Water heaters

Warm the ground in winter with hot water. How to warm water in a plastic pipe - proven and simple methods from practice

Plastic pipes have become a very common material in recent years. 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;
non-conductivity 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.

Causes of pipes freezing

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. Very important nuance- the increase in pressure 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:

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.
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. See also: "".
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.
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 it can be filled with hot water. 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 another effective way to heat pipes, which is to supply 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:

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.
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.
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.
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:

The barrel is filled with hot water, the temperature of which is constantly rising.
The hose is inserted into the pipeline exactly until it hits the ice crust.
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.
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.
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.

A safer option for plastic pipes is a steam generator, which eliminates 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.

If frosts have damaged water pipes and water has frozen in them, the problem must be solved immediately. In this article, we will tell you how to properly thaw pipes, in addition, you will learn about the most effective ways to localize an accident on plastic or metal pipelines.

If water does not flow from the pipe, air does not come out and is not sucked in, while the neighbors in the area do not have such problems, you have to deal with a frozen pipeline. There are several ways to eliminate the accident, but first you need to find a frozen section of the pipeline.

Finding a freezing point

Pipes most often freeze in places with poor thermal protection, usually it is the rise of a pipe from the ground, entry points into the house, basements, revision or accounting wells, and places of reduced flow - fittings and connections - are also at risk. There are two main cases where the problem occurs:

The main line that feeds the entire system froze.
A local area has frozen (this is easy to check if, in addition to the house, there is a water supply to the garden or outbuildings).

Usually, pipelines running above the freezing depth are at risk, and it is different for all regions.

In addition to the climatic zone, the level of uplift is also important. ground water, type of soil and even the size of the snow cap (so think about whether it is worth clearing the ground of snow in severe frost).

After access to potential freezing centers is open, thawing can begin. If a pipe section of a large length is frozen, you can not dig it out completely, it is better to dig holes every 4-5 meters. Their size should provide normal access to the pipe for subsequent work with it.

If plastic pipes are frozen

Plastic pipes are not recommended to be heated with an open flame, but a building hair dryer is perfect. If it is not available, wrap the clogged area with burlap and pour hot water for 10-30 minutes. At the same time, the taps must be open: even the slightest hole in the ice plug will be broken high pressure. Then the water itself will do its job, you just need to drain a sufficient amount through the system - about 1-1.5 m 3.

Pipes made of polypropylene and polyethylene retain plasticity even at very low temperatures. So if you have a new plastic plumbing and when laying, a pipe of acceptable quality was used, there is big chance that it won't break. Special attention should be paid to the places of adhesions: if the plastic was overheated during installation, it can crack and leak.

How to heat a metal pipe

Metal pipes are not as sensitive to open flames unless the inner wall is zinc coated. You can even heat them with a blowtorch or a fire built under a pipe, an acetylene or propane cutter. It is advisable to avoid direct fire heating of threaded connections, because of this they will lose their tightness, they will have to be repacked.

A metal pipe is good in that it effectively distributes heat along its entire length, with strong heating, the water inside boils, the steam slowly but surely thaws the ice plug. This can work even at a distance of up to 4-5 meters, so be patient and keep heating.

Heating frozen pipes with electric current

A metal pipe is a good conductor and should be heated by the action of an electric current, if you connect a conventional welding transformer to a section of the pipe, the pipe will heat up enough to melt the ice inside it. Depending on the power of the device, it is possible to heat up a section from 5 to 30 meters at a time, or even the entire pipe.

Attention! This thawing method will take several hours and is only suitable for metal pipes that do not have connections and fittings.

There is another way to thaw ice inside a pipe, more laborious, but indispensable for buried pipes. The house will have to disassemble a couple of connections to get one end of the frozen pipe completely open. Through it, a probe from an electric cable will be inserted into the pipe, having a tip like a "soldier's boiler".

