How to quickly defrost a pipe underground. What to do if tap water in a private home freezes

Since in Lately For external and internal pipelines, pipelines made of all kinds of polymer materials are increasingly being used; the question of defrosting plastic pipes is very relevant. This problem is a consequence of insufficient preventive measures to prevent them from freezing, which is quite common.

In this article we will look at several effective ways to defrost plastic water and sewer pipes.

Reasons for freezing

Before you familiarize yourself with all the options for defrosting plastic water pipe or sewers, you should figure out why they freeze, since there is a high probability that the situation will repeat.

So, there are several reasons:

Laying the external pipeline at the level of soil freezing - the depth of soil freezing is calculated using special zoning maps, however, in any case it must be at least 600 mm. However, it is better to lay the pipeline a little deeper, especially in regions where winter temperatures drop to extremes. This problem can also be solved by laying a heating cable and insulating the system.

Incorrect calculation of thermal insulation or its absence can also cause freezing of internal and external pipelines. The problem can be eliminated in the same way as in the previous case.
Incorrect pipeline diameter - this reason usually concerns external systems. In pursuit of savings, some homeowners use pipes with a diameter corresponding to the calculated minimum sufficient to supply water to the building. However, with small consumption, water stagnates, as a result of which it has time to freeze.

Therefore, experts recommend using water pipes with a diameter of at least 40-50 mm for external systems, since the increased diameter reduces the risk of freezing and the severity of its consequences. To prevent freezing, you should lay a heating cable, insulate the pipeline, or replace it with pipes of larger diameter.

In the photo - thermal insulation of pipes

Insufficient thermal insulation of the pipe or its complete absence in the area where the pipeline passes through outer wall(foundation). This problem can be eliminated only by laying heat-insulating material. In this case, most likely, you will need to widen the hole in the foundation.
The fit of pipes to walls made of artificial stone, for example, on ground floor or in the basement. In this case, you just need to lay heat insulating material between the pipeline and the wall that caused the freeze.

Advice! Theoretically, a heating or hot water supply pipeline can be laid at a shallower depth than cold water. However, in practice, you should not count on the pipe itself to heat, since a temporary interruption in the water supply can lead to its freezing.

Accident options

Choosing a method for defrosting plastic sewer pipe or water supply depends on what type of accident occurred:

A pipe has frozen in an external underground pipeline;
Freezing occurred in an external open pipeline;
Freezing has occurred in the internal pipeline;
The pipe located in the hard to reach place, for example, mounted on a wall.

In any of these cases, freezing may be accompanied by cracks in pipes or fittings.

Note! The most resistant to freezing are polyethylene pipes, followed by metal-plastic layers, which also contain polyethylene. But polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride pipes do not tolerate frost well and can burst after the first freeze.

Solution

Repairing cracks

Before defrosting the pipe, you should inspect it for cracks. It is quite possible that defrosting plastic pipes will not be necessary. If the pipeline has cracks, then the damaged section simply needs to be cut out, and for this it is not necessary to melt the ice.

The cracked pipe is replaced with a new one of the same type, which is joined to the pipeline using.

Note! When defrosting, regardless of the method, the tap closest to the ice plug must be open. If the plug is removed mechanically, the tap should be removed altogether, but at the same time, after eliminating the plug, you must quickly shut off the pipe.

External defrost

If you're frozen internal pipes, for example, in the basement, you can defrost them yourself by heating them with some kind of heat source, for example, an electric heater, a hairdryer or an electric blanket.

It must be said that some craftsmen use for these purposes open sources heat such as gas-burners and blowtorches. However, it should be kept in mind that this method is unsafe, since carelessness can simply burn through the pipeline.

Unfortunately, you need to use a special defrosting machine. metal pipes will not work, since it can only work with conductive materials. Naturally, polymers are not one of these.

Internal heating

If there is a traffic jam on closed area For a pipeline, for example, located in the ground or built into a wall, external heating is not suitable, since the price of such an event would be too high, not to mention the labor costs.

Therefore, most affordable option– melt the cork hot water, which is poured into the system from inside the building. However, water will not simply pass through the pipeline to the ice plug section, since most often it contains air and water plugs. In short sections, a solution to the problem can be a metal-plastic pipe of a smaller diameter or an oxygen-resistant heat-resistant hose that is inserted into the pipeline.

But how to defrost metal-plastic pipe underground or another type of pipeline that has many bends? There is a solution for this case as well - you need to use an Esmarch mug, which is popularly called a bucket enema, as well as a hose, similar to those used in construction water levels, and steel wire with a cross-section of 2-3 mm, of a suitable length.

