely proportional to the probability of its freezing. The desire to save money, for the sake of which the pressure in the system is deliberately reduced, can also lead to its freezing, so you should avoid such situations.

Methods for heating pipes

If the water in the plastic pipe is frozen, there are several ways to warm it up:

1. Heating with hot water. To warm the pipes in this way, they must first be wrapped with a material like foam rubber or rags. After that, the pipes should be regularly watered with water heated to a state of boiling water. This method of heating pipes is very simple, but it can only be implemented in a building - plastic pipes located underground will have to be heated for at least ten hours.
2. Heating with hot air. To warm the pipes with hot air, you need a building hair dryer or some good heater. It will take from 2 to 10 hours to warm up the pipe, and there are some risks: firstly, uncontrolled heating can lead to softening and deformation of the pipes, and secondly, the efficiency of such heating is too low due to the large dissipation of thermal energy. Read also : "Options for defrosting pipes and rules for preventing freezing."
3. Heating by conduction. The pipe is wrapped with cables that are used in warm floors. The cables are connected to power and begin to warm the pipe, which can take about three hours. This method of heating does not allow pipes laid underground to be brought into working condition. In addition, heating cables are quite expensive, so buying them for a one-time use is unprofitable.
4. Warming from the inside. Heating the pipe from the inside allows you to completely melt the ice plug formed in the pipe. The main requirement for this method is good access to the pipe so that hot water can be poured there. The water supply is carried out either under pressure, or using devices similar to a boiler. It takes a lot of time for such heating of pipes (up to three days), and there is a limitation - internal heating is suitable only for horizontal sections of the pipeline.

Do-it-yourself heating of plastic pipes

If the pipe to be heated is underground, and the pipeline itself has turns or a bend, then the methods of heating the structure described above will not help. In this case, it will not be possible to break through the ice plug with the help of a wire, because the length of the frozen pipe section is unknown.

One way to deal with such a problem is folk remedy: The welding machine is connected to the two ends of the pipe and starts. There is one more effective method heating pipes, which consists in supplying hot water directly to the area where it cannot get on its own.

The sequence of actions required to heat the pipe hot water, as follows:

• First you need to take a high-rigidity hose or a metal-plastic pipe with a smaller diameter;
• The hose or pipe is pushed into the frozen pipeline until it hits resistance in the form of an ice plug;
• Hot water or strong brine is poured into the pipe;
• Melting water will gradually flow out of the pipe, so you need to take care of the container in which it will be collected in advance;
• When the ice plug resolves, it is necessary to run running hot water in order to completely eliminate the effects of freezing.

Heating of metal-plastic pipes

Before you warm up a plastic pipe, you need to study well the algorithm for performing this work, which includes several stages:

1. The first step is to localize the frozen part of the pipeline. To do this, you need to carefully examine the pipes located right next to the house. As a rule, the problem area is tactile - it is usually much colder to the touch than the functioning part of the pipe.
2. After the localization of the ice plug, the pipe is wrapped with a rag. Next, you need to open all the taps of the water supply, having a supply of hot water with you. If not, you can melt the snow.
3. The pipe is poured with water in two stages: first it is cold, and after it - hot. A gradual increase in water temperature is necessary so that the pipe is not damaged due to sudden temperature changes.
4. Water that has changed from solid to liquid will exit through open taps.

So that the defrosted pipe does not freeze in the future, it is better to immediately take measures to insulate it - then in the future you will not have to think about how to warm the pipe with water.

If the water is frozen in plastic pipes located under a layer of soil or foundation, then to warm them up you will need a barrel, a pump and an oxygen hose, with which you need to carry out the following steps:

1. The barrel is filled with hot water, the temperature of which is constantly rising.
2. The hose is inserted into the pipeline exactly until it hits the ice crust.
3. The tap opens and connects to the hose, which must be brought into the barrel. If the barrel itself or the possibility of installing it near the tap is not available, then an ordinary bucket will do.
4. The pump starts, after which the water heated in the barrel is pumped into the plastic pipeline. The hose must be constantly pushed inside the pipe so that it defrosts all the ice in the system. The pump periodically turns off to drain excess water.
5. When the blockage has resolved, the hose is removed and the water is drained from the pipeline.

Heating a plastic pipe can be done in other ways. For example, a hydrodynamic machine can always be used for these purposes. Her hose is launched into the pipe, after which the device starts. The ice in this case will break with the help of pressure.

More safe option for plastic pipes is a steam generator that removes ice by turning it into a gaseous state. A pressure gauge and a valve designed for a pressure of 3 atm are attached to the thick-walled pipe of the device. When working with a steam generator, you must strictly follow the instructions in order to avoid possible troubles.

Conclusion

Questions like “a pipe froze underground - what to do?” quite common among owners of private houses. Solving the problem with a frozen pipeline is not so difficult, but the task itself is quite troublesome and time-consuming. It would be much better to design the pipeline in advance so that the water in it does not freeze even in the coldest times.

In the cold season, even a slight frost can lead to freezing of water in a plastic pipeline (especially if the pipes are located at a level above the freezing depth of the soil). It is very difficult to dig a trench over a frozen water supply in the event of an ice plug.

To prevent freezing of water in pipes, it is necessary to wrap them with heat-insulating and moisture-resistant material, and, if possible, lay the pipeline at a safe depth, taking into account the climatic conditions of a particular area.

However, if it is necessary to warm the plastic plumbing underground, you can use several methods.

Quick article navigation

Heating with hot water

With a simple method of heating, hot water is supplied inside the pipe to the area with frozen water.

Necessary actions:

• Disconnect the plastic pipe from the taps;
• Heat water in a large container;
• Insert a hose or tube of smaller diameter into the pipe until the end of the hose rests against the ice plug;
• Supply hot water from a container into the hose (use a pressure pump to speed up the process);
• Advance the hose as the ice thaws until a strong water pressure from the pipe appears, indicating successful defrosting.

