How to defrost a water pipe outside. How to quickly and correctly defrost a water pipe underground? Defrosting water and sewer pipes

In winter, there are frequent cases of freezing of water pipes in private houses. If the pipelines are laid underground, then most often the reasons are insufficient burial and insulation of the pipelines in combination with stagnation in the pipes. If pipes located in the walls freeze, then this phenomenon can occur due to very severe frosts. In any case, the owner of the house needs to know how to defrost the water pipes in a private house. Below we will look at how to eliminate ice plugs in metal and plastic lines.

It is not enough to know how to unfreeze a pipe underground. First you need to find the immediate freezing point. This can be done in a simple and proven way. Shut off the water supply in the water supply system. After that, it is necessary to unscrew any detachable connection that is located after the crane. A plumbing cable is launched into the opened hole. It is gradually introduced into the pipeline until its end abuts against the ice plug.

This will be the freezing point. To mark its position on the outside of the pipe, the cable can simply be applied to the ground for the same length as it entered the pipe. In this place, you should look for a place of freezing. In this simple way, you can find the right place in a pipe made of any material.

Methods for defrosting pipelines

Of no small importance when defrosting pipes is the material from which it is made. The methods of influencing the pipeline depend on this.

Defrosting metal pipes

Consider how to defrost metal plumbing pipes in a private house. Usually they pass underground, so there are certain difficulties in digging trenches in winter, although their location in open areas is also possible. After the pipeline is exposed, it is affected in the following ways:

• Use an open flame. For example, from a gas torch or blowtorch. You can also make a fire on a frozen section of the pipe;
• A welding transformer is used. One wire from it is connected to one frozen section of the pipe, and the second wire to the second. The ice plug melts very quickly;
• Pipes are watered with boiling water, after wrapping them with rags.

Important: When defrosting the pipeline, the water taps must be kept open. This is necessary for the free flow of defrosted water from the pipes.

It is easier to unfreeze the sewer pipe, since all the melted ice will go down the drain, and the situation is the opposite with the water supply system. The released water will have nowhere to go, so it is advisable to disconnect the pipe from the taps, or at least open the taps.

How to defrost plastic pipes

Plastic pipes require more respect for themselves due to the lower strength of the material. Let's see how to defrost water in a plastic pipe that is in plain sight:

We examined the heating of an open section of the pipeline. How to defrost a plastic water pipe underground? There are also several ways to do this:

1. Hot water supply. The plastic pipe is detached from the tap. Water is heated in a large container, for example, a barrel. A hose with a smaller diameter is used, which freely enters the pipe. It is pushed inside the pipe until it reaches the frozen area. After that, hot water is supplied to the pipeline. This can be done by means of an injection pump.

The melted water will gradually flow out of the pipe along with the hot water supplied. The end of the hose should be pushed further and further until all the ice plug has been removed. After that, water will pour under strong pressure.

Tip: Plastic or metal-plastic pipes should be pre-insulated in open areas to avoid additional ice plugs.

2. Application of a steam generator. The plastic pipe is detached from the taps. A special sleeve from the steam generator with a special nozzle at the end is introduced into it. It is injected until it reaches the frozen area. Steam is fed through the sleeve into the pipe, quickly melting the ice. As the frozen cork melts, the sleeve moves deeper into the pipe. With such a device, there is no question of how to defrost a pipe located in a wall or underground.

3. The use of electricity. This method works on the principle of heating water with a boiler. To do this, you need to stock up on a thick two-core wire of sufficient length. The veins are split. Each of them is released from the insulation and then twisted. Two thick twists are obtained, located at a distance of 1-2 cm from each other. The likelihood of their connection to each other should not be allowed to avoid the occurrence of a short circuit.

The wire is pushed inside the pipe to the place of the plug. After that, the end of the wire is connected to the mains. Ice melting occurs due to its heating with an electric current. In this case, the plastic walls do not heat up, since only the conductive water is heated. As the ice melts, the wire moves further along the pipeline.

4. Hydrodynamic cleaning. Any ice plug in the pipe can be removed with the jetting machine. Hot water is fed into it under pressure through a special nozzle, which contributes to the destruction of ice in a very short time. As the cork breaks down, the hose with the nozzle moves further along the pipe. It should be noted that such equipment is mainly from specialists due to its high cost.

