What to do if the tap water in a private house is frozen. Defrosting plastic pipes Defrosting water pipes in a private house

Pipes freeze for various reasons: insufficient laying depth, lack of insulation, small volume of transported water, use of the pipeline during frosts. 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.

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

Defrosting pipes with a heating cable

Before you start thawing a frozen water pipe, find the place where the ice plug has formed. Search methods:

visual inspection. When the liquid freezes, it increases in volume and leads to swelling, the place of freezing is colder to the touch.
Internal check. In the absence of the possibility of a complete inspection, use a flexible wire or cable. The area where the cable does not pass further will be the site of the formation of a traffic jam.

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 warm a water pipe located in the ground. In this case, it is not possible to apply external defrosting methods. We'll have to defrost the system from the inside. Consider common ways to eliminate ice plugs.

Hot water application

Prepare a metal-plastic pipe, the cross section of which is 2 times smaller than the diameter of the main pipe. Carefully bring it inside the pipe to the frozen area and pour boiling water, which will gradually wash away the ice.
When defrosting water pipes in this way, do not forget to open the tap so that the pressure in the system remains low.

Heating with a hair dryer

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

Anti-icing with electric current

It is permissible to deal with the freezing of pipes using a welding machine. But it should only be used to thaw a water supply system made of steel, copper and other metal products.

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

Soldier's boiler for plastic pipes

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

You will need: two-core copper wire and steel wire, tools. The strands of the wire 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.
Lower the homemade boiler into the pipe to the ice plug, plug it into the network. After a while, the water supply will warm up, the icing will melt.

How to prevent the system from freezing

To do this, remember the following:

Lay pipes at a sufficient depth, below the freezing level of the ground.
The water supply should not run near reinforced concrete structures (foundations, beams and supports), since this material has a higher thermal conductivity. If you cannot find another place for laying, insulate the pipes.
Those places where the sewer passes the walls of the building are recommended to be insulated with mounting foam, glass or mineral wool.
Use pipes with a diameter of at least 50 mm.
When choosing between products made of polymers, remember that polyethylene reacts stably to the freezing and thawing process. Polypropylene may burst after two defrosting.
If the pipeline does not work regularly in winter, it is better to drain the water from the system.

It is also possible, if possible and finances, to lay a heating cable.

Heating cable application

The cable is used for heating water pipes and preventing freezing of plastic and metal pipes. Nuances in use:

the operating time of the device should not be constant, night time is enough;
the heating cable is recommended to be used immediately when laying a section of the pipeline that is subject to freezing;
The device is divided into 2 types: a cable with a self-regulating function and a simple one.

Subject to the conditions for laying the plumbing system, you will not have to face the problem of freezing.

Russia is located in a harsh climatic region, therefore, in winter and early spring, there is a risk of defrosting of the water supply and sewerage system. This is especially true for owners of private houses, because. often systems are laid without carrying out the necessary calculations and measures for insulation and protection against freezing. In this article, we will talk about how to protect pipes from freezing and what to do if the problem could not be prevented.

If the temperature outside the window has dropped to zero, that is, to the freezing point of water, this does not mean that the water supply system will freeze. Not everyone knows, but in winter the water in the pipe freezes at a temperature of -7 degrees. Water pipes burst when freezing, because. when changing from liquid to solid state, the volume of water increases. This does not happen often, but it does happen, especially in metal systems that are not capable of stretching.

To prevent freezing of water in pipes and protect them from damage, it is necessary to take care of the heating system in advance or carry out a set of measures for thermal insulation of the pipeline.

Some measures to protect the pipeline in the winter should be carried out even at the stage of laying communications during the construction of a house. What needs to be done to reliably protect pipes from the cold during the laying process:

Lay the water supply below the freezing level of the soil. In SNiP 2.02.01-83, you can find information on the freezing depth for a particular region and type of soil.
Use polyethylene or polypropylene for underground water supply.
. For convenience, heaters made of foil expanded polystyrene in the form of tubes are used, or any other available insulation or insulation methods.
Install an electrical heating system. It is installed directly on the water supply under the heat-insulating layer. The system is guaranteed to prevent freezing or allow heating the water supply, if the heating is used cyclically and freezing has nevertheless occurred.

Thermal insulation using a heating cable is a reliable way to solve the problem of icing even in the most severe cold.

In private temporary residences, such as country houses, water supply is rarely laid underground and is used mainly in the summer.

