Why do pipes freeze? The reasons can be very different: pipes are laid at insufficient depth, insulated ineffectively, too small volumes of water are transported through them, pipes are operated at extremely low temperatures. It must be taken into account that if defrosting pipes laid in accessible places does not cause any particular difficulties (for example, they can be warmed up using a regular household hair dryer), then how to defrost the external underground installation? It’s “lucky” if the pipe is frozen at the entry point - in this case, you can simply heat the walls. What if the freezing point is a few meters from the structure? Is there a solution to the problem or should I wait for it to warm up? There is a solution to the problem!
If the pipes are metal, then the defrosting process is quite simple. To do this, take an ordinary welding machine and connect it to different ends of the pipe. So simple electric method eliminates the problem within two to four hours. The longer the frozen section of the pipe, the longer the defrosting will take.
But what to do if you're frozen plastic pipe? Currently, networks mainly use those made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which can withstand pressures of up to 10 atm. They are not subject to corrosion processes and are not destroyed when frozen. Due to its properties, polyethylene is not a conductor electric current, so defrost using welding machine impossible. Removing an ice plug using a steel rod is also fraught with danger and can damage the pipe. Thus, there is only one way out - to use hot water for defrosting.
The three proposed methods for defrosting polyethylene pipes are the “know-how” of folk craftsmen. However, despite their some eccentricity, they work. Their only drawback is that they are only suitable for small diameter pipelines.
Method 1
It should be borne in mind that the ice plug in the pipe will not allow hot water to get inside if it is poured in just like that. So we need to find a way to present hot water into the frozen zone. To do this, you can use a hose or pipe with a smaller diameter. For example, if you need to defrost water pipe with a diameter of 25 or 30 mm, and the frozen section is straight, then the most effective would be to use a metal-plastic pipe with a diameter of 16 mm. First we straighten metal-plastic pipe(m/p pipes are usually rolled into coils), and then we push it into the frozen pipe until it reaches the ice. After this, we supply the hottest water possible through it to the place of freezing. Thawed cold water will pour out along the gap between the water supply and metal-plastic pipes. By the way, if your water supply is limited, then you can use thawed water: heat it up and send it again to the place of freezing. In this case, the ice plug will melt, and you can push the metal-plastic pipe further.
But what to do if the frozen section of the water pipe has bends and turns? In this case, it will not be possible to use a rigid metal-plastic pipe. Is there a solution? In such a situation, you can use a rigid hose. Note that a regular watering hose is not suitable for this; it will soften from hot water and it will be impossible to push it through. Oxygen hoses and connection hoses proved to be effective in this situation. gas cylinders. Such hoses are quite rigid, but, nevertheless, they can be pushed no more than 10-15 meters from the input. In addition, they are quite heavy and you need to push them through the pipe with significant effort.
Method 2
How to defrost a water pipe if this happened tens of meters from the house and the pipeline has bends and turns? There is an effective and economical way. To do this, you will need a set of hardened steel wire (2-4 mm), a construction hydraulic level and an Esmarch mug (banal enema). The cost of such a set is low, and many people have all its components on their farm.
First, you need to align the hydraulic level tube and the wire, and then screw the end of the wire to the hydraulic level with electrical tape. To ensure greater hardness, a loop can be made at the end of the wire. The wire itself should not stick out, and the end of the hydraulic level tube should protrude 1 centimeter in front of the wire. After this, the other end of the hydraulic level must be connected to Esmarch’s mug and the wire and tube must be pushed into the pipeline until it stops at the ice plug. Due to the fact that the hydraulic level tube has very limited large diameter and very light weight, it easily moves along the pipeline, overcoming all turns. Next, add hot water, giving the frozen water pipe an “enema.” To collect thawed water, you need to place a container under the water pipe, because as much hot water is poured in, as much cold water is poured out. As the ice melts, we continue to push the wire with the hydraulic level tube. This method of defrosting pipes is quite lengthy; in about an hour you can defrost up to 1 m of pipeline, i.e. During a working day, 5-7 m of pipe can be de-iced. In this case, you should not rush; before pushing the tube/hose, you need to fill in at least 10 liters of hot water; it works at minimal cost.
Scheme of the process of defrosting a pipe using wire, a hydraulic level and an Esmarch mug
Method 3
Let's consider a situation where we have a frozen polyethylene water pipe of small diameter (20 mm) with a length of 50 m and a laying depth of up to 80 cm. Note that this is an insufficient depth of laying the water pipe, which is why it froze. Distinctive feature- the water supply runs under the roadway. Utility workers in similar situation, as a rule, it is advised to wait for the thaw, but, nevertheless, there is a way to do without them.