5. Another way to defrost the water pipe is shown in the photo.

Freeze prevention

We looked at how to defrost polypropylene pipes (and pipes made of other types of plastic) or metal pipelines. Preventing pipelines from freezing is equally important. The occurrence of this unpleasant situation can be avoided if you adhere to some rules:

We have covered the main ways to get rid of ice plugs in water pipes. However, it is much easier to prevent freezing of water in pipelines than to fix the problems later.

July 22, 2016
Specialization: Capital construction works (foundation laying, wall erection, roof construction, etc.). Internal construction work (laying of internal communications, rough and final finishing). Hobbies: mobile communications, high technologies, computer technology, programming.

I have told many people many times about the technologies for the manufacture of engineering systems in private houses. And all the time I drew attention to the fact that pipelines must be laid below the freezing point or carefully insulated. However, from time to time I am asked questions about how to defrost a plastic water pipe.

I recall a case when a neighbor in the country called me in mid-January and tearfully asked me to fix the water supply system. As it turned out, he planned to hold the anniversary outside the city, and when he arrived at the site after a long stay in warm countries, he was faced with the fact that water did not flow from the taps. And all the sophisticated electronics that provide water to the cottage don't work either.

As it turned out, the ice plug was to blame, which blocked the metal-plastic pipe laid underground. And since he could only sign business papers with his own hands, he had to call me for help.

Of course, we coped with the problem, and I turned out to be the most honored guest at his holiday. I also decided to tell you about how to unfreeze plastic pipes for water supply and sewerage. Suddenly, the instructions below will be of invaluable help to you. Especially when a reliable plumber friend isn't around.

Causes of freezing pipelines

In my practice, I very rarely met people who make or order modern engineering networks (water supply, sewerage) from steel pipes. Plastic is more common.

And I think it is correct, because the price of polymer pipes is constantly decreasing, and the performance properties of such a solution have always been at their best:

• plastic pipelines have an attractive appearance;
• pipes are not subject to corrosion during the entire service life;
• it is as simple as possible to mount the utility network without using electric welding (maximum - a soldering iron);
• pipes do not conduct electricity and do not accumulate static electricity.

The only thing that cannot be eliminated under any circumstances is the danger of freezing the liquid in them. However, I know for sure that people encounter this trouble only in those cases when they entrusted the installation to an illiterate engineer.

Only such a person can lay a water supply system at an insufficient depth in the ground or not insulate the engineering system. As a result, you come to the dacha to celebrate your birthday, and nothing flows from the tap. Sadness.

To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to dig a sufficiently deep trench for the water supply and sewerage pipes. The average depth of soil freezing in the Moscow region is 1.4 meters. However, this indicator depends on many other factors, therefore, to determine the exact value, it is better to consult a specialist or use special cards with tables.

By the way, many people ask why central water pipelines in cities do not freeze. I will answer without concealment. There, the flow of water does not stop around the clock, so the liquid is in motion and does not turn into ice.

And at the dacha, pumping equipment is turned on only from time to time. Therefore, it is imperative to take measures to insulate water pipes.

Pay special attention to insulating and deepening drainage systems where water flows at a low speed. Otherwise, a plug will form and you will have to decide how to defrost the plastic sewer pipe. This activity is difficult and far from pleasant.

If, for some reason, it is impossible to dig a ditch of a suitable depth, it is necessary to wrap the pipes in heat-insulating materials or come up with systems for heating them. Or use both.

If you know that your pipes are poorly insulated, and at night they promise a very severe frost, leave the water turned on overnight to ensure the flow in the pipe.
In this case, the likelihood of the appearance of ice is significantly reduced.

But it often happens that people return to the issues of pipe insulation only when they have already faced the freezing of water. There is nothing left, you have to melt the ice. I'll tell you about this now.

Defrosting water transport communications made of plastic

Underground

First, let's take a look at how to defrost a plastic water pipe underground. This, in my opinion, is the most laborious and time consuming process. Especially in winter, when not only the water in the pipes froze, but also the earth itself, where they were laid.

The simplest scheme is as follows:

1. Above the place where the plastic pipe passes, it is necessary to light a fire. You can use wood or coal, or ignite a car tire. The latter will burn for a long time, but emit black smoky smoke. Consider this.

The advantage of this method is that not only the water in the pipe must be heated, but also the earth itself must thaw. And we need this in order to move on to the next point of our work.