Making a "boiler"

We need a solid copper cable with two solid cores in double insulation, with a cross section of at least 4 mm 2, several meters longer than the frozen pipe. From one end, you need to remove the belt insulation by 10-15 cm, wrap one core in the opposite direction and press it against the cable, remove the insulation from the second and wrap it very tightly over the cable with a core of 4-5 turns superimposed on it. The end of the remaining core must also be stripped and wrapped around the cable at a distance of 3-4 cm from the first winding.

Attention! In no case should the insulation be damaged so that the cores do not have direct contact.

Such a probe heats the water quite strongly, easily moving along the pipe, even passing through bends and turns. The probe can completely melt up to 20-30 meters of pipe (3-3.5 m of pipe in 1 hour). The probe can only be powered through circuit breaker at 25 A.

Attention! In no case should you touch a pipe or a live wire, which means that you will have to push the probe only after turning it off! Before each restart, check the circuit for a short circuit with a tester.

Water can be drained from the pipe by inserting a thin silicone hose into it connected to a pump or car compressor.

This method is suitable for plastic pipes; for metal pipes, the probe will have to be improved to avoid a short circuit to the metal wall. It is possible, for example, to equip the probe with an insulating case made of a tube of smaller diameter. The probe will not burn through the plastic, since it only heats the water, the core itself does not heat up.

"Enema" method of thawing pipes

You will need a large funnel, an Esmarch mug or an enema bag, a thin silicone tube of the appropriate diameter, tightly put on the container fitting. The task is simple: deliver boiling water to the place of freezing through a thin hose, collect the water coming out of the pipe, boil it again and pour it into an enema. The method really works, although with its help it will only be possible to warm up 1.5-2 meters of pipe per hour.

The bag must be located at least 2 meters above the outlet. As it thaws, the tube must be advanced until it again rests on the ice. This will be much easier to do if the tube is tied to a stiff steel wire with a bent end.

Eliminate frozen water in the plumbing. Further actions

After the blockage in the pipe is cleared, you need to make sure that the pipe has not broken from the expanded ice. Drain about 0.5 m 3 of water and turn off all taps. If there is a leak in the system, it will make itself felt: after some time, water will begin to collect in dug holes or trenches, and the location of the breakthrough can be determined by its volume and direction of inflow. The damaged area must be replaced, and the pipe must be insulated or buried deeper so that it does not freeze again.

In winter time overhaul too much difficult task, but there are some measures that will allow you to "overwinter":

Wrap frost-prone areas with glass wool bandage.
Put a heating cord in places where it freezes.
Cover the pipe tightly with pieces of polystyrene foam.
Ensure a constant flow of water, at least minimal.
Install a drain valve and drain the system completely.

In the future, take into account the shortcomings of your plumbing system and be sure to take the time to repair in warm time of the year.

The answer to the question: the water supply system is frozen, how to defrost, is of interest to many owners of private houses in Russia. The fact is that the freezing of the water supply is not a rare phenomenon in our country, where low temperatures are present in most of the country for at least six months. This phenomenon can lead to disruption of life in large areas.

As for private households, a frozen pipeline can make almost any house unsuitable for living in it. In this case, if emergency measures are not taken to defrost it, the housing will have to be left before spring, while irreparable damage will be caused to it and its communications.

In order to successfully deal with the freezing of pipelines in winter, it is necessary to find out in advance why the pipes freeze, because normally they should not be covered with ice. In addition, the appearance of ice and complete blockage may indicate that negative changes have occurred in the system that significantly affect its performance. In the event that the homeowner notices this in time, he may have time to take measures to remove ice in advance, before he caused significant damage to the pipeline.

If we talk about the most common cause of pipe freezing in winter, then it is usually:

Errors in design and installation pipeline.
Often homeowners are too lazy to dig a deep trench, which leads to laying the line above the freezing point of the soil in this locality. As a result, during severe frosts, the soil “stands up like a stake”, which leads to ruptures in pipelines and damage to pipes.
Incorrect plumbing in the building.
And also because lines are not insulated.