We will need the following “equipment”: a copper two-core wire (we select the length and thickness of the section according to the length and diameter frozen water pipe), plug for socket, compressor and hose for blowing out defrosted water. So, for example, for a pipe with a diameter of 20 mm, you can take a 2.5-3 mm wire and a car fuel hose with a diameter of 8 mm, a regular car compressor (in extreme cases, you can use a pump).
We warn you that when using this method you must be especially careful, since the work is performed using high voltage.
Now you need to prepare all this for the defrosting process. WITH small area wires, you need to remove the outer insulation, divide it into two wires and expose one of them (remove the internal insulation), carefully bend the remaining wire in the insulation in the opposite direction along the wire. In this case, care must be taken to ensure that the insulation is not damaged.
Then, almost next to the bend of the wire, you need to make 3-5 turns of bare wire (as close to each other as possible) and cut off its remaining end.
After this, step back 2-3 mm from the turns made, expose the second wire and wrap it around the wire in the same way. The turns of the first and second wires should not touch, otherwise a short circuit will occur in the future.
We connect a plug to the other end of the wire and the “unit” for defrosting the pipe is ready. This device is popularly known as a “bulbulator”: if you place it in water and connect it to an electrical outlet, then when a current passes through the water, a reaction occurs, releasing large quantity warmth. In our case, such a device is ideal, because only the water heats up, and the wires remain cold, i.e. a plastic pipe will not melt even by accident.
The assembled device must be checked. To do this, you need to place it in a jar of water and connect it to power. If air bubbles leave the contacts and a slight hum is felt, the unit is working. We remind you once again that if you come into contact with water while the device is working, you can get an electric shock.
Let's begin the process of defrosting the water supply. The wire must be carefully pushed into the pipe so that it does not bend. Therefore, it is preferable to use a wire with a larger cross-section. When the wire hits the ice plug, you need to turn on the “bulbulator” and wait one or two minutes. Now you can try to push the wire further: the ice has begun to melt. When about a meter of pipe has been thawed, it is advisable to blow out the thawed water using a compressor; this is necessary to reduce the volume of heated water and to prevent the water supply from freezing again in the already thawed area.
If you have special equipment, then it is advisable to weld a tap onto the pipe. When water flows through the pipe, the wire is pulled out of it and the tap is closed, i.e. flooding of the place where the defrosting procedure is carried out (for example, a basement) will not occur.
To prevent plastic pipes from freezing, remember:
If all these conditions are met when laying the water supply, you will not have to think about how to defrost the pipes.
Winter is a time of year that not only brings unforgettable and joyful experiences from New Year's Eve or skiing. Winter is a severe test, both for living beings and for all kinds of engineering systems, which are created by man to improve his life. Low temperature tests apply directly to the water supply. In cold weather, it happens that water pipes freeze. Therefore, knowledge of how to defrost pipes in winter and not be left without water during this time will be quite useful.
If you have not insulated your water pipes in a timely manner, a situation may occur when the water in the pipes freezes. If you paid attention in time to the occurrence of tap water force majeure, then this is not a reason to panic at all. There are many ways, including “folk” ones, to defrost a water pipe with your own hands.
For trivial reasons, water pipes freeze: incorrect pipe laying technology (for a given area, the freezing depth is not taken into account or the pipes are not insulated), as well as the lack of heating in the room. Also, the reasons for freezing of the system may be as follows: very small volumes of water are transported through the pipes, or the pipes are operated at very low temperatures.
It should be taken into account that defrosting pipes that are laid in accessible places does not cause any particular difficulties (for example, they just need to be warmed up using an ordinary household hair dryer), but some difficulties may arise with defrosting pipes when laid underground. It’s quite good if the pipes are frozen at the entry point, since you can simply heat up the walls. But often the freezing point is a few meters from the building.
The issue of defrosting pipes is solved using improvised means that are available in every home: blowtorch, electric heater, professional construction hair dryer(you can also use a hair dryer). But before you consider options for defrosting water pipes, you need to understand a few useful tips.
The defrosting process is quite simple if the pipes are metal. For this purpose, we take a regular welding machine and connect it to different ends of the pipe. This simple method eliminates this problem within 3 - 4 hours. The longer the frozen section of the pipe, the longer it takes to defrost. But today, mainly PE pipes are used in water supply networks, which are made of high-density polyethylene and can withstand pressures of up to 10 atmospheres.