1. Then I advise you to dig out the pipe to check if it is damaged. This will be easy to do as the fire softens the earth and makes swinging the shovel easier.
   Usually, good quality plastic pipes do not burst with ice, so nothing needs to be repaired. The main thing is not to break the pipe already during excavation.
2. Having made sure of the integrity of the communications, I recommend insulating the pipeline with heat-insulating materials or laying it. If this is not done, then personally I will not give a guarantee that after filling the trench with earth, the water in the pipe will not freeze again.

If you are once faced with freezing water, I recommend redoing the engineering system in the summer. After all, your friend will not always come to the rescue on time and dig out this pipe. It will be necessary either to deepen the trenches, or to insulate the water transport system along its entire length.

By the way, someone once told me that he insulated pipes with empty plastic bottles. The scheme is as follows:

• you dig a pit and check the pipe;
• you take more plastic bottles, wrap the corks so that there is air inside;
• you put them around the pipe;
• you cover everything with earth.

The bottom line is that the air inside has a low coefficient of thermal conductivity and will not allow the water in the pipes to freeze.

What can I say. In my opinion, you will spend more time collecting bottles than working. Better go to the store and buy basalt shells. It will be clean, tidy, efficient and not very expensive.

And lately I've been resorting to all sorts of folk recipes less and less. Unless he himself is sure of their effectiveness.

Another way to remove ice plugs is to use hot water. I see several downsides here at once:

• you will have to disassemble the plumbing system somewhere in order to pour water there;
• the pipe will remain uninsulated and the liquid can freeze again at any time;
• the method will not work if the ice is at a great distance from the place where you are going to pour boiling water.

Nevertheless, sometimes I have resorted to this method. To make it more effective, I will give you some of my own tips, which were formed in the process:

1. If your summer cottage is connected to the central water supply, do not turn off the taps. Additional pressure from the central water pump can help break the plug.
2. If water comes from a pumping station (that is, a well or a well), the equipment must be turned off. Otherwise, you will ruin expensive and electronics, as the water will go out of the pipes.
3. You can understand that the plug has been removed by the fact that the water poured into the pipe will all go away.

Another tried and tested method that I have sometimes used to thaw pipes. It must be implemented carefully, as you can get an electric shock. Nevertheless, I will describe the technology, suddenly you will not have another way to fix the problem.

The scheme is as follows:

1. I take an electrical wire, separate one core from another and remove some of the insulation. Then I roll one wire into a spiral. I do the same with the second living room, but the twist needs to be placed slightly behind, about two centimeters away.
   It is very important to make sure that these twists do not move in the process of work and do not come into contact with each other. This could result in a short circuit and electric shock. So be sure to secure the ends of the wire very carefully.
2. I put the tool prepared in this way into the pipe until it hits the ice plug.
3. After that, the wire must be connected to an electrical outlet. Heating of the liquid inside the pipe will occur due to the potential difference across the twists. The walls of the pipe will not melt; the water temperature will not rise to this level in any case.
4. As it thaws, you need to move your device inward until the patency of the engineering system is fully restored.

Remember that thawed water must be drained all the time, otherwise it may freeze again.

There are also special devices for defrosting pipes. We are talking about steam generators, autoclaves and hydrodynamic devices. It is not necessary to buy them, it is enough to rent the necessary unit in a specialized building supermarket.

The work takes place as follows:

1. Steam generator... It is necessary to place the hose of the device inside the pipe and let the steam under pressure there. Considering that the temperature of the medium is much higher than the boiling point of the liquid, the defrosting process will take place very quickly, and the plastic will not be damaged.
2. Autoclave... Steam is also used here, but the principle of operation is somewhat different. First, the water is heated in the container until steam is generated from it. Then a hose is pushed into the water pipe (up to the ice plug), the other end of which is connected to the autoclave.
   As the ice thaws, the hose must be moved through the pipe until the water flows in the direction you want.
3. Hydrodynamic machine... It destroys ice not with temperature, but with a stream of liquid injected under high pressure. As a result, the cork can be removed very quickly and efficiently.

And if someone tells you to just bend the wire and break through the ice, you don't need to. This will most likely damage the plastic sheath of the pipeline itself, but not the ice plug.