When placing such communications, even in warm basements, it is necessary to periodically carry out work to monitor the integrity of the insulation and, if necessary, replace it with a new one. This also applies to inspection wells, which some homeowners do not look at for years. As a result, almost ideal conditions are created for the formation of frost and hoarfrost in winter period.

In addition, a great influence on the freezing of utilities also has the speed of the water flow through the pipes, as well as their diameter. So in the main pipelines of housing and communal services, water flows constantly, which allows them to be operated normally even in icy soil. In private households, where this flow is relatively weak, and pipes are one or two inches in diameter, pipes need to be laid approximately half a meter deeper freezing point of the ground in winter.

In order to get rid of such a negative moment, many homeowners leave the water taps open in the cold. As a result, the system will be operational during the entire time of its use. If the valve is closed, then it is quite possible that the process of ice formation will begin in it.

Another common and natural cause of freezing pipes is laying of engineering communications in unheated premises, it can be an entrance or a basement. Here, ice plugs usually occur at night when the water flow drops to a minimum. At the same time, if in apartment buildings access to pipes is open, which facilitates the fight against traffic jams, in private households they are usually difficult to access. As a result, it is quite difficult to deal with ice here and such activities require a lot of time and, in some cases, money.

How to find a frozen area

Before proceeding directly to the heating of pipes, it is necessary to determine that section of them where the freezing section is directly located. The fact is that the method used to heat the entire line will depend on where exactly it is located and what its dimensions are. At the same time, if it is damaged by ice, the question will arise of repairing it, and not of getting rid of ice plugs.

In total, there are two ways to detect an ice jam:

visual,
tactile.

The visual method consists in careful studying the external state of the pipe. To do this, the water supply system is inspected throughout the areas to which there is free access. So, if the communications are made of a plastic material, for example, metal-plastic, the homeowner will see swelling or deformation of a different shape.

A frozen section of metal-plastic pipes can be seen by swelling or deformation of a different shape.

As for metal pipes, which are not ductile, the blockage is difficult to detect visually. In this case, and also when the communication is done by a covert method, it will be necessary to use the tactile method. It consists of groping for a blockage with a feeler gauge:

nearest detachable knee to a suspicious place dismantled.
In the resulting hole introduced usual plumbing cable or thick wire.
Rope or wire moves along the pipe until it stops.
Them length, after they are attached to the wall or soil, point out to the expected freezing point.

There are also special devices designed to determine the places of ice formation in engineering communications. They are used by professional plumbers and in everyday life these devices are practically not used.

How to defrost a pipe indoors

The methods used to defrost utilities directly depend on where exactly the pipeline is located. So if it is mounted indoors, then you can get rid of ice jams using:

hot water;
building hair dryer;
electricity.

hot water used for heating pipes in open sections of highways, while this method can be used to clean products, both metal and plastic. In this case, it is best when it is boiling water, since it is it that allows you to melt the ice the fastest. In addition, rags and rags are also used to speed up the process.

To start rags and rags placed on the pipe.
Location of suspected blockage start pouring boiling water or hot water. The process is lengthy, since the surface of the line will have to be constantly irrigated with new portions of hot water.
The heating process stops only after water does not start flowing from the open taps.
Complete removal of ice from the system can be completed in a few hours and during this time the valves should not be closed.

Rags and rags are needed here to increase the area of contact of the pipe with boiling water, as well as to extend its impact on it.

Rags and rags increase the area of contact of the pipe with boiling water, and also prolong its effect on it.

Frozen plumbing can also be warmed up with hot air by exposing it to open areas of the system. For this purpose, they usually use heat gun or powerful building hair dryer. At the same time, a temporary canopy from improvised materials is erected over the problem area. In the same case, when the homeowner does not have industrial equipment, he can use any device that generates warm air. So they can be a regular household hair dryer.