Use of electricity

The electrical method is effective, but must be used with strict safety precautions. Preparation for the process is as follows:

• Take a plug for an outlet and a copper two-core wire from which you need to remove the top layer of insulation;
• Strip one core of the wire, bend the second in the opposite direction along the wire;
• Make 3-4 turns of a bare core (bite off the excess with wire cutters);
• Step back 1-2 mm from the last turn and twist the second core in turns (the bare cores should not touch each other to avoid a short circuit);
• Connect the wire to the plug.

  How to warm up a pipe: practical recommendations for restoring system performance

The performance of the device can be checked in a bowl of water: bubbles should go from the ends of the wire, a current should buzz. In no case should you put your hands in the water during the test.

• To warm up, place the wire in a plastic pipe and push until it reaches the congestion;
• Then plug the plug into the outlet and advance the wire as the ice melts;
• After passing every 1-1.5 meters, pump out excess water with a pump or compressor.

Technically equipped methods

With special equipment, the process of defrosting a plastic pipeline is noticeably simplified.

It is easy to use hydrodynamic machine:

• Insert the end of the installation hose into the plastic pipe;
• Then turn on the hydrodynamic machine (in a short time, the ice will collapse under strong air pressure).

Autoclave application:

• It is necessary to pour water into the autoclave and heat;
• Put a gas welding hose or other durable hose on the autoclave fitting;
• Move the hose into the plastic pipe as far as possible (when water boils, pressurized steam flows through the hose and melts the ice plug).

Heating with a steam generator:

• The end of the steam generator hose must be led into the pipe;
• Turn on the unit (ice gradually melts under the action of high-pressure hot steam).

In what cases may it be necessary to defrost pipes
External heating
Heating pipes from the inside
Fixture for steel pipes
Hot water pouring
Ordinary enema or Esmarch's mug
Electricity
What to do so that the pipes do not freeze

In winter, quite often people are faced with the fact that water pipes can freeze during severe frosts.

In this material, we will talk about how to defrost a pipe with water without damaging communications and without staying without water for a long time.

In what cases may it be necessary to defrost pipes

In cases where water supply pipes were not insulated in time, with a sharp decrease in air temperature outside, the water in them may freeze.

However, even if such a nuisance happened, you should not panic - everything can be fixed, including on your own.

Among the most common causes of freezing of water pipes are incorrect laying of the main line without taking into account the depth of freezing of the soil or without insulation.

Alternatively, this can happen with plumbing that is used at very low temperatures or that has too little water flowing through it.

If the pipes are frozen in places where they are fairly easy to reach, you can use a regular hair dryer, warming the surface to the desired temperature.

It is somewhat more difficult to defrost water pipes that run underground. Freezing at the entry point can be broken through by simply heating the wall of the house, however, often the freezing point is located a few meters from the building. See also: “How to warm water in a plastic pipe - proven and simple methods from practice.”

In order to defrost the pipes, you can use equipment such as a building hair dryer (if it is not available, an ordinary household one will do), a blowtorch, an electric heater. Here are some tips for defrosting frozen pipes.

When working with steel pipes defrosting is very easy. To do this, a welding machine is connected from opposite ends of the pipe, which will thaw the water inside the water supply for 3-4 hours.

The duration of the process depends on the length of the pipe. Recently, however, plastic pipes have been actively used in water supply systems that can withstand pressures up to 10 atmospheres.

Although such products do not deform when frozen, it is still impossible to defrost plastic pipes with a welding machine. You should also not use an iron rod to punch a cork, so as not to spoil the plumbing.

There are a lot of ways to defrost a water supply or sewer pipe.

External heating

Certainly the need to break frozen ground to get to the pipe is a significant disadvantage of this method.

However, for those situations where the frozen area is small, this method has the right to exist.

When the trench is excavated, the type of pipeline material is established.

Only heating devices can be used to work with polymer products. electric type, giving out temperature no more than 100-100 ℃. To reduce the heat loss of the heater and warm up the pipe section faster, the place of work is covered with a layer of thermal insulation.

With metal pipes, the process of thawing the cork is faster, because here you can use an open fire source - firewood, a gas burner, a blowtorch or any other devices, which, of course, is not applicable to plastic.

Heating pipes from the inside

To get rid of the blockage in sewer pipes Ah, there are a few things to consider. First, such communications, as a rule, have quite large diameter, which allows you to warm up the outside and inside more efficiently.

However, the amount of accumulated ice in them will be significantly greater, so that more heat will be required by the heating devices.

To defrost plastic pipes, you need one simple device. We take a board with rounded edges and attach a heating element to it in the shape of the letter U. Only the heater loop should protrude beyond the board. All other parts must not come into contact with the walls of the heater.

Having determined the thickness of the plug and the distance to it, we fix the wires of the appropriate length to the ends of the heating element, and we attach the entire structure to a piece of metal-plastic pipe, with which we will push our device into the sewer.

It is necessary to introduce the structure into the sewer pipe from the side of the receiver, where the melted liquid will drain. First, the heating element is fully promoted to the place of work, after which it is connected to the network.

Moving the device forward as the cork thaws, the device is periodically turned off.

Fixture for steel pipes

One of the most effective methods for removing frozen plugs in pipes is the use of an industrial device.

However, it only applies to metal products. To defrost the cork, terminals are attached to the two ends of the frozen pipe, through which current is supplied. Gradually heating up, the pipe begins to melt the ice clot inside it.

The duration of the defrosting of the pipe will depend on its length and diameter. For example, for pipes with a cross section of up to 6 cm and a length of 23 m, about 1 hour of operation of the device will be required.

If the diameter of the pipeline is greater than this indicator, then the run-up between the terminals is made smaller. This also applies to segments measuring instruments and tie-in locations.

A prerequisite in this case is the presence of pressure inside the pipeline.

Along with the generally accepted methods of defrosting water pipes, polyethylene products can be pierced in three more "folk" ways. They are all quite effective, however, only on pipes with a small cross section.

Hot water pouring

Here it is worth noting right away that you will not be able to simply pour hot water into the pipe - you will have to work hard.

