With the onset of winter and low temperatures, many owners of private homes have to deal with the problem of freezing water pipes and sewer systems on the site. And although the problem is more common among owners of houses outside the city, the townspeople also face it.
The appearance of ice formations inside the pipes does not continue to continue to comfortably operate the engineering product and, as a result, may lead to its damage. In order to prevent freezing of the water supply system and sewer network and ensure their uninterrupted operation, it is important to take some preventive measures even before the onset of cold weather. If the first frosts have already come, then there will be only one way out - pipe defrosting. It can be carried out by several methods at once.
Why do pipes freeze?
The main reason for the freezing of pipes and the formation of ice inside them is gross violations during the design and installation of the system without preliminary calculation operations. To ensure proper functioning of the pipes and prevent them from freezing with the onset of cold weather, you can clearly follow the rules of SNiP, which describe in detail how to lay the pipeline into the soil. They say that:
- the laying depth of the pipeline should not be less than the depth of freezing of the soil in the place of residence;
- if the pipes are used irregularly in the winter, then all water must be eliminated from them;
- It is also important to take care of pipe insulation near the entrance to the house.
In addition to non-compliance with the installation rules, the sewage system may freeze from time to time due to the filling of the sewage pit or leakage of water due to a malfunction of the water supply system. Regular blockages that occur due to improper selection of the diameter of the pipe can also lead to the failure of the engineering installation.
Freezing of pipes under pressure can occur only when the temperature of the earth nearby is negative. In this case, it will not make sense to defrost the pipes without subsequent insulation, since after some time they will freeze again.
To prevent the formation of ice in the installation and pipes under conditions of constant freezing of the soil, you can use the electric heating system. The principle of operation of such a system lies in the use of a special cable for self-regulation, which fits along the entire length of the pipes or wraps around them.
Before you begin to deal with the cause of freezing of the system, it is important to defrost the sewer and water supply. It can be carried out by several methods.
Features of defrosting sewer pipes
When the pipe systems were not timely insulated, with a sharp drop in air temperature outside, the water remaining inside them may freeze, and then turn into ice. But even if this happened, one should not immediately panic: everything can still be fixed without even having to resort to the help of a master.
If pipes located at a shallow depth are frozen, and they can be easily reached, then you should use a simple hair dryer, which will help warm the surface to the desired temperature. It is much more difficult to defrost water pipes that are underground. Freezing at the input site can be punched if only to warm the walls of the house, but quite often the freezing area is a few centimeters from it.
To defrost heating pipes, experts recommend using a device such as a building hair dryer (if it is not in the household, you can use a simple home one), blowtorch, and electric heating.
There are a large number of methods. According to the reviews of the owners of private houses that carried out a similar procedure, when defrosting steel water pipes, the whole process is quite easy. To do this, welding is connected from two opposite sides of the system, which leads to thawing of the liquid inside the water supply in just 3-4 hours. The duration of the defrost process will directly depend on the length of the pipe. Recently, however, plastic pipes have often been built into the water supply system, which can withstand pressure not exceeding 10 atmospheres.
Although such structures are not damaged during freezing, it is forbidden to defrost plastic pipes with a welding machine. Also, for the purpose of punching a cork, it is not recommended to use an iron rod, otherwise the risk is simply high to spoil the water supply.
External heating
This is another way that owners of private houses recommend in their reviews in case of freezing pipes. With the heating method, it will be necessary to break the frozen soil, which is considered the most important drawback. But for cases when the frozen area has a small area, this method can be quite effective.
After the pit is dug up, the type of material of which the water supply consists is determined. To work with polymer structures, it is best to use heating devices that are powered by electricity and produce temperatures from 100 to 1000 degrees Celsius. In order to reduce the heat loss rate of the heater and to warm up the sewage section in a short time, the place of work should be covered with a layer of thermal insulation.
When defrosting sewer pipes made of metal material, the thawing process takes much less time. This is because in this case it is allowed to use an open flame source: a gas burner, firewood, a soldering iron and any other devices that are strictly prohibited for plastic.
Defrosting heating pipes from the inside
In order to warm up the system from the inside, experts in their reviews advise home-grown craftsmen to take into account some features. To begin with, it is important to remember that such systems most often have a large diameter, which helps to warm up outside and inside much faster. However, the amount of ice accumulated in them will be much larger, because it will require a large heat consumption by the apparatus for defrosting pipes.
When defrosting plastic installations, you can use a fairly simple device. To do this, take a board with rounded edges and install a heater in the form of the letter U. Only the heater loop should protrude beyond the built-in board. All other parts must not touch the wall of the heating equipment in any way.
After determining the thickness of the accumulated ice and the distance to it, a wire of the required length is attached to the end of the heating element, and the rest of the structure is fixed on a metal-plastic system. Next, the device will be pushed into the sewer.
To enter the finished structure into the pipe with a blockage of ice follows from the side of the receiver, into which the thawed water will flow. To begin with, the heater moves to the end to the place of work, and then connects to the power system. Moving the wire along the pipe forward as the tube thaws, the equipment is switched off from time to time.
