How to defrost sewers - solutions

Along with the delights that winter gives us, the cold season can bring unpleasant moments. Frozen sewage still did not cheer up any of the owners. There may be several reasons, but when this has happened, the problem needs to be solved and a reasonable question arises as to how to defrost the sewage pipe with your own hands and it is advisable not to damage it.

Causes and consequences

This problem most often occurs in a private home. This is explained by the fact that the projects of high-rise buildings and industrial buildings are developed in specialized institutes and organizations.

Documentation and construction is carried out according to GOST and the probability of error is minimal.

• The first and most common cause of freezing is insufficient warming or superficial laying of the system.. Many advise to install the system below the level of soil freezing, in part this is true, but only for warm areas. Almost in half of the territory of our country, the level of freezing reaches 1.5 meters or more. In this case, the pipe picks due to small or improper insulation.
• The second reason experts call the insufficient angle of the system. The fan system is based on the flow of fluid by gravity and, naturally, for this to happen, the pipe must be inclined.
• Another reason could be excessive savings, due to which a person decides to mount the structure with pipes of smaller diameter., This is mainly a summer residents disease.
• In rare cases, the sewer system is clogged. and as a result, freezing can occur due to an ingress of an extraneous volumetric object into the system, most often children can naively throw something into the toilet.

Important: It is widely believed in the people that during frosts it is necessary to let water in a thin stream and this will save the system from freezing. Do not believe that the plumbing system freezes from the walls, and a thin stream of water flowing into the sewage system can form an ice block in a problem area. The same applies to faults in the closure system of the toilet.

Methods of struggle

The defrosting of the sewage system can be carried out by different methods, the choice here is influenced by the size of the ice build-up and the material from which the system is mounted.

Where is the traffic jam

Before you defrost the sewer pipe, you should clearly define the size and specific location of the ice jam. In a house, it can be design turns and a place of contact with the concrete frame of the foundation. In an open area, icing can be anywhere.

The easiest way is to resort to the old-fashioned method. When using a sewer plumbing cable, to clear the blockages, the distance from the sewer septic tank to the cork and from the house to the cork is measured.

Tip: at large distances, you can use an elastic steel wire with a cross section of 2 - 3 mm for measuring. Only the end of the wire is better to bend, so that it does not rest against the walls of the pipe.

Heated outside

Defrosting sewage pipes by heating from the outside is rarely used. You can say you're lucky if the cork is somewhere in the basement or basement level and there is free access. In this case, it can be exposed to open fire, if the pipe is cast iron or a hairdryer, if it is plastic.

External defrosting of sewer pipes lying in the ground is extremely problematic. Theoretically, it can be heated externally, but only people who have not dug the frozen ground can reason this way. If you accomplish the feat and gouge out a trench, then with a blowtorch or hairdryer you will restore order in half an hour.

Internal warming up

The first thing that most people remember is to pour boiling water inside. The method is good, but it will be relevant only if the mash is no more than 2–3 m, then boiling water will simply cool down.

Tip: when defrosting is carried out, regardless of the method, experts advise to start any heating elements from the septic tank. Thus, the melted water will flow by gravity into the septic tank.

Warming up with boiling water can be used in a slightly different perspective. To do this, you will need a long thin soft tube, you can use the hydro level and the Esmarch circle or just an enema. One end of the tube is attached to a steel wire or plumbing cable, and the other is connected to an Esmarch cup. Next, push the wire to the cork and pour boiling water into the container.

It is much easier if the system is metal, it can be quickly defrosted using a special electrical unit or welding machine. To do this, terminals are attacked on both sides of the frozen sector, and the device is turned on, for 1 - 4 hours everything thaws. Thus, it is possible to defrost up to 23 m line at a time.

The question of how to defrost a plastic sewer pipe with your own hands requires a different approach, since plastic is an insulator, electricity can only be used to heat a heating element. The instruction is as follows: a heating element curved in half is taken and attached to the plate, so that the fixture can be easily placed in the pipe.

The heater should protrude beyond the front cut of the plank a few centimeters. As a pusher, you can use all the same steel wire or cable. The device is wound up to contact with the ice plug and only then voltage is applied.

Tip: if there is a likelihood of freezing, it is better to take polyethylene pipes, since they are more elastic and will simply inflate them slightly. Polypropylene or cast iron may burst.

Those who have lived in hostels are familiar with the simplest kettle. When between two blades or any metal plates attached dielectric and voltage is applied to the plate. Water, as a conductor, boils in a few minutes. By the same principle it is possible to build a device for defrosting pipes.

We should also mention the steam generator, when through a hose, under high pressure, hot water or steam is fed to a special head. This is probably the safest and fastest way, but it has the only negative, high price.

Such equipment belongs to the professional, so it is expensive. Alternatively, a Karcher car compressor can be used.

On the video in this article you can learn some of the defrosting details.

Conclusion

We tried to present the most effective and frequently encountered methods of defrosting pipes with our own hands. There is nothing particularly difficult in this, but do not forget to follow safety measures especially when working with electricity.