They do not collapse when frozen and are not subject to corrosion processes. Due to its properties, polyethylene does not act as a conductor of electric current, and this means that it is impossible to carry out defrosting using a welding machine. Removing ice plugs with a steel rod is also fraught with danger and can damage the pipe.
Today there are a lot of defrosting methods, so the process of removing ice from sewer or water pipes is not very difficult.
External defrosting of pipes has a very important drawback - it is necessary to open the trench in which the sewerage system is laid. Digging the frozen soil itself (and this is what it is if ice has formed in the pipe), it is clear that this is not the most pleasant task. But still, if the size of the cork is not particularly large, then this method may be worth using.
After you have opened the trench, you need to look at the material from which the pipe is made. There is a difference in how to defrost polyethylene or metal pipes. In the first case, you need to use the following electric heaters so that the temperature is not very high - up to 100-110 degrees. With all this, it also makes sense to cover the additionally excavated area with a decent layer of thermal insulation during the heating process, so back side The device will not heat the street, and the pipes will warm up faster.
For metal pipes, we apply the method of using open fire using equipment such as gas burners, blowtorches, firewood, as well as any flame sources with a long burning time. From such influences, the plastic may simply melt.
Defrosting sewer pipes, compared to water pipes, has certain nuances. On the one hand, the large diameter of such pipes provides significant advantages for internal heating. On the other hand, these pipes provide a fairly large volume of accumulated ice with frozen soil, and therefore large area contact, which will lead to increased heat transfer from both external and internal heaters.
Before you defrost plastic pipes from the inside, you need to make a little complex device: attach a U-shaped heating element to a board with rounded edges. At the same time, it is required that the bend protrudes beyond the front edge of the board; other parts of the heating element should not protrude beyond it, so that there is no contact with the walls of the heater pipe.
Since its dimensions and distance to the plug are known, for defrosting plastic pipes It is also necessary to attach a wire of the appropriate length to the contacts of the heating element, and attach a small piece of metal-plastic pipe to the board itself, which will serve as a pusher.
The entire structure is inserted from the side of the wastewater receivers, because the slope of the sewerage system is made precisely in in this direction, there will simply be nowhere for the melted water to flow from above. In this case, the heating element is turned on in the network only after it is placed inside the pipe, and with each movement as the plugs melt, it is accordingly turned off.
The most effective means Removing ice from water pipes is an industrial device for defrosting pipes. But such a device is intended only for metal pipes; this technique does not apply to plastic pipes. The operating principle of the device is quite simple and understandable. Terminals are attached to the edges of the required section of the pipe that needs to be defrosted, and then current is supplied. After this, the pipe heats up and begins to thaw the frozen area.
When using an apparatus for defrosting metal pipes, the following data should be analyzed: a pipe up to 23 meters long and with a diameter of up to 6 centimeters defrosts in up to 60 minutes. With a larger pipe diameter, it is necessary to install terminals at a shorter length, especially in the area of various tie-ins and measuring instruments. When defrosting water pipes or sewer pipes, it is necessary that there is water pressure in the system.
In addition to traditional methods of heating pipes, we can offer you three defrosting methods for polyethylene pipes, which are the “know-how” of our craftsmen. Regardless of some eccentricity, they still work. Their only drawback is that they are only suitable for pipelines that have a small diameter.
When using this method, it is necessary to take into account that the ice plug will not allow hot water to get inside if you just pour it in. This means it is necessary to find a way to supply hot water to the frozen zone. You can defrost a pipe by using a pipe or hose with a smaller diameter. For example, if it is necessary to defrost a water pipe with a diameter of 25 or 30 millimeters, and the frozen section is straight, then the use of metal-plastic pipes with a diameter of 16 millimeters will be more effective.
To begin with, we straighten the metal-plastic pipe, and then push it into the frozen pipe until it touches the ice. After this, we supply hot water through the pipe to the freezing point. Thawed water will pour out through the gap between the metal-plastic pipe and the water pipe. If your water supply is limited, then you can use the thawed water in a second circle, that is, heat it up and again direct it to the place of freezing.
At the same time, the ice plug will melt, and it will be possible to continue manual defrosting of the pipe and push the small metal-plastic pipe further. But if the section of the pipe that is frozen has turns and bends, it will not be possible to use a rigid metal-plastic pipe in this case. But you can take a hard hose.