To prevent freezing of the structure located above the ground, in winter it is necessary to completely drain the water from it after each use. The second option, how you can not defrost the pipe on the street, is to leave the tap a little ajar so that the water moves. The water in the source (well, well) has a temperature of about +5 degrees. Moving, it gives off part of the heat for heating, so freezing of pipes in such a situation can only occur in severe frost, from -15.

How to defrost an open pipeline

In the case when the open water supply is frozen, it is not difficult to defrost the pipe, because. it has access.

Tip: you need to start work on heating the water supply immediately after freezing is detected, otherwise, the situation only worsens every hour, especially if the heaters used are of poor quality or are completely absent.

A heating cable is required to heat frozen plastic lines. Using it is extremely simple, just wrap the water pipe and connect the cable to the power source. This option requires additional costs for the purchase of a cable. It is possible to cast plastic pipes with hot water, but this option is effective only for small areas of freezing, or for mild frosts.

Heating of metal pipes can be carried out with the help of an open fire. A portable gas burner, a blowtorch, or a small diesel gun designed for heating unheated rooms will do. It is possible to combine heating with a burner with the method of crushing ice. Using a burner, you can heat the entire metal system, with the exception of taps. Faucets have rubber (plastic) valves, which, if the temperature rises sharply, can deteriorate and the faucet will have to be changed.

Important: it is forbidden to heat frozen plastic pipes with an open fire, because. they can melt or even catch fire.

To warm the tap, it is not necessary to heat it with a burner, it is enough to wrap it with rags and pour boiling water over it. If after the first time the tap did not move away, the operation can be repeated.

To defrost open, you can use a building hair dryer. It is powerful enough, warms up well and is not able to melt the material.

Defrosting hidden plastic pipes

It is much more difficult to defrost water in a plastic pipe hidden underground due to the fact that there is no access to it. Heating options that are used for open water pipes will not work.

You can quickly defrost a water supply pipe only by heating it from the inside. There are several ways to do this.

Outflow of hot water.
Heating with a steam generator.
Heating with an electric apparatus for defrosting pipes.
Defrost water pipes with a homemade boiler.

Depending on the situation, the availability of tools and other circumstances, various devices can be used for each of the methods. For example, in order to pour hot water, you can use a thin hose that goes inside the water supply, or you can simply pour hot water from a pear.

To defrost HDPE pipes in the ground, you can use a cable heating system, but only if it was installed at the stage of laying the water supply. If cable heating elements are not installed, then this method is too laborious and not always possible.

Now consider the heating options that can be used if the HDPE pipe located underground is frozen.

Warming up with a steam generator

Based on the name, it can be understood that the steam generator is designed to generate steam. It sounds complicated, but it's actually much simpler. But not everyone has a steam generator. In everyday life, in the country, you can use a pressure cooker instead. Defrost a pipe with a pressure cooker is no more difficult than casting with hot water. To carry out the work you will need:

pressure cooker;
a hose with a diameter smaller than a polyethylene water pipe;
mobile electric or gas stove.

The process itself is similar to the ebb of a water pipe with hot water, only steam is used instead. Water is poured into the pressure cooker and heated to a boil. One end of the hose is hermetically connected to the valve for releasing excess steam in the lid of the pressure cooker, the other is pushed into the line. Thus, the steam from the pressure cooker enters the hose and further into the pipeline to the place of freezing. The temperature of the steam is higher than the temperature of the hot water, so using a pressure cooker is more efficient and heats up faster.

Another option to replace the steam generator is to use a Karher steam cleaner. The power of the steam cleaner is enough to cope with defrosting.

ice crushing

If the underground water supply is made of iron or copper, then a special device can be used to defrost it - a pipe defrosting apparatus. You can find out which model of the device to use for a particular pipe diameter by reading the instructions of the device manufacturer. The most popular devices in Russia are "Dragon" and their analogues.

The essence of the method is that the power cables of the device are connected to the main line and voltage is applied to them, due to which the pipe walls heat up and the ice jam thaws. This method can be combined with the crushing method.

Its essence lies in tapping a metal line in order to cause ice to peel off from the inner walls or its destruction. Crushed pieces of ice, under the pressure of water in the system, can come out. Using this method, you need to take care of the unhindered passage of pieces of ice along the entire length of the water supply. This means that the outlet valve, tees and other structural elements with a smaller diameter must be dismantled.

In appearance, everything is simple, but in reality it does not always work out, because. the device has restrictions on the distance of connecting the electrodes. If it is not a problem to connect an electrode from the outlet side of the water pipe, then it is not always possible to install a second one, at a certain distance from the first, due to the fact that the system is closed and the water has frozen in the pipe underground. Sometimes such nuances make it impossible to use the device for heating a closed water supply system.

