Since in Lately for external and internal highways, pipelines from all kinds of polymer materials, the issue 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 cards zoning, 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 freezing.

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

The choice of method for defrosting a 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 closest ice jam the tap 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 open heat sources for these purposes, 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, it will not be possible to use a special device for defrosting metal pipes, since it can only work with conductive materials. Naturally, polymers are not one of these.

Internal heating

If a traffic jam occurs in a closed section of the pipeline, for example, located in the ground or built into a wall, external heating is not suitable, since the price of such an event will 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 a 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 sufficient quantity 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.

That's probably all the most effective ways defrosting 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.

Uninsulated pipeline - sewerage, heating system or drinking water– with a high degree of probability, it can freeze in winter along with its contents, that is, in professional language, it can defrost. This situation - defrosting of heating pipes or other routes - often happens if the local climatic realities were not taken into account when laying the route, or the pipe laying conditions were simply grossly violated.

Causes of pipeline freezing

So, without thermal insulation of any communication pipes, they can defrost in severe frosts. This applies to both underground and surface communications with liquid. There is only one conclusion - it is necessary to insulate the routes in a timely manner. But what to do if the route is already frozen and the pipeline needs to be defrosted? Life experience gives us quite a few methods for thawing pipes with our own hands, both cheap and expensive, but always effective.

1. Firstly, some pipes may have little liquid, which creates conditions for it to freeze more quickly, for example, in an incomplete sewer;
2. Secondly, the pipes may be incorrectly sized in diameter, and this is a direct path to water freezing;
3. Thirdly, critically low regional temperatures may not be taken into account, and even correctly, insufficiently insulated pipes may freeze in severe frosts.

Reliable defrosting of pipelines occurs in accessible or open sections of the route - for this it is often enough to use a powerful stream of hot air, for example, from a construction hair dryer. But thawing underground communications is a much more complex issue, and sometimes very original technologies have been developed here, for example, the Esmarch circle, which will be discussed below.

The main methods for defrosting heating or water pipes consist of using common available tools and materials: blowtorch, flow of hot water, blowing with a construction or household hairdryer, etc. Some points need to be clarified here:

1. It is easier to defrost steel pipes if you use a welding machine: the cables are connected to the ends of the pipe, this section is heated under the influence of current for 2-4 hours;
2. Polyethylene pipes high pressure Now they are installed everywhere, and welding is not an option for them. It is also forbidden to clear them of internal ice with a crowbar or rod, so as not to damage the walls.

Based on these restrictions, consider traditional technologies defrosting heating mains and other pipelines.

External heating of pipes

Since we understand the methods for defrosting open heating pipes, sewer systems or water supply systems, we are considering external defrosting of underground routes, which is immediately complicated by the fact that the pipes will need to be excavated. The technology depends on the diameter of the pipe and the length of the frozen area - you can dig it out manually, or you may have to rent an excavator.

After digging a trench and opening the pipe, determine how the pipeline was insulated - the technology for defrosting it will depend on this: for example, polyethylene pipes cannot be heated with an open flame or by applying current. The temperature of the hot air stream from a hairdryer or fan heater should not be more than 100-110 0 C so that the water in the pipe does not boil and rupture it.

Steel or cast iron pipes can be heated with a blowtorch or gas burner, fire or other sources of open fire.

Internal heating of plastic pipe

Defrosting sewer pipes, unlike heating or plumbing, has some peculiarities. Big PVC diameter pipes allows you to warm them up from the inside, and this is a plus. But pipes can be clogged not only with frozen water, but also with debris, and this is a minus. Therefore, defrosted sewers must not only be warmed up, but also cleaned.

To defrost from the inside plastic sewer collect protozoa homemade device: connect a cable to a U-shaped heating element with a bend diameter slightly smaller than the pipe diameter and attach it to metal-plastic pipeØ ½ '' required length. Most often, the distance to the frozen area is known, so calculating the length of the cable and the length of the MP guide tube will not be difficult, even visually. After this, connect the device to the network and push it into the sewer, as shown in the figure:

It is necessary to start moving the heater from the wastewater receiver side so that the melt water can drain freely. Large diameter water pipes can be heated in the same way.