It should be noted that an ordinary watering hose is not suitable for this; it will simply soften from hot water and will be impossible to push through. In such a situation, hoses for connecting a gas cylinder and oxygen hoses turned out to be effective. These hoses are quite rigid, but you can still push them no more than 15 meters from the input. In addition, such hoses are quite heavy and must be pushed through the pipe with great effort.
Now it’s worth figuring out how to defrost a pipe if ice has accumulated tens of meters from your home, and the pipeline itself has turns and bends. Still, there is an economical and effective method: for such purposes you will need a set of a construction hydraulic level, an Esmarch mug (banal enema) and hardened steel wire. This set is inexpensive, and households have many of its components.
First you need to align the wire and the hydraulic level tube, and then screw the end of the wire to the hydraulic level with electrical tape. In order to provide greater hardness at the end of the wire, it is necessary to make a loop. The wire itself should not stick out, and the end of the hydraulic level tube should protrude one centimeter in front of the wire. The other end of the hydraulic level must then be connected to Esmarch’s mug, and then the wire and tube must be pushed into the water supply until it stops.
Due to the fact that the hydraulic level tube has a small diameter and light weight, it moves quite easily through the pipeline, while overcoming all turns quite easily. After this, add hot water, giving an “enema” to the frozen water supply. It is necessary to place a container under the water pipe to collect the thawed water, because as much hot water is poured in, the same amount of cold water will be poured out.
Then we push the wire with the hydraulic level tube gradually as the ice melts. This method of defrosting pipes is very long, that is, you can only defrost up to one meter of pipeline in an hour. This means that during working hours you can defrost 5-7 meters of pipe from ice.
Consider the following situation, when you have a frozen polyethylene water supply system 50 meters long, with a diameter of 20 millimeters, and a laying depth of up to 80 centimeters. It should be noted that this depth for laying a water supply system is insufficient, which is why the water supply system froze. Another distinctive feature is that the water supply is located under the roadway. In this case, utility workers usually advise waiting until the thaw sets in, but there is still a way when you can do without it.
You will need the following equipment: a plug for the socket, a two-core copper wire (we select the thickness and length of the cross-section according to the diameter and length of the frozen water supply), a hose and a compressor for pumping out thawed water. Let's say, for a pipe with a diameter of 20 millimeters, you can take a wire of 2.5-3 millimeters and a car fuel hose with a diameter of 8 millimeters, as well as a regular car compressor (you can, in extreme cases, use a pump).
We warn you that when using this method of self-defrosting pipes, you need to be extremely careful, because the work is performed using high voltage. Now we need to prepare all this for thawing of the pipes. It is necessary to remove the outer insulation from a small section of the wire, divide it into two wires, remove the insulation from one of them, and carefully bend the remaining wire in the insulation in the opposite direction along the water supply. In this case, care must be taken to ensure that the insulation is not damaged.
Next, almost near the bend of the wire, you should make 3-5 turns of bare wire (as close to each other as possible) and cut off its remaining end. After this, you need to retreat 2-3 millimeters from the made turns, then expose the second wire and wrap it around the wire in the same way. The turns of the first and second wires should not touch.
And to the other end of the wire we connect the “unit” and the plug (such a device is popularly called a “bulbulator”). If you place it in water and connect it to the electrical network, then when current passes through the water, a corresponding reaction occurs, in which a large release of heat occurs. Such a device is ideal in this case, because only the water is heated, and the wires themselves remain cold, that is, the plastic pipes are not even accidentally scorched.
This assembled device must be checked. For this purpose, it is recommended to place the device in a jar of water and connect it to the power supply. If a slight hum is felt and bubbles leave the contacts, then the unit is working. We remind you once again: while the device is working, contact with water may cause an electric shock.
We continue to defrost the pipe ourselves. The wire must be pushed carefully into the pipe so that it does not bend. Therefore, it is necessary to take a wire of a larger cross-section. When the wire hits the ice plug, you need to turn on the “bulbulator” and wait one or two minutes. After this, you need to try to push the wire further, because the ice has begun to melt.
When about a meter of pipe is thawed, the melted water must be blown out using a compressor; this is necessary to reduce the volume of heated water and to prevent the water supply from freezing again in already thawed areas. If you have special equipment, it is advisable to weld a tap onto the pipe. When water flows through the pipe, do not pull out the wire from it, but close the tap, this way the place where the defrosting procedure is being carried out will not flood.
You have already figured out how to deal with ice in water pipes. But you can prevent this if you try. To prevent plastic pipes from freezing, you must remember:
Thus, in winter time Owners of private houses often encounter water in their water supply freezing. In this situation, the main thing is to react in time and take the necessary measures. To defrost a water pipe, you can use traditional defrosting methods using a special pipe defrosting machine and using internal and external heating. Also, along with this, there are effective alternative ways, verified folk craftsmen on practice.
