Effective methods for defrosting a plastic water pipe underground. How to quickly defrost plastic water pipes underground How to defrost an ice plug in a plastic pipe

Metal-plastic pipes that are located in the attic or basement are likely to freeze in low temperatures. The advantage is that you have free access to them, which means the problem can be solved easily and quickly. First, open your water taps and only then start defrosting. We offer several ways.

First method: apply hot water.
1. Feel for the coldest area - there is an ice plug there.
2. Take a regular piece of fabric.
3. Wrap the cloth around the frozen area (in addition to it, grab the upper and lower areas).
4. Heat water and pour it over the frozen area.
5. Remove the cloth and wipe the pipeline.
6. Wrap the pipe with insulation to prevent re-freezing.
Second method: use a construction heat gun.
1. Find the ice plug (described above).
2. Set the heat gun to the minimum temperature (to avoid melting the plastic).
3. Bring the flow warm air to the pipeline.
4. Wrap the pipe with insulation.
Third method: use electric heating.
1. We wrap the frozen area with a special heating wire.
2. We connect the wire to the electrical network.
3. We wrap the heated pipe with insulation.

How to defrost ice in a plastic pipe underground yourself

When a plastic pipe freezes underground, homeowners begin to panic. After all, digging frozen soil with your hands is not an easy task, and using machinery can completely damage the pipe. We offer several alternative options, for defrosting underground communications.

We use hot water

Disconnect the plastic pipe from the faucet.
Heat the water (it is best to use a reinforced concrete barrel).
Place a hose into the frozen plastic pipe. Continue entering until you hit an ice plug.
Fill the hose with hot water (use a pressure pump if possible).
Gradually move the hose forward.
As soon as the ice seal is melted, water will flow from the pipe.
Reconnect the pipe to the faucet.
Cover exposed sections of the pipeline with insulation.

We use electricity

Buy a two-core wire.
Separate one core and remove the insulation from it.
Twist the bare wire tightly to prevent it from unwinding.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the second wire.
Move the exposed twists a couple of centimeters away from each other.
Insert the wire into the pipe up to the ice plug.
Connect the wire to the mains.
Move the wire forward as it defrosts.
Pump out melt water pump or compressor.

A few more ways to defrost a plastic pipe

There are several other rarely used methods. The reason for its rarity is the lack of necessary equipment.

Defrosting with a steam generator: an excellent way out of this situation. Melting ice is very fast and efficient. The steam generator hose is inserted inside to the ice plug and steam is released.
Defrosting with an autoclave (or double boiler): water is heated in the autoclave, after which a hose is connected to the device, the second end of which is inserted into the frozen pipeline. When water boils, steam enters and melts the ice.
Defrosting with a hydrodynamic machine: due to the increased pressure that this machine generates, the ice breaks in a matter of minutes. The hose is inserted into a plastic pipe closer to the ice plug and the device is turned on.

Failure of a water supply or heating system in winter is a sad and scary situation. Scary because the residents may freeze themselves and be left without water. And it’s sad, because restoring the pipeline will require hard work, which will also be done on the street. But not everything is as hopeless as it might seem.
Of course, warm it up sewer pipes easier than tap water. After all, boiling water that is poured into the sewer will be removed naturally. But the water used to heat the water supply system ends up in a pit or well, from where it has to be pumped out.

It is necessary to defrost the water supply system as early as possible, then the flow of water will be restored. In addition, if defrosting is delayed, the pipes may burst, but this is a real disaster.

Water Pipeline Rescue

Before starting restoration work, the water supply should be disconnected from the general main by closing the valve. In order to start defrosting, you need to prepare some tools:

buckets,
kettle,
hose,
basin (preferably several),
rags,
heating devices (gas or electric stove, boiler),
gas cutter,
blowtorch,
foil,
insulation,
heating cable.

If all this is available, you can get down to business.

First, we determine where the congestion has occurred. Then you will have to dig it up (since the pipe is obviously located underground) and remove the insulation from it.

The pipe burst due to freezing

Methods for heating pipes

There are several ways to warm up a water pipe.

Hot water is often used for this. The frozen section of the pipe is wrapped in rags, other rags are placed under it (they will absorb the flowing water), and then boiling water is poured onto the pipe from a kettle. Periodically it is necessary to reheat the water. It is poured until the problem section of the pipe warms up. This method is usually used if the frozen area is located in the house.

Sometimes it is possible to supply hot water into the pipe itself, using flexible hose. If the pipe is very long, then it is convenient to start defrosting from the water supply side.