Defrosting with a boiler

At one end of a rigid two-core wire, several centimeters of cores are exposed and wrapped around the wire so that the bare contacts do not touch each other, and the distance between them does not exceed 1.5-2 cm. A plug is installed on the second end of the wire for connecting to a household outlet . Further, the structure is pushed inside the pipeline and connected to the network 220. Passing current, the water between the wire contacts heats up, and the water supply system gradually thaws.

Important: the method is suitable for use in a closed system of plastic pipes, it is strictly prohibited to use it in metal structures, because. the pipe wall is closed contacts.

Defrosting pipes with hot water

With an insignificant length of a frozen water supply, it is convenient to pour hot water from a bucket or a rubber medical heating pad, often called Esmarch's mug. This is a simple method that requires a minimum of accessories. It is often used to independently de-icing pipes in the country. For heating, you will need a piece of thin hose no less than the length of a frozen main and a funnel, for the convenience of filling the hose with hot water.

The hose is inserted into the water pipe until it stops, that is, to the freezing point. Next, hot water is poured into the hose. Hot water, passing through the hose, enters directly to the place of freezing and gradually melts the ice. As it melts, it is necessary to move the hose inside the water supply and add hot water, because. it will gradually go away and cool down.

Elimination of ice blockage in the sewer

A sewer system that is made with the wrong slope, or from pipes of small diameter and laid without insulation, is at risk of defrosting. You can warm up the drain pipe in a private house, in the event of an ice plug, using the same methods that are used to defrost hidden water pipes.

Important: to remove ice in it is not enough to pour hot water into the toilet, because. this is ineffective, it is necessary to organize the supply of hot water directly to the place of the ice plug, which means you need to use a hose.

If the sewerage system is long enough, then to deliver the hose to the freezing point, it can be tied to a plumbing cable.

When defrosting, there are several nuances.

The cause of freezing may be a blockage that has reduced the throughput of the system. In this case, defrosting must be carried out in conjunction with cleaning, otherwise the problem will recur.
In the sewer system, it can defrost a septic tank or otherwise a drain hole. In this case, the outlet for water and feces is blocked, the pipes gradually fill up and freeze. To eliminate the cause, you must first warm or clean the ice in the drain pit and only then proceed to work on heating the sewer drain.

How to defrost metal pipes in the ground

You can defrost metal water pipes that are underground using the same methods that are used when you need to warm a HDPE pipe in the ground. If there is access to the pipe every 10 meters, for example, wells are installed, then it is effective to warm up using a pipe defrosting apparatus.

Ice in the underground pipe begins to form at minus 5 degrees, which happens closer to spring, so you need to be extremely careful during this period, especially if the underground metal pipes are new and winter for the first time.

How not to defrost plastic pipes

Like metal pipes, plastic pipes are defrosted at a temperature of -5, but it is impossible to warm them up by all available methods. For example, it is forbidden to warm frozen plastic pipes with an open flame.

Plastic is a combustible material and can catch fire in a few minutes. Also, for plastic communications, the method of crushing and heating with the help of an apparatus is not used. The appliance will not work because polypropylene pipe does not conduct electricity. At low temperatures, some types of plastic lose their flexibility properties.

If you hit a frozen plastic system with a hammer or other impact tool, the walls may not withstand and burst. As a result, part of the plumbing will have to be changed. Metal-plastic pipes burst even more easily, so crushing does not apply to them either.

In conclusion of the article, I would like to note that in order to avoid problems with sewerage and water pipes, one should not neglect the requirements of regulatory documents, for example, SNiP SNiP 2.04.01-85 *. If freezing could not be avoided, then after the system is restored to working capacity, it is necessary to analyze the causes that can be eliminated in the warm season. Otherwise, the situation will repeat itself. It will not always be possible to get rid of only by thawing the water supply, because. integrity may be violated and the system will have to be changed in winter, or a temporary highway should be laid, which will require additional investments.

In the video, the original method of defrosting pipes with hot water from the Atmor flow heater:

Almost every private house has drain and sewer pipes through which water and sewage 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 on their own. One of the most urgent and unpleasant situations that one has to face is the freezing of water in pipes in the winter. It is very important to be able to properly defrost pipes so that the ice does not break them during melting, violating the integrity of the entire water supply.