Instructions for performing this work are as follows:

First of all, you need to open access to the frozen area; for this you will need to remove the tap.
Next, the ends of the tube and wire must be fastened so that they move parallel through the system. The tube should protrude slightly forward, about 10 mm.
Then the tube-wire pair should be advanced to the ice plug. When it becomes impossible to push the wire and tube further, you need to pour boiling water into it through an enema. In this case, under the open end of the pipe it is necessary to place a container into which the water will return.

Keep in mind that this process is not quick and can take several hours, especially if the frozen area is long. Therefore, before you defrost a plastic water pipe underground, you should stock up on a sufficient amount of water.

It must be said that there is another way to defrost plastic pipes - this is to use homemade heater, made of two-core cable. However, we will not consider this method, since even under the best circumstances, this process will take much longer than defrosting with hot water.

Advice! To prevent this operation from damaging the inner layer of the system, which is quite delicate, it is advisable to round the end of the wire.

These are, perhaps, all the most effective ways to defrost pipes. Having eliminated this problem, you must make sure that it does not happen again next season.

Conclusion

Defrosting a frozen sewer or water pipe can be quite a difficult and troublesome task. Therefore, it is much easier to prevent this problem at the pipeline installation stage. However, if such a situation does occur, you need to act according to the scheme described above.

From the video in this article you can get Additional information on this topic.

Pipes freeze for various reasons: insufficient laying depth, lack of insulation, small volume of transported water, use of the pipeline in frosty conditions. Defrosting the water supply in an accessible place does not cause difficulties. The question of how to defrost a plastic water pipe underground requires attention.

Currently, polyethylene pipes are used for water supply. high density, which does not deteriorate when frozen, has anti-corrosion properties and does not conduct electricity. But heating the water supply is not possible using all available methods.

Defrosting pipes using a heating cable

Before you begin thawing a frozen water pipe, locate the area where the ice blockage has formed. Search methods:

Visual inspection. When a liquid freezes, it increases in volume and leads to swelling; the place where it freezes feels colder to the touch.
Internal check. If a full inspection is not possible, use a flexible wire or cable. The area where the cable does not pass further will be the place where the traffic jam occurs.

How to thaw an icy area will depend on the availability of free access to the problem.

Effective ways to solve the problem

It is difficult to heat a water pipe located in the ground. In this case, it is impossible to use external thawing methods. You will have to defrost the system from the inside. Let's look at common ways to remove ice jams.

Hot water application

Prepare a metal-plastic pipe whose cross-section is 2 times smaller than the diameter of the main pipe. Carefully bring it inside the pipe to the frozen area and fill it with boiling water, which will gradually wash away the ice.
When defrosting water pipes using this method, be sure to open the tap so that the pressure in the system remains low.

Heating with a hairdryer

This heating method is suitable for water pipes located in open access. A stream of air is directed onto the icy area. To avoid deformation of the plastic, the temperature of the hair dryer should be set to a minimum level. After heating with hot air, wrap the pipeline section with insulation.

De-icing with electric current

It is possible to combat freezing pipes using welding machine. But it should only be used to defrost water supply systems made of steel, copper and other metal products.

Metal is a conductor of electric current. Electrons and ions under the influence electric field, moving and colliding with each other, form energy. The latter turns into heat.
Plastic does not conduct current. Therefore, using a welding machine on plastic products is pointless and irrational.

Soldier's boiler for plastic pipes

Water is an electrolyte due to its salt content. Therefore, to heat it, you will need a pair of energized electrodes. This method is only suitable for polyethylene water supply systems and is based on the principle of operation of a boiler.

You will need: two-core copper wire and steel wire, tools. The wire strands are stripped and wrapped around the wire. Make sure that the turns do not touch each other, as a short circuit may occur. A plug is attached to the free end of the wire.
Homemade boiler lower it into the pipe to the ice plug, plug it into the network. After a while, the water supply will warm up and the icing will melt.

How to prevent your system from freezing

To do this, you need to remember the following:

Lay the pipes at a sufficient depth, below the freezing level of the ground.
The water supply should not pass near reinforced concrete structures (foundation, beams and supports), since this material has a higher thermal conductivity. If you cannot find another installation location, insulate the pipes.
It is recommended to insulate those places where the sewage system passes through the walls of the building. polyurethane foam, glass or mineral wool.
Use pipes with a diameter of at least 50 mm.
When choosing between polymer products, remember that polyethylene reacts stably to the process of freezing and thawing. Polypropylene may burst after two defrosts.
If the pipeline does not operate regularly in winter, it is better to drain the water from the system.