Defrosting iron pipes

It will be most effective to defrost from steel or cast iron pipes using special industrial equipment. The principle of operation of this device is as follows: terminals through which voltage is supplied are connected to the edges of the defrosted pipe, the pipe heats up under the influence of current, and the water thaws.

As an example, the following data can be given: steel pipe length 25 m and Ø< 6 см оттает за 40-60 минут. Если диаметр трубы больше, то клеммы подсоединяют на более коротких участках, при этом нужно следить, чтобы в трубе находилась вода под некоторым давлением – это касается разморозки отопительной и водопроводной систем.

Non-traditional technologies

The use of hot water implies one feature of the behavior of ice: the ice plug will not let through hot water into the pipe if you just pour it from above. Therefore, hot water is supplied inside the frozen area using a hose or pipe of a smaller diameter. For example, when defrosting a straight section of a water pipe Ø 25-30 mm, it will be effective to use a piece of metal-plastic tube Ø 16 mm.

The inner tube must be straight so that it can be inserted into the water supply to the freezing depth. As soon as the tube rests on the ice, hot water can be poured into it. The flow of melt water will pour out through the gap between the pipes, simultaneously increasing the gap. The ice will melt on all sides of the plug, freeing up space for the metal-plastic tube to move further. If the frozen area has bends and turns, then instead of a tube, use a flexible but rigid hose.

A country watering hose is not suitable for defrosting - from high temperature water it will become soft and it will be impossible to push it further. An oxygen or gas hose that connects to gas or oxygen cylinders is best suited for this purpose. Practice shows that such hoses can even be pushed softened over a distance of up to 15 meters. A certain difficulty will be caused by the fact that the hose remains solid.

But so far we have considered easy cases - defrosting on straight and short sections. But what should you do if the pipe froze several tens of meters from your home, and the route is still complex - with turns and bends horizontally or vertically?

Such complex problems are solved by using an Esmarch mug complete with a construction hydraulic level and a coil of rigid steel wire. You can buy all these components without any problems, their cost is low, and the effect of use is one hundred percent.

The wire and water level tube are aligned and their ends are connected on one side of the device. For greater rigidity and permeability inside the pipe, the wire is bent at the end, making a small loop. The hydraulic level tube should be 1-2 cm in front of the wire loop. The other end of the water level tube is connected to Esmarch's mug, and the tube with the wire is pushed all the way into the pipeline.

Next, you need to pour water into the water level tube - a kind of hot “enema”. Don’t forget, if you are thawing a pipe indoors, place some kind of container under it to collect the melt water. The volume of the container is easy to determine - as much hot water as you pour into the device, the same amount of cold liquid will pour out of the pipe.

As the ice melts, the tube is pushed further until the ice plug completely disappears. This technology takes a lot of time (1 linear meter per hour), but is very effective and inexpensive.

How to prevent pipes from freezing

In order not to use all of the above methods, you need to take preventive measures to prevent freezing of water pipes:

1. Pipe laying should be carried out at a depth exceeding the level of soil freezing in the region. It is recommended to install sewerage and water supply systems at a depth of ≥ 1200-1400 mm;
2. It is not recommended to lay iron pipes for sewerage, heating or water delivery in direct proximity to concrete surfaces– floors, walls, grillages and foundations, since the thermal conductivity of reinforced concrete is several times higher than that of soil, and the risk of soil freezing from reinforced concrete objects increases many times. If this cannot be avoided, then the pipes must be insulated, and it is advisable to do this with solid thermal insulation materials - extruded polystyrene foam, bulk substances;
3. Additional protection against pipe freezing will be provided by laying a self-regulating heating cable next to the pipes;

1. Places where pipes are laid through walls or ceilings are recommended to be insulated with soft heat insulators - polyurethane foam, mineral wool (basalt, fiberglass, stone), ecowool or other loose materials so that there is no contact between the pipes and the walls;
2. When constructing a pipeline on your own plot of land It is recommended to take pipes Ø≥ 50 mm, since small pipes freeze faster;
3. When choosing synthetic pipes, remember that PPU (propylene foam) pipes can crack after several cycles of freezing and thawing, and PPE (polyethylene) pipes will last as long as you need;
4. If sewerage, heating and water supply are not used in winter, then the water from the pipes must be drained.