Overground

As you can imagine, defrosting open plastic pipes (for example, in a basement, storeroom or other unheated room) is much easier. Here you will not need the help of a specialist at all. Especially if you follow my advice.

The easiest way to heat is with a blow dryer or other similar heat source. By directing the air flow to the engineering system, you gradually heat up the walls of the pipes, which give their thermal energy to the water. And the ice melts.

By the way, a hair dryer can be replaced with an ordinary heater, which is placed near the pipe.

You've probably seen how metal pipelines are heated with blowtorches. So, this heating method is categorically not suitable for plastic. The polymer has a very low melting point (about 140 degrees), so a flame from a gas or gasoline burner will melt not only the ice, but the pipe along with it.

Naturally, an obligatory stage of any defrosting is the insulation of pipes or the installation of heating elements that maintain the required temperature of the liquid. I offer several options to choose from:

1. Take mineral mats and wrap them around the pipes. From above, it is imperative to protect all this with a waterproofing material to avoid moisture and some kind of protective cocoon. Roofing material is suitable, which will cope with both tasks.

1. Buy and fix on pipes special shells made of polystyrene, basalt fiber, foamed polyethylene and so on. The easiest option. They are mounted quickly and easily, without the use of special tools.

1. Wrap the pipe with a heating electric cable. This method is suitable both for heating ice and for preventing its further formation. You just need to make sure that the cable is constantly connected to the electrical network.

And it is best to wrap the pipes with a cable, and then with insulation. The combination of these methods will provide you with drinking water at any time of the year, regardless of the temperature "overboard".

Defrosting a sewer pipe

Separately, I will tell you about the way to remove the plug from the drain pipe of the external sewer system of a private house. It is with this problem that the majority of residents of private country houses are faced.

So, to fix the problem you will need:

• rigid steel wire;
• hydrolevel (dense polymer flexible tube);
• Esmarch's irrigator;
• a bucket for collecting dirty liquid;
• hot water.

I fixed a similar problem like this:

1. He removed a piece of the sewer pipe, opening access to the pipe connecting the internal and external sewer systems of the house.
2. He leveled the steel wire and tied the hydraulic level to it with electrical tape, through which hot water will flow into the pipe.
3. Then he put all this device into the sewer pipe, and attached Esmarch's mug to the opposite end of the pipe.
4. After that, with the help of an impromptu pump, he began to pump hot water inside, gradually moving the device into the pipe.
5. Excess water and thawed sewage poured out through the neck. I collected them in a pre-set bucket.
6. As soon as the water stops flowing out, it means that the cork has thawed and the engineering system can be assembled.

As in the case of plumbing, in order to avoid freezing of the drain, you need to lay pipes at the required depth or insulate them with heat-insulating materials. Better to spend time and money on this in the summer than digging through the waste in the winter, on the eve of your birthday.

Regardless of the chosen defrosting method and pipe laying method, I will give a few more tips to follow when thawing pipes:

• if you know exactly where the ice plug is located, you do not need to heat this particular section of pipes from the middle;
• to ensure the outflow of the melted water, it is necessary to open the water tap;
• I recommend starting the defrosting procedure from the consumer (supply valve) to the water intake source (vertical riser).

Output

There are a lot of ways to defrost pipes and everyone who has encountered a similar problem knows his own way to thaw ice. I would be glad if you could share it with our readers by describing it in the comments to this article.

And I invite everyone to read the video in this article, where you can find many other tips regarding the operation of the engineering systems of a residential building.

July 22, 2016

If you want to express gratitude, add clarification or objection, ask the author something - add a comment or say thank you!

Russia is located in a harsh climatic region, so in winter and early spring there is a risk of defrosting the water supply and sewerage system. This is especially true for owners of private houses, because often systems are laid without carrying out the necessary calculations and measures for insulation and frost protection. In this article, we'll talk about how to protect pipes from freezing and what to do if the problem cannot be prevented.

If the temperature outside the window has dropped to zero, that is, to the freezing point of water, this does not mean that the water supply system will freeze. Not everyone knows, but in winter the water in the pipe freezes at a temperature of -7 degrees. Water pipes burst when they freeze. during the transition from liquid to solid, the volume of water increases. This does not happen often, but it does happen, especially in metal systems that cannot stretch.

To prevent water freezing in the pipes and protect them from damage, it is necessary to take care of the heating system in advance or take a set of measures to insulate the pipeline.