If you have the opportunity and finances, you can also lay a heating cable.

Application of heating cable

The cable is used to heat the water supply and prevent freezing of plastic and metal pipes. Nuances of use:

the operating time of the device does not have to be constant, night time is sufficient;
It is recommended to use the heating cable immediately when laying a section of the pipeline that is susceptible to freezing;
The device is divided into 2 types: cable with self-regulating function and simple.

If the conditions for laying the water supply system are observed, you will not have to face the problem of freezing.

IN winter period Nowadays, quite often people are faced with the fact that water pipes can freeze in severe frosts. IN this material we will tell you how to defrost a water pipe without damaging communications and without being left without water for a long time.

In what cases may it be necessary to defrost pipes?

In cases where the water supply pipes were not insulated in time, if the air temperature outside dropped sharply, the water in them could freeze. However, even if such a nuisance happens, you should not panic - everything can be fixed, including on your own.

Among the most common causes of freezing of water pipes is incorrect laying of the main without taking into account the depth of soil freezing or without insulation. Alternatively, this can happen with a water supply that is used at very low temperatures or has too little water flowing through it.

In order to defrost pipes, you can use equipment such as construction hair dryer(if you don’t have one, an ordinary household one will do), a blowtorch, an electric heater. Here are some recommendations for defrosting frozen pipes.

When working with steel pipes, defrosting is very simple. To do this, a welding machine is connected from opposite ends of the pipe, which will lead to thawing of the water inside the water supply within 3-4 hours. The duration of the process depends on the length of the pipe. However, recently, plastic pipes that can withstand pressures of up to 10 atmospheres have been actively used in water supply systems.

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 pierce the plug, so as not to spoil the water supply.

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

External heating

Of course, the need to tear up frozen soil to get to the pipe is a significant drawback of this method. However, for those situations where the frozen area is small, this method has a right to exist.

Once the trench is excavated, the type of pipeline material is determined. To work with polymer products, only heating devices can be used. electric type, producing a temperature of no more than 100-100 ℃. To reduce heat loss from the heater and warm up the pipe section faster, the work area is covered with a layer of thermal insulation.

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

Warming up pipes from the inside

To get rid of a blockage in sewer pipes, you will have to take into account a number of features. Firstly, such communications, as a rule, have quite large diameter, which allows you to warm up the outside and inside more efficiently. However, the amount of accumulated ice in them will be significantly greater, so it will be necessary higher consumption heat from heating devices.

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

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

The structure must be inserted into the drain pipe from the receiver side, where the melted liquid will flow. First, the heating element is fully advanced to the place of work, after which it is connected to the network. Moving the device forward as the plug thaws, the device is periodically turned off.

Steel pipe attachment

One of the most effective methods To remove frozen plugs in pipes, use an industrial device. However, it only applies to metal products. To defrost the plug, 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 defrosting 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 larger than this indicator, then the spread between the terminals is smaller. This also applies to segments with measuring instruments and insertion points. Required condition V 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 by three more “folk” methods. They are all quite effective, however, only on pipes with a small cross-section.

Spraying with hot water

It’s worth noting right away that you won’t be able to simply pour hot water into the pipe - you’ll have to work hard. To supply hot liquid to the ice plug, you will need flexible hose or thin tube. For example, if a plug has 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 the thin tube, it is gradually pushed into the water supply until it reaches the ice plug. Then they start feeding hot water. 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 applied to the plug to defrost it.

As the ice thaws, the metal-plastic tube is gradually pushed deeper until the plug 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 watering hose– it is too soft and will get wet quickly. Gas or oxygen hoses are ideal in this case. They can be inserted 15 meters deep into the water pipe, however, significant effort will be required to push them due to their heavy weight.

Regular enema or Esmarch 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 has bends and turns. In this case, you will need a strong steel wire, a hydraulic level and a regular enema (Esmarch mug). All of these things are inexpensive and easy to get.

First, you need to align the hydraulic level with the wire, wrapping them with electrical tape. The end of the wire is wrapped in a loop to make it rigid. It must be wound 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 this, the tube with the wire is inserted into the water supply until it hits the ice.

Such a device can quite 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 enema tube. Under the outlet of the pipe you need to place a container for water that will flow out from there. Gradually, the ice plug will melt, so that the device can be moved further and further.

It is worth noting that this method is quite slow. The average operating speed is 1 meter of pipe per hour, that is, about 5-7 meters of pipe can be defrosted in a 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 pipeline is about 80 cm (this is very small), and in places where excavation not recommended (on the roadway, for example). In such situations, utility services recommend waiting for a thaw - but this is not an option.