A flexible hose or thin tube is required to supply hot liquid to the place of the ice plug. For example, if a plug formed on a straight section of a pipe with a diameter of 25-30 mm, you can use a thin metal-plastic tube with a cross section of 16 mm.

Having straightened a thin tube, it is gradually pushed into the water supply until it reaches the ice plug. Next, the hot water supply starts. Melt water will pour out through the gap between the water supply and the working tube.

To save money, this water can be reheated and fed to the cork to thaw it.

As the ice thaws, the metal-plastic tube is gradually pushed inward until the cork is completely pierced.

It is worth noting that on winding sections of the water supply, you can only use a rigid hose instead of a pipe.

However, you should not use a watering hose - it is too soft and will quickly get wet. Optimally in this case, gas or oxygen hoses are suitable. They can be pushed 15 meters deep into the water supply, however, significant efforts will be required to push them through due to the large weight.

Ordinary enema or Esmarch's mug

This method allows you to get rid of ice in cases where the pipe is frozen quite far from the house, and the water supply system has bends and turns.

In this case, you will need a strong steel wire, a hydro level and a regular enema (Esmarch's mug). All these things are inexpensive and easy to get.

First, the hydraulic level must be combined with the wire, wrapped with electrical tape. The end of the wire is wrapped in a loop so that it gets stiff. You need to wind it so that it does not stick out to the sides, and at the end the hydraulic level tube should extend 1 cm beyond the wire.

The second end of the tube is connected to the Esmarch cup. After that, the tube with wire is pushed into the water supply until it rests on the ice.

Such a device can easily and without complications go through all the bends of the pipe and get to the right place. When the hydraulic level has reached the right place, hot water is gradually fed into the tube from the enema. Under the outlet of the pipe you need to substitute a container for water, which will flow out from there.

Gradually, the ice plug will melt, so that the device can be moved further and further.

It should be noted that this method is rather slow. The average speed of work is 1 meter of pipe per hour, that is, about 5-7 meters of pipe can be thawed per working day.

Electricity

There are cases when the thickness of the water pipe is only 20 mm, its length is about 50 meters, but the depth of the passage is about 80 cm (this is very small), and in places where excavation not recommended (on the roadway, for example).

To defrost a plastic pipe in this case, you can use a homemade device.

To assemble it, you need a plug for an outlet, two-wire copper wire, compressor and hose for pumping water. For our example, let's take a wire with a cross section of 2.5-3 mm, an 8 mm car fuel hose and a car compressor or pump.

Please note that when working with electric current, strict safety precautions are required to avoid injury.

Now you can start assembling the fixture for defrosting the water pipe.

On a small section of the wire, the outer insulation is removed, the cores are separated.

First, one of the cores is stripped of insulation, and the remaining insulated piece of wire is carefully, trying not to damage the sheath, bent in the opposite direction along the wire. Now, almost at the bend, the wire is screwed with 3-5 tight turns of bare wire.

Departing from this place 2-3 mm, the same manipulations are performed with the second vein. Make sure that the ends of the two strands do not touch each other.

On the other side of the wire, a plug and a “bulbulator” are attached. Such a unit supplies an electric current directly to the water, as a result of which a reaction occurs with the release a large number heat.

Ideally, in this case, the fact that only water is heated, while the wires remain cold, which does not threaten accidental burns polyethylene pipes.

Before starting the assembled mechanism should be tested. Dip it in a container of water and apply current - everything works correctly if air bubbles are visible in the water and a buzz is heard. Please note that you cannot touch the water while the device is operating - you will receive an electric shock.

So, we push the wire into the water supply, making sure that it does not bend, before contact with ice.

Now it's time to remove the melt water from the pipe using a compressor to reduce the volume of heated water and avoid re-freezing of the pipe. If you have special equipment, a faucet can be welded onto the pipe, which can be closed as soon as water flows through the pipe.

This will avoid flooding the place of work with the cork and not pulling the wire out of the pipe.

What to do so that the pipes do not freeze

After so detailed description options for getting rid of ice plugs in water pipes, it would be useful to talk about preventive measures for such an unpleasant phenomenon.

The first thing to remember is that the depth of the water pipes should be below the freezing level of the soil in your area.

The norm for sewer and water communications is a depth of 1.2-1.4 meters.

It is better not to lay pipelines near reinforced concrete structures, since the level of thermal conductivity of concrete is much higher than that of the ground.

How to warm water in a plastic water pipe underground

Consequently, near the foundation, beams or grillages, pipes will freeze more than in other places. If it is impossible to bypass them, it is worth taking care of thermal insulation, for example, laying plates of extruded polystyrene foam between the pipe and the foundation.

As an option, if there are additional funds for construction, a heating cable can be laid near the pipeline. On sale you can find self-regulating cables that start heating the surface only under certain specified conditions.

Where water and sewer pipes come into contact with the walls of the building, passing through them, it will be useful to insulate communications with glass wool, mineral wool or foam.

The reason lies in the same thermal conductivity of the walls of the building.

If work is carried out in country house, the best choice there will be water pipes with a cross section of at least 50 mm, which do not freeze so much in winter.

As for the material for water pipes, there are also differences. For instance, polypropylene pipes able to withstand no more than 2-3 freezing, after which they begin to burst. But pipes made of polyethylene are practically not sensitive to frost and defrosting.

Please note that in cases where you do not plan to use the sewerage and plumbing in the winter season, it is worth draining all the water from the system.

So, every resident of a private house can face the problem of freezing water in a water pipe in winter. In this situation, the best thing to do is not to waste time, but immediately start defrosting the ice plug.

To do this, you can use traditional methods, such as external or internal heating, as well as the use industrial equipment. Or you can take advantage of folk experience and try one of the non-traditional methods of defrosting.

In any case, only you can decide how to solve the problem.

SEWER FROZEN: HOW TO MELTE THE ICE IN THE PIPE.

There are two ways to deal with an ice blockage in the sewer: thermal and chemical. The first involves the use of electrical devices, which in itself can be a problem, the second allows you to get by with simpler means, but its efficiency is worse.