Since in winter the owners of private housing constructions and apartments are sometimes faced with the need to defrost water pipes, you need to remember that the faster you react and take the necessary steps to defrost a pipeline for any purpose, the smaller the section of the route that will fail. All methods are good for defrosting pipelines - both traditional and those invented out of necessity - your comfortable further living in the house depends on this.

The work of the sewerage system is invisible as long as everything goes as expected. The design and installation of a sewer system is accompanied by taking into account many factors, including work in conditions low temperatures. However, a situation cannot be ruled out when the sewage system freezes in the ground (freezes specific area pipes). Under normal conditions this should not happen, but installation errors may appear in winter.

By the way, when trying to understand at what temperature the sewage system freezes, you should take into account not only the location of the pipes, but also the material from which they are made (the thermal conductivity of plastic and cast iron is very different), the diameter of the pipe, the slope angle, i.e. the action of many factors in combination.

Why does the sewer freeze?

Reasons for freezing sewer pipes:

• incorrect design of the angle of inclination of the sewer pipeline. Water does not have the ability to move by gravity, it stagnates in the pipes, which leads to freezing in winter time;

• insufficient burial depth. According to SNiP, the septic tank is installed at a depth of at least 2 meters from the soil level, the pipe system is located below the freezing point characteristic of the region. But a situation is possible when you are simply too lazy to dig a trench for laying pipes deep (or there is no possibility) or frosts exceed the average and the soil freezes deeper;

• lack of insulation. Sewage pipes laid above the freezing point of the soil require insulation. The place where pipes exit the room must also be insulated. However, in practice, such a requirement is either ignored or an inappropriate thermal insulation material, or it was installed incorrectly;

• small pipe diameter. If we consider consumer reviews, then most often those who have laid pipes with a diameter less than the recommended 110 mm are faced with the problem of sewerage freezing. Owners of summer cottages and houses that are used seasonally are especially often guilty of this. Due to insufficient diameter, the sewer pipe freezes faster;

• blockages. They happen due to large objects getting into the system or insufficient water flow, which causes plaque to form in the pipes.

Causes of septic tank freezing:

• The drainage from the septic tank is broken. In this case, the septic tank overflows, heavy fractions settle, and the water freezes;

• the septic tank is removed from the source of wastewater. Then the water, moving to the waste pit, cools, which leads to its freezing at the junction of the pipe and the septic tank.

Many users who do the work themselves do not even think about whether the sewer system is freezing. After all, the very principle of operation of a septic tank is that it is a container for storing wastewater with actively occurring decomposition processes. Since heat is released during the decomposition of solid residues, freezing is practically excluded. In addition, according to standards, the septic tank is installed at a considerable depth.

However, no one is insured against force majeure and the owner country house It’s better to know in advance what to do if the sewer is frozen.

How and how to defrost a sewer in a private house

Exists different ways and means on how to warm up a frozen sewer (how to melt the ice in a pipe). All methods can be combined into two large groups:

• thermal method. Provides for the organization of heat supply to the freezing point. The work is progressing slowly, but there is no risk of causing damage to the pipeline system. This method is most suitable at home when special means not available, and calling specialists is impossible or too expensive;

• chemical method . Currently, chemical defrosting is rarely practiced. Firstly, because not every chemical can cope with icing. Secondly, because this is a costly method. And thirdly, because many users prefer local sewerage, i.e. systems that are capable of performing partial wastewater treatment.