A water pipe located underground on the street can be heated using an open fire. To do this, you need to have a blowtorch, a welding heating pad, or at least a torch (a lit stick or branch). A metal sheet should be placed under the pipe, which will divert the flames from those structures that may ignite. Then they begin to move the fire along the pipe, starting from the side from which the water is supplied. This way you can warm up many pipes, but not plastic ones - they can melt on their own.
If there is a hairdryer (household or technical) in the house, then you can use it to save the pipe. In this case, a “sleeve” of film or other dense material is created over the frozen area. A hairdryer pumps hot air into this space. After some time, the pipe should warm up. This method Suitable also for plastic pipes.

However, a heating cable is considered the ideal means for heating plastic pipes.

How to use it?

First, the plastic pipe should be tightly wrapped in aluminum foil - regular or adhesive (see). Then attach the heating cable by wrapping it around the pipe in a spiral. To prevent the cable itself from being damaged, the spiral pitch must be at least 8 cm. The cable is attached to the pipe with tape, then the cable sensor that triggers is strengthened automatic shutdown, - it should be pressed tightly against the pipe. On top of the entire resulting structure you need to lay insulation ( mineral wool or any other). You can connect the cable to the network.

It happens that water freezes in a well. In this case, you can lay the heating cable there too. This is usually done underground, the cable must pass under the pipe.
If a pipe is frozen in water, then to warm it up it is enough to heat the wall. This can also be done with a regular hairdryer. This remedy is very simple and in some cases very effective.

Using a Welding Machine

It turns out that a welding machine can not only connect metal surfaces. It also copes well with frozen pipes. It is enough to attach the welding wire to the ends of the area that is frozen (one plus, the other minus), turn on the device for 30 seconds, then wait 10 seconds and turn it on again.

The welding current should be small, around 100 amperes; if this does not have an effect, the current can be increased.

It is clear that the pipe mentioned here must be metal. After all, plastic does not conduct current.
This method, however, practically does not help if the pipe has large diameter or the freezing area is too long.

HDPE pipes

This material is quite new on our market. HDPE is polyethylene low pressure. This material can withstand high pressure (up to 10 atmospheres), is not subject to corrosion, and most importantly, is practically not subject to freezing.

HDPE – great solution, especially for areas with harsh climates.

What not to do

When pipes freeze, some try to solve this problem with the help of metal wire. However, this is unlikely to be of any use, since the ice plug is very hard and durable, and in addition, its length can be considerable.
There is no need to pour boiling water directly into the pipe. Instead you should take metal-plastic pipe with a smaller diameter and put it in the one that needs to be defrosted. Boiling water is poured into this pipe, and cold water the plug will leak into the gap between the inner and outer pipes. This water can be collected, heated and poured again, because there is often not enough water for repairs (the water supply is blocked by a plug).

This method helps if the failed section is straight.

If the pipe has bends, then a rigid and flexible oxygen hose should be pushed into it.

But taking a regular waterer is a bad idea, because it is too soft and becomes unusable from hot water - it becomes impossible to move it inside.

Winter frosts are a test that not only living beings, but also engineering communications have to withstand.

In case of violation of the rules for laying pipelines in winter time their freezing often occurs and then in full height The problem will arise, how to defrost a water pipe?

Causes of water freezing in pipes

As a rule, the cause of water freezing in pipes is a simple violation of the water supply installation technology. For example, if the pipes were laid without taking into account the depth of soil freezing in a given area.

Or the requirement to insulate the pipes was ignored. It happens that pipes freeze not only in external networks, but also indoors if there is no heating.

How to avoid freezing of pipes?

To avoid the need to defrost water pipes, care should be taken to ensure that the following requirements are met when installing the pipeline:

At underground installation pipeline, ditches should be dug to a depth that exceeds the soil freezing level in the area.
Do not lay the water supply pipeline close to reinforced concrete structures. The fact is that the thermal conductivity coefficient of concrete exceeds that of soil, that is, when laying pipes in close proximity to reinforced concrete elements, the likelihood of water freezing in the pipes increases.
It is advisable to install the pipelines complete with a heating cable.
This, of course, will lead to higher installation costs, but it will eliminate the problem of freezing forever.
In places where the pipeline passes through the wall of a building, glass wool insulation should be used to avoid direct contact of the pipe with the wall.
In small-diameter pipes, water freezes more often, so for water supply it is advisable to use pipes with a diameter of 50 mm or more.
When laying pipelines in unheated rooms and on the streets it is best to use polyethylene pipes. Such pipes withstand freezing and defrosting well, unlike polypropylene pipes, which can become unusable if they freeze once or twice.
If the water supply or sewerage system is intended to be used only periodically (for example, at a dacha), then during downtime it is advisable to completely empty the system of water so that there is nothing to freeze over.

Methods for defrosting metal pipes

There are several ways. They will be described below.