So, if a sewer pipe is frozen: how to melt years in a thermal way.

If the pipes are steel and the place of the plug is localized, then it is possible to pass current from the welding transformer through a pipe section up to several meters long, connecting with welding and return cables to the ends of the frozen section.

The pipe between the cable connection points will heat up and the plug will melt. Unfortunately, this method is not possible for polyethylene or ceramic pipes. In this case, the heat source must be brought to the end of the ice plug from the inside. To do this, they often use a U-shaped heating element under voltage, which is pushed through the sewer pipe with a thinner metal-plastic pipe.

So that the heating element does not rest against the walls of the pipe and does not melt them, it is necessary to center it along the axis of the pipe using simple spacers, for example, from thick wire.

If the plug is in the ground part of the sewer, or it is possible to open a trench with a pipe, then it is heated from the outside with fan heaters, building hair dryers, blowtorches.

Frozen water in a plastic pipe - what to do and how to fix the problem?

If possible, you can use the services of a local water utility or a specialized company that has a mobile steam generator to which a rigid heat-resistant hose is connected.

In this case, hydrodynamic flushing will also be effective, when hot water under pressure is supplied to the hose from the special installation.

The easiest way is to dissolve salt or a reagent for cleaning ice from asphalt in boiling water, and pour the solution into the hole in the pipe closest to the ice plug.

It is better if the cork is inside the house. Otherwise, there is a risk that the incoming solution will cool down before the cork is completely dissolved and will also freeze. If there are no holes in the pipe near the plug, then a hot solution is supplied to it through a flexible metal-plastic pipe.

It is rigid enough to push it through the ice chips, and at the same time it can bend once or twice at the bends of the sewer. The water that has melted from the cork should be taken through a hose, which is completely filled with water, squeezed, pushed through to the stop and the squeeze is removed. The water must go by itself.

Submit your application

Our specialists

Sedykh Ruslan Mikhailovich

Supervisor.

Designer.

Astakhov Igor Anatolievich

Specialist plumber Installer of water supply, sewerage and heating.

Sedykh Sergey Mikhailovich

Plumbing specialist.

Installer of water supply, heating and sewerage.

In winter, one can observe such an unpleasant phenomenon as the freezing of water and drain pipes in private homes. It is easier to defrost a sewer pipe, since during the thawing process water will drain into drain hole. The situation is more complicated with the water supply system to the house.

Pipes are usually underground, so it is very difficult to dig through frozen ground.

In this article, we will look at how to thaw a frozen pipe in various ways.

Ways to warm up frozen pipes

It is quite difficult to thaw frozen pipes, so you can choose the appropriate method for this, depending on where these pipes are located.

The length of the frozen section and the material from which the pipeline is made are also taken into account. Before starting work, turn off the water supply and open the tap that is closest to the frozen area.

Heating with hot water

The method is good if the pipe is in the house or the trench in which it is located, can be easily opened.

For example, it is not buried, but is a concrete channel with quick access. It is assumed that the pipeline is steel. The frozen area is wrapped with rags and poured with boiling water. In a relatively short period of time, it is possible to warm the right place.

How to thaw frozen pipes without damaging them? If the fire is too big, then the water inside the pipe can turn into steam and provoke a break in the communications wall.

Areas that do not need to be thawed should be covered with thermal insulation, otherwise ice may appear elsewhere.

Heating with an open flame

This method is applicable only to metal pipes.

Required for work gas-burner or a blowtorch, although you can get by with an ordinary fire.

The frozen metal is heated by an open flame, and the resulting water gradually flows down to the site. The method is used only with open visibility of the pipes.

Heating a frozen pipe with a hair dryer

The building hair dryer allows you to deal with ice jams very effectively.

But again, such heating can only be used in cases where the pipes can be easily reached. For example, if they are inside the house. For plastic pipes, the method is not suitable, since a building hair dryer is capable of producing a very high temperature.

Plastic, as a result, can simply melt.

You can simply heat the metal with a hairdryer, but this will take a considerable amount of time. A sleeve made of polyethylene or other dense material will speed up the process. The sleeve is put on the desired area, after which a hair dryer is inserted into it and connected to the network. Warm air is collected in the sleeve, which acts on the pipe, heating it over the entire area.

Defrosting with a welding machine

This method of heating was invented by craftsmen.

It consists in the fact that current is supplied to the pipe section from the welding machine. The current can be adjusted by making it more or less. The wires from the welding machine are connected to the ends of the frozen section (they are wound wire).

After that, the device turns on for 30 seconds.

How to defrost a water pipe - 11 simple and effective ways to deal with ice

After a short pause, the action is repeated. If the pipe does not heat up during such an impact, then the current of the apparatus is increased.

Industrial defrosting machines also work according to this principle. The terminals of such an apparatus are connected to the ends of the section to be defrosted.

The device turns on and acts on the pipe with a current.

For information: a pipe with a diameter of 6 cm and a length of 25 meters is defrosted by such a device in 1 hour.

Therefore, if the communication has a diameter of more than 5-6 cm, then it is better to defrost it in separate sections - it comes out faster.

heating with heating cable

We considered ways of heating metal communications. And how to thaw frozen plastic pipes? To do this, you can use hot water or use a heating cable.

If everything is clear with hot water, then many have not even heard of a heating cable. The pipe section is wrapped with metal foil. A special heating cable is wound over the foil.

Attention!

To avoid damage to the cable, its turns must be spaced at least 9-10 cm apart.

A temperature sensor must be installed on the cable, which turns off the cable when the set temperature is reached. The cable is connected to the mains and heats up the required area.

Whatever method of defrosting pipes you use, follow certain safety measures.

It is very important to prevent damage to pipes and not be left without water in the dead of winter.

Why freeze pipes? The reasons can be very different: pipes are installed at insufficient depth, inefficiently insulated, they carry too little water, pipes operate at extremely low temperatures.

