How to thaw a frozen water supply made of propylene and plastic pipes? How to quickly defrost plastic water pipes underground. How to defrost water in a water pipe.

Low temperatures in winter cause problems with the water supply at home. If you approach the laying of water pipes illiterately, then in winter the question of whether the water in a private house is frozen - what to do will arise quite often. Moreover, there are always situations related to highway accidents. This is a rupture of a pipe, if it is steel, a rupture of shut-off valves. And if this problem can be dealt with quickly in the summer minimal costs, then in winter everything becomes more complicated. Therefore, it is very important to first carry out correct installation. And there is only one condition here - insulate the pipelines or lay them below the freezing level of the soil.

Home water pipe froze

How to defrost pipes

It should be noted that the water supply network consists of two sections: external (external), which is most often underground, and internal. As for the latter, the main part of the route is laid inside heated premises, so the question of whether the water in a private house is frozen - what to do is not appropriate here. But partially indoor plumbing also passes through unheated rooms. For example, in the basement and attic. This is where pipes can freeze. How to defrost them?

There are several options. Let's take into account that plastic pipes were laid inside the house.

Can be used for defrosting hot water. To do this, first wrap the pipe with a rag, and only then pour boiling water on it. The process may take several hours, everything will depend on the length of the frozen area.

Defrosting hot water
You can use a hair dryer (construction or household). Very effective option, but requiring a certain approach to the process itself. The whole point is, especially for a hair dryer, that the air comes out of the device with enough high temperature which can melt plastic. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately set the distance from the hair dryer nozzle to the surface of the pipe.
We use a hair dryer
For defrosting, you can use a heating cable that fits into an electric floor heating system or a special cable for plumbing systems. They wrap it around a frozen section of the track and plug it into an outlet. This is the fastest option. Typically, this way you can defrost a fairly long water supply in 2-3 hours.

Attention! Before defrosting water in a private house, it is recommended to open all shut-off valves on the route completely. Water from defrosting should move freely through the pipeline and flow out of the taps.

Defrosting underground pipes

It is clear that water pipes located in the ground are more difficult to defrost. The simplest of all options is to dig out the place where they are laid, get to the route and use one of the methods described above. But there are several problems here.

Digging frozen ground is not easy. This will take a lot of time, effort and labor. In any case, the home owner cannot do this on his own.
There is always a possibility that when digging a trench you can damage a plastic pipe. And this is an additional problem that will have to be solved immediately.

Therefore, it is better to use alternative options. One of effective methods defrosting means using hot water. True, you will have to prepare for this. Firstly, you need a supply of water itself that needs to be heated. The easiest way to do this without much expense is to install a barrel under which to light a fire. Secondly, it is necessary to somehow organize the supply of water inside plumbing system. To do this, it is best to install a small electric pump. It’s even better if you pour hot water into a hose with a smaller diameter than the route, which will need to be pushed inside the pipeline.

Defrosting a water pipe with hot water

That is, the hose is pushed to the ice plug, then hot water is supplied to it by a pump. It quickly melts the ice, and the hose must be advanced further as the route defrosts. As soon as water flows from the tap with high pressure, that’s it – the ice plug has melted. It should be noted that this option for defrosting the water supply is one of the most effective. True, you prepare for it longer than you carry out the process itself.

We use electricity

Another option that answers the question of how to heat water in a private house. Electricity is used for this. It must be noted right away that the use electric current– it’s always a dangerous business. Therefore, it is not recommended to use this option for defrosting the water supply. But, as an alternative, you need to know it.

To do this, use a regular two-core wire, the wires of which must be separated and exposed to a length of 20 cm, that is, freed from insulation. The exposed wire is twisted to a size of 8-10 cm.

Attention! Do not allow both exposed wires to connect to each other. This will lead to a short circuit, so you must install a jumper between them, preferably a wooden one. Its size should be smaller than the diameter of the water pipe.