Peculiarities

For plumbing in a private house, both metal and plastic pipes can be used, but that one and the other are not protected from freezing in winter if the process of laying them was done incorrectly. The main reason that water freezes in a pipe underground in frost is insufficient deepening of the water supply. If the laying technology is performed correctly, then the entire system is located at a level where frost does not reach.

Due to the fact that the main pipelines have a large diameter, even in winter they do not freeze, because water flows in them all the time. Home systems are laid 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, therefore you need to know how pipes can be insulated to protect them from the cold.

In the event that all the recommendations have been met, and the water is still freezing, then in this case it is necessary to keep the system turned on all the time so that the water always flows through the pipes at least in a thin stream. This is quite expensive, given the cost of water, but it will not be necessary to spend time, effort and money on defrosting the entire system.

In order not to have to carry out work on heating pipes with water annually, it is important to prevent all possible problems even at the stage of laying the entire network.

During installation, it is important to observe the following 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 to properly design a water supply system.
When choosing the location of the 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 laying is carried out under the foundation, then the pipes are isolated from reinforced concrete using a large layer of thermal insulation, which is best used as 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, it is worth giving preference to polymer products, which can increase the size by several millimeters, which saves them from cracking during freezing and freezing.
In order to ensure a calm winter for yourself, it is worth laying a heating cable near the pipes, which will maintain the optimum temperature and prevent the system from freezing.
If the house is used only in summer and is empty in winter, then it is important to drain all the water from the system so that there is nothing in the pipes in frosts. This will keep them from freezing.

What will be required?

If a pipe is frozen in a private house that supplies water or drains drains, the first step is to determine the location of the plug in order to eliminate it and not aggravate the situation. The simplest search option would be to use an iron cable that is inserted into the water supply, which was previously blocked and untwisted immediately under the tap at the junction of the structure. It is important to choose the longest cable, because the problem area can be both at the beginning of the system and at its end.

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

The most efficient, but expensive, would be to use a hydrodynamic machine that can jet 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 fix the problem, but you don’t have the necessary skills and equipment, you can simply call the master, who will easily do everything necessary to restore the water supply.

Another way to heat the pipe includes a steam generator, which looks like this:

pour 2-3 liters of water into the container;
connect the heat-resistant sleeve to the place where the safety valve is located;
lead the hose into the pipe to the point 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, the fountain will simply beat. This water must be collected in buckets, which must be prepared in advance. You can make more rags.

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

With electrical tape, copper wires are screwed to steel and all this is immersed in the pipe. In such a simple way it turns out to build a homemade boiler. It must be connected to the network in order to warm up the pipe, which will push the plug out of the heat. As soon as the problem is solved, the boiler is turned off and pulled out, and the pipe is blocked. When the system starts up again, everything works as it should.

The defrosting of pipes can be carried out by a welding inverter. This is a wire that connects to the pipe at the place of icing and heats it. It is important to work correctly with the device and not overheat it, giving different voltages. After ten minutes of such exposure, the ice turns into a liquid and the cork dissolves.

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

How to warm up?

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

Exposure to hot water, for which the structure is wrapped with foam rubber or rags and very hot water is poured inside, almost boiling water. This option is quite simple, but it is effective for pipes inside the house. In the case of underground ice plugs, this method can break through an obstacle up to ten hours.
The use of hot air, for which you need to have a building hair dryer or heating device. The place of icing is heated by any of the devices for two or more hours, it all depends on the degree of freezing of the water inside. It is not difficult to do such work, but it is important to carry out all activities carefully, because pipes can be deformed from high temperature, which will further aggravate the problem. The effectiveness of this method is not too great, because with large energy and heat losses, the real result does not come soon.

Heating by conduction. It is a winding of pipes with a cable that is used in the underfloor heating system. When everything is ready, the resulting structure is connected to electricity and begins to heat the pipe itself. The workflow lasts approximately three hours and allows you to alert only those pipes that are above the ground and in the house. Wires for underfloor heating are quite expensive, so buying them in order to defrost the system once is unprofitable due to the high cost.
The process of heating the pipes inside allows you to solve the problem quite effectively. For work, it is important to have access to the problem area in order to pour hot water into it using a special device that drives liquid under high pressure, but you can also use an apparatus that looks like a boiler. The work is slow, the problem is completely solved in at least three days. It is forbidden to use this option for those sections where the pipes run vertically. The system must be in a horizontal position to ensure operability.

If you have to deal with plastic pipes, then you can handle defrosting them with your own hands, 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 all the previously listed options will not be able to help. The best option in this case would be a welding machine that needs to be connected to different ends of the pipes and turned on. If there is no suitable equipment, you can use just hot water.