One of the components of local systems is the presence of biological treatment, and chemistry can negatively affect the life of bacteria. However, its simplest variety - steep saline solution - is still used, according to reviews.

A more technologically advanced option is to use a drug like Mellerud. The components of Mellerud pipe cleaner react with water to produce heat.

Note. You should carefully use a chemical method to defrost plastic sewer pipes. Because Severe overheating can cause them to deform.

Defrosting the sewer - the procedure for performing the work

If a problem arises and the sewer system in a private house is frozen, you must first determine the location of the ice jam. Craftsmen note the importance of following the order of work, and it is better to start from the place where the water exits the septic tank. This order of work is due to the fact that the sewer pipe system is designed with prerequisite ensuring unimpeded flow of water. This means that all pipes, incl. The drain pipe is located at a slope to the exit point.

Ice plugs must be melted so that the water can drain naturally. Otherwise (when performing work outside), you need to be prepared for the waste to flow into reverse side, which will necessitate pumping them out. This convincingly proves that work should begin in the direction from the septic tank to the internal pipes.

But there are exceptions to this rule. Ultimately, the order of work will be determined by factors such as:

• the location where the ice plug forms. If the water is frozen in the inside of the sewer (unheated house), then it will be much easier to defrost;

• cork sizes. Perhaps the size of the ice plug will be only a few centimeters, then the volume of water that needs to be pumped out can be neglected;

• geometry of the sewer system. The more straight sections in the system, the easier it is to remove the ice plug;

• laying method. Typically, sewerage is located underground. And if ice has formed in pipes located at a sufficient depth under a layer of frozen earth, the number of options for use is sharply reduced. You can’t get through the septic tank - you have to carry out work from inside the house.

The most in a simple way To improve the winter functioning of the sewer system, you will need to contact specialists who provide sewer defrosting services. The craftsmen not only know how to defrost a frozen sewer, but also have special equipment and also provide a guarantee on their work. However, for various reasons, many people prefer to solve the problem on their own. And as reviews from forum members testify, it was quite successful and fast.

What to do if the sewage system in a private house is frozen

Heating methods will differ depending on where the ice jam occurs. Let's look at each problem and solutions.

Frozen sewer drain

The sewer drain or drainage from the septic tank rarely freezes, because... it is located deep in the ground. However, if the water is not drained, it will cause the septic tank to overflow and freeze.

What to do if the sewer drain is frozen?

To defrost the drain, experts advise filling the septic tank with hot water or saline solution. Then you should pump out the wastewater from the septic tank and repeat the filling of water. With time warm water will eliminate the ice jam and the system will function normally.

A sewer drain is also called a pipe that drains wastewater from the source of their formation: in the sink, toilet, bathtub. It can freeze if the room is not heated and the water from the drain has not been drained. Or, the water flow is too weak. As a rule, indoor drains freeze where they meet the source of drainage and can be easily removed by using a hair dryer. In the same way, the problem is solved if the sewer riser in a private house freezes.

Septic tank frozen

This is possible if the drainage is not organized correctly.

What to do if the septic tank freezes?

To fix the problem, you can take the following measures:

• heating with a light bulb. The light bulb on the carrier is placed inside the septic tank. Due to the power of the lamp, heating occurs environment, and the ice gradually thaws. The method is very slow, and you also need to monitor the water level and lower the lamp lower. From practice: 1 m of ice melts in a day, at an outside temperature of -15 degrees;

• pouring hot water and then pumping it out;

• pouring quicklime into the septic tank. Users note the effectiveness of the method in a cesspool, but this method is unlikely to be suitable for a septic tank.

Frozen sewer pipes

The most difficult possible situation, since there are two obstacles: firstly, the pipes are located underground, which makes the use of external heating problematic, and secondly, it is difficult to accurately determine the specific place where the pipe froze.

How to detect places where ice jams form?