Now the prepared two-core wire is pushed into the pipeline until the ice plug. After which it is connected to a 220 volt power supply. The water inside the pipe begins to boil and defrost the ice. Essentially, the forked wire performs the functions heating element. As it defrosts, it will need to be moved inside.

We use steam

And a few more alternative options, which use steam. It should be noted that they are used infrequently only because installations that produce steam are not cheap.

Steam generator

Using a steam generator. Its hose is inserted into the pipeline, where steam is pumped.
Using an autoclave. This is an installation that works by boiling water. The process itself is exactly the same as in the case of a steam generator. That is, a hose connected to an autoclave is inserted into the water pipe, through which steam from boiling water enters the route.
Using a hydrodynamic machine. This is professional equipment, which is based on the process of heating water and supplying it under pressure inside the water supply line.

All three options are very effective. If the water entrance to the house or the entire route is frozen, then with their help you can warm up the pipes in a few minutes.

So, the answer to the question was given: the water in the house froze - what to do? The proposed technologies have very simple ways, which do not require large expenditures, there are quite serious options based on the use special equipment. If the problem is not very big, then you can get by with small means. If everything is very complicated, then it is better to call specialists. They will not only solve the defrosting problem, but will also help prevent subsequent troubles.

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

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.
You should not lay the water supply pipeline near 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 influence 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 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 until it stops ice plug.
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 several fairly effective ways to 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.

When frozen water pipe- an unpleasant thing and always at the wrong time.
Our private home has had water supply for more than ten years, but the water supply has frozen for the second time.
The first time freezing occurred at the end of March in the first year of operation, then I could not defrost it - at the beginning of May the water began to flow on its own.
That first time, the lack of water was somehow calmly experienced - all the technologies in life had not yet been lost from the times when water was brought from a pump.
This winter of '16, the whole of January was in the twenties, and at the beginning of February, as soon as it got a little warmer, everything shut down for once.
Here we had to move. Firstly, summer is still so far away, and secondly, washing machine It doesn't work without water.
And thirdly, a shower stall and a warm toilet have just been put into operation - you get used to good things very quickly.
The guys from the housing and communal services looked at the pipes in the well - they were all warm and working.
Entering the house is also clean and free.
The location of the ice jam was roughly determined - the water supply runs under the snow along the road past the neighboring house, where snow is always removed efficiently, promptly and widely (about eight meters) to enter the yard and garage.
Just there, due to soil shedding, the pipe was laid only 170 centimeters.
A metal-plastic pipe with a diameter of twenty millimeters was laid into the house as a water supply; they had only just appeared in our country at that time; there were no traces of branded insulation, and we had never seen heating cables either.
The length of the water pipe to the well is approximately 60 meters. They said it right smart people- don’t listen to anyone and go two and a half meters away. But we didn’t want to spoil the beautiful green street with an excavator, but we couldn’t go deep by hand - maybe it wouldn’t freeze, but it did.
The task of defrosting a water pipe is to thaw the ice plug. Heat must be supplied directly to it from the inside or outside. As a rule, when laying a pipe in the ground, it is almost impossible to do this from the outside.
From the inside, heat can be supplied through a thin hose using hot water, steam, air, or heated with electricity.
After thinking, I decided defrost a metal-plastic pipe using a galvanic boiler at the end of the wire through which 220 Volts are supplied.

I already tried this method more than ten years ago, and I came up with it myself (we didn’t have the Internet then). This method is now well described on the Internet.
I made a “burbulator” as described - it’s simpler, by winding several turns of each wire around the insulation with a small gap between windings.
The wire was of the PRPPM type - telecommunications, it is rigid polyethylene and fits well into the pipe.
At the entrance to the house in the basement, a shut-off plug valve with a filter is installed on a metal-plastic pipe. I removed the faucet, disconnecting the couplings on both sides and placed it in the open position next to the keys for emergency connection when the water thaws.
The hard PRPPM goes down the pipe very well. To make the wire slide better, wipe it with a cloth soaked in silicone.
The traffic jam, as I approximately expected, turned out to be twelve meters from the entrance to the house.