To make an effective tool for defrosting pipes, you need:

find a hard hose or small diameter plastic pipe;
place the hose or pipe in the water supply and move until it rests on the ice;
pour hot water or brine;
for the water that will be formed from the ice plug, you need to put 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 metal-plastic structures were laid, then a number of actions must be taken to defrost them:

Find a problematic place, for which it is enough just to probe all the pipes. The freezing point will be much colder than the rest of the surface.
The place of icing is wrapped up with rags and all the taps of the water supply are opened. Make sure you have a supply of hot water.
The surface treatment of the pipe is gradual, cold water is immediately used, therefore hot. This is important in order not to damage the structure with a sharp jump in temperature.
The melted water will begin to exit the pipes through those 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 the warming of the area, which is especially prone to freezing.

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

You need to purchase a barrel, a pump and a hose with oxygen. It is necessary to draw hot water into the barrel, the temperature of which will constantly increase.
Insert the hose into the pipe and push until it rests on the ice.
You need to open the tap and connect it to the hose that goes into the barrel. If there is none, you can use a simple bucket.
The pump starts, with the help of which hot water is supplied to the pipes for defrosting ice. From time to time, the pump must be turned off to drain the resulting water.
As soon as the problem goes away, the hose must be removed and the water in the pipeline drained.

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

To combat ice blockages in the sewer, you can:

Build 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 as long as possible in order to be able to warm the earth, and with it the sewer.
The use of table salt. A home-made, but very effective method is to place a large amount of concentrated salt solution in the sewer pipes, which will not freeze even in severe frost, and the salt will begin to dissolve it upon contact with ice.
You can use an electrical cable, which can be brought before the moment of icing through the toilet bowl or inspection hatch. Once the device is installed, plug it into the network.
You can use the inspection hatch of the septic tank, where a hose is inserted through the outlet for watering garden plants. It must be advanced to the place where the presence of ice is expected, and then pour hot water from the water supply inside. Continue the process until the ice is completely gone.

In case of severe frosts in winter and freezing of water in pipes, you need to know how to deal with the situation. First of all, it is important to understand what material the pipes to work 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 jams.

In the event that problems with pipes were discovered in a private house, namely, their freezing in the 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 and sewer pipes lower than the frost droops, and this is at least a depth of 120-140 cm. In case of problems with such a deepening, the pipes are carefully insulated.
Using pipes that are large enough in diameter, you can avoid their rapid freezing. The optimal size would be 50 mm.
In order to avoid stagnation of water in the system, when arranging it, it is necessary to provide for an angle of inclination so that it flows faster into the source.
When laying pipes, it is worth staying away from beams, foundations, the thermal conductivity of which is higher than that of the ground, which is a danger to pipes. If possible, it is worth making good insulation if there is reinforced concrete nearby.
If the water supply is located in a non-residential area where there is no heating, then it is important to additionally insulate it, for which you can use mineral wool, glass wool and foam.
Living in regions with very severe winters, when arranging 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 be turned on and off, but there are also manual models.
When choosing a pipe, it is worth giving preference to polyethylene rather than polypropylene, because they withstand the process of freezing and thawing 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 the temperature regime of the region and lowering the structure a meter below the mark where frost usually falls. This will allow you to forget about any problems with water in cold weather.
If the pipes freeze at the intersection of the ground with open space, then an ordinary hair dryer can help, and in especially difficult cases, a building one.
If problems with pipes occur annually, then it is worth setting a goal to redo the system than constantly dealing with the consequences.
When freezing is very serious or difficult to solve on your own, it is best to call a professional who will remove the ice plug without any problems.
If you manage to deal with ice on your own, but you have to constantly clean the system by running water, it can be collected in special containers and then used for household needs.

Those who still use metal water or sewer pipes can deal with ice plugs with the help of terminals that are attached to the problem area, after which the current begins to flow, which heats up the pipe and the ice inside begins to melt. If freezing occurred in a pipe leading directly from the toilet, then one of the options may be to heat the water directly in the plumbing, for which you need a heating element or a boiler. Metal pipes are also heated with a blowtorch, for which you need to make a trench at the location of the sewer and heat the pipe with a lamp, going from bottom to top. Work is carried out from the side of the cesspool or septic tank, if there is one, to enable the unhindered exit of water after thawing.