You can determine the location of freezing using two pieces of wire. To do this, one of them needs to be entered into sewer system from the side of the house, and the second from the side of the septic tank. Knowing the length of the sewer and the sum of the distances over which the wire was moved, you can not only find (identify) the place where the ice plug formed in the pipe, but also its dimensions.

What to do if a sewer pipe freezes?

Methods for removing ice jams by heating.

External heating

Involves the extraction of soil to the level of pipe laying. Once you have direct access to the pipes, you can:

• use open fire: burner, blowtorch. You can wrap the pipe with rags or cover it with firewood and set it on fire. The method is only suitable for metal and cast iron sewer pipes;
• wrap with foil, then with a heating cable and connect to the network;
• use heating tape;
• use a heat gun for plastic pipes.

Recommendation. Users advise covering the heating area with insulation, so defrosting will happen faster. At the same time, passive heating itself is not suitable in case of frozen sewer pipes, because... Thermal insulation material does not heat, but only conserves heat.

External heating is not very popular due to the difficulty of removing frozen soil above the piping system. This begs the question, how to warm up a frozen sewer that is impossible to access? The answer is obvious - only from the inside.

Internal heating

The technology involves influencing ice from the inside, i.e. directly inside the sewer pipe. Options include:

• heating the wall if the sewer pipe is frozen indoors;

• use hot water.

In order to clean a straight pipeline, you need to insert a rigid hose into the sewer and connect it to a funnel into which you pour water. As the ice melts, the hose can be advanced further. You can increase the effectiveness of the procedure by using water with salt. The ratio varies from 1:10 to 1:1 (salt: water).

To defrost a sewer pipeline complex configuration The same steps are performed, but a flexible hose is used. The hose is wound to a flexible wire in increments of 500 mm, so that the edge of the wire protrudes 20-30 mm above the edge of the hose. The end of the wire is bent inward for rigidity. The free edge of the wire should be 10-15 mm; its task is to avoid obstacles and guide the hose. As the water melts, the hose is pushed further. Instead of a funnel, you can use a pear.

When choosing this method, you need to consider that:

a) the water temperature must be more than 80 °C;

b) water supply is continuous;

c) excess water will come back out, so you need to install a container under the pipe to collect it.

The productivity of the method is 1 m per hour, with a pipe diameter of 110 mm.

• using a welding machine connected on both sides to the pipe. Suitable for metal pipes;

• using any intoxicating liquid, such as alcohol. From practice, volume 1 m.p. pipes with a diameter of 110 mm is 8 l. This method is expensive;

• use of a steam generator.

What to do to prevent the sewer from freezing in winter?

To prevent re-freezing, you need to drain it periodically (especially during severe frosts) significant volumes of hot water into the pipeline.

The solution to the problem of water freezing in the sewer system should not be limited to bringing the system into full functional readiness. After all, the possibility of re-freezing is not excluded.

Measures to prevent sewer freezing include:

• correct . This procedure must be carried out at the stage of laying the pipeline;
• laying pipes to a depth below the freezing point of the soil;
• connecting a heating cable (resistive or self-regulating).

And it’s a cold winter outside, then there’s a high probability that an ice plug has formed somewhere in the water supply. In harsh climatic conditions, it is necessary to protect communications from freezing; a frozen pipe leads to a lack of water in the tap and to significant financial losses when eliminating the accident. Much cheaper to provide possible problems at the construction stage, how to warm a frozen water supply in winter.

One of the most common and simple ways– heating with very hot water

Causes of pipeline freezing

Often the cause of freezing is an error in calculations at the construction stage. Most Hard case- This . It is difficult to find a water pipe underground, and in frozen ground there is a very high risk of damaging the plastic. There are several simple rules, compliance with which will help to avoid problems during operation:

1. the smaller the pipe diameter, the deeper the trench;
2. take into account soil freezing in the harshest winter;
3. if it is impossible to dig a trench of the required depth, provide thermal insulation;
4. To prevent water from stagnating, lay the pipe with an inclination towards the source.