I connected the electricity and began to move the wire further every half hour. It didn't move very quickly. I walked three meters in 24 hours, and at night I also got up and moved forward.
In order not to oversleep the flow of water in the basement, I installed an alarm with an audible signal.
I measured the resistance of the “burbulyator” with a tester - in my water it shows 2-3 kilo-ohms. This is a lot and the power of the boiler is very small.
In the morning I made a galvanic boiler from strips from a children's iron construction set, tying the strips with threads through sticks and connecting them through terminal blocks, clamping the strips with steel wires from paper clips. This is almost like a popular razor using matches.
Things went much faster, and the resistance of the boiler in the water showed 150-200 Ohms.
During the day I walked another three meters, and by evening my progress became worse. I decided to leave the boiler on overnight because I was tired and went to bed.
This was the main mistake. When early in the morning I decided to check what was there - how everything had melted, I discovered that my wire was not going this way or that - it was frozen in the pipe in the thickness of the freezing plug in the place where I had already passed (the boiler heats only in one place - behind it everything is cooled due to the frozen soil).
Having thoroughly scratched my head and all other places, I decided to go through the plug using a polyethylene hose and hot water. Friends found a polyethylene hose with an outer diameter of about ten millimeters (I’m not the only one who has problems with water).
The hose had to be fed into the pipe along with the wire that was already there.
The first step was to decide that it was necessary to melt the wire and pull it out of the pipe so that it would not interfere with the progress of the hose.
I connected a bucket from a summer sink to the hose and began to feed boiling water by gravity to the plug. The displaced water flowed into a bucket at the end of the pipe. During the evening I spilled three buckets of hot water and walked about three meters. To prevent the water in the pipe from freezing overnight, I poured salt water into it.

The next day I decided to supply hot water under pressure. There is a way to use a washer reservoir with a pump from a car, but I decided to use a manual car pump.
By the way, it’s very convenient and quite fast. I took out the rod with the rubber piston, poured in water (about 0.7 liters comes in), then inserted the rod and pressed. In 10 seconds, under pressure, water flies into the hose.
In a couple of hours I pumped about 40 liters of water (heated on the stove), but after a couple of meters the hose refused to move at all. Moreover, in order to move the hose further along the pipe, you need to wait until it cools down and becomes hard.
All these procedures, along with work, household chores and other things, took almost a week and there was one weekend left and the last option.
I cut off a piece of metal-plastic pipe and, on a trial basis, carefully cut off part of the top layer of polyethylene with a shoemaker's knife, stripping it to half the diameter.

I examined the strength of the remaining two layers - the aluminum tube and the inner polyethylene. It seems to be more or less durable. If you apply a wire bandage and then wrap everything tightly with several layers of electrical tape, the pipe should be able to withstand its pressure.
The idea is to make a connection at both ends to the aluminum layer of a metal-plastic pipe, connect it in a water supply well using a wire of a decent cross-section (70 meters of AC-16 were available), and connect a welding inverter to the closed circuit (I have 10-160 Amperes).
Since the length of the pipe at the connections to the water fittings is already limited, the polyethylene stripping points must remain on the pipe at all times.
The electrical connection on the pipe must have a good cross-section, so I decided to apply four turns of stripped aluminum wire from the same AC-16 to the aluminum tube three times - it turns out 6 wires - it should withstand.

Another doubt was raised by the fact that the welding inverter automatically turns off during a short circuit - the protection is triggered, but maybe the circuit resistance is enough for it to work.
I did it on my day off electrical connection in the water well, unwound and connected the coil of wire, fed the wire through the window into the basement.
I made exactly the same connection in the basement and put it in place stopcock onto the pipe (the frozen PRPPM had to be left in the pipe until better times).
Connected one inverter welding lead to the jumper wire and set the inverter to 10 Amp.
I turned on the inverter, and after starting, I connected the electrode holder to the wire from the pipe. The inverter growled slightly, but did not turn off. I added current to half, then to full - it worked.
I control the temperature of the pipe and connection with my hand - you can’t melt polyethylene and aluminum.