It should be noted that if pipe deflection, in accessible places, does not cause any particular problems (for example, they can be heated with an ordinary household hair dryer), and then how to defrost outdoor water pipes in an underground position? "Fortunately" if the tube freezes at the entry point - in this case, you can simply warm up the walls. And if the freezer is located a few meters from the building? Is there a solution or should we wait?

Solution!

If the pipes are metal, the defrosting process is quite simple. To do this, take a simple welding machine and connect it to different ends of the pipes. This simple electrical method fixes the problem within two to four hours.

How to defrost a water hose - 4 easy and effective ways

The frozen part of the tube is longer, defrosting takes longer.

What to do if it's frozen plastic tube? At present, polyethylene pipes made of polyethylene are mainly used in water supply networks. high density(HDPE), which can withstand pressure up to 10 atm. They do not corrode and do not degrade during freezing. According to its properties, polyethylene is not a conductor of electric current, so defrosting with a welding machine is not possible.

Removing the ice plug with a steel stick is also full, a damaged hose may be damaged. This is the only way to use defrosted water.

The proposed three methods for defrosting polyethylene pipes are the knowledge of folk artisans. Despite their eccentricity, they work. Their only drawback is that they are only suitable for small diameter pipes.

Method 1

It should be borne in mind that the ice plug in the tube will not allow hot water to enter if it is poured.

Therefore, you need to find a way to supply hot water to the frozen area. If you want to do this, you can use a smaller diameter hose or tube. For example, if a 25mm or 30mm water pipe needs to be thawed, and the frozen part is flat, then the most efficient use of a 16mm diameter metal pipe is the most efficient. Line up the metal plastic hose first (m/p pipes usually turn into compartments) and insert it into the frozen tube until it reaches the ice.

Then fill it with a place to freeze as much hot water as possible. Dehydrated cold water flows through the gap between the water pipe and metal plastic pipes. By the way, if you have a limited water supply, you can use melted water: preheat and re-send to the freezing point. At the same time, the ice cube will melt and you can press the metal plastic tube further.

What if the frozen part of the water pipe has bumps and brakes?

In this case, it will not be possible to use rigid metal pipes made of plastic. Is there a solution? In this case, you can use a rigid hose. Keep in mind that a regular charging hose won't fit, it will soften from the hot water and won't be able to push it.

In this situation, efficient pipes and pipes for connecting gas cylinders. Such pipes are quite heavy, but nevertheless they can be brought to the entrance of 10-15 meters. In addition, they are quite heavy, and a push in the pipe is necessary with great difficulty.

Method 2

How to defrost a water hose if it happened ten meters from the house, and the pipeline turned and turned?

There is an efficient and economical way. To do this, you will need a set of hardened steel wire (2-4 mm), building hydraulic steps and Esmar's mug (banal enema). The cost of such a set is small, and many of them have all its components on the farm.

First, you need to align the hose and the hydraulic level wire, and then tie the end of the wire to the hydraulic level with tape.

To provide more rigidity at the end of the wire, you can use a loop. The stone wire should not be held, and the end of the hydraulic pipe level should be 1 cm ahead of the wire. After that, the other end of the hydroelectric plant must be connected to the Esmarch can, and the wire must be pushed through the pipe to the pipeline until it stops in the ice cap. Due to the fact that the water hose has a very small diameter and very low weight, it easily moves through the pipeline and overcomes all turns.

Then pour in hot water so that the frozen water line is "clogged". In order to collect the melt water under the water pipe, you need to replace the container, because the amount of hot water is poured out, so cold is poured out. When the ice comes together, keep pushing the wire with the water hose. This pipe defrosting method is quite long, it can thaw up to 1m of pipeline in about one hour, i.e.

During operation, ice ice can be released from 5-7 m. In this case, do not worry, before you pump up the hose / pipe, you must charge at least 10 liters of hot parts at minimal cost.

Scheme of the tube bending process with wire, water level and Esmarch jug

Method 3

Consider the situation where we have frozen polyethylene water with a small diameter (20 mm) of 50 m in length with a compaction depth of up to 80 cm.

Please note that this is an inappropriate depth of laying the plumbing, so it froze. Feature - water runs under the train. As a rule, passengers similar situation it is usually recommended to wait for defrosting, but without them it can be done.

We need the following "equipment" of a two-wire copper line (the length and thickness of the cross-section choose the length and diameter of the frozen water tap), with a drain plug, a compressor pipe to purge the thawing water.

For example, for a pipe with a diameter of 20 mm, you can take a wire of 2.5-3 mm, and a pipe for an automobile tube with a diameter of 8 mm can be taken from a conventional automobile compressor (in extreme cases, a pump).

We would like to point out that the use of this method must be especially careful since the work is carried out using high voltage.

Now everything is needed for the defrosting process.

From a small part of the wire, it is necessary to remove the outer insulation, divide it into two wires and one of them is bare (remove the inner insulation), and the remaining wire in the insulation is neatly folded in the opposite direction along the wire. It must be ensured that the insulation is not damaged.

Then, almost near the curvature of the wire, you need to make 3-5 turns of bare wire (as close together as possible) and cut off the rest of the end.

After that - move 2-3mm away from the devices to support the other wire and around it just as well.

The turn of the first and second wires must not touch, otherwise a short circuit will occur in the future.

Connect the plug to the other end of the wire, and the "block" for the pipe outlet is ready. In humans, this device is known as a "bulbulator": if you put it in water and connect it to the electrical system, when the current passes through the water, the reaction occurs by releasing a lot of heat.

In our case, this device is ideal, because only the water is heated, and the wires remain cold, for example, the plastic hose is not accidentally damaged.

The composite device needs to be checked. To do this, you must put it in a glass of water and combine it with food. If the air bubbles remain in contact and there is a slight noise, the device is working. Again, contact with water while operating the device may result in electrical shock.

We continue the process of water removal.

The wire must be carefully pressed into the tube so that it does not bend at the same time. Therefore, it is better to take a wire with a large cross section. When the wire rests on the ice plug, you need to turn on the lamp and wait one or two minutes.