Steel pipe device
The most effective and cost-effective method of removing ice from the pipe cavity, judging by the reviews, will be the use of an industrial device. However, to bring the result without damaging the property, it can only in the case of metal pipes. In order to defrost the plug, the terminals are fixed to the ends of the frozen pipe, through which current is subsequently supplied. As the pipe heats up, the ice begins to melt. One of such devices is the Dragon apparatus for defrosting pipes.
Defrosting time will directly depend on the length and diameter of the installation. For example, for pipes with a cross section of up to 6 centimeters and a length of 23 meters, you will have to spend about an hour working the device. If the diameter of the pipeline is greater than the set value, the run-up between the terminals is reduced. This applies to segments with measuring devices, and to sections of cutting. In this case, the presence of pressure inside the water supply system is checked without fail.
Along with generally accepted methods of defrosting a water supply system, some people use others that are less popular. All of them bring a good effect, but only on pipes with a small cross-section.
Pouring boiling water
A boiler for defrosting pipes is not as easy as it might seem at first. To get the result, you will have to make some efforts. To supply hot water to the ice accumulation area, you need to use a special flexible hose or cable to defrost the pipes. For example, if ice stagnation formed on a straight section of the system with a diameter of 25 to 30 millimeters, then you can use a special thin metal-plastic tube with a cross section of 16 millimeters.
In the process of thawing an ice formation, it is slowly pushed deep into the system until it completely breaks the cork. It is important to remember that in winding sections of the water supply, only a rigid hose can be used, since the pipe will not fit.
Also, experts do not advise using a watering hose for the purpose of defrosting: it is distinguished by its softness. It is best to use gas or oxygen hoses in this case. Inside the water supply, they can be pushed up to a distance of fifteen meters, but this will require considerable effort because of their heavy weight.
Enema or Esmarch's mug
Such an apparatus for defrosting pipes helps to eliminate ice accumulation when the pipeline is frozen at a great distance from the home, as well as if it has many bends and turns. In this case, craftsmen in their reviews advise using a special strong steel wire, hydraulic level and a simple enema (Esmarch's mug). All the items described are worth little, and they can be easily bought.
To begin with, the hydraulic level is combined with the wire using a simple electrical tape. The end of the wire is folded into a loop to make it stiffer. It is worth wrapping it in such a way that it does not stick out in different directions, and at the end the hydraulic level tube goes beyond the wire to a distance of one centimeter. The second end "connects" to Esmarch's cup. After that, a pipe with a wire is pushed into the water supply system until it abuts against a section with ice.
A device of this type is quite simple and quickly passes through all the bends of the pipe, reaching the desired section. After the hydraulic level reaches the desired place, heated water is fed into the tube from the enema over time. Under the outlet of the pipe, put a container for collecting water, into which it will drain. Over time, the ice blockage will thaw and the device can be further advanced.
It should be noted that this method is rather slow. The average speed of work reaches 1 meter per hour, that is, for a whole day of work, it is possible to thaw only 5-7 meters of pipe.
Use of electric current
Sometimes it happens that the thickness of the water supply does not exceed 20 millimeters, its length extends to 50 meters, and the depth of penetration is about 80 centimeters, which is very small, and in areas where excavation is prohibited (for example, on the highway). In this case, utilities are advised to wait until spring and the thaw - but in this situation this is not an option.
Defrost preparation
To defrost pipes made of plastic, you can use a homemade device. To design it, you need a plug for the outlet, a two-wire copper wire, a compressor and a hose for pumping liquid. For example, you can take a wire for defrosting pipes with a cross section of 2.5-3 mm, an automobile fuel 8 mm hose and a compressor for a car or a pump.
It should be noted that when working with electric current, it is important to strictly follow the safety rules to prevent negative consequences and possible injuries. Only after that it will be possible to proceed to the assembly of the device for defrosting the water supply system.
How to carry out the procedure?
On a small piece of wire, the outer insulation is removed, the cores are separated. First, one of the cores is cleaned from insulation, and the remaining insulated wire residue is carefully, being careful not to deform the sheath, bent to the other side along the wire. After almost at the bend, the wire is scrolled by 3-5 tight turns of bare wire. Stepping back from the place of 2-3 millimeters, they do the same actions with the second vein. It is important to ensure that the ends of the two cores do not touch each other.
On the other side of the wire, the plug and the "bulb" are fixed. Such a device delivers an electric current directly to the water, which leads to a reaction with the release of a huge amount of heat. The main advantage of this process is that only heating of the liquid occurs, while the wires remain at the same temperature, which prevents accidental burning of polyethylene pipes.
Before turning on the finished device, you should test it. To do this, it is lowered into a container with a liquid and a current is supplied - everything functions correctly if air bubbles in the water are visible and a slight buzz is heard. It is important to pay attention to the fact that it is forbidden to touch the water while the device is in operation, otherwise you may get an electric shock.
The wire is pushed deep into the pipes, making sure that it does not bend before it reaches the ice. After they turn on the device for several minutes and wait until the process of ice melting begins. After that, turn off the current and try to move the wire further. In this way, first one meter of water supply is defrosted.
Further, it is required to eliminate the thawed liquid from the pipe by means of a compressor in order to reduce the volume of heated water and prevent the pipes from freezing again. If there is a special device, a special faucet can be welded to the pipe, which can be closed as soon as water goes through the pipe. This will help prevent flooding of the area with an ice stopper and not pull the wire out of the pipe.