The third common way to defrost pipes is to use electricity. It is considered one of the most effective and can be used to get rid of ice, both metal and plastic products. It should be noted separately that this method requires the adoption of certain precautions.

metal lines heated in this way using welding transformer.

The output cables of the machine must be connected to a suspicious area away from the blockage. at least half a meter.
Voltage is applied so that a current of magnitude passes through the metal from 100 to 200 amps.
Usually a few minutes Such an impact causes the ice to melt, thereby restoring the patency of the pipe.

As for plastic communications, then they are heated using a two-core copper wire having a cross section 2.5 - 3 mm:

One of the veins is partially cleaned and performed 5 turns around the cable.
The second vein falls below the first and the same manipulations are performed on it. Trying to perform helical winding at a distance of 3 mm from the first winding. The resulting device is the simplest homemade boiler.
Ready product inserted into the pipe and turn on the current. Under the influence of the potential that has arisen between the coils, the water heats up, and the ice begins to melt.

This method is good because when using it, the system does not heat up and the plastic does not deteriorate.

How to defrost pipes on the street

The defrosting of pipelines on the street has its own specifics, due to the fact that here the temperature is usually much lower than indoors. At the same time, the pipes fresh air also warm with electricity, a building hair dryer and hot water, as in the room. In addition, due to more severe weather conditions, powerful special equipment is also used. So, for example, heating of highways is performed using:

heating cable for plumbing;
steam heater;
autoclave;
hydrodynamic machine.

If it is decided to use electricity, then it is advisable to use not a welding transformer for this, as when performing a similar procedure indoors, but a special device, because:

it has great power
allows you to adjust the current
allows you to adjust the voltage of the supplied current.
safer to operate than a misused welding transformer.

The modern industry also offers homeowners pipe heating cable. It should be distinguished from such a product as pipe heating cable, since this product is not intended to combat ice that has already formed, but to prevent this phenomenon. If you equip the pipeline with such a cable in dangerous areas, ice simply cannot form there.

Heating cable for plumbing inside the pipe used in the case when it is not possible to warm it from the outside. The fact is that the electric current supplied to it is converted into thermal energy which melts the ice. At the same time, it can be used to clear the ice jam in the most inaccessible place, since:

the cable can be inserted into the pipe for several tens of meters
he is flexible, which makes it possible to reach with its help even ice in complexly curved knees.

Building hair dryer it is rarely used on the street, since it is simply not able to warm up problem areas in windy conditions. If there is no other way out, you will have to build a temporary shelter from improvised materials to complete the work.

As for hot water, then in this case it will need to be poured into the system. For this, it is used

funnel,
a flexible hose that, as the ice thaws, moves deep into the pipeline.

In difficult cases, industrial equipment is used: steam generators, autoclaves, hydrodynamic machines. steam generator performs defrosting with steam. To do this, a hose is inserted into the pipeline through a pipe or a disassembled elbow and hot steam is fed through it until it is completely cleared of ice.

The hydrodynamic machine creates a hydrodynamic pressure that “breaks through” ice jams.

Autoclave can also generate steam, so it can be used to combat ice blockage. Here the scheme of work is approximately the same as with the steam generator. In this case, it is preferable to use a steam generator, since it is more suitable for performing the described operation. As for hydrodynamic machine, then it creates a hydrodynamic pressure that “breaks through” ice jams. This machine is professional and is commonly used by organizations specializing in the maintenance of utilities.

Checking the plumbing after defrosting

After the water supply is defrosted, it is necessary to check it for damage. This can be done visually first. To do this, the surface of the pipes is inspected for the presence cracks, rips and blisters. In severe frosts, such damage is usually visible to the naked eye.

When they are insignificant, it will be necessary to carry out a line pressure test. In this case, the resulting defects can be detected by leaks that have appeared. Some malfunctions may appear much later, so for about a week the system should be left under supervision in order to avoid an emergency.

