How to thaw a frozen water pipe: an overview of the most effective methods
Are you familiar with the situation when, at a negative temperature outside, the water supply from the tap stops? Such a problem occurs in your home with the onset of a cold season, and you do not know how to quickly fix it? To fight, it is required to choose an effective method for resuming the working capacity of the water supply network. Do you agree?
We will tell you how to thaw a frozen pipeline and how to prevent a problem situation in the future. Let's talk about effective ways to quickly restore water supply on a cold winter day for sanitary and hygienic purposes and cooking.
Our article provides a selection of the best ways to help deal with this trouble on your own. Methods for pipelines made of various materials are considered. So that you can better understand the nuances of warming, we have selected visual photos and thematic videos with a detailed presentation of recommendations for saving water pipes from ice captivity.
With a sharp onset of frost, supplemented by strong winds, cases of freezing with the formation of ice plugs inside them are not uncommon.
Frozen water as a result of improper laying or operation of the pipeline will, at best, make it impossible to use the system, and at worst, force the breakthrough to be repaired.
The problem of pipe freezing is more relevant for owners of summer cottages and private sector houses, whose water supply inlets pass along the street
There can be several reasons for freezing water in the plumbing.
The most basic among them:
- extremely low temperatures outside;
- laying pipes to a shallower depth than the level of soil freezing;
- insufficient insulation of the pipeline;
- low or even zero water consumption.
At night or for a longer period when the owners do not use the water supply, the water in the pipes remains still. At sub-zero temperatures, it freezes quickly.
Not only pipelines can freeze, but also taps that are not shut off in a timely manner, which supply water, both to an unheated basement and to the yard
The pipe, located in the frozen ground, after passing warm streams, begins to cool down, and after a short period it acquires a low temperature. Small portions of water, as they advance, begin to freeze and crystallize, at some point completely clogging the entire section of the pipe.
How to find a problem area?
The most difficult moment in this matter is to determine the place of freezing in an open area. Experienced craftsmen advise, when examining and probing the accessible part of the route, to focus on temperature sensations.
It is not difficult to determine the location of the ice plug in a plastic pipeline when probing: within the blocked area, when trying to slightly bend the pipe, a characteristic crunch is heard
Water pipes usually freeze in areas where the pipes come close to the ground. Vulnerable to frost are also technical wells, unheated basements.
It is noticed that concrete freezes faster than soil layers. Therefore, if the basement was unreliably insulated or ajar during severe frosts, it is quite natural that the pipeline lying in it froze.
If the freezing area cannot be determined, it is better to immediately abandon the idea of \u200b\u200bbreaking through the ice jam by mechanical means
If it is not possible to “calculate” a specific area, use the available methods at once on several of the most probable freezing places.
Effective solutions to the problem
The water supply can be defrosted by external thermal exposure, or by defrosting from the inside. Each specific case depends on the length of the frozen area and the material from which they are made, and therefore requires the use of different means.
Despite the fact that ice with the same mass is more voluminous than water, within its state of aggregation, obeying the laws of physics, it expands before melting.
To reduce the risk of pipe rupture during the period of thawing ice plugs, it is necessary to reduce the pressure on the walls of the structure by prudently opening the taps
Before starting work, it is imperative to open a water tap or “discharge valve” after the valve at the inlet in order to determine the effectiveness of the actions performed by the water flowing from it.
Method #1 - Using Hot Water
If the system is frozen in an open area at, or inside an unheated basement, the easiest way to warm up a section of the water supply is to treat it outside with boiling water. Hot water has saved water pipes from freezing at all times.
To do this, the pipe is wrapped in several layers with rags and cuts of old rags that absorb moisture well. A wet rag will prolong the contact time of the pipe walls with water.
The area wrapped with a rag is poured with hot water in several approaches until the cloth gets wet and the ice under it begins to melt
When warming up a frozen section of the pipeline, it is important not to damage it. Areas of the structure that do not require heating must be covered with heat-insulating material. This will prevent the accumulation of pieces of ice moving along the pipeline along with water.
This method is used only in enclosed spaces and with an open method of laying pipelines. And this technology is suitable only for steel pipelines. The system located underground will have to be heated with boiling water for at least 12 hours.
Method # 2 - heating with a building hair dryer
You can also achieve the desired effect with the help of hot air created by a powerful building hair dryer. The method is used to heat frozen sections of the pipeline in places where it is quite easy to get to them, for example, when the system is laid inside the building.
In order to melt water along the pipeline shell, the surface of the structure is blown from all sides with a stream of hot air directed by the nozzle.
In order to create conditions for the movement of ice accumulation through the pipe, it is necessary to evenly distribute the flow of hot air, without forgetting to open all the valves first.
Keep in mind that a building hair dryer produces a temperature range that can reach from 100 to 650 ° C. Therefore, it cannot be used for pipes made of polymeric materials.