Usually the pipeline freezes in border areas, between the ground and the air, between the air and the wall. The use of plastic pipes can only partially solve this problem. Although the thermal conductivity of plastic is lower than that of metal, additional thermal insulation is required.

How to defrost a plastic pipe

If an accident occurs, you need to start resuscitating the water supply. A situation where there is open access to the emergency area will not require much time and effort. To warm up a frozen pipe underground, you will have to put in much more effort; you will have to dig a trench in the frozen soil.

External methods for defrosting plastic pipes

There are several options outside. Before you begin to eliminate the accident, you need to find out where the ice jam formed. This is done by touch, where the coldest area is - there is a problem. To overpressure did not damage the pipes and to ensure the release of melt water, be sure to open the tap before defrosting. The easiest way to heat the water supply is with hot water, steam, or electricity:

• Using boiling water. The pipe is wrapped in a rag and watered with hot water. In this case, the temperature is increased gradually so that the pipe does not crack. Good way for open areas, the only downside is a large number of dirt at the accident site. On the street this does not matter, but indoors it can cause some inconvenience.
• Warming with warm air. Use a hair dryer, or serve warm air another way. Well suited for metal pipes; a plastic pipe may melt with this type of emergency response; you must carefully monitor the air temperature. The thermal conductivity of a plastic pipe is lower than that of a metal pipe, so this method is far from ideal.
• Warming electric shock, using cable from the “warm floor” system. The area where the water supply is frozen is wrapped in foil, with wire on top. A layer of insulation is wound on top, all this is fixed with tape, defrosting occurs in 2-4 hours. For plastic pipes, this method is optimal, but requires additional equipment.

Plastic and metal plastic water pipe Under no circumstances should you heat it with an open flame.

This method is common for various types defrosting, but fire is destructive for plastic. The material from which the pipe is made melts very easily.

The following methods are based on the action of electric current

Defrosting from the inside

If a pipe underground is frozen, or it is difficult to get to the emergency area from the outside, you will have to use heating “from the inside.” Steam, hot water, and electricity are also used for this:

• Heating using steam occurs through a heat-resistant tube inserted into the water supply. Its diameter is selected in such a way as to ensure the drainage of melt water. One end of the tube is placed on a steam generator or pressure cooker, the inner end is inserted into the water supply until it stops. If there is no source of steam in the house, you can use hot water. It is advisable to fill it through a pressure pump. If there is no pump, use a funnel, but this method is more difficult to warm up the frozen area.
• Unlike metal, plastic water pipes can be heated using a homemade electric boiler. To do this, take a wire and strip its ends. Bare wires are fixed at a distance of 1 to 3 cm, the distance depends on the width of the pipe. The resulting structure is inserted into the pipe all the way to the plug. After this, current is applied, and as the ice defrosts, the wire moves forward. When carrying out work, it is necessary to ensure that melt water is pumped out, otherwise it may freeze again.

In most cases, you can solve the problem of frozen pipes yourself. However, sometimes it cannot be overcome without the help of specialists. A hydrodynamic machine, an autoclave, a powerful steam generator - these expensive mechanisms are unlikely to be required by everyone, but the presence of such equipment among professionals helps to quickly cope with a difficult situation.

The accident has been resolved, what next?

After eliminating the traffic jam, it's time to think about preventing similar situation in future. To do this you can do the following:

• If an underground water supply pipe freezes, there is most likely a leak or a waterproofing problem. Yes, in winter renovation work It’s difficult to carry out, but with the onset of the warm season you will have to do it.
• If there is a plug where the pipe passes through the wall, additional heat and waterproofing is required. You may have to widen the hole in the wall to do this.
• Open sections of the pipeline can be provided with additional thermal insulation and an electrical heating system with a self-regulating cable. You shouldn’t keep the heating system on all the time, 15-20 minutes a day is enough.
• In case of abnormal cold winter As a temporary measure, it is enough to keep the water tap open. Yes, the action will lead to additional costs, but D.C. water will prevent it from freezing.