One of the unpleasant consequences of prolonged severe frosts is the freezing of water in the heating pipeline, hot and cold water supply or the domestic sewer system, so the owners of private houses need to know how to defrost the pipe underground, preventing it from being damaged by the formed ice crystals. Indeed, in addition to the formation of an ice plug, which completely covers the internal lumen of the pipe, the crystallization of water is accompanied by an increase in the volume of frozen ice in a limited space, which can lead to a rupture of the outer walls of the pipeline.

To prevent freezing of water, external pipes must be carefully insulated., but if for some reason this nevertheless happened, they must be correctly thawed using the technologies described below.

Defrosting water and sewer pipes

In order to substantively consider this issue, this article will describe several ways to combat this dangerous phenomenon, used using common household tools and affordable household chemicals.

In addition, the reader will be provided with detailed instructions and useful recommendations for the installation of water pipes, the implementation of which will avoid the occurrence of unpleasant consequences.

What to do so that the pipes do not freeze

Most often, the main reason for the freezing of water in pipes is a violation of the technology for laying an external or underground pipeline and non-compliance with the rules for using water pipes in the winter. In order not to have to face the solution of such a problem in the future, it is enough to follow the simple rules for the installation and operation of the supply or drain pipeline in the cold season.

The bottom of the trench for laying the pipeline should be located below the maximum depth of soil freezing for this region, in accordance with the requirements of SNiP II-G.3-62 “Water supply. Design standards".
It is not allowed to lay pipes in the ground near structures made of monolithic reinforced concrete., since its thermal conductivity is significantly higher than the thermal conductivity of the soil. About that, I advise you to read in the previous article on our website.
When the pipeline passes through the foundation, walls and other building structures, it is necessary to provide thermal insulation from monolithic concrete using a thick layer of mineral wool.

For laying underground or external water supply lines, pipes with a diameter of at least 50 mm should be used, since reducing the diameter of the pipe contributes to faster freezing.
If possible, pipes made of polymeric materials should be used for these purposes, since they have moderate elasticity and do not collapse when an ice plug forms, but only slightly increase in volume.
For guaranteed frost protection, one or two lines of heating cable should be laid parallel to the pipe, which, regardless of the frost, will constantly maintain a positive temperature.
In unheated residential buildings of seasonal residence, before the onset of the cold season, it is necessary to completely drain the water from all water supply networks, including water supply, heating and sewerage.

In any case, when installing an external or underground water supply system, it should be remembered that the price of thorough thermal insulation will be much lower than the cost of repair work to replace a damaged section of the pipeline in the winter.

Note!

Advice! For complete removal of water from all engineering communications, their pipes should be located at an inclination of 1-2 ° to the horizon, towards the lowest point of the plumbing, sewer or heating system.

Pipe defrosting technology

Option 1: defrosting steel plumbing

In practice, two methods are used to thaw frozen pipes. They differ from each other in the way of thermal exposure - internal and external heating:

For metal pipelines, both the first and second methods can be used., however, outdoor heating is usually more efficient, since it allows you to heat the surface immediately over a large area.
An external heat source can be an electrical heating device or an open flame source, such as a heating cable, heat gun, blowtorch, or gas burner. In the process of heating steel pipes using these tools, the following rules must be observed:

First of all, you need to determine the location of the formation of an ice plug and provide free access to the pipe, after which open the nearest water faucet for the free flow of thawed water.
Connect a heat source or light a gas burner flame and gradually begin to warm up the frozen area, slowly moving the tool from the faucet to the inlet riser.

As the temperature rises, water will begin to appear from the tap, which indicates the gradual thawing of the ice plug.
It is safer and no less effective to use a household heating pad or a heating electric cable, which must be evenly wound around a frozen section of the pipe, and then plugged into the electrical network. To speed up the process, I suggest wrapping the heating cable with a thick cloth or an old blanket.
To warm a long section of a metal pipe that is located on the street or in a wall, you can use a welding machine. To do this, you need to connect the leads of the low-voltage winding of the transformer using thick cables to different ends of the frozen section.

Note!

Advice! When using an open flame, be sure to follow the fire safety rules. This method is not allowed to be used for heating pipes that are wrapped with roofing material or covered with a layer of bituminous waterproofing.

Option 2: defrosting plastic pipes

Metal-plastic water pipes, as a rule, are used to perform intra-apartment or intra-house wiring of the water supply system, so they can freeze if they are filled with water for a long time in an unheated room with a negative temperature.

