How to defrost water pipes correctly

As they say - “prepare a sleigh in the summer”, because winter will not tolerate a careless attitude. We are talking about water supply and sanitation systems, which negligent owners can remember only in their absence.

This article will be devoted to a fairly typical problem, namely how to defrost pipes with water.

Alas, but so far there are negligent builders and installers, as a result of which the water supply networks freeze due to violations of technological norms and rules.

Although in each case the reason is different, consider the common ones:

• incorrect depth of the pipeline;
• insufficient layer of thermal insulation when installing pipes at a shallow depth;
• diameter of elements is not suitable for water supply;
• worn products;
• pipes are laid without heat insulation in unheated cold rooms.

In order not to freeze the water supply

Defrosting a pipeline is a complex undertaking; therefore, it is unlikely that one of us consciously wants to remain in the winter period without water supply to the house from a well (well) or central conduit.

In this case, even at the installation stage, it is necessary to solve this problem, otherwise you will have to wait for warm days, disassemble the structure, or resort to proven methods of heating communications, which will be discussed later in the article.

Tip: if you do not intend to use plumbing or central heating in a private house in the winter, drain the water completely.

Below we offer recommendations of experts who will allow to prevent accidents:

Advice: you do not want to spend a lot of time with defrosting the water supply system; use a special heating electric cable during its installation, which will be able to maintain the optimum temperature in problem areas. Although its price will affect the total cost of installation, this method to rid itself of problems in the winter is quite justified.

If the pipes are frozen

You now know how to prevent the pipelines from freezing, but when it did happen, the reasons may be different, there are only 2 main ways that can help you:

• warming of engineering communications outside;
• defrost water pipes from the inside.

There are certain rules that should be applied in any of these ways:

• determine the location and length of the frozen area;
• Choose the best way to carry out heating.

Tip: open all taps and other stop valves so that the thawed water can flow freely to the outlet.

You should also not sharply heat the frozen communications from the inside, but start to warm up from the open tap, moving gradually towards the riser. When defrosting sewer networks need to do the opposite. You must start warming up from the sewer riser and move towards the septic tank or the sewage outlet.

Warming up outside

In this case, you should focus on heating the outer surface of the pipeline. Gradually, the heated material will begin to give off heat to the frozen water, which will gradually thaw.

Use for this process the following heating devices and devices:

• building hair dryer;
• a blowtorch with an open fire, but note that it can be used not always and not everywhere, especially if there is a risk of fire;
• domestic fan heaters;
• other thermal devices capable of performing the task.

You need to act so warmly on the place of freezing so that the ice begins to melt gradually, freeing the passage in the pipe. In this case, special attention should be paid to working with a blowtorch.

Besides:

1. Instead of devices with open fire, it is possible to not less efficiently and even more safely to warm the frozen pipes with an electric heating cable or a heating electric tape.. They should be wound icy area and connect them to a power source.
2. For a small area you can use boiling water, which should be poured on a frozen place.. At the same time it is necessary to put a container under the pipe into which the hot water will be discharged.
3. If you have a welding machine, it will also help solve the problem.. To do this, connect it with your own hands to the opposite ends of the frozen section of the pipeline. It will take you about 3-4 hours until the electrical current passing through it warms the place and the ice begins to melt.

We warm from the inside

The methods listed above are suitable for pipes made of metal, as it is considered to be a good conductor of heat and cold:

1. Building a hairdryer is not suitable for heating a plastic pipe, as the material conducts heat poorly.
2. Do not use a blowtorch, as the open flame will simply destroy the pipeline section.
3. The welding machine is not used in this case either, since plastic is not a conductor of electric current.

The metal pipe can be defrosted even mechanically, taking a metal rod and breaking an ice plug with it. At the same time, this method is not acceptable for plastic products, since you can destroy the walls of communications, and you have to completely change them.

Experts are inclined to believe that the use of boiling water can be considered the most optimal option. It will need to be gradually fed into the pipe.

The process instruction is as follows:

1. Find a place where you can insert the hose for supplying inside the engineering hot water. This can be any plug-in connection, with which it will be possible to disconnect the emergency section from the entire highway.
2. The hot water hose must be smaller in diameter than the frozen pipeline.
3. Insert it into the disconnected area and bring boiling water to the place of formation of the ice plug. Try to keep the temperature high.

Tip: for a straight line section, it is best to use a metal-plastic pipe; for difficult areas, a flexible hose for supplying gas or oxygen is well recommended.

Do not forget to install in a place of an exit of the thawed water capacity in which it will gather. Gradually move the hose or pipe forward until the ice has completely melted. This method is suitable for defrosting a pipeline located in sight in an unheated room.

We warm plastic plumbing at a depth

In this case, you need to use a device that is called the "Esmarkh circle." You will need more rigid wire O2-4 mm, as well as the tube from the hydro level.

Connect them together in one of the ways:

• wind the tube with wire to form a coil spring;
• push the wire inside the tube and bend the tip so as not to damage the plastic sheath;
• Tie the wire to it with scotch tape, plastic tape or tape.

Process:

1. Connect one end of the tube from the water level to the Esmarkh circle, start pushing the other into the frozen pipe. You have to walk to the frozen area.
2. Raise the Esmarkh mug above the level of the pipeline and begin to fill it with hot water.
3. As soon as the ice begins to melt, move the device further along the highway until you achieve complete liberation of the frozen area from the barrier.

This method is attractive because the wire and tube have a small diameter, which helps them to go through the entire length, bypassing all the bends of the pipeline.

Conclusion

The methods described in the article have positive and negative points, moreover, they take time to implement them. We recommend that you take care of protecting the pipeline from possible freezing in advance, for which you should follow the rules and requirements for laying pipes.

If you do not have the opportunity to locate the highway at the desired depth, use all the possibilities to warm it.

The video in this article will help you find additional information on this topic.