To enhance the effect, while reducing heat losses, the construction of an impromptu protective casing around the heated area helps. It will reflect heat, evenly distributing it over the entire surface of the insulated area.
To do this, a small pavilion is temporarily built, the walls of which are made of the same film or metal shields.
Image gallery
Under the influence of current, the metal heats up and releases heat, which is transferred to the ice inside the pipe, gradually melting it
The terminals of the switched off welding machine are fixed to the ends of the frozen section. First, the power regulator is set to the very minimum, and then, gradually increasing it, the equipment is turned on for about 30-40 seconds.
After a short pause, the manipulations are repeated. Depending on the degree of freezing, the current can be adjusted less / more. As the power increases, it is necessary to periodically check the degree of heating of the walls.
When working with the device, it is important to observe safety precautions: do not touch the pipe with bare hands, carry out all work in thick rubber gloves
As soon as the melting process is activated, first one drop at a time, and then a thin stream, water will flow from the tap. It is not necessary to melt the entire area completely. It is sufficient to provide an uninterrupted thin stream of water. And the moving water will already help to melt the remnants of unfrozen ice.
The welding machine is used only for heating stainless, steel, copper and other types of pipes made of metal alloys. Using the device on products made of polypropylene is meaningless. After all, plastic is not a conductor. The only thing you end up with is a damaged pipeline.
Method # 4 - "soldier's boiler" for plastic
The plastic pipeline is easiest to warm up using a two-core copper wire with a cross section of 2.5 mm. According to the principle of operation, it is similar to a conventional boiler.
Due to the structure immersed directly in the pipe, the water will “boil” directly in the system; the task of the master is to ensure the rapid flow of thawed water
Water containing salts is a weak electrolyte. Therefore, in order to heat, it is only necessary to immerse a pair of electrodes in it, and then apply voltage to them.
To do this, the wire cores are disconnected:
- The first core is first bent to the side.
- The second core is exposed and wrapped around the pipe, forming 5-6 turns.
- The first core is taken again, exposed and wrapped around the pipe in the form of coils.
- Connect a plug to the other end of the wire.
- The created workpiece is pushed into the pipeline until it hits the ice, and powered from the mains.
When forming the turns and placing them on the surface of the pipe, it is important to ensure that they do not touch, otherwise a short circuit will occur at the moment of contact. Ideally, the distance between the turns of the cores should be at least 2-3 mm.
You can additionally use a compressor to blow out the melted water.
Method # 5 - heating the pipeline from the inside
The place where the pipe enters the house is the most vulnerable and therefore needs effective insulation with waterproofing materials.
Ideal as a heat insulator
- foam strips;
- mineral wool;
- glass wool.
It is not necessary to use rags, sawdust and paper as a winding even for temporary insulation. These materials, when the temperature changes, easily absorb moisture from the air, preventing the formed condensate from evaporating.
On sale you can also find chemicals that prevent the freezing of water. But their aggressive composition makes them unacceptable for the plumbing system. It is better to use a concentrated saline solution, which corrodes ice perfectly. It is fed through a hose, the diameter of which is slightly smaller than the cross section of the pipeline.
In addition, salt water does not freeze at temperatures below zero, so the formation of a cork behind a salt solution is definitely not expected.
Alternatively, lay along the pipeline. It is equipped with thermal sensors that, when the system is heated to a certain temperature, turn it off. The main advantage of self-heating cables is that they are able to adapt to external conditions. And this in no way affects the work of its other parts.
The self-regulating heating cable will turn on as needed, and turn off when the set temperature mark is reached
The length of the heating cable can be up to 20 meters, thanks to which it can be used to heat both individual sections of the pipeline and the entire system located in the zone of soil freezing.
Keep in mind that water freezes faster in pipes with a small diameter. Therefore, when arranging autonomous water supply, it is preferable to use pipes with a diameter of 50 mm or more.
Since concrete freezes much faster than soil, in places where the pipeline passes through the basement or basement, it is advisable to place pipe sections in sleeves - pipes with a slightly larger diameter. The resulting voids can be blown out with polyurethane foam.
In the future, with irregular use of engineering networks during downtime during the cold season, it is necessary to completely remove water from the pipes and keep them dry.
It is necessary to insulate not only the pipeline itself, but also itself and other structural elements passing outside the house and in unheated rooms.
Despite the wide range of effective equipment for removing ice blockages from pipes, it is best not to bring the situation to such problems. After all, heating frozen pipes is a rather problematic process, which is aggravated by the complexity of performing work in the cold.
Conclusions and useful video on the topic
Video #1 Application overview of pipe heating cable:
Video #2 Video review of the heating method using new technologies:
Well, in extreme cases, if frosts are fierce on the street, and the above methods cannot be applied, then, contrary to safety rules, try leaving the tap ajar for the night.
Albeit slow, but still the movement of water will prevent the formation of ice plugs. And at the onset of the warm season, we still recommend that you deal with the problem area and thoroughly insulate the pipeline.