Pipeline insulation and prevention of freezing

In order for the pipes not to freeze in winter, it is necessary to carefully follow the procedure for assembling and laying the water supply. So it should be placed in the ground to a depth below the freezing point of the soil in this region. Information about this can be found in a special directory, which lists freezing points in all regions of the Russian Federation.

In the event that the weather conditions in your region are severe and frosts are not uncommon, all communications should be laid in special heat-insulating canisters. In addition to saving heat, such devices prevent pipes from freezing. Such pencil cases do not rot, are not afraid of moisture and therefore can last at least 50 years old without replacement.

As for the insulation of pipelines, it is usually used for this glass wool or polyurethane foam. Also, relatively recently, special heat-insulating covers mounted on top of the existing insulation. If the pipe lies in the ground and needs to be protected from freezing, it is laid in a trench with it expanded clay or the same pencil case made of insulation.

Summing up

In conclusion, it can be noted that there are many ways to clear the pipeline of ice in case of freezing, while it is better not to bring the matter to their use. In the event that all communications are carried out in accordance with the requirements building codes and rules, they will not be afraid of any cold. At the same time, the service life of water supply and sewage systems will increase significantly, and the cost of their maintenance will decrease significantly.

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

Plastic pipes have become a very common material in recent years. 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.

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:

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.
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."
Heating by conduction. The pipe is wrapped with cables that are used in underfloor heating. 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.
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

One of the methods suitable for solving such a problem is a folk remedy: the welding machine is connected to the two ends of the pipe and started. There is another effective way to heat pipes, which is to supply hot water directly to the area where it cannot get on its own.

The sequence of actions required to heat the pipe with hot water is 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:

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.
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.
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.
Water that has changed from solid to liquid will exit through open taps.

The barrel is filled with hot water, the temperature of which is constantly rising.
The hose is inserted into the pipeline exactly until it hits the ice crust.
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.
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.
When the blockage has resolved, the hose is removed and the water is drained from the pipeline.

Conclusion

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

Of course, the need to break the 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 plug in the sewer pipes, you will have to take into account a number of features. Firstly, such communications, as a rule, have a rather large diameter, which allows for better heating from the outside and from the inside.

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 supply 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 is 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, a two-core copper wire, a compressor and a 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 the small plot wires remove the outer insulation, separate the cores.

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 electric current directly to the water, as a result of which a reaction occurs with the release of a large amount of 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 the plumbing and sewer pipes come into contact with the walls of the building, passing through them, it would 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 would 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 example, polypropylene pipes can 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 a current from welding transformer, connecting welding and return cables to the ends of the frozen area.

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 the sewer pipe, since during the thawing process the water will drain into the drain pit. 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 to the problem!

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? Currently, water supply networks mainly use high-density polyethylene (HDPE) polyethylene pipes that can withstand pressures 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 supply 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, they created efficient pipes and pipes for connection 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 in this situation are usually advised 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 drainage.

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, Kyiv, 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 reinforced concrete structures 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 polyurethane foam to prevent direct contact of the pipe walls with the walls of buildings
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.

Almost every private house has drain and sewer pipes through which water and sewage are supplied and discharged. Since this system is the property of the residents, in the event of any breakdowns or problems, they often have to deal with everything on their own. One of the most urgent and unpleasant situations that one has to face is the freezing of water in pipes in the winter. It is very important to be able to properly defrost pipes so that the ice does not break them during melting, violating the integrity of the entire water supply.

Peculiarities

For plumbing in a private house, both metal and plastic pipes can be used, but that one and the other are not protected from freezing in winter if the process of laying them was done incorrectly. The most main reason the fact that water freezes in a pipe underground in frost is an insufficient deepening of the water supply. If the laying technology is performed correctly, then the entire system is located at a level where frost does not reach.