Some measures to protect the pipeline in winter should be carried out even at the stage of laying communications during the construction of a house. What needs to be done to reliably protect pipes from cold during installation:

1. Lay the water supply below the freezing level of the soil. In SNiP 2.02.01-83, you can find information on the freezing depth for a specific region and type of soil.
2. Use polyethylene or polypropylene for underground water supply.
3. ... For convenience, we use foil-clad polystyrene foam insulation in the form of tubes, or any other available insulation or insulation methods.
4. Install the electrical heating system. It is installed directly on the water supply under the thermal insulation layer. The system is guaranteed to prevent freezing or allow you to warm up the water supply, if heating is used cyclically and freezing still occurs.

Thermal insulation using a heating cable is a reliable way to solve the problem of icing, even in the most extreme cold.

In private houses of temporary residence, for example, country houses, the water supply is rarely laid underground and is used mainly in the summer.

To prevent freezing of a structure located above the ground, in winter it must be completely drained of water after each use. The second option, how you can not defrost the pipe on the street, is to leave the tap slightly open so that the water moves. The water in the source (well, well) has a temperature of about +5 degrees. Moving, it gives off part of the heat for heating, therefore freezing of pipes in such a situation can occur only in severe frost, from -15.

How to defrost an open pipeline

In the case when the open water supply is frozen, it is not difficult to unfreeze the pipe, because you have access to it.

Advice: you need to start work on heating the water supply immediately after freezing is detected, otherwise, every hour the situation only gets worse, especially if the heaters are not of high quality or are completely absent.

A heating cable is required to heat frozen plastic lines. It is extremely simple to use it, just wrap the water supply and connect the cable to a power source. This option requires additional costs for the purchase of the cable. You can cast plastic pipes with hot water, but this option is effective only with small areas of freezing, or with not severe frosts.

Heating pipes made of metal can be carried out with an open fire. A portable gas torch, blowtorch, or a small diesel cannon designed for heating unheated rooms will do. It is possible to combine heating with a burner with the ice crushing method. The burner can be used to heat the entire metal system, with the exception of the taps. The faucets have rubber (plastic) valves, which can deteriorate with a sharp increase in temperature and the faucet will have to be changed.

Important: it is forbidden to heat frozen plastic pipes with an open fire, because they can melt or even catch fire.

To warm up the tap, it is not necessary to heat it with a burner, it is enough to wrap it with rags and pour boiling water over it. If after the first time the crane does not move, the operation can be repeated.

To defrost an open one, you can use a building hair dryer. It is powerful enough, heats up well and is not able to melt the material.

Defrosting hidden plastic pipes

Thawing water in a plastic pipe hidden underground is much more difficult due to the fact that there is no access to it. Heating options that are used for open water pipes will not work.

You can quickly defrost a water supply pipe only by heating it from the inside. There are several ways to do this.

1. Hot water ebb.
2. Heating with a steam generator.
3. Warming up with an electric device for defrosting pipes.
4. Defrost water pipes with a homemade boiler.

Depending on the situation, the availability of tools and other circumstances, different devices can be used for each of the methods. For example, in order to pour hot water, you can use a thin hose that goes inside the water supply system, or you can simply pour hot water from a pear.

To defrost a pipe in the ground, you can use a cable heating system, but only if it was installed at the stage of laying the water supply. If the elements of cable heating are not installed, then this method is too laborious and not always possible.

Now we will consider the options for heating that can be used if the HDPE pipe located underground is frozen.

Steam generator heating

Based on the name, it can be understood that the steam generator is designed to generate steam. It sounds complicated, but in reality everything is much simpler. But not everyone has a steam generator. In everyday life, in the country, you can use a pressure cooker instead. Defrosting a pipe with a pressure cooker is no more difficult than pouring hot water. To carry out the work you will need:

• pressure cooker;
• a hose with a diameter smaller than a polyethylene water pipe;
• mobile electric or gas stove.

The process itself is similar to the outflow of a water supply system with hot water, only steam is used instead. Water is poured into the pressure cooker and heated to a boil. One end of the hose is hermetically connected to the valve for releasing excess steam in the lid of the pressure cooker, the other is pushed into the line. Thus, steam from the pressure cooker enters the hose and then into the pipeline to the freezing point. The steam temperature is higher than the hot water temperature, so using a pressure cooker is more effective and warms up faster.