In most cases, to eliminate the ice plug, it is enough to turn on the heating system in the house and warm the air in the room to above zero temperature.
If a plug has formed in the heating system, you can put an electric heater or a medical lamp with a deflector next to the radiator or battery.
An open metal-plastic pipe in the house can be warmed up with your own hands, if you wrap it with several layers of thick cloth and pour hot water over it, after substituting a bucket or bowl under it.
For metal-plastic pipes, the use of a heating pad or an electric heating cable is also effective, but the use of open fire in this case is strictly not permissible.

Note!

Advice! Beforehow to defrost heating pipes, you need to check the water level in the expansion tank, and make sure that no air enters the autonomous heating system during operation.

Option 3: defrosting plastic plumbing

Plastic water pipes made of polypropylene or polyethylene pipes are most often used to supply water to a house from a well with an autonomous water supply system or to connect to a centralized water supply system. It is also often used to perform internal wiring for hot and cold water supply in many apartments and residential buildings.

Most often, freezing of water networks occurs at the entrance to a residential building or at the exit from the water metering unit., and this area is usually located underground. In this case, the methods described above will not work, so you need to use the internal heating method. To do this, you need Esmarch's medical mug and a thin long hose.

Before you unfreeze polypropylene pipes underground, you need to roughly determine the place where the ice plug forms and disassemble part of the water supply to provide free access to the supply pipe.

To the free end of the flexible rubber hose, attach the end of the elastic steel wire so that it protrudes 10 mm in front of the end of the hose.
Insert the hose with a fixed wire inside the supply pipe and gradually push it inward, correcting its progress with the help of a wire.
Having reached the place of the alleged ice plug, connect the free end of the hose to the outlet of Esmarch's mug, and pour hot water into it.
After that, you need to raise it as high as possible and open the drain valve, directing the heated water to the place of ice formation.
As it warms up, thawed water will flow out of the end of the inlet pipe, so you need to substitute a bowl or bucket under it.

The diagram shows how to defrost a pipe using an Esmarch mug.

Note!

Advice! In order to prevent flooding of the house as a result of a sudden supply of water after the removal of the ice plug, you must first, slightly close the inlet valve, which is located between the metering unit and the main pipeline.

Option 4: removing the ice plug in the sewer

Freezing of the sewerage system is rare, because, as a rule, it receives exhausted heated water from the drain holes of plumbing fixtures that are located in a house or apartment. If this nevertheless happened, then several methods will be presented that describe in detail how to defrost a sewer pipe in a private house when an ice plug forms.

With a small depth of the underground drain collector, above the place where it is located, you need to build a fire and keep it burning until the entire layer of the earth warms up.
Pour a large amount of concentrated salt solution down the drain. Such a solution has a very low melting point, so it will not freeze, and the salt included in its composition will slowly dissolve the ice plug.
Through the drain hole of the toilet bowl or the window of the inspection hatch, lead the electric heating cable into the sewerage system until it stops against the ice obstacle, and connect it to the mains.
Open the inspection hatch of the septic tank, and through the outlet of the drain pipe, bring a flexible garden hose into it. Having reached the place of the alleged ice plug, supply hot water from the water supply system to the hose until the ice is completely thawed.

Conclusion

After reading this article, it is easy to conclude that there are a large number of simple and effective ways that allow you to independently eliminate the effects of water freezing in any pipeline of a private house.

Additional information on this issue can be obtained if you watch the video in this article, or read similar materials on our website. All your questions and suggestions can be left in the comment form.

The situation when modern plastic water pipes freeze happens quite often. Naturally, such a problem should be eliminated as soon as possible, because otherwise the freezing area will gradually expand. In addition, in any case, there is a risk of "rupture" of the highway.

So defrosting plastic pipes is a very important and urgent task. And, in the end, apart from purely technical nuances, sitting without water is also inconvenient, you see.

In this article, we will look at all the most popular and effective ways to solve such a problem. Moreover, we will even figure out how to defrost a metal-plastic pipe underground, and not just the one that is on the surface.

Let's start by reviewing the most important point.

Why does this problem occur at all?

In fact, everything here is quite simple to understand. The causes of freezing are discussed in the table below.

As you can see, the reasons are quite logical and understandable. And if so, then before reviewing how to defrost a plastic water pipe, it is worth talking about preventive measures.

How to prevent freezing

For outdoor plumbing, measures can be as follows:

Insulation of plastic with mineral wool. Such work is done very simply - plastic turns into mineral wool. From above, the insulation is wrapped with a rope or wire.

Tip: if communications take place in places with high humidity, then the mineral wool on top must also be wrapped with a film, foil, or even better - with a hydrobarrier.
Then the heater will last a really long time.