Due to the fact that the main pipelines have a large diameter, even in winter they do not freeze, because there is a movement of water in them all the time. Home systems are laid using pipes with a diameter of 20 mm or more - 32 mm. It is important to deepen such thin elements well so that frost does not reach them, but this is not always possible, therefore you need to know how pipes can be insulated to protect them from the cold.

In the event that all the recommendations have been met, and the water is still freezing, then in this case it is necessary to keep the system turned on all the time so that the water always flows through the pipes at least in a thin stream. This is quite expensive, given the cost of water, but it will not be necessary to spend time, effort and money on defrosting the entire system.

In order not to have to carry out work on heating pipes with water annually, it is important to prevent all possible problems still at the stage of laying the entire network.

During installation, it is important to observe the following rules:

The depth of the trench should be greater than the level of soil freezing, which is typical for this region. There are relevant SNiP standards that will help to properly design a water supply system.
When choosing the location of the pipes, it is important not to lay them next to reinforced concrete products, because their thermal conductivity is greater than that of the soil.
If the laying is carried out under the foundation, then the pipes are isolated from reinforced concrete using a large layer of thermal insulation, which is best used as mineral wool.
When planning a water supply system underground and on its surface, it is best to use pipes with a diameter of 50 mm, because thinner products freeze much faster.
When choosing a material for pipes, it is worth giving preference to polymer products, which can increase the size by several millimeters, which saves them from cracking during freezing and freezing.
In order to ensure a calm winter for yourself, it is worth laying a heating cable near the pipes, which will maintain the optimum temperature and prevent the system from freezing.
If the house is used only in summer and is empty in winter, then it is important to drain all the water from the system so that there is nothing in the pipes in frosts. This will keep them from freezing.

What will be required?

If in a private house a pipe that supplies water or drains is frozen, the first step is to determine the location of the plug in order to eliminate it and not aggravate the situation. The simplest search option would be to use an iron cable that is inserted into the water supply, which was previously blocked and untwisted immediately under the tap at the junction of the structure. It is important to choose the longest cable, because the problem area can be both at the beginning of the system and at its end.

Once the plug has been found, the affected area of the pipeline can be excavated. and take all necessary measures to defrost. If the structure is old and the pipes are metal, then the most in a simple way to warm the water inside there will be a current, for which a welding machine is used. But for a HDPE pipeline, this method is no longer suitable. For them, the use of external means brings little result; a different approach must be taken.

The most efficient, but expensive, would be to use a hydrodynamic machine that can jet water at such a speed that ice and some other substances melt from such an impact. Only a professional can work with the device, because it is important to know the technology and follow the work algorithm. If you need to quickly fix the problem, but you don’t have the necessary skills and equipment, you can simply call the master, who will easily do everything necessary to restore the water supply.

Another way to heat the pipe includes a steam generator, which looks like this:

pour 2-3 liters of water into the container;
connect the heat-resistant sleeve to the place where the safety valve is located;
lead the hose into the pipe to the point where the plug has formed;
turn on the device and wait for the result.

The work must be carried out only in the correct sequence and it is better to have assistants with you, because after removing the hose from the pipe where the ice was, the fountain will simply beat. This water must be collected in buckets, which must be prepared in advance. You can make more rags.

If there is no steam generator, it does not matter, a boiler will also work to defrost pipes. To use this option, you need to prepare a wire, it must be copper, two-wire and have a cross section of 0.5 mm, and its length must be equal to the pipe. In addition, a steel wire is also needed, the diameter of which is 3 mm. Copper wires are stripped 60 cm, and the second - 1 cm from the cut. Separate turns are made on each wire so that there is no contact, otherwise a short circuit will occur.

With electrical tape, copper wires are screwed to steel and all this is immersed in the pipe. In such a simple way it turns out to build a homemade boiler. It must be connected to the network in order to warm up the pipe, which will push the plug out of the heat. As soon as the problem is solved, the boiler is turned off and pulled out, and the pipe is blocked. When the system starts up again, everything works as it should.