After a minute, the hand on the pipe feels a slight warmth; the connection point is much warmer.
I reduce the current to ten Amperes and wait half a minute - the inverter is a household one and can overheat from continuous operation. Then again I give a high current for a minute. The warmth can already be felt confidently.
Thus, intermittently, without overheating the device and pipe, I work with the inverter for about ten minutes.
When I glance at the end of the pipe, I see that water has slowly begun to flow. Joy knows no bounds!
I connect all the water supply, open the faucet in the washbasin, heat it for another ten minutes, and the counter starts spinning quickly. Hurray - we won!
I touched the connecting wire and found that it got quite hot - it even burned. Outside, the wire melted into the snow along its entire length.
I ran the water for an hour and a half to dissolve the ice plaque with the flow. The water flowed well and in full force.
While it was freezing, I decided to leave a small stream overnight to prevent freezing. Consumption will, of course, increase, but what can you do?

This situation with water showed where and what on the farm needs to be slightly improved.
As they say, a big step forward is the result of a good kick from behind.

The results of the winter allowed us to draw conclusions for later life:
- To prevent freezing of the water supply system, it is necessary to insert a heating cable into the pipe in the summer along the entire length of the resulting plug.
- It’s a good idea to drill a well with a casing pipe (the neighbors have 14 meters to the level), install pumping station and make a connection to the system - it will be clean water for drinking and a reserve (or main) for everything else.

The following can be said about the use of defrosting methods:
- The “boiler” method is good and does not require much labor, just time and attention. If the plug is not very long (2-3 meters) and is located no further than 10 meters in a plastic and metal-plastic pipe without sharp corners, then defrosting the pipe is quite possible. This method cannot be used in metal pipes- possible short circuit. The length of the wire passage is limited by its rigidity. You can tie the wire to a steel wire - this will give rigidity and you can go much further. If the ice plaque is long, you cannot leave the wire in the pipe without movement for a long time - it will freeze.
- The method of supplying hot water to the place of the ice plug is effective, but also up to a certain length of entry. You can also bind flexible hose from the level to the steel wire or use a rigid polyethylene hose. It is better to supply water under pressure.
- You can supply heated steam from a steamer or a special device through a hose, but this is technically more difficult.
- You can also supply hot air through a hose, for example, connect a household hair dryer to a car compressor into the system.
- Application welding inverter(namely an inverter - with wide current regulation) is very effective for any length of ice plug (probably up to a hundred meters), but requires a long connecting wire of large cross-section and careful work with the pipe.

In winter, not only we ourselves freeze, but also our communications. And if it’s enough for a person to drink a cup of hot tea, wrap himself in a blanket and sit around, then with the pipes it will be more difficult. If the water or drains in them are frozen, then you will have to deal with utility services (and we all know that this is not always fast), or take the initiative into your own hands. Fortunately, people's ingenuity has come up with a lot of really working and effective ways to defrost water and sewer pipes without waiting for spring.

Why do pipes freeze?

No it's not rhetorical question. The reason often lies within ourselves. Yes, it is we, consciously or not, who violate the norms, and as a result, in the midst of a fierce winter, we get an unpleasant consequence in the form of an icy water supply or, even worse, a sewage system.

Pipes freeze for the following reasons:

insufficient depth. Ideally, pipes should be located below the soil freezing level, and in some regions this level is at a depth of 1.8-2 m, or even deeper. Utilities and private developers sometimes do not adhere to this rule, either due to incorrect calculations or in attempts to save money;
ineffective insulation. So that the pipes do not freeze in winter, and those parts of the pipes that pass through or brick walls, need double insulation, since these materials cool faster than soil;
It is better not to place pipes close to brick and concrete structures for the same reason. An exception is entry into the house;
low water consumption. In private unheated houses, you cannot leave water in the pipes; it is better to drain it before winter;
pipe diameter too small. The smaller the diameter, the faster the liquid freezes. It is not recommended to lay water pipes with a diameter of less than 50 mm underground;
even if the pipe laying depth is sufficient and they are well insulated, when extremely low temperatures, not typical for the region, freezing may occur. This is already an emergency situation.