To defrost a plastic pipe in this case, you can use homemade device. To assemble it you need a plug for the socket, two-wire copper wire, compressor and hose for pumping water. For our example, let's take a wire with a cross-section of 2.5-3 mm, an 8 mm car fuel hose and a car compressor or pump.

Please note that when working with electric shock Strict adherence to safety precautions is required to avoid injury. Now you can begin assembling the device for defrosting the water pipe.

On a small section of the wire, the outer insulation is removed and the cores are separated. First, one of the wires is stripped of insulation, and the remaining insulated piece of wire is carefully bent in the opposite direction along the wire, trying not to damage the sheath. Now, almost at the bend, the wire is screwed with 3-5 tight turns of bare wire. Having retreated 2-3 mm from this place, the same manipulations are performed with the second core. Make sure that the ends of the two wires 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, releasing large quantity heat. What is also ideal in this case is that only the water is heated, while the wires remain cold, which does not threaten accidental burns of polyethylene pipes.

Before launch assembled mechanism should be tested. Place it in a container of water and apply current - everything works correctly if air bubbles are visible in the water and a humming sound 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, until it comes into contact with ice. Next, turn on the device for a couple of minutes and wait until the ice begins to melt. After this, you need to turn off the device and try to move the wire further away. In a similar way, first defrost one meter of water supply.

Now it's time to delete 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, you can weld a faucet onto the pipe, which can be closed as soon as the pipe water will flow. This will allow you to avoid flooding the work area with the plug and not pull the wire out of the pipe.

What to do to prevent pipes from freezing

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

The first thing to remember is that the depth of the water supply pipes should be below the freezing level of the soil in your region. The norm for sewer and water supply lines is considered to be a depth of 1.2-1.4 meters.

It is better not to lay pipelines near reinforced concrete structures, since concrete has a much higher thermal conductivity level than the ground. Consequently, pipes will freeze more near the foundation, beams or grillages than in other places. If it is impossible to bypass them, you should take care of thermal insulation, for example, lay extruded polystyrene foam slabs between the pipe and the foundation.

Alternatively, if available additional funds For construction, a heating cable can be laid near the pipeline. On sale you can find self-regulating cables that begin heating the surface only under certain specified conditions.

Where water and sewer pipes come into contact with the walls of the building, passing through them, it would be useful to insulate the 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, optimal choice there will be water pipes with a cross-section of at least 50 mm, which do not freeze so much in winter.

As for the material for water pipes, there are also differences. For example, polypropylene pipes They can withstand no more than 2-3 freezing periods, after which they begin to burst. But polyethylene pipes are practically insensitive to frost and defrost.

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

So, every resident of a private home may face the problem of water freezing in a water pipe in winter. In this situation, the best thing that can be done is not to waste time, but to immediately begin defrosting the ice plug. To do this, you can use traditional methods, such as external or internal heating, as well as the use of industrial equipment. Or you can take advantage of popular experience and try one of the non- traditional ways defrosting. In any case, only you can decide exactly how to solve the problem.

Winter is a time of year that not only brings unforgettable and joyful experiences from New Year's Eve or skiing. Winter is a severe test, both for living beings and for all kinds of engineering systems that are created by man to improve his life. Low temperature tests apply directly to the water supply. In cold weather, it happens that water pipes freeze. Therefore, knowledge of how to defrost pipes in winter and not be left without water during this time will be quite useful.

The need to defrost pipes

If you have not insulated your water pipes in a timely manner, a situation may occur when the water in the pipes freezes. If you paid attention in time to the occurrence of tap water force majeure, then this is not a reason to panic at all. There are many ways, including “folk” ones, how to defrost a water pipe with your own hands.

For trivial reasons, water pipes freeze: incorrect pipe laying technology (for a given area, the freezing depth is not taken into account or the pipes are not insulated), as well as the lack of heating in the room. Also, the reasons for freezing of the system may be as follows: very small volumes of water are transported through the pipes, or the pipes are operated at very low temperatures.

It should be borne in mind that defrosting pipes that are laid in accessible places does not cause any particular difficulties (for example, they just need to be warmed up using an ordinary household hair dryer), but with defrosting the pipes at underground installation Some difficulties may arise. It’s quite good if the pipes are frozen at the entry point, since you can simply heat up the walls. But often the freezing point is a few meters from the building.

The issue of defrosting pipes is solved with the help of improvised means that are available in every home: a blowtorch, an electric heater, a professional hair dryer (you can also use a hair dryer). But before you consider options for defrosting water pipes, you need to understand a few useful tips.