"Packing" the line in a special box. In fact, communications are simply sheathed on the outside with panels of wood, plastic or drywall (depending on where the communications go). And the entire space between the plane of the box and the water supply is filled with mounting foam or foam plastic crumbs.

Such are the technologies.

Note!
You can not "foam" those points where important connections are located.
Such areas include, for example, taps, brass adapters, threaded fittings, etc.
If they are sealed with foam, it turns out that in the event of an emergency, access to such important elements will be blocked.

As for communications that are laid in the ground, then the recommendations are very simple. It is necessary to mount everything below the depth of the freezing point of the soil. In this case, one should adhere to a very simple rule - if it is not possible to lay the system at the desired depth, then it should be insulated very high quality.

However, do-it-yourself insulation is still not a 100% guarantee that the water will not freeze. The ideal option in this case is to organize at least some kind of communications heating system.

And now let's look at how to defrost plastic water pipes, that is, we'll figure out how to fix the situation when ice has already formed.

Ways of heating the line

It is worth noting one important point - as illustrative examples, we will analyze the most affordable solutions that do not require the purchase of expensive equipment.

In addition, these methods differ in that they have repeatedly proven their effectiveness in practice. Let's start reviewing the simplest option.

With the help of boiling water

The instructions for heating an outdoor system with hot water are quite simple.

In principle, in this way, communications can be warmed up quite quickly - in just a couple of hours. Here the main thing is to warm not even the entire diameter of the ice, but only a small part of it. Because even if a small “loophole” appears for the passage of water along the highway, then the rest of the ice will gradually melt by itself.

As for systems that are located underground, in principle it is possible to influence them in this way, but only the heating time will be much longer. Yes, and you still need to get to the plane of such communications. Therefore, this method is not the best solution for defrosting underground lines.

And if we talk about how to defrost a plastic water pipe underground, then it's best to do it a little differently. The bottom line is that you need to deliver boiling water directly to the ice plug - that is, as if inside the pipe itself. If simply pouring hot water into the line does not work, then you can try to do this with an ordinary flexible hose.

This is done like this:

One end of the rubber hose is inserted into the line and the hose is pushed to the point where it meets the ice plug.
The second end of the product is put on a hot water tap. At the same time, it is important that the pressure force in the tap is sufficient to deliver water to the desired point.

The supply of boiling water is turned on and the heating process begins. As for the exposure time, it all depends on how many meters the ice has spread.

Please note that you will need to prepare some kind of container to collect water!
The fact is that boiling water will rest against the cork and, under the influence of pressure, the water will return “back” - that is, it will begin to flow out of the cracks between the hose and the pipe.

Let's consider another defrosting method, which is suitable for both underground and above-ground water pipes.

Steam

This option in a good way requires a special device - a steam generator. However, the price of the device is too high to purchase it for a one-time operation, so it is easier and more expedient to rent a steam generator.

The principle of operation here is quite simple - the device generates steam, which can be launched under pressure to any desired place.

The flow is usually directed with a hose.

Insert the sleeve into the pipe.
We turn on the device and begin to pump hot air in the direction of the ice plug.

Here the efficiency and speed of defrosting is at a very high level, because the temperature of the steam is higher than the degree of hot water. In a good way, even in very difficult cases, warming up can occur within literally an hour.

You can also defrost ice with the help of "artisanal" steam injection.

It's done like this:

The autoclave heats up water.
Take the hose. One of its ends is connected to the autoclave, and the other is launched into the pipe.

It turns out that hot air will, as it were, exit the autoclave through a hose and, accordingly, “rest” against an ice plug.

In principle, any analogue of an autoclave, even an ordinary double boiler, is suitable for small pipelines. The main thing is that the pressure of the steam is strong enough to get to the point where the ice begins.

But this method is only suitable when there is no risk of deformation of the line itself. So whether it is worth using such machines for plastic communications is a big question.

Well, now let's figure out how to defrost a plastic sewer pipe with more "folk" methods.

With hair dryer and fan heater

In fact, this technology involves the effect of warm air on the plastic plane. That is, we take a hair dryer or a fan heater, turn on these devices and begin to pump a hot stream towards the problem point in communications. As you yourself understand, the method is only suitable for those that pass in open areas.

Output

As you already understood, defrosting a line made of plastic pipes is a very real thing. Of course, the situations are different, and therefore there can be no universal way of warming up, but still the methods that we talked about above can “work”. We hope that this is exactly what will happen.

By the way, if you want to see more visual instructions, then watch the video in this article.