Pipe defrosting can be done welding inverter. This is a wire that connects to the pipe at the place of icing and heats it. It is important to work correctly with the device and not overheat it, giving different voltages. After ten minutes of such exposure, the ice turns into a liquid and the cork dissolves.

Heating water pipes in case of ice blockage is one of the most effective options. For an iron pipe, the external influence method is suitable, and for a plastic pipe, the internal one. The means by which it is convenient to deal with icing can be anything, and everyone chooses what he likes and can afford, the main thing is that there is a result, but it is best not to lead to such situations by properly laying the water supply and warming it well.

How to warm up?

In order to warm the metal-plastic water pipe in which the water is frozen Several methods can be used, including:

Exposure to hot water, for which the structure is wrapped with foam rubber or rags and very hot water is poured inside, almost boiling water. This option is quite simple, but it is effective for pipes inside the house. In the case of underground ice plugs, this method can break through an obstacle up to ten hours.
The use of hot air, for which you need to have a building hair dryer or heating device. The place of icing is heated by any of the devices for two or more hours, it all depends on the degree of freezing of the water inside. It is not difficult to do such work, but it is important to carry out all activities carefully, because from high temperature pipes can be deformed, which will further exacerbate the problem. The effectiveness of this method is not too great, because with large energy and heat losses, the real result does not come soon.

Heating by conduction. It is a winding of pipes with a cable that is used in the underfloor heating system. When everything is ready, the resulting structure is connected to electricity and begins to heat the pipe itself. The workflow lasts approximately three hours and allows you to alert only those pipes that are above the ground and in the house. Wires for underfloor heating are quite expensive, so buying them in order to defrost the system once is unprofitable due to the high cost.
The process of heating the pipes inside allows you to solve the problem quite effectively. For work, it is important to have access to the problem area in order to pour hot water into it using a special device that drives liquid under high pressure, but you can also use an apparatus that looks like a boiler. The work is slow, the problem is completely solved in at least three days. It is forbidden to use this option for those sections where the pipes run vertically. The system must be in a horizontal position to ensure operability.

If you have to deal with plastic pipes, then you can handle defrosting them with your own hands, the main thing is to know what exactly needs to be done. For those pipelines that are located underground and the system is a network of turns and various bends, then all the previously listed options will not be able to help. by the most the best option in this case, there will be a welding machine that needs to be connected to different ends of the pipes and turned on. If there is no suitable equipment, you can use just hot water.

To make an effective tool for defrosting pipes, you need:

find a hard hose or small diameter plastic pipe;
place the hose or pipe in the water supply and move until it rests on the ice;
pour hot water or brine;
for the water that will be formed from the ice plug, you need to put a container;
as soon as the problem area is completely eliminated, you need to turn on the hot water in the tap and thoroughly clean the system.

If they were laid metal-plastic structures, then to defrost them you need to do a number of actions:

Find a problematic place, for which it is enough just to probe all the pipes. The freezing point will be much colder than the rest of the surface.
The place of icing is wrapped up with rags and all the taps of the water supply are opened. Make sure you have a supply of hot water.
The surface treatment of the pipe is gradual, cold water is immediately used, therefore hot. This is important in order not to damage the structure with a sharp jump in temperature.
The melted water will begin to exit the pipes through those taps that were opened earlier.

If there is no desire to carry out such operations annually, or even several times during the winter, it is worth quickly organizing the warming of the area, which is especially prone to freezing.

In cases where freezing of water has occurred in areas inaccessible to humans, for example, under a foundation, then You can deal with problematic situations with the help of a number of measures:

You need to purchase a barrel, a pump and a hose with oxygen. It is necessary to draw hot water into the barrel, the temperature of which will constantly increase.
Insert the hose into the pipe and push until it rests on the ice.
You need to open the tap and connect it to the hose that goes into the barrel. If there is none, you can use a simple bucket.
The pump starts, with the help of which hot water is supplied to the pipes for defrosting ice. From time to time, the pump must be turned off to drain the resulting water.
As soon as the problem goes away, the hose must be removed and the water in the pipeline drained.

