How to warm a frozen water pipe underground

If in winter in severe frost you open a water tap and the water does not flow, it means that the pipe is most likely frozen.

Why did this happen? This could happen for several reasons:

• the pipes were not deep enough, they lie at the level of freezing of the soil or higher;
• poor quality of insulation or its absence;
• the water supply is turned off, or a very low flow rate.

If the pipeline is installed at a shallow depth, and it is possible to access it, it is necessary to determine the freezing area and warm it.

How to determine the freezing point

1. First, inspect the pipeline at the entrance to the house. This is a likely problem spot.
2. We are looking for a site with thermal insulation - freezing can occur there due to damage to the insulation. Check the joints.
3. We examine the condition of the entire pipeline. If the material is plastic, then a fragment with an expanded diameter indicates the presence of an ice plug.
4. We check the pipe to the touch: the department with ice is colder, it can be covered with hoarfrost.
5. If it is not possible to conduct a visual inspection, turn off the tap, insert the plumbing cable into the pipe. Measure the length of the problem area.
6. A pipe of complex design with many twists? We disassemble it and insert the cable into an accessible place.
7. There may be several frozen sections.

Necessary tools and materials

Depending on the selected heating method, you can use suitable appliances and appliances.

Tools:

• building hair dryer or heat gun;
• torch or blowtorch;
• welding transformer;
• steam generator;
• small pump for diesel fuel;
• 12V power supply (from a screwdriver).

Materials:

• metal-plastic pipe;
• water tank;
• copper wire 2 * 1.5 mm
• a tube from the hydraulic level or a hose from a dropper up to 2 m long;
• heat insulating materials: fiberglass, basalt shells, polystyrene foam insulation;
• rags for wrapping pipes.

The main methods of heating pipes

It is important to choose the right way to remove ice congestion depending on how the pipeline is installed. If it is possible to free the water supply from the ground, and there is access to it, we defrost it from the outside.

How to heat a pipe outside

We heat the frozen section of the highway by any available means, observing the following rules:

• open the crane, which is located closest to the place of the ice jam;
• we work slowly, moving from the beginning of the cork to its end;
• we make sure that the pipe does not overheat during the defrosting process, otherwise a break may occur;
• the appearance of a few drops of water indicates the correctness of the action;
• after the water flows in a trickle, we stop heating. It is not necessary to completely melt the site; moving water eliminates the remaining ice.

Pipe heating with hot water

This is the easiest and most affordable way. Its disadvantage lies in the need to prepare large volumes of hot water, as well as in the continuous cleaning of dirty stains and puddles on the floor. How to warm.

1. We wrap the frozen area with rags.
2. Pour hot water; the degree of heating should be increased gradually.
3. This is a lengthy procedure, it will take 20-30 minutes of continuous exposure.

Exterior heating with a hairdryer, heat gun

This is a good way, provided that the farm has such devices.

1. We increase the air temperature gradually so as not to tear the structure;
2. We heat plastic pipes longer than metal ones; but do not overheat, otherwise they will melt.

Using a bonfire, blowtorch, or torch

This is a dangerous method, because we use open fire.

1. Asbestos cardboard should be placed under a heated place.
2. The process is slow and careful.

Thus, only metal pipes can be heated.

Use of heating cable

It is useful to have this device in the house and use it not only to defrost any pipes, but also to prevent freezing in severe frosts.

Using a welding transformer

With the passage of electric current, the metal heats up strongly, and the water in the pipe thaws. This method can take a lot of time, but without your direct involvement.

1. We connect the welding wire to the area with an ice plug.
2. We supply current for 30 seconds.
3. Turn off for 10 seconds.

Observe safety precautions:

• do not come closer to the warmed area closer than 3 m;
• Do not touch any metal surface of the system with your bare hands.

It can only be used for metal pipes.

How to heat a pipe inside

If the pipe is located underground, and there is no access to it, then in this case it is possible to cope with misfortune.

To solve the problem in this situation, use the following methods.

Hot water defrost

The most effective way to solve the problem is to fill in hot water:

1. We prepare containers for collecting waste water, which will flow out of the gap between the pipes.
2. We push a metal-plastic pipe with a diameter less than a water pipe into the problem area before the ice plug.
3. Pour hot water into the pipe using a funnel, or better, a pressure pump.
4. As the cork is thawed, push the thin tube further up to the ice cork.

Instead of a metal-plastic pipe, you can use a tube from a dropper or a hydraulic level, and make a device for pumping water yourself.

1. We use a pump for diesel fuel. As a power source, you can take the battery from a 12 V screwdriver
2. Will need table salt for brine, which prevents freezing of the outgoing wastewater.
3. We connect the tube from the dropper up to 2 m long to the pump, push the other end into the line until it contacts the ice plug.
4. We lower the pump into a container with hot brine, plug it into the network.
5. As the ice melts, push the tube further to the congestion.
6. If possible, the tank with salt water is constantly heated on a stove or with a heater.

Using a steam generator

1. Pour water into the reservoir of the steam generator
2. We attach a heat-resistant hose to the device.
3. The other end of the sleeve is inserted into the frozen pipe until it contacts the mash.
4. Turn on the device.

After 10-15 minutes, the ice will begin to thaw

Making and using a homemade heater

Can only be used for plastic pipes.

1. On a copper wire with two insulated conductors, each of which has a cross section of 1.5 mm, remove the outer winding at a distance of 10-15 cm.
2. We expose one wire, bend the other at an angle of 180 ⁰ and press it to the main cable.
3. We wind the bare wire onto the cable with the pressed wire to the place where the insulation ends. For better heating between the turns should be left spaces.
4. We also clean the other wire from the braid, step back 3 mm from the wound turns and also wrap the insulated core. Both wires should not touch each other.
5. Connect the plug to the other end of the cable.
6. The resulting device should be tested in a jar of water.
7. We insert the heater into the pipe until it touches the ice plug.
8. Plug in the power outlet.

As the ice melts, the heater is pushed deeper to the cork.

Preventative measures

So, we thawed the pipe. But what should be done that this trouble did not happen again?

1. If an ice plug formed at the outlet of the pipe from the house, insulate the hole, you may need to expand it.
2. Insulate exposed sections of the pipeline with insulating materials.
3. Use a self-regulating cable. In this case, it is enough to turn on the system several times a day for 15-20 minutes.
4. If there is severe frost outside, keep the water tap ajar. The flow of water will not allow her to freeze.
5. Purchase and install a backup generator in case of a power outage.
6. If you do not use water supply during the cold season, it is better to drain the water.

Freezing the pipeline in severe frosts in winter is a common problem faced by owners of private homes. The ways to resolve the situation described in the article will help to cope with the task on their own. In difficult cases, it is worth contacting specialists. They have a hydrodynamic machine, which much more quickly destroy the ice in the system.