Now you can try to push the wire forward: the ice has started to melt. When defrosting with a pipe counter, the defrosted water is preferably located in the compressor, which is necessary to reduce the volume of heated water and to ensure that the water pipe does not freeze again in the thawed area.

If special equipment is available, it is advisable to turn the tube into a hose.

When water enters through the tube, the wire is pulled out of it and the faucet is closed, for example, the underground section of the defrost area (for example, the basement) will not occur.

To prevent plastic pipes from freezing, please note:

• Pipe installation must be carried out at a depth below the freezing level in a certain area. In the northern and eastern parts of Ukraine - Lugano, Kharkov, Poltava, Sumy, Kiev, Chernihiv - the freezing depth is not more than 100 cm, in the south - (Nikolaev, Odessa, Kherson) - 60 cm, the rest 80 cm .

  It is advisable to place water and wastewater at a depth of at least 120-140 cm.

• Do not place water and sewage near reinforced concrete structures (beams, beams, foundations, throats), because the thermal conductivity of concrete is much higher than the thermal conductivity of the floor, i.e. T

  The probability of soil freezing of reinforced concrete structures increases. In this case, it is necessary to insulate the pipes (for example, between the pipeline and the reinforced concrete structures of the extruded polystyrene panel)

• If the product is close to the pipeline, you can place a heating cable.

  They currently produce self-regulating heating cables that are activated when needed.

• the points of passage of the pipeline through the walls of buildings and structures are preferably insulated with fiberglass, mineral wool and mounting foam to prevent direct contact of pipe walls with building walls
• when equipping water pipes in a recreation area, it is advisable to use pipes with a diameter of at least 50 mm, while pipes of a smaller diameter are more susceptible to freezing
• in choosing between different polymeric water pipes, it should be noted that pipes made of polyethylene are well tolerated by repeated freezing and thawing, while pipes made of polypropylene after two or three discharges can start
• If the water or waste water is not regularly used during the winter, it is preferable that the water from the system be completely drained.

If all these conditions are met when installing water pipes, you do not need to think about how to defrost the pipes.

In winter, freezing plumbing and heating pipes are a common problem. This can happen if the required standards were not met during the laying of the pipeline and technological standards were violated. Regardless of the root cause of the problem, the question arises: how to defrost a water pipe?

Consider some of the causes of ice plugs in the water supply:

• the water supply was laid at insufficient depth;
• incorrectly performed work on thermal insulation of pipes;
• pipe diameter is incorrectly selected;
• worn pipes.

How to prevent plumbing from freezing

• when laying water pipes, it is necessary to take into account the depth of soil freezing in a given area and dig a trench below this level;
• the pipeline should be placed away from concrete and reinforced concrete structures, as they are subject to freezing stronger than the soil;
• in places where pipes enter the building should be done good thermal insulation, most often, mineral and glass wool is used;
• it is better if the diameter of the outer pipes is more than 50 mm - than more water in the pipe, the longer it will freeze;
• piping can be done with electric cable, which will heat pipes at dangerously low temperatures.

If it was not possible to prevent freezing, you should start defrosting the water supply.

This can be done in several ways, all of which can be divided into two categories:

1. Impact outside.
2. Warming up from the inside.

Regardless of the choice of pipe defrosting method, several rules must be observed:

• it is necessary to determine as accurately as possible the frozen section of the pipe and its length;
• all valves must be open so that the thawed water has an outlet;
• it is necessary to start warming the pipe from an open tap and further to the riser;
• sewer pipes, on the contrary, are heated from the riser in the direction of the septic tank.

Methods for defrosting water pipes through exposure to the outside

In such cases, prolonged heating of the pipe surface and further heat exchange between the pipe itself and the ice inside are carried out.

Boiling water or just hot water. The frozen section of the pipe is wrapped with foam rubber or rags that absorb water, and poured with boiling water, constantly maintaining the temperature of the rags or foam rubber, and, accordingly, the pipe. This method is used in open sections of the pipeline: in basements, at the entrance to a building, etc. Well suited for metal pipes, as metal is an excellent heat conductor.

Building hair dryer. The pipe heats up under the influence of hot air. It is necessary to blow the pipe from all sides. In order not to lose heat, something like a pavilion can be made around the pipe, for example, from a plastic film. When heating a plastic pipe in this way, it is important to carefully monitor the heating process so that the pipeline does not melt. If the pipe freezing area is small, a conventional fan heater or a household hair dryer will do. If the pipe has bends, narrowings, entrances to the fittings, they also need to be heated.

Blowtorch or gas burner. This method requires special attention due to the high risk of fire.

Electrical heating cable or electrical heating tape. The safest and no less effective way to defrost pipes. The cable must be wound around the pipe in a spiral and connected to a power source. This method is only suitable for open pipes.

Defrost unit or welding transformer. Two wires, positive and negative, are connected to different ends of a frozen section of a metal pipe, an electric current heats the water and the ice plug melts. The time spent on heating metal water pipes using a welding transformer is minimal.

Methods for defrosting water pipes through exposure from the inside

All the methods described above are good for metal pipes, but are not suitable for plastic. Therefore, there are methods "from the inside". The most important thing is to find the nearest detachable connection in order to disconnect the frozen section from the remaining highway.

Two-core copper wire. The principle of operation is similar to a boiler. The cores of the wire are separated and exposed. Then each must be twisted into a small spiral (from 3 to 5 turns), it is better to make one core a little shorter so that the spirals do not touch and there is no short circuit. Next, the wire must be brought into the pipe and plugged into the outlet. An electric current passing through water heats it up well.

Hot water . A laborious process that requires patience, but at minimal cost. The hose must be thinner than the pipe. It is inserted into the disconnected pipe until it stops in the ice plug and filled with hot water. As the ice melts, the hose moves forward. Be sure to need a container for thawed water. On straight sections of the pipeline, it is better to use a metal-plastic tube; for bends, a flexible hose is more suitable: gas or oxygen.