If it so happens that the pipes are frozen and you will have to defrost them yourself, then first you will have to calculate the place where the water freezes. These can be outdoor areas or underground. Defrosting methods will vary.

No. 1. Defrosting the pipe using a hair dryer or blowtorch

If you're frozen outer part pipe that is within reach, then the problem is significantly simplified. It is enough just to expose the frozen area to external heating, and for this you can use:

If the pipe is metal, then you can also use the following heat sources:

The principle is the same in all cases. Heat is applied to the frozen area. If it’s a heating pad, then it’s applied; if it’s a cable, it’s used to wrap it around the pipe and plug it into the network; if it’s a burner or blowtorch, then the flame is directed into the pipe area, but with a hairdryer, everything is clear. An old blanket or thick cloth can be placed over the heating pad, heating cable, and thermal blanket to help retain heat.

It is important to open the water tap before starting work so that the thawed water can flow out of the pipe calmly. or is turned off for this time.

No. 2. Defrosting using boiling water and a rag

The method is also suitable if the pipes are in the building and accessible. Of course, you can simply water the pipes with hot water, having previously placed containers to collect water, but it is much more effective to first wrap the pipes with rags, and only then arrange for them “ hot shower" The rag will absorb water, heat up and cause the pipes to be constantly exposed to heat. If there is only a small amount of rags, then it will need to be periodically moved along the pipe section. Don't forget to place a container to catch any water that won't be absorbed.

No. 3. Defrosting a pipe with a welding machine

If the frozen area is located outside the house, then it will take more time and effort to defrost. The co method is considered one of the most effective, but it has a limitation - it Suitable for metal pipes only.

First, you will have to at least approximately determine the location of the formation of the ice plug. Then, on both sides, the water pipe is cleared of thermal insulation and polished to a metallic shine. Connect to these places electrical cable, connected to the secondary winding of the welding transformer.

Now all that remains is to set the minimum current on the device (about 180 A) and plug it into the network. will begin to heat up along the entire length of the connected section. Thawing occurs relatively quickly, but the duration of the entire process depends on the length of the pipe. At the same time, the water tap should also be kept open. Experts warn that the method has side effect– pipes after such treatment begin to rust faster.

It is very important to connect and disconnect cables to the pipe only when the welding machine is turned off. Otherwise, you can get an electric arc, which can damage both the pipe and your hands and eyes.

No. 4. Defrosting by supplying hot water through a hose

When the frozen area is in sight, it is enough to pour hot water directly on it. Through simple deductions, we can come to the conclusion that if the blockage is located far from the house, then it is necessary to somehow deliver hot water to the place of icing. Simply pouring hot water into the pipe is not very effective - you will have to get a little confused. This method applicable to, when you can’t just take and run a current through them, like through metal.

The procedure is as follows:

remove the shut-off valves;
prepare a rigid hose or pipe with a diameter smaller than the water supply. For example, for a pipe with a diameter of 25-32 mm, a diameter of 16 mm is suitable. This is if the section is completely straight. If there are turns and bends, then you will have to take a hose that can bend, but is also quite rigid. You can’t take a regular one - it may not withstand exposure to hot water and will soften, so pushing it through will be more difficult. You can take an oxygen hose or the hose that is usually used to connect gas cylinders. True, it can only be stretched 10-15 m from the input - it is too rigid and heavy. An alternative is to use a flexible hose with wire attached;
insert the prepared hose or metal-plastic pipe into the pipe until you hit the ice;
a container can be attached to the outer end of the hose from which hot water will be supplied. If you attach a faucet to it, it will be much more convenient. However, you can also pour hot water through a funnel, but this is not very convenient;
instead of simple hot oxen you can use salt solution– it freezes at a lower temperature, so the work will go faster;
melt water will flow out through the gap between the pipe or hose. Prepare a container for collecting it in advance;
as the ice plug melts, it will be possible to lower the metal-plastic pipe or hose deeper.