The defrosting process is quite simple if the pipes are metal. For this purpose, we take a regular welding machine and connect it to different ends of the pipe. This simple method eliminates this problem within 3 - 4 hours. The longer the frozen section of the pipe, the longer it takes to defrost. But today, mainly PE pipes are used in water supply networks, which are made of high-density polyethylene and can withstand pressures of up to 10 atmospheres.

They do not collapse when frozen and are not subject to corrosion processes. Due to its properties, polyethylene does not act as a conductor of electric current, and this means that it is impossible to carry out defrosting using a welding machine. Removing ice plugs with a steel rod is also fraught with danger and can damage the pipe.

Traditional methods of defrosting pipes

Today there are a lot of defrosting methods, so the process of removing ice from sewer or water pipes is not very difficult.

External heating

External defrosting of pipes has a very important drawback - it is necessary to open the trench in which the sewerage system is laid. Digging the frozen soil itself (and this is what it is if ice has formed in the pipe), it is clear that it is not the most pleasant task. But still, if the size of the cork is not particularly large, then this method may be worth using.

After you have opened the trench, you need to look at the material from which the pipe is made. There is a difference in how to defrost polyethylene or metal pipes. In the first case, you need to use electric heaters so that the temperature is not very high - up to 100-110 degrees. With all this, it also makes sense to cover the additionally excavated area with a decent layer of thermal insulation during the heating process, so back side The device will not heat the street, and the pipes will warm up faster.

For metal pipes, we apply the method of using open fire using equipment such as gas burners, blowtorches, firewood, as well as any flame sources with for a long time combustion. From such influences, the plastic may simply melt.

Internal heating

Defrosting sewer pipes, compared to water pipes, has certain nuances. On the one hand, the large diameter of such pipes provides significant advantages for internal heating. On the other hand, these pipes provide a fairly large volume of accumulated ice with frozen soil, and therefore a large contact area, which will lead to increased heat transfer from both external and internal heaters.

Before you defrost plastic pipes from the inside, you need to make a not very complicated device: attach a U-shaped heating element to a board with rounded edges. At the same time, it is required that the bend protrudes beyond the front edge of the board; other parts of the heating element should not protrude beyond it, so that there is no contact with the walls of the heater pipe.

Since its dimensions and distance to the plug are known, to defrost plastic pipes it is also necessary to attach a wire of the appropriate length to the contacts of the heating element, and attach a small piece of metal-plastic pipe to the board itself, which will serve as a pusher.

The entire structure is pushed in from the side of the wastewater receivers, because the slope of the sewerage system is made in this particular direction; there is simply nowhere for the melted water to flow from above. In this case, the heating element is turned on in the network only after it is placed inside the pipe, and with each movement as the plugs melt, it is accordingly turned off.

Metal pipe machine

The most effective means Removing ice from water pipes is an industrial device for defrosting pipes. But such a device is intended only for metal pipes; this technique does not apply to plastic pipes. The operating principle of the device is quite simple and understandable. To the edges required area pipes that need to be defrosted, terminals are attached, then current is supplied. After this, the pipe heats up and begins to thaw the frozen area.

When using an apparatus for defrosting metal pipes, the following data should be analyzed: a pipe up to 23 meters long and with a diameter of up to 6 centimeters defrosts in up to 60 minutes. With a larger pipe diameter, it is necessary to install terminals at a shorter length, especially in the area of various tie-ins and measuring instruments. When defrosting water or sewer pipes, there must be water pressure in the system.

Unconventional methods of defrosting pipes

In addition to traditional methods of heating pipes, we can offer you three defrosting methods for polyethylene pipes, which are the “know-how” of our craftsmen. Regardless of some eccentricity, they still work. Their only drawback is that they are only suitable for pipelines that have a small diameter.

Hot water

When using this method, it is necessary to take into account that the ice plug will not allow hot water to get inside if you just pour it in. This means it is necessary to find a way to supply hot water to the frozen zone. You can defrost a pipe by using a pipe or hose with a smaller diameter. For example, if it is necessary to defrost a water pipe with a diameter of 25 or 30 millimeters, and the frozen section is straight, then the use of metal-plastic pipes with a diameter of 16 millimeters will be more effective.

To begin with, we straighten the metal-plastic pipe, and then push it into the frozen pipe until it touches the ice. After this, we supply hot water through the pipe to the freezing point. Thawed water will pour out through the gap between the metal-plastic pipe and the water pipe. If your water supply is limited, then you can use the thawed water in a second circle, that is, heat it up and again direct it to the place of freezing.