If the problem has touched the sewer, then you can deal with it if you know how. Usually, sewer pipes do not freeze, because the used water is usually warmer, but in very severe frosts this is possible.

To combat ice blockages in the sewer, you can:

Build a fire in the place where the collector is located. This option will be effective if the pipes are not far from the surface. The flame must be maintained as long as possible in order to be able to warm the earth, and with it the sewer.
The use of table salt. Homemade but very effective method is to place a large amount of concentrated salt solution in the sewer pipes, which will not freeze even in severe frost, and the salt, upon contact with ice, will begin to dissolve it.
You can use an electrical cable, which can be brought before the moment of icing through the toilet bowl or inspection hatch. Once the device is installed, plug it into the network.
You can use the inspection hatch of the septic tank, where a hose for irrigation is inserted through the outlet garden plants. It must be advanced to the place where the presence of ice is expected, and then pour hot water from the water supply inside. Continue the process until the ice is completely gone.

In case of severe frosts in winter and freezing of water in pipes, you need to know how to deal with the situation. First of all, it is important to understand what material the pipes that you have to work with consist of, how deep they are laid and a number of other nuances, after which it will be much easier to choose correct option dealing with ice blockages.

In the event that problems with pipes were discovered in a private house, namely, their freezing in the winter, then you need to know some secrets in order to prevent such phenomena or skillfully deal with them.

To prevent such phenomena, you should:

Install water and sewer pipes lower than the frost droops, and this is at least a depth of 120-140 cm. In case of problems with such a deepening, the pipes are carefully insulated.
Using pipes that are large enough in diameter, you can avoid their rapid freezing. The optimal size would be 50 mm.
In order to avoid stagnation of water in the system, when arranging it, it is necessary to provide for an angle of inclination so that it flows faster into the source.
When laying pipes, it is worth staying away from beams, foundations, the thermal conductivity of which is higher than that of the ground, which is a danger to pipes. If possible, it is worth making good insulation if there is reinforced concrete nearby.
If the water supply is located in a non-residential area where there is no heating, then it is important to additionally insulate it, for which you can use mineral wool, glass wool and foam.
Living in regions with very severe winters, when arranging a water supply system, it is better to lay a cable nearby that will heat the pipes. Its advantage is that it itself determines the moment when it needs to be turned on and off, but there are also manual models.
When choosing a pipe, it is worth giving preference to polyethylene rather than polypropylene, because they withstand the process of freezing and thawing ice well.

There are a number of other tips that will help protect the system from freezing or deal with it more effectively:

To protect the pipeline from freezing, it is worth studying temperature regime region and lower the structure a meter below the mark where frost usually falls. This will allow you to forget about any problems with water in cold weather.
If the pipes freeze at the intersection of the ground with open space, then an ordinary hair dryer can help, and in especially difficult cases, a building one.
If problems with pipes occur annually, then it is worth setting a goal to redo the system than constantly dealing with the consequences.
When freezing is very serious or difficult to solve on your own, it is best to call a professional who will remove the ice plug without any problems.
If you manage to deal with ice on your own, but you have to constantly clean the system by running water, it can be collected in special containers and then used for household needs.

Those who still use metal water or sewer pipes can deal with ice plugs with the help of terminals that are attached to the problem area, after which the current begins to flow, which heats up the pipe and the ice inside begins to melt. If freezing occurred in a pipe leading directly from the toilet, then one of the options may be to heat the water directly in the plumbing, for which you need a heating element or a boiler. Metal pipes are also heated with a blowtorch, for which you need to make a trench at the location of the sewer and heat the pipe with a lamp, going from bottom to top. Work is carried out from the side of the cesspool or septic tank, if there is one, to enable the unhindered exit of water after thawing.