When the work is completed, all that remains is to assemble the pipeline and install shut-off valves. To prevent re-freezing, ensure constant movement of water through the pipeline, at least with low pressure. The heating cable can be lowered into a straight pipe.

Hydro level method

A variation of this method is the use of a construction hydraulic level required length. The method works if there are 2-3 bends in the pipe and the distance from the house to the frozen area is 20 m. A wire is tied to the end of the hydraulic level with electrical tape. Both need to be leveled a little in advance. There should be no wire sticking out from the end that will be immersed in the pipe. It is better to let it be 1 cm shorter than the hydraulic level.

The hydraulic level is pushed inside the pipe until it hits the ice. Hot water (or saline solution) can be supplied using an Esmarch mug, popularly known as an enema. When you hit the ice, you can start supplying water. To simplify, we give the pipe an enema. Melt water We collect it in a basin or bucket, and as it thaws, we move the hydraulic level.

The good thing about this method is that the hydraulic level tube is quite thin, so it fits well into the water pipe, and it can easily navigate turns. The average speed is 1 meter of ice per hour.

No. 5. Defrosting with a wire

The method is suitable for defrosting only plastic pipes water pipes located at a distance from the house. To work you should purchase:

two-core wire, the length and thickness depends on the pipe, but people with experience advise taking a thicker and stiffer wire;
socket plug;
a compressor and a hose will be needed if the pipeline is long enough, or if the ice plug is located far from the point of entry into the house. You can buy a fuel hose, it is inexpensive, and use a pump as a compressor, or use a car compressor.

Main, prepare the wire correctly. First, we remove the general insulation in an area of 8-10 cm and expose one of the wires. We carefully bend it in the opposite direction and make several turns (3-5 is enough) around the part that remains under the general insulation (it’s clear from the pictures below). The coils should be tight. The insulation is also removed from the second wire and wound below the turns of the first wire. The distance should be about 2-3 mm - the turns of the first and second wires should not touch. If you use pliers when creating turns, then first wrap the wire with something thick so as not to damage the insulation.

When the first end is ready, all that remains is to connect the plug from the second end. Here is our working tool, sometimes popularly called a “burbulyator”, ready. You shouldn’t try this method if you don’t understand much about electrics.

Action this method based on a simple physical phenomenon. When current passes through water, the latter heats up. Just what you need when you need to defrost pipes! It is important that the wire itself remains cold, only the water is heated, i.e. the likelihood of damaging the plastic pipe is minimized.

Use this method defrosting frozen pipes is only possible if all parts (incl. shut-off valves) are made of plastic. If there are steel fittings, a short circuit may occur.

You can check if our defrost is working using a jar of water. It is enough to lower one end of the wire there, plug the other into the socket, and you will see bubbles begin to appear in the water, all this will be accompanied by a hum. You shouldn't put your fingers in the water - you might get an electric shock.

Now all that remains is to lower the wire into the pipe until it hits the ice, but without unnecessary force. We plug it into the socket, carefully press the end of the wire against the ice and wait a couple of minutes, after which you can try to lower the wire a little more; it will seem to fall into the ice on its own. If the frozen area is large enough, then it is better to gradually pump out the melted water. You can do without this, but then it will take more time, because you will also have to heat up a sufficient amount of water. There is another threat - the ice that has already melted may begin to freeze while you melt its deeper layers. In general, it is better to use a pump or compressor.

No. 6. How to defrost a sewer pipe?

Let us note right away they freeze much less often than water pipes, and this is a solid reason for joy. The fact is that warm wastewater continuously moves through them, but if it suddenly happens that the sewer system is frozen, try one of the following methods:

If independent attempts to defrost water supply and sewerage pipes are unsuccessful, then you can only rely on specialists who use special steam generators. These devices resemble washing machines for a car, only steam is produced at the output, and its temperature and pressure can be adjusted depending on the material of the pipes and the length of the frozen section. This method is very fast and effective.

How to prevent pipes from freezing?