At the same time, the ice plug will melt, and it will be possible to continue manual defrosting of the pipe and push the small metal-plastic pipe further. But if the section of the pipe that is frozen has turns and bends, it will not be possible to use a rigid metal-plastic pipe in this case. But you can take a hard hose.

It should be noted that an ordinary watering hose is not suitable for this; it will simply soften from hot water and will be impossible to push through. In such a situation, hoses for connecting a gas cylinder and oxygen hoses turned out to be effective. These hoses are quite rigid, but you can still push them no more than 15 meters from the input. In addition, such hoses are quite heavy and must be pushed through the pipe with great effort.

Esmarch's irrigator

Now it’s worth figuring out how to defrost a pipe if ice has accumulated tens of meters from your home, and the pipeline itself has turns and bends. Still, there is an economical and effective method: for such purposes you will need a set of a construction hydraulic level, an Esmarch mug (banal enema) and hardened steel wire. This set is inexpensive, and households have many of its components.

First you need to align the wire and the hydraulic level tube, and then screw the end of the wire to the hydraulic level with electrical tape. In order to provide greater hardness at the end of the wire, it is necessary to make a loop. The wire itself should not stick out, and the end of the hydraulic level tube should protrude one centimeter in front of the wire. The other end of the hydraulic level must then be connected to Esmarch’s mug, and then the wire and tube must be pushed into the water supply until it stops.

Due to the fact that the hydraulic level tube has a small diameter and light weight, it moves quite easily through the pipeline, while overcoming all turns quite easily. After this, pour hot water, making an “enema” frozen water pipe. It is necessary to place a container under the water pipe to collect the thawed water, because as much hot water is poured in, the same amount of cold water will be poured out.

Then we push the wire with the hydraulic level tube gradually as the ice melts. This method of defrosting pipes is very time-consuming, that is, you can only defrost up to one meter of pipeline in an hour. This means that during working hours you can defrost 5-7 meters of pipe from ice.

Current Usage

Consider the following situation when you have a frozen polyethylene water supply with a length of 50 meters, a diameter of 20 millimeters, and a laying depth of up to 80 centimeters. It should be noted that this depth for laying a water supply system is insufficient, which is why the water supply system froze. Another distinctive feature is that the water supply is located under roadway. In this case, utility workers usually advise waiting until the thaw sets in, but there is still a way when you can do without it.

You will need the following equipment: a plug for the socket, a two-core copper wire (we select the thickness and length of the cross-section according to the diameter and length of the frozen water supply), a hose and a compressor for pumping out thawed water. Let's say, for a pipe with a diameter of 20 millimeters, you can take a wire of 2.5-3 millimeters and a car fuel hose with a diameter of 8 millimeters, as well as a regular car compressor (you can, in extreme cases, use a pump).

We warn you that when using this method of self-defrosting pipes, you need to be extremely careful, because the work is performed using high voltage. Now we need to prepare all this for thawing of the pipes. Required with small area remove the outer insulation from the wire, divide it into two wires, remove the insulation from one of them, and carefully bend the remaining wire in the insulation in the opposite direction along the water supply. In this case, care must be taken to ensure that the insulation is not damaged.

Next, almost near the bend of the wire, you should make 3-5 turns of bare wire (as close to each other as possible) and cut off its remaining end. After this, you need to retreat 2-3 millimeters from the made turns, then expose the second wire and wrap it around the wire in the same way. The turns of the first and second wires should not touch.

And to the other end of the wire we connect the “unit” and the plug (such a device is popularly called a “bulbulator”). If you place it in water and connect it to the electrical network, then when current passes through the water, a corresponding reaction occurs, in which a large release of heat occurs. Such a device is ideal in this case, because only the water is heated, and the wires themselves remain cold, that is, the plastic pipes are not even accidentally scorched.

This assembled fixture definitely needs to be checked. For this purpose, it is recommended to place the device in a jar of water and connect it to the power supply. If a slight hum is felt and bubbles leave the contacts, then the unit is working. We remind you once again: while the device is working, contact with water may cause an electric shock.

We continue to defrost the pipe ourselves. The wire must be pushed carefully into the pipe so that it does not bend. Therefore, it is necessary to take a wire of a larger cross-section. When the wire hits the ice plug, you need to turn on the “bulbulator” and wait one or two minutes. After this, you need to try to push the wire further, because the ice has begun to melt.

When about a meter of pipe is thawed, the melted water must be blown out using a compressor; this is necessary to reduce the volume of heated water and to prevent the water supply from freezing again in already thawed areas. If you have special equipment, it is advisable to weld a tap onto the pipe. When water flows through the pipe, do not pull out the wire from it, but close the tap, this way the place where the defrosting procedure is being carried out will not flood.