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PVC pipes are more resistant to freezing; they will withstand up to three freeze-thaw cycles. However, you should not test their strength; it is better to prepare in advance and not experience problems with water supply for many years.

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

Peculiarities

For water supply in a private home, both metal and plastic pipes can be used, but some and others are not protected from freezing in winter if the installation process was carried out incorrectly. The most main reason The fact that water freezes in a pipe underground in cold weather is due to insufficient deepening of the water supply system. If the installation technology is carried out correctly, then the entire system is located at a level where frost does not reach.

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

If all the recommendations have been followed, but the water still freezes, then in this case it is necessary to keep the system turned on all the time so that water always flows through the pipes at least in a thin stream. This is quite expensive, considering the cost of water, but you will not need to waste time, effort and money on defrosting the entire system.

In order to avoid having to carry out heating work on water pipes every year, it is important to prevent all possible problems at the stage of laying the entire network.

During installation, it is important to follow these rules:

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

What will you need?

If a pipe that supplies water or discharges wastewater is frozen in a private house, you must first determine the location of the blockage in order to eliminate it and not aggravate the situation. The most simple option The search will be to use an iron cable, which is inserted into the water supply, which was previously shut off and immediately untwisted under the tap at the junction of the structure. It is important to choose the longest cable because problem area may be either at the beginning of the system or at its end.

Once the plug has been discovered, you can excavate the affected area of ​​the pipeline and take all necessary measures for defrosting. If the structure is old and the pipes are metal, then the easiest way to heat the water inside will be current, for which it is used welding machine. But this method is no longer suitable for a HDPE pipeline. For them, the use of external means brings little results; a different approach needs to be taken.

The most effective, but expensive, would be to use a hydrodynamic machine, which can deliver a stream of water at such a speed that ice and some other substances melt from such an impact. Only a professional can work with the device, because it is important to know the technology and follow the work algorithm. If you need to quickly eliminate the problem, but do not have the necessary skills and equipment, you can simply call a specialist who can easily do everything necessary to restore the water supply.

Another method of heating a pipe involves a steam generator, the operation of which looks like this:

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

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

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

Electrical tape copper wires screwed to the steel and the whole thing is immersed in the pipe. In this simple way you can build a homemade boiler. It must be connected to the network to warm up the pipe, which will push out the plug from the heat. Once the problem is solved, the boiler is turned off and pulled out, and the pipe is closed. When the system starts again, everything works as it should.

Defrosting of pipes can be done welding inverter. This is a wire that connects to the pipe where there is icing and heats it up. It is important to work with the device correctly and not overheat it by giving different voltages. After just ten minutes of such exposure, the ice turns into liquid and the plug dissolves.

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

How to warm it up?

In order to warm up a metal-plastic water pipe in which water has frozen, Several techniques can be used, including:

• Exposure to hot water, for which the structure is wrapped with foam rubber or rags and very hot water, almost boiling water, is poured inside. This option is quite simple, but it is effective for pipes inside the house. In the case of underground ice jams, this method can break through the barrier for up to ten hours.
• Using hot air, for which you need to have a hair dryer or heating device. The icing area can be heated by any of the devices for two or more hours, it all depends on the degree of freezing of the water inside. Doing such work is not difficult, but it is important to carry out all activities carefully, because high temperatures can cause the pipes to become deformed, which will further aggravate the problem. The efficiency of this method is not very high, because with large energy and heat losses real result is not coming soon.

• Heating using thermal conductivity. It consists of winding pipes with cable, which is used in a heated floor system. When everything is ready, the resulting structure is connected to electricity and begins to heat the pipe itself. The work process lasts approximately three hours and allows you to prepare only those pipes that are above ground and in the house. Wires for heated floors are quite expensive, so buying them in order to defrost the system once is unprofitable due to their high cost.
• The process of heating the pipes inside can solve the problem quite effectively. For work it is important to have access to problem area to pour hot water into it using special device, which drives liquid under high pressure, but you can also use a device that looks like a boiler. The work proceeds slowly, the problem is completely resolved in at least three days. It is prohibited to use this option for those sections where the pipes run vertically. The system must be in a horizontal position to ensure functionality.