The answer to this question comes from the very first section of the article describing the reasons. In short, we must try to minimize possible risks, i.e.:

The only thing that cannot be predicted is record low temperatures in the region. If usually in winter the temperature does not drop below -15 0 C, and -25 0 C is considered almost a disaster, then it is quite logical to lay pipes to a depth of 80 cm (example - Stavropol). It’s hard to believe, but you still can’t completely discount the situation when the temperature drops to -35 0 C or even lower. And if previously we could only rely on nature, now we have at our disposal a heating cable that will prevent the pipes from freezing under any conditions, so for the purpose of being on the safe side, we can additionally use it.

Many people like winter for its beauty, fluffy snow and a wide range of entertainment, but there are also those who suffer from this amazing time of year, for example, those with frozen water pipes. Is this a tragedy or a minor problem? It's all up to you. If you were unable to ensure that the network was installed correctly, you will have to learn how to save it from the cold. So, how to defrost a HDPE pipe in the ground and return water to the house?

Causes of pipeline freezing

It has been wisely noted: it is better to prevent a problem than to solve it later. Therefore, if you are just carrying out communications, and do not want to deprive your house of water with the onset of winter, frantically looking for tips on how to defrost a pipe in the ground, it is better to install utility network wisely, taking into account the climate and relying on the advice of professionals.

So why do pipes in the ground freeze?

errors in the design and/or installation of the network;
shallow laying depth (the norm is below ground freezing, about 2 meters);
ignoring climate data (you may not assume that winter in your area is so low temperature);
insufficient water flow (the pipeline does not like downtime; if it is used occasionally, the system can be ruined);
lack of insulation or its poor quality.

Meanwhile, plastic pipes withstand frost better than their metal “brothers”

Determining the location of freezing

When faced with a problem, you will naturally look for information on how to defrost water in a pipe underground, but this is not enough - you still need to determine exactly where the structure is frozen in order to act precisely.

The underground location of communications does not allow for a visual inspection, so you will have to be content with the tactile method. What does it mean? The technology is simple: stop the water, remove any plug connection(the main thing is that it is located after the tap with which you shut off the pipeline). Insert into the hole plumbing cable(of course, you should choose the maximum length). As you insert it, measure the distance. When the cable hits the ice, you will know at what distance from the starting point the ice jam occurred. In principle, you don’t have to measure it, but simply attach the fragment of the cable that has passed into the structure to the ground, and thus calculate where the problem is.

Snow - natural insulation, which protects the water supply from freezing

Pipe heating technologies

So, how to defrost a plastic pipe underground? Homeowners accustomed to metal communications often pick up a welding machine. Alas, in the case of HDPE networks, it is not your help: plastic does not conduct current.

Breaking ice with steel wire is also not enough effective way. The best ally in such a situation is hot water. But there are a few more secrets on how to defrost a pipe underground. First things first.

The most effective heating technologies plastic communications- internal, external heating of a frozen place is ineffective.

Hardware ice crushing

The easiest, but also the most expensive way is to crush the ice using a powerful jet of water, which is supplied from a special device called a hydrodynamic machine. This unit is special, capable of accelerating water to such a speed that it can cut not only ice, but also harder materials. It’s a good “device,” but expensive, and it shouldn’t be given into the hands of non-professionals. Meanwhile, if you are an expert in the field of heating pipes, why not?!

What does the process look like in practice? Take a hydrodynamic machine. A flexible hose is connected to the pressure pipe of the unit, which is inserted into the frozen pipe. The device turns on, and in a matter of seconds it breaks the plug. That's it, water supply has been restored.

If you don’t have such a machine, or you don’t know how to use it, you can always find a master who is ready to do a block of work for you, for a fee, of course.

This is what a miracle unit looks like - a steam generator that can restore the water supply to your home

Warming up with a steam generator

This is also a fairly effective method - a meter-long ice plug can melt in a minute. However, keep in mind: in addition to the apparatus, you will need buckets, rags and working hands. The fact is that while the hose is removed, the “cured” pipe will turn into a fountain. That is why it is important to do everything correctly and promptly.