Another option to replace the steam generator is to use the Karher steam cleaner. The power of the steam cleaner is sufficient to cope with defrosting.

Ice crushing

If the underground water supply is made of iron or copper, then a special device can be used to defrost it - an apparatus for defrosting pipes. You can find out which model of the device to use for a specific pipe diameter by reading the instructions of the device manufacturer. The most popular in Russia are the devices "Dragon" and their analogues.

The essence of the method is that the power cables of the device are connected to the mains and voltage is applied to them, due to which the walls of the pipe are heated and the ice block thaws. This method can be combined with the crushing method.

Its essence lies in tapping a metal line in order to cause ice delamination from the inner walls or its destruction. Crushed pieces of ice, under the pressure of water in the system, can escape to the outside. Using this method, you need to take care of the unhindered passage of pieces of ice along the entire length of the water supply system. This means that the outlet valve, tees and other structural elements with a smaller diameter must be dismantled.

It looks simple, but in reality it does not always work out, tk. the device has restrictions on the distance of connecting the electrodes. If it is not a problem to connect an electrode on the outlet side of the water pipe, then it is not always possible to install the second one, at a certain distance from the first, due to the fact that the system is closed and the water has frozen in the pipe underground. Sometimes such nuances make it impossible to use the device for heating a closed water supply system.

Defrosting with a boiler

At one end of a rigid two-core wire, several centimeters of cores are stripped and wrapped around the wire in such a way that the bare contacts do not touch each other, and the distance between them does not exceed 1.5-2 cm.A plug is installed on the other end of the wire for connecting to a household outlet ... Further, the structure is pushed into the pipeline and connected to the 220 network. Passing current, the water between the contacts of the wire heats up, and the water supply system gradually thaws.

Important: the method is suitable for use in a closed system made of plastic pipes; it is strictly forbidden to use it in metal structures, because the pipe wall contacts are closed.

Defrosting pipes with hot water

With a small length of the frozen water supply system, it is convenient to pour hot water from a bucket or a rubber medical heating pad, often called an Esmarch mug. This is a simple method that requires a minimum of assistive devices. It is often used for self-de-icing of pipes in the country. For heating, you will need a piece of thin hose with a length of at least the length of the frozen line and a funnel, for the convenience of filling the hose with hot water.

The hose is inserted into the water pipe until it stops, that is, to the freezing point. Next, hot water is poured into the hose. Hot water, passing through the hose, flows directly to the freezing point and gradually melts the ice. As it melts, it is necessary to advance the hose inside the water supply system and add hot water, because it will gradually leave and cool down.

Eliminating the ice blockage in the sewer

A sewer system that is made with the wrong slope, or made of small-diameter pipes and laid without insulation, is at risk of defrosting. In a private house, in the event of an ice plug, you can warm up a drain pipe in the same ways that are used to defrost hidden water pipes.

Important: to remove ice in the toilet, it is not enough to pour hot water into the toilet. this is ineffective, it is necessary to organize the supply of hot water directly to the place of the ice plug, which means that a hose must be used.

If the sewage system is long enough, then to deliver the hose to the freezing point, it can be tied to a plumbing cable.

There are several nuances when defrosting.

1. The cause of freezing can be a blockage, which has reduced the throughput of the system. In this case, defrosting must be carried out in conjunction with cleaning, otherwise the problem will recur.
2. In the sewer system, it can defrost a septic tank or, in another way, a drain pit. In this case, the outlet for water and feces is blocked, the pipes gradually fill and freeze. To eliminate the cause, you must first warm up or clean the ice in the drain pit and only then start work on heating the sewer drain.

How to defrost metal pipes in the ground

It is possible to defrost metal water pipes that are underground using the same methods that are used when you need to warm up a pipe in the ground. If there is access to the pipe every 10 meters, for example, wells are installed, then it is effective to carry out heating using a pipe defrosting device.

Ice in the pipe underground begins to form at minus 5 degrees, which happens closer to spring, so during this period you need to be extremely careful, especially if the underground metal pipes are new and winter for the first time.

How to defrost plastic pipes

Similar to metal pipes, plastic pipes are defrosting at temperatures from -5, but they cannot be warmed up by all available methods. For example, it is forbidden to heat frozen plastic pipes with an open flame.