If you have to deal with plastic pipes, then you can deal with defrosting them yourself, the main thing is to know what exactly needs to be done. For those pipelines that are located underground and the system is a network of turns and various bends, then everything previously listed options they won't be able to help. The most the best option in this case there will be a welding machine that needs to be connected to different ends of the pipes and turned on. If you don't have the right equipment, you can just use hot water.

To do effective remedy To defrost pipes, you need:

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

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

1. To find the problem area, simply probe all the pipes. The freezing point will be much colder than the rest of the surface.
2. The icing area is covered with rags and all water taps are opened. It is necessary to ensure that there is a supply of hot water.
3. The pipe surface is treated gradually and is used immediately. cold water, that's why it's hot. This is important in order not to damage the structure sharp jump temperature.
4. The melted water will begin to come out of the pipes through the taps that were opened earlier.

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

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

1. You need to purchase a barrel, a pump and a hose with oxygen. You need to fill the barrel with hot water, the temperature of which will constantly rise.
2. Insert the hose into the pipe and push until it hits the ice.
3. You need to open the tap and connect it to a hose that goes into the barrel. If you don’t have one, you can use a simple bucket.
4. The pump starts, with the help of which hot water is supplied to the pipes to defrost the ice. From time to time the pump must be turned off to drain the accumulated water.
5. As soon as the problem goes away, the hose must be removed and the water in the pipeline drained.

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

To combat ice plugs in the sewer, you can:

1. Light a fire in the place where the collector is located. This option will be effective if the pipes are not far from the surface. The flame must be maintained for as long as possible in order to be able to heat the ground, and with it the sewer.
2. Using table salt. Homemade, but very effective method consists of placing a large amount of a solution of concentrated table salt into the sewer pipes, which will not freeze even in severe frost, and the salt will begin to dissolve it upon contact with ice.
3. You can use an electric cable, which should be run through the toilet until icing occurs or inspection hatch. Once the device is installed, turn it on to the network.
4. You can use the inspection hatch of the septic tank, where a watering hose is inserted through the outlet garden plants. It needs to be advanced to the place where ice is expected to be present, and then hot water from the water supply must be poured inside. The process must be continued until the ice is completely gone.

In the event of severe frosts in winter and freezing of water in pipes, you need to know how to cope with the situation. First of all, it is important to understand what material the pipes you are working with are made of, how deep they are laid and a number of other nuances, after which it will be much easier to choose the right option for dealing with ice plugs.

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

To prevent such phenomena, you should:

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

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

• To protect the pipeline from freezing it is worth studying temperature regime region and lower the structure a meter below the level where frost usually falls. This will allow you to forget about any problems with water in cold weather.
• If pipes freeze where the ground intersects with open space, then a regular hair dryer can help, and in particularly difficult cases, a construction hair dryer.
• If problems with pipes arise every year, then you should set the goal of redoing the system rather than constantly struggling with the consequences.
• When the freezing is very serious or difficult to solve on your own, it is best to call a professional who can remove the ice blockage without any problems.
• If you manage to deal with ice on your own, but at the same time you have to constantly clean the system by running water, it can be collected in special containers and then used for household needs.

For those who still use metal water or sewer pipes, ice plugs can be dealt with using terminals that are attached to the problem area, after which a current begins to flow, which heats up the pipe and the ice inside begins to melt. If freezing occurs in the pipe leading directly from the toilet, then one of the options may be to heat the water directly in the plumbing, for which you will need a heating element or a boiler. Metal pipes They also warm up using a blowtorch, for which you need to make a trench at the location of the sewer and heat the pipe with the lamp, going from bottom to top. The work is carried out from the side of the cesspool or septic tank, if there is one, to allow the unhindered release of water after melting.