But when choosing any of them, you should adhere to the following general rules:

When heating the pipes, keep the water tap open so that the thawed water can escape.
It is forbidden to suddenly heat a frozen section of pipe, starting from its middle.
Heating is carried out from the water tap towards the riser. But if you need to warm up the sewer pipes, then you need to move in the opposite direction, that is, from the riser to the water intake point.
Warming of the pipe should begin after the location of the frozen area has been assessed. This will help you choose the right defrosting method.

All methods can be divided into two large groups, This:

Methods based on external influence on the pipe.
Methods with internal way defrosting.

Let's look at how to defrost water pipes using external influence.

This will require using some kind of heating device, it could be:

Blowtorch;
Construction hair dryer;
Electric heating device.

When using blowtorch Fire safety measures should be taken in the room.

In particular, a metal screen should be installed behind the pipe to protect the walls.

Using any of the listed devices, you should methodically work on the pipe. The success of the measures taken will be indicated by the water that appears from the faucet.

We should not forget that when water freezes, it expands in volume, so there is a high probability that after freezing steel pipes will be damaged.

After the water has been heated, you should carefully inspect the pipeline to identify leaks.

The safest and most effective way to defrost pipes externally is to use an electric heating tape or heating cable.

In this case, you just need to wind the tape around the frozen area and plug it into the network.

To defrost steel pipes, you can use the following method: take welding machine, and connects to different ends of the frozen area.

As a result, the pipe heats up. When using a welding machine, the entire process takes 2-4 hours, depending on the length of the frozen section.

How to defrost a plastic pipe?

Recently, steel pipes for water supply installations have been used less and less; they have been replaced by plastic pipes. Such pipes are not subject to corrosion and do not collapse if the water in them freezes.

However, if an ice jam occurs in them, almost all methods of external influence cannot be applied to them. Naturally, using an open fire to heat plastic will lead to destruction of the pipe, and the use of a hair dryer often turns out to be ineffective, since plastic does not conduct heat well.

Connecting a welding machine to such pipes is also completely useless, since the pipes do not conduct electric current.

The mechanical method of influence, that is, removing the ice plug by inserting a steel rod inside, can be effective with a small freezing area, however, its use creates a serious risk of damaging the pipe.

Thus, if it is necessary to defrost plastic pipes, the only way left is to use hot water poured inside.

Below are several ways to defrost plastic pipes. All of them are quite effective, however, it is advisable to use them only on small-diameter pipelines.

The first defrosting method is to organize the supply of hot water to the freezing point.

This is done like this:

To defrost a plastic pipe, prepare a high-rigidity pipe or hose of smaller diameter.

To remove an ice plug in a pipe with a diameter of 20-30 mm, use a pipe or hose with a diameter of 16 mm.

If the damaged section of the pipeline is straight, then it is more convenient to use a metal-plastic pipe. If the frozen pipeline has bends, the use of a hose is required.

Regular watering hoses are not suitable for this operation. The fact is that they soften greatly under the influence of hot water, so pushing them further will be problematic.

Gas or oxygen hoses should be used for defrosting.

Metal-plastic pipes are usually sold rolled into coils. Therefore, the pipe should first be bent, and then begin to move along the pipeline, pushing the ice plug all the way.
Now you can pour hot water into the pipe, trying to maintain the highest possible temperature.
Thawed water will flow out at the pipe connection point, so a collection container should be placed there.
As the ice melts, the plastic pipe will need to be pushed further and further until the problem is completely eliminated.

This defrosting method is good if an ice plug has formed in an area located near the entrance to the pipe. If the pipe is frozen far from the house and there are turns and bends in the pipeline section, then it will not be possible to push the pipe inside the pipeline.

To carry out the work, you will need a hydraulic level, a coil of steel wire with a diameter of 2-4 mm, and an Esmarch mug, that is, a device that is used in medicine for performing cleansing enemas.
We take the hydraulic level tube and wrap it with wire or attach the wire to the tube using tape or tape. This must be done so that the wire does not stick out in different directions, while the tip of the tube should protrude one centimeter.
Now we connect the second end of the hydraulic level tube to the outlet pipe of the Esmarch mug and begin to push our structure into the pipe.
Since the hydraulic level tube has a small diameter and weight, there are no difficulties when pushing, even if there are turns along the route.
Push the tube until the tube hits the ice plug.
Now pour hot water into Esmarch’s mug and open the supply valve.
As the ice plug decreases, you should push the tube further.
To collect the leaking water, a suitable container should be installed at the pipe junction.

This defrosting method is quite effective, but takes time. In one hour of work, you can manage to clear approximately 0.8-1.0 m of pipe from ice.

So there are quite a few effective ways that help solve the problem of how to defrost water pipes. However, all of them are labor-intensive, so it is more correct to take the necessary measures, for example, to prevent water from freezing in the pipeline.