Worth paying attention! If you are unable to purchase factory model steam generator, then you can get a so-called “pressure cooker” or an autoclave. They, too, can defeat the ice, naturally, with proper management of the “devices.”

How to use a steam generator? It's quite simple, remember:

pour several liters of water into the container;
connect the heat-resistant sleeve to safety valve;
insert the hose into the system until the ice forms;
turn on the unit and wait for defrosting.

The wisest way to protect communications from frost is to lay the pipes deep enough and insulate the network

Method with a boiler

Why not turn ice into boiling water? Imagine, it's not difficult at all. The method is not only time-tested, but also budget-friendly.

For such heating you will need a wire (copper, two-core, with a cross-section of 0.5 mm). The length must correspond to the same pipe parameter. You also need the same amount of steel wire, but with a smaller diameter - 3 mm. You will also need tools, but simple ones - available in every home.

So, copper wires should be cleaned - about 60 mm (the second - 1 cm away from the cut), so that it is enough for several turns. Turns should be made on each wire separately - so that they do not touch, otherwise it will be harmful. short circuit can't be avoided. Now the wires need to be attached to the steel “brother” using insulating tape. Make sure that the structure does not shorten. Also wrap the ends to steel wire so that they do not interfere with pushing the homemade “boiler” into the frozen pipe.

Place the finished structure into the system and connect to the network. After a certain period of time, the pipe will warm up and simply “spit out” the ice plug. When this happens, the boiler must be turned off and the pipe closed. After cleaning and restoring the connection, the pipeline will work like clockwork.

Imagine, an ordinary Esmarch mug can save pipes from freezing: here is the technology for heating the network

Using a pear

This option, although cheap, is quite labor-intensive. If you like challenges and like to experiment and test new technologies, then let's get started.

For the technique you need to stock up on the following materials:

Esmarch's mug or the so-called “pear” (from any pharmacy);
steel wire (length - depending on the situation in accordance with the length of the pipe, diameter - several millimeters);
water level;
insulating tape.

Worth paying attention! Can't find the right length of water level? Make a “device” yourself by purchasing two levels and extending the tube using improvised means, for example, a regular fountain pen.

So, the tube from the level should be attached to the wire using electrical tape. If you doubt the reliability of the tape, you can use the appropriate size heat shrink tube. Then everything is simple: you fill the “pear” with hot water and use it to pour it into the system. The water flow rate may vary depending on how severely the pipe is frozen, as well as the diameter of the system itself. However, you should try to pour boiling water quickly, then the result will not take long to arrive. Yes, the process is labor-intensive, but it is less expensive (both in terms of strength and finances) than digging ditches and replacing the pipeline if it becomes completely unusable due to frost.

But the problem may lie in the distribution valve

Non-standard situations

If the cause of freezing pipes is improper design or installation of the system, then the situation may have to be resolved by other methods.

Let's look at the most common mistake - shallow laying of communications. If there is no snow and the frost is severe, you are guaranteed ice in the pipes. This situation (shallow laying of the network and lack of an insulating layer) is observed mainly in old estates, the owners of which are accustomed to winters that are snowier than now. Trouble, as a rule, happens to the section of the network from the distribution well to the residential building. Under such circumstances, work on heating communications should begin with a well - a node that distributes water to several neighboring houses. Sometimes the problem lies in the lid - don’t be surprised, because the product is made of cast iron, so it does not protect the taps and pipes located in the well from frost. The frozen contents of the water distribution unit will have to be warmed up. Professionals recommend doing this using a blowtorch, of course, carefully - so as not to damage rubber gaskets, otherwise the well will turn into a fountain. If you don’t have a blowtorch on your household, a hair dryer will do. Don't own either one or the other? Warm the unit with boiling water, and then insulate it (with a vapor barrier and mineral wool).

Have a cozy winter

And don’t forget to show your neighbors how to defrost HDPE pipes in the ground, because they, too, have probably helped you out with advice more than once.