"Mug of Esmarch" - in a popular way an enema. In addition to it, a rigid wire and a hose from the hydraulic level. The wire is attached to the tube (with adhesive tape, electrical tape, whatever), the Esmarch mug is connected to the hydraulic level tube on one side, and the other is pushed into the water pipe to the ice plug. Next, the mug is raised higher and hot water is poured into it. As the ice thaws, the hydraulic level hose must be advanced further until it is completely defrosted. This method is suitable for underground pipes.

Special equipment for preventive washing of water and sewer pipes. Utilities have it, you can call specialists at home.

All methods of defrosting pipes have their own advantages and disadvantages and take a lot of time. To avoid possible problems with water supply, it is better to adhere to all technological norms for laying pipes in advance.

Video

This video shows how pipes are defrosted with a burner:

See how you can defrost a water pipe with steam:

This article will talk about what to do when water froze in a plastic pipe - how and why freezing occurs and how to deal with it.

Recently, plastic pipes are becoming more common not only in the installation of water pipes in apartments, but also in the installation of water pipes and laying water networks due to a number of advantages:

• Attractive appearance;
• Resistance to corrosion;
• Ease of installation with a special soldering iron;
• They do not conduct electric current, which in particular does not allow you to unwind the meter by installing grounding on them, etc.

However, if installed incorrectly, plastic pipes freeze in the same way. In the case of a pipe in the basement or entrance, it is quite simple to warm it up, but what to do when water freezes in plastic pipes laid underground, where a welding machine or other similar equipment is unusable?

Causes of freezing pipes and its prevention

The main cause of freezing of water pipes in the ground is their laying at an insufficient depth, less than the depth at which the soil freezes.

Therefore, if the pipes are laid at this depth, they will freeze every year during the cold winter.

Important: you can find out the depth of freezing in your area using the map.

The exception is main water pipelines with large pipe diameters. Water is constantly moving in them, so they can be laid to a shallower depth, and in the case of plastic water pipes with a diameter of 20-32 mm, the laying depth should exceed the freezing depth.

Important: if it is not possible to lay plastic water pipes to a great depth, when laying the water pipe, the heating system should also be laid.

In case of periodic freezing of water pipes, in order to avoid stagnation and freezing of water, it is recommended to leave the water turned on overnight. At the same time, the pressure power directly affects the likelihood that the pipes will not freeze.

Important: Although a higher pressure will result in higher water charges, too little pressure can also cause sewer pipes to freeze.

Methods for heating pipes

In the case when plastic pipes are frozen, there are several options for warming them up:

1. Using hot water (boiling water). The pipes are wrapped with foam rubber or rags and periodically poured with boiling water.
   This method is the most affordable, but can only be used indoors - if a metal-plastic pipe is frozen underground, it can be poured with boiling water for 10 hours.
2. With hot air, the source of which can be a building hair dryer, various heaters equipped with fans (“dukes”) or without them.
   This method requires from two to ten hours and has a number of disadvantages:

• Incorrectly calculated heating can melt pipes;
• This method is not effective enough, since the heat is mainly spent for other purposes.

1. Due to thermal conductivity: wrap the pipe in a spiral with wires used in underfloor heating systems, and then connect the wires to the network.
   If the plastic pipe is frozen, it may take up to 3 hours to warm it up. This method is not suitable for heating pipes underground, in addition, wires are sold in sets or coils, which makes this method quite expensive.
2. Warming from the inside by melting the ice plug with hot water.
   This requires ensuring a good entrance to the pipe through which water will be delivered to the plug:

• Hot water can be supplied into the pipe either under pressure or using a device like a boiler;
• Such methods can only be used on a flat area and take a lot of time (up to 3 days).

Self-heating plastic plumbing

In the case when the metal-plastic pipe is frozen underground, and there are turns in the frozen section, the methods of heating the metal pipes do not help, and breaking through the ice with wire is excluded, since the size of the frozen section of the pipe is unknown and another method is needed.

For such situations, there folk way its heating with the help of a welding machine connected at different ends of the pipe.

In addition, plastic plumbing is heated with hot water, which must be supplied directly to the gate, where water cannot flow by gravity. In this case, you have to either pour hot water into the pipe, or heat it directly inside the pipe.

Consider briefly the method with pouring hot water:

• You can warm the water supply in the house with a fairly rigid hose or a metal-plastic pipe of a smaller diameter;
• The end of the hose or pipe is pushed into the frozen pipe until it hits the ice plug;
• Next, hot water is poured into the pipe, or better, strong brine;
• Since the melted water will flow out of the pipe, containers should be prepared in advance to collect melted water;
• After a sufficient amount of melted water has flowed out, it is possible to organize a continuous supply of hot water.

Instructions for heating pipes made of metal-plastic

Consider the main stages of warming a frozen plastic pipe with your own hands:

1. Find a place where, by examining pipes in the basement near the entrance to the house.

Important: to detect a frozen area, you can simply touch the pipes - in freezing places they will be colder.

1. In the place of freezing, wrap the pipe with a rag. Open the water taps in the house, having prepared hot water in advance.

Useful: in the absence of a supply of water in the house, you can melt the snow from the street for this purpose.

1. The pipe is poured first with cold water, then with hot water. To avoid damage to the water supply, the water temperature is increased gradually.
2. The water taps are left open for several hours, making it possible for all the accumulated ice to come out.

Important: in order to avoid re-freezing of the pipe subsequently, it is recommended to immediately insulate it.

In case of freezing of plastic pipes in the soil or under the foundation, they can be warmed up using a barrel, a domestic pump and an oxygen hose:

1. Hot water is poured into the barrel, constantly heating it (for example, with a blowtorch or a fire).
2. The hose is pushed into the water pipe so that it rests on the ice.
3. Open the tap, put a rubber hose on it and lower it into the barrel.

Important: in the case when it is not possible to place a barrel next to the tap, you can substitute a bucket under the tap.