How to prevent pipes from freezing

You have already figured out how to deal with ice in water pipes. But you can prevent this if you try. To prevent plastic pipes from freezing, you must remember:

Pipes should be laid at a depth that exceeds the freezing level of the soil in your region. It is advisable to lay sewer and water pipes at a depth of at least 120-140 centimeters.
There is no need to lay sewer and water pipes next to reinforced concrete structures(beams, supports, grillages, foundation) due to the fact that the thermal conductivity of concrete is much greater than the thermal conductivity of the soil, that is, the risk of soil freezing from reinforced concrete structures increases. In this case, it is necessary to insulate the pipes (for example, place slabs of special extruded polystyrene foam between the reinforced concrete structures and the pipeline).
If finances allow, then a heating cable should be laid next to the pipeline. The production of heating self-regulating cables, which are switched on only when necessary, has already been mastered.
It is advisable to insulate places where pipelines pass through the walls of structures and buildings with mineral wool, foam and glass wool to avoid direct contact of the walls of the building with the walls of the pipe.
When settling in summer cottage For plumbing, it is best to use pipes that have a diameter of at least 50 millimeters, because pipes with a smaller diameter are more susceptible to freezing.
Choosing between a variety of water supplies polymer pipes You need to know that polypropylene pipes can burst after 2-3 defrosts, while polyethylene pipes withstand repeated defrosting and freezing processes very well.
If in winter the sewerage and water supply are used irregularly, then the best option will completely drain the water from the system.

Thus, in winter, owners of private houses often encounter water in their water supply freezing. In this situation, the main thing is to react in time and accept necessary measures. To defrost a water pipe, you can use traditional methods defrosting using a special apparatus for defrosting pipes and using internal and external heating. Also, along with this, there are effective alternative ways, verified folk craftsmen on practice.

July 22, 2016
Specialization: Capital construction works(laying a foundation, erecting walls, constructing a roof, etc.). Internal construction work (laying internal communications, rough and fine finishing). Hobbies: mobile communications, high tech, computer technology, programming.

I have told many people many times about the technologies for manufacturing engineering systems in private homes. 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 people contact me with questions about how to defrost a plastic water pipe.

I remember a time when a neighbor in the country called me in mid-January and tearfully asked me to fix the water supply. As it turned out, he planned to spend his anniversary outside the city, and upon arriving at the site after a long stay in warm countries, he was faced with the fact that water was not flowing from the taps. And all the complex electronics that provide water to the cottage don’t work either.

As it turned out, the culprit was an ice plug that clogged a 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 dealt with the problem, and I turned out to be the most honored guest at his holiday. I decided to tell you about how to defrost plastic water and sewerage pipes. Perhaps the instructions below will provide you with invaluable help. Especially when a reliable plumber friend is not nearby.

Causes of pipeline freezing

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

And I think this 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 throughout their entire service life;
mount utility network as simple as possible without the use of electric welding (maximum - a soldering iron);
pipes do not conduct electricity and do not accumulate static electricity.

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

Only such a person can lay a water supply system at insufficient depth in the ground or fail to insulate the engineering system. As a result, you arrive at your 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, so to determine exact value It’s better to contact specialists or use special cards with tables.

By the way, many people ask why they don’t freeze central water pipelines in cities. I will answer without reserve. 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 pump equipment It turns on only from time to time. Therefore, it is imperative to take measures to insulate water transport pipes.

Pay special attention to insulation and deepening of drain systems where water flows at low speed. Otherwise, a traffic jam 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 not possible to dig a ditch of a suitable depth, it is necessary to wrap the pipes in thermal insulation materials or come up with systems for heating them. Or use both options.

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

But it often happens that people return to issues of pipe insulation only when they are already faced with freezing water. There’s nothing left to do here; we’ll have to melt the ice. I’ll tell you about this now.

Defrosting water transport communications made of plastic

underground

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

The simplest scheme is as follows:

It is necessary to light a fire over the place where the plastic pipe passes. You can use firewood or coal, or light a car tire. The latter will burn for a long time, but will emit black, smoky smoke. Take this into account.

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

I then suggest digging up the pipe to check if it is damaged. This will be easy to do, since the fire will soften the ground and it will be easier to swing the shovel.
Usually, high-quality plastic pipes are not broken by ice, so there is no need to repair anything. The main thing is not to break the pipe during excavation.
After making sure that the communications are intact, I recommend insulating the pipeline thermal insulation materials or pave . If this is not done, then I personally will not give a guarantee that after filling the trench with earth, the water in the pipe will not freeze again.