The situation when negative temperature Are you familiar with the water supply from the tap outside? This problem occurs in your home with the onset cold season, and you don’t know how to quickly eliminate it? To fight you need to pick up effective method restoration 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 from occurring in the future. Let's talk about effective ways, allowing you to quickly restore the water supply on a cold winter day for sanitary and hygienic purposes and cooking.

Our article provides a selection the best ways who will help you cope with this trouble on your own. Methods for pipelines from various materials. So that you can better understand the nuances of warming up, we have selected visual photos and thematic videos detailing recommendations for saving a water pipeline from ice captivity.

With the sudden onset of frost, supplemented strong winds, cases of freezing with the formation of ice plugs inside them are not uncommon.

Frozen as a result improper installation or operation of the water pipeline in best case scenario will make it impossible to use the system, and in the worst case, will force you to eliminate the breach.

The problem of freezing pipes is more relevant for owners of dachas and private sector houses whose water supply inlets run along the street

There can be several reasons for water freezing in the water supply.

The most important among them:

extremely low temperatures outside;
laying pipes to a shallower depth than the soil freezing level;
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 motionless. At sub-zero temperatures it freezes quickly.

Not only pipelines can freeze, but also taps that are not turned off in a timely manner that supply water both to an unheated basement and to the yard

A pipe located in frozen ground, after passing warm flows, begins to cool, and after a short period it acquires low temperature. As it approaches, small portions of water 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 location of freezing on open area. Experienced craftsmen It is advised to focus on temperature sensations when inspecting and palpating the accessible part of the route.

It is not difficult to determine the location of an ice plug in a plastic pipeline by palpation: within the blocked area, when you try to slightly bend the pipe, a characteristic crunch is heard

Water pipes usually freeze in areas where the pipes come close to the ground. Technical wells, unheated, are also vulnerable to frost. basements.

It has been noticed that concrete freezes faster than soil layers. Therefore, if the basement was unreliably insulated or was slightly opened during periods of severe frost, it is quite natural that the pipeline running in it froze.

If the freezing area cannot be determined, it is better to immediately abandon the idea of breaking through the ice jam using mechanical methods.

If it is not possible to “calculate” a specific area, use available methods at several of the most likely places of freezing at once.

Effective solutions to the problem

The water supply can be defrosted using external heat, or by defrosting from the inside. Each specific case depends on the length of the frozen area and the material from which it is 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 pipes bursting during the thawing of 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 the water tap or “discharge valve” after the inlet valve in order to determine the effectiveness of the actions performed by the water flowing out of 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 water supply is to treat the outside with boiling water. Hot water saved water pipes from freezing at all times.

To do this, the pipe is wrapped in several layers with rags and pieces of old rags, which absorb moisture well. A wet rag will prolong the time the pipe walls are in contact with water.

The area wrapped in a rag is watered in several approaches. hot water until the fabric gets wet and the ice underneath 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 through the pipeline along with water.

This method is used only in enclosed spaces and when open method pipeline laying. And this technology is only suitable 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 hair dryer

You can achieve the desired effect with the help of hot air created by a powerful hair dryer. The method is used to heat frozen sections of the pipeline in places where it is quite easy to reach them, for example, when the system is laid inside a 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 a nozzle

To create conditions for ice accumulation to move through the pipe, you need to evenly distribute the flow of hot air, not forgetting to first open all the valves.

Keep in mind that a hair dryer produces a temperature that can range from 100 to 650°C. Therefore, it cannot be used for pipes made of polymer materials.

Enhance the effect while reducing heat losses, it helps to build an improvised protective casing around the heated area. It will reflect heat, distributing it evenly 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

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 the main pipelines have a large diameter, they do not freeze even in winter, because everything in them time goes by 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 about the means by which pipes can be insulated 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 in at least 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 still 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 most in a simple way A current will be used to heat the water inside, for which a welding machine is used. 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 resolve a problem, and necessary skills and there is no 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.

Work should only be carried out in 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 cork 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 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 from high temperature the pipes may become warped, further exacerbating the problem. Efficiency this method not too large, because with large energy and heat losses, the real result does not come 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. To work, it is important to have access to the problem area in order to pour hot water into it using a special device that forces 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 all the previously listed options will not 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:

To find the problem area, simply probe all the pipes. The freezing point will be much colder than the rest of the surface.
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.
The pipe surface is treated gradually; cold water is used immediately, so hot water is used. This is important in order not to damage the structure with a sudden temperature rise.
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:

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.
Insert the hose into the pipe and push until it hits the ice.
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.
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.
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:

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.
Using table salt. A homemade, but very effective method is to place 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.
You can use an electric cable, which should be inserted through the toilet or inspection hatch until icing occurs. Once the device is installed, turn it on to the network.
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 correct option combating ice jams.

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, it is important to additionally insulate it, for which you can use 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. Work is being carried out from outside cesspool or a septic tank, if there is one, to allow the unhindered release of water after melting.