Plastic is a combustible material and can catch fire in a few minutes. Also, for plastic communications, the method of crushing and heating with the help of an apparatus is not used. The device will not work because polypropylene pipe does not conduct electricity. At low temperatures, some types of plastics lose their flexibility.

If you hit a frozen plastic system with a hammer or other impact tool, the walls may break and burst. As a result, part of the water supply will have to be changed. Reinforced-plastic pipes burst even more easily, therefore crushing is not applied to them.

In conclusion of the article, I would like to note that in order to avoid problems with sewerage and water supply systems, one does not need to neglect the requirements of regulatory documents, for example, SNiP SNiP 2.04.01-85 *. If freezing could not be avoided, then after restoring the system's performance, it is necessary to analyze the reasons that can be eliminated in the warm season. Otherwise, the situation will repeat itself. It will not always be possible to get rid of only by thawing the water supply system, because integrity may be violated and the system will have to be changed in winter, or a temporary highway will be laid, which will require additional investments.

The video shows an original way of defrosting pipes with hot water from an Atmor flow heater:

Failure of a water supply or heating system in winter is a sad and terrible situation. Terrible, because the residents can freeze themselves and be left without water. And sad, because the restoration of the pipeline will require hard work, which, moreover, will be carried out on the street. But not everything is as hopeless as it might seem.
Of course, it is easier to heat sewer pipes than water pipes. After all, boiling water that is poured into the sewer will be excreted naturally. But the water, which is used to heat the water supply system, enters the pit or well, from where it has to be pumped out.

It is necessary to defrost the water supply as early as possible, then the water flow will be restored. In addition, if you delay with defrosting, pipes can burst, but this is already a real disaster.

Water pipe rescue

Before starting the restoration work, the water supply should be disconnected from the general line by shutting off the valve. In order to start defrosting, you need to prepare some tools:

• buckets,
• kettle,
• hose,
• basin (preferably a few),
• rags,
• heating devices (gas or electric stove, boiler),
• gas cutting,
• blowtorch
• foil,
• insulation,
• heating cable.

If all this is available, you can get down to business.

First, we determine in which area the congestion has formed. Then you have to dig it up (since the pipe is obviously located underground) and remove the insulation from it.

The pipe burst from freezing

Methods for heating pipes

There are several ways to heat a water pipe.

• Hot water is often used for this. The frozen section of the pipe is wrapped with rags, other rags are placed under it (they will absorb the flowing water), and then boiling water is poured onto the pipe from the kettle. From time to time it is necessary to reheat the water. It is poured until the problematic section of the pipe is warmed up. This method is usually used if the frozen area is in the house.

Sometimes hot water can be brought into the pipe itself; for this, a flexible hose is used. If the pipe is very long, it is convenient to start defrosting from the water supply side.

• A water pipe that is underground on the street can be warmed up with an open flame. To do this, you must have a blowtorch, a welding heating pad, or at least a torch (a lit stick or branch). A metal sheet should be placed under the pipe, which will deflect the flame from those structures that can ignite. Then they begin to drive the pipe with fire, starting from the side from which the water is supplied. This way you can warm up many pipes, but not plastic - it can melt itself.
• If the house has a hair dryer (household or technical), then you can use it to save the pipe. In this case, a "sleeve" of film or other dense material is created over the frozen area. Hot air is pumped into this space with a hairdryer. After a while, the pipe should warm up. This method is also suitable for plastic pipes.

However, a heating cable is considered to be an ideal tool for warming plastic pipes.

How do you use it?

First, the plastic pipe should be tightly wrapped with aluminum foil - plain or adhesive (see). Then attach the heating cable by wrapping it around the pipe in a spiral. So that the cable itself is not damaged, the pitch of the spiral must be at least 8 cm. The cable is attached to the pipe with tape, then the cable sensor, which triggers the automatic shutdown, is reinforced - it must be firmly pressed against the pipe. On top of the entire resulting structure, you need to lay insulation (mineral wool or any other). You can plug the cable into the network.

• It happens that water freezes in a well. In this case, you can lay the heating cable there too. This is usually done underground, with the cable running under the pipe.
• If the pipe is frozen in water, then to warm it up, it is enough to heat the wall. This can also be done with a regular hairdryer. Such a remedy is very simple and in some cases very effective.