1. Turn on the pump and pump hot water into the pipe from the barrel. At the same time, the hose is pushed inside as the ice plug thaws.
   The pump is turned off from time to time to drain the water from the bucket into the barrel.
2. After breaking through the ice plug, the hose is removed from the pipe, after which water will flow from the pipe with a powerful stream under pressure.

If possible, metal-plastic pipes can be heated using special equipment, such as a steam generator or a hydrodynamic machine:

• When heating with a hydrodynamic machine, it is enough to stick the end of the hose into the pipe and turn on the device, after which the machine will create pressure, which will break the ice plug;
• When using a steam generator, the pipe is heated by steam. When defrosting the water supply using this method, a thick-walled pipe (diameter - 50 cm) is used, to which a pressure gauge and a safety valve are welded, set to a pressure of 3 atmospheres.
  The water from which steam will be produced will be heated in a barrel.

Important: when using the steam generator, strictly follow the operating instructions.

That's all I wanted to talk about freezing and. Summing up, I would like to note once again that you can avoid such an unpleasant situation by correctly designing and installing the pipeline at the early stages of construction, including designing a house.

Are you familiar with the situation when, at a negative temperature outside, the water supply from the tap stops? Such a problem occurs in your home with the onset of a cold season, and you do not know how to quickly fix it? To fight you need to pick up effective method restoration of the water supply network. Do you agree?

We will tell you how to thaw a frozen pipeline and how to prevent a problem situation in the future. Let's talk about effective ways, allowing you to quickly restore the water supply on a cold winter day for sanitary purposes and cooking.

Our article contains a selection better ways which will help to cope with this trouble on their own. Methods for pipelines from various materials. So that you can better understand the nuances of warming, we have selected visual photos and thematic videos detailing recommendations for saving water pipes from ice captivity.

With a sharp onset of frost, supplemented by strong winds, cases of freezing with the formation of ice plugs inside them are not uncommon.

Frozen water as a result of improper laying or operation of the pipeline will, at best, make it impossible to use the system, and at worst, force the breakthrough to be eliminated.

The problem of pipe freezing is more relevant for owners of summer cottages and private sector houses, whose water supply inlets pass along the street

There can be several reasons for freezing water in the plumbing.

The most basic among them:

• extremely low temperatures outside;
• laying pipes to a shallower depth than the level of soil freezing;
• insufficient insulation of the pipeline;
• low or even zero water consumption.

At night or for a longer period when the owners do not use the water supply, the water in the pipes remains still. At sub-zero temperatures, it freezes quickly.

Not only pipelines can freeze, but also taps that are not shut off in a timely manner, which supply water, both to an unheated basement and to the yard

The pipe, located in the frozen ground, after passing warm streams, begins to cool down, and after a short period it acquires a low temperature. Small portions of water, as they advance, begin to freeze and crystallize, at some point completely clogging the entire section of the pipe.

How to find a problem area?

The most difficult moment in this matter is to determine the place of freezing in an open area. Experienced craftsmen advise, when examining and probing the accessible part of the route, to focus on temperature sensations.

It is not difficult to determine the location of the ice plug in a plastic pipeline when probing: within the blocked area, when trying to slightly bend the pipe, a characteristic crunch is heard

Water pipes usually freeze in areas where the pipes come close to the ground. Vulnerable to frost are also technical wells, unheated basements.

It is noticed that concrete freezes faster than soil layers. Therefore, if the basement was unreliably insulated or ajar during severe frosts, it is quite natural that the pipeline lying in it froze.

If the freezing area cannot be determined, it is better to immediately abandon the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bbreaking through the ice jam by mechanical means

If it is not possible to “calculate” a specific area, use the available methods at once on several of the most probable freezing places.

Effective solutions to the problem

The water supply can be defrosted by external thermal exposure, or by defrosting from the inside. Each specific case depends on the length of the frozen area and the material from which they are made, and therefore requires the use of different means.

Despite the fact that ice with the same mass is more voluminous than water, within its state of aggregation, obeying the laws of physics, it expands before melting.

To reduce the risk of pipe rupture during the period of thawing ice plugs, it is necessary to reduce the pressure on the walls of the structure by prudently opening the taps

Before starting work, it is imperative to open a water tap or “discharge valve” after the valve at the inlet in order to determine the effectiveness of the actions performed by the water flowing from it.

Method #1 - Using Hot Water

If the system is frozen in an open area at, or inside an unheated basement, the easiest way to warm up a section of the water supply is to treat it outside with boiling water. Hot water has saved water pipes from freezing at all times.

To do this, the pipe is wrapped in several layers with rags and cuts of old rags that absorb moisture well. A wet rag will prolong the contact time of the pipe walls with water.

The area wrapped with a rag is poured with hot water in several approaches until the cloth gets wet and the ice under it begins to melt

When warming up a frozen section of the pipeline, it is important not to damage it. Areas of the structure that do not require heating must be covered with heat-insulating material. This will prevent the accumulation of pieces of ice moving along the pipeline along with water.

This method is used only in enclosed spaces and with an open method of laying pipelines. And this technology is suitable only for steel pipelines. The system located underground will have to be heated with boiling water for at least 12 hours.

Method # 2 - heating with a building hair dryer

You can also achieve the desired effect with the help of hot air created by a powerful building hair dryer. The method is used to heat frozen sections of the pipeline in places where it is quite easy to get to them, for example, when the system is laid inside the building.

In order to melt water along the pipeline shell, the surface of the structure is blown from all sides with a stream of hot air directed by the nozzle.

In order to create conditions for the movement of ice accumulation through the pipe, it is necessary to evenly distribute the flow of hot air, without forgetting to open all the valves first.

Keep in mind that a building hair dryer produces a temperature range that can reach from 100 to 650 ° C. Therefore, it cannot be used for pipes made of polymeric materials.

To enhance the effect, while reducing heat losses, the construction of an impromptu protective casing around the heated area helps. It will reflect heat, evenly distributing it over the entire surface of the insulated area.

To do this, a small pavilion is temporarily built, the walls of which are made of the same film or metal shields.

Image gallery