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

By the way, someone once told me that they insulated pipes with empty plastic bottles. The scheme is like this:

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

The point here is that the air inside has a low thermal conductivity coefficient and will prevent the water in the pipes from freezing.

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, neat, efficient and not very expensive.

And to everyone folk recipes I've been coming here less and less lately. Unless he himself is confident in their effectiveness.

Another way to remove ice blockage is to use hot water. I see several disadvantages here:

I'll have to take it apart somewhere plumbing system to pour water into it;
the pipe will remain uninsulated and the liquid may freeze again at any time;
the method will not work if the ice is located at a great distance from the place where you are going to pour boiling water.

Nevertheless, sometimes I resorted to this method. To make it more effective, I will give some of my own tips that were formed during the work:

If your dacha is connected to central water supply, do not turn off the taps. Additional pressure from the central water supply can help break the plug.
If water comes from pumping station(i.e. well or well), the equipment must be turned off. Otherwise, you will ruin expensive electronics as the water will drain from the pipes.
You can tell that the blockage has been removed by the fact that the water poured into the pipe will all flow out.

Another proven method that I have sometimes used to defrost pipes. It must be implemented carefully, as you can get an electric shock. Nevertheless, I will describe the technology, in case you have no other way to fix the problem.

The scheme is like this:

I'll take it electrical wire, I separate one core from the other and remove part of the insulation. Then I roll one wire into a spiral. I do the same with the second core, but the twist needs to be placed a little behind, about two centimeters.
It is very important here to ensure that these twists do not move during the work and do not touch each other. This may lead to short circuit and electric shock. So be very careful to secure the ends of the wire.
I insert the tool prepared in this way into the pipe until it hits the ice plug.
After this, 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.
As it thaws, you need to move your device deeper to full recovery permeability of the engineering system.

Remember that thawed water must be drained at all times, otherwise it may freeze again.

There are also special devices for thawing 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 from a specialized construction supermarket.

The work proceeds as follows:

Steam generator. It is necessary to place the device hose inside the pipe and release steam under pressure. Considering that the temperature of the environment is much higher than the boiling point of the liquid, the defrosting process will occur very quickly, and the plastic will not be damaged.
Autoclave. Steam is also used here, but the operating principle is somewhat different. First, water is heated in a container until steam is formed from it. Then a hose is inserted into the water pipe (up to the ice plug), the second end of which is connected to the autoclave.
As the ice thaws, the hose must be moved along the pipe until the water flows in the direction you want.
Hydrodynamic machine. It destroys ice not by temperature, but by a jet of liquid pumped under high pressure. As a result, the traffic jam can be removed very quickly and efficiently.

And if someone advises you to just bend the wire and break through the ice, you don’t need to do it. So, with a high degree of probability, you will damage the plastic shell of the pipeline itself, but not the ice plug.

Overhead

As you understand, defrosting plastic pipes laid openly (for example, in a basement, pantry or other unheated room), is much easier to do. Here you will not need the help of a specialist at all. Especially if you follow my advice.

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

By the way, the hairdryer can be replaced with a regular heater, which is placed near the pipe.

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

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

Take mineral mats and wrap them around the pipes. It is imperative to protect all this from above waterproofing material to avoid moisture and some kind of protective cocoon. A roofing material that will cope with both tasks is suitable.

Buy and attach special foam shells to the pipes, basalt fiber, foamed polyethylene and so on. The simplest option. They are installed quickly and easily, without the use of special tools.

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

It’s best to wrap the pipes with 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 outside temperature.

Defrosting a sewer pipe

I’ll tell you separately about the method of removing a cork from drain pipe external sewer system of a private house. This is the problem that most residents of private country houses face.

So, to fix the problem you will need:

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

I fixed a similar problem like this:

He removed a piece of sewer pipe, opening access to the pipe connecting the internal and external sewer systems Houses.
I aligned the steel wire and attached a hydraulic level to it with electrical tape, through which hot water will flow into the pipe.
Then he put this entire device into a sewer pipe, and attached Esmarch’s mug to the opposite end of the pipe.
After that, using an improvised pump, he began to pump hot water inside, gradually moving the device inside the pipe.
Excess water and thawed sewage poured out through the neck. I collected them in a pre-set bucket.
As soon as the water stops flowing out, it means the plug has thawed and you can assemble the engineering system.

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

Regardless of the chosen defrosting method and the method of laying pipes, I will give a few more tips that must be followed 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 melted water, it is necessary to open the water tap;
I recommend starting the defrosting procedure from the consumer (supply tap) to the source of water intake (vertical riser).

Conclusion

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

And I suggest everyone to watch 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

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