Using the welding machine

It turns out that a welding machine can not only join metal surfaces. He also copes well with frozen pipes. It is enough to attach the welding wire to the ends of the area that is frozen (to one plus, to the other minus), turn on the device for 30 seconds, then wait 10 seconds and turn it on again.

In this case, the welding current should be small, in the region of 100 amperes; if this does not work, the amperage can be increased.

It is clear that the pipe mentioned here must be metal. After all, plastic does not conduct current.
This method, however, practically does not help if the pipe has a large diameter or the freezing area is too long.

HDPE pipes

This material is quite new in our market. HDPE is low pressure polyethylene. This material can withstand high pressure (up to 10 atmospheres), does not corrode, and most importantly, it practically does not freeze.

HDPE is an excellent solution, especially for areas with harsh climates.

What not to do

• When the pipes freeze, some try to solve the problem with metal or metal wire. However, this is unlikely to be beneficial, since the ice plug is very hard and durable, in addition, its length can be rather big.
• No need to pour boiling water directly into the pipe. Instead, you should take a metal-plastic pipe with a smaller diameter and shove it into the one you want to defrost. Boiling water is poured into this pipe, and cold water from the cork will flow into the gap between the inner and outer pipes. This water can be collected, heated and poured again, because there is often not enough water for repairs (the water supply is blocked by a plug).

This method helps if the failed section is straight.

If the pipe has bends, then a rigid and flexible oxygen hose should be pushed into it.

But taking a regular watering machine is a bad idea, since it is too soft and becomes unusable from hot water - it becomes impossible to promote it inside.

Reinforced-plastic pipes located in the attic or basement are likely to freeze at low temperatures. The advantage is that you have free access to them, which means that the problem can be solved quickly and easily. First, open your water taps before defrosting. We offer several ways.

• First way: we use hot water.
  1. Feel for the coldest area - there is an ice plug.
  2. Take a regular piece of cloth.
  3. Wrap a piece of cloth around the frozen area (in addition, grab the top and bottom area).
  4. Heat water and pour it over the frozen area.
  5. Remove the cloth and wipe off the tubing.
  6. Wrap the pipe with insulation to avoid re-freezing.
• The second way: we use a construction hot air gun.
  1. Find the ice plug (described above).
  2. Set the hot air gun to the minimum temperature (to avoid melting the plastic).
  3. Direct a stream of warm air towards the pipeline.
  4. Wrap the pipe with insulation.
• The third way: we use electric heating.
  1. We wind the frozen area with a special heating wire.
  2. We connect the wire to the mains.
  3. We wrap the heated pipe with insulation.

How to defrost ice yourself in a plastic pipe underground

When a plastic pipe freezes underground, homeowners start to panic. After all, digging frozen soil with your hands is not an easy task, and a pipe can be completely damaged by technology. We offer several alternative options for defrosting underground utilities.

We use hot water

1. Disconnect the plastic pipe from the tap.
2. Heat the water (it is best to use a reinforced concrete barrel).
3. Insert a hose into the frozen plastic pipe. Enter until you come across an ice plug.
4. Fill the hose with hot water (if possible, use a pressure pump).
5. Move the hose forward gradually.
6. As soon as the ice lock is melted, water will flow from the pipe.
7. Reconnect the pipe to the tap.
8. Cover open sections of the pipeline with insulation.

We use electricity

1. Purchase a two-wire wire.
2. Separate and strip one core.
3. Roll the bare wire tightly to avoid unwinding.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the second wire.
5. Move the bare twists a couple of centimeters apart.
6. Insert the wire into the pipe up to the ice plug.
7. Connect the wire to the mains.
8. Slide the wire forward as it defrosts.
9. Pump out the defrost water with a pump or compressor.

A few more ways to defrost a plastic pipe

There are several other rarely used methods. The reason for the rarity is the lack of the necessary equipment.

• Defrosting with a steam generator: an excellent way out of this situation. Ice melting is very fast and efficient. The steam generator hose is introduced inside to the ice plug and steam is released.
• Defrosting with an autoclave (or a steamer): water is heated in the autoclave, after which a hose is connected to the device, the other end of which is introduced into the frozen pipeline. When the water boils, steam is pumped in and melts the ice.
• Defrosting by a hydrodynamic machine: due to the increased pressure that this machine generates, the ice is broken in a matter of minutes. The hose is led into a plastic pipe closer to the ice plug and the apparatus is turned on.