Metal-plastic pipes that are located in the attic or basement, with high probability may freeze at 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.
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.
There are several other rarely used methods. The reason for its rarity is the lack of necessary equipment.
Russia is located in a harsh climatic region, so in winter and early spring there is a risk of the water supply and sewerage system defrosting. This is especially true for owners of private houses, because... often systems are laid without carrying out necessary calculations and measures for insulation and frost protection. In this article we will talk about how to protect pipes from freezing and what to do if the problem cannot be prevented.
If the temperature outside the window drops to zero, that is, to the freezing temperature of water, this does not mean that the water supply will freeze. Not everyone knows, but in winter the water in the pipe freezes at a temperature of -7 degrees. When water pipes freeze, they burst because... When transitioning from a liquid to a solid state, the volume of water increases. This doesn't happen often, but it does happen, especially in metal systems that don't have the ability to stretch.
To prevent water from freezing in pipes and protect them from damage, it is necessary to take care of the heating system in advance or carry out a set of measures to insulate the pipeline.
Some measures to protect the pipeline in winter period, should be carried out at the stage of laying communications during the construction of a house. What needs to be done to reliable protection pipes from the cold during installation:
Thermal insulation using a heating cable - reliable way solve the problem of icing even in the most extreme cold.
In private temporary residences, for example country houses, water supply is rarely laid underground and is used mainly in the summer.
To prevent freezing of a structure located above the ground, in winter it is necessary to completely drain the water from it after each use. The second option to avoid defrosting the pipe outside is to leave the tap slightly open so that the water moves. The water in the source (well, borehole) has a temperature of about +5 degrees. As it moves, it gives off some of the heat for heating, so freezing of pipes in such a situation can only occur when severe frost, from -15.
If an open water supply system is frozen, it is not difficult to defrost the pipe, because... there is access to it.
Advice: you need to start heating the water supply immediately after freezing is detected, otherwise the situation only gets worse with each passing hour, especially if the insulation is of poor quality or is completely absent.
To heat frozen plastic lines you will need heating cable. It is extremely simple to use, just wrap the water pipe around it and connect the cable to the power source. This option requires additional costs for purchasing a cable. Plastic pipes can be cast hot water, but this option is only effective when small areas freezing, or in mild frosts.
Metal pipes can be heated using an open fire. Portable will do gas-burner, blowtorch or small diesel gun designed for heating unheated premises. You can combine heating using a burner with the method of crushing ice. Using a burner you can heat all metal system, excluding taps. The taps have rubber (plastic) valves, which can deteriorate if the temperature rises sharply and the tap will have to be replaced.
Important: it is forbidden to warm frozen plastic pipes with open fire, because they may melt or even catch fire.
To warm up the tap, it is not necessary to heat it with a burner; just wrap it in a rag and pour boiling water over it. If the tap does not come off after the first time, the operation can be repeated.
To defrost an open one, you can use a hair dryer. It is quite powerful, heats up well and is not capable of melting the material.
Defrosting water in a plastic pipe hidden underground is much more difficult due to the fact that there is no access to it. Heating options that are used for open water pipes are not suitable.
You can quickly defrost a water supply pipe only by heating it from the inside. There are several ways to do this.
Depending on the situation, the availability of tools and other circumstances, various devices can be used for each method. For example, in order to pour hot water, you can use a thin hose that will go inside the water supply, or you can simply pour hot water from a pear.
To defrost HDPE pipes in the ground, you can use a system cable heating, but only if it was installed at the stage of laying the water supply system. If cable heating elements are not installed, then this method is too labor-intensive and not always possible.
Now let's look at heating options that can be used if an HDPE pipe located underground is frozen.
Based on the name, you can understand that the steam generator is designed to produce steam. It sounds complicated, but in reality everything is much simpler. But not everyone has a steam generator. At home, in the country, you can use a pressure cooker instead. Defrosting a pipe with a pressure cooker is no more difficult than pouring hot water on it. To carry out the work you will need:
The process itself is similar to draining a water pipe with hot water, only steam is used instead. Water is poured into the pressure cooker and heated to a boil. One end of the hose is hermetically connected to the valve to release excess steam in the lid of the pressure cooker, the other is inserted into the line. Thus, steam from the pressure cooker enters the hose and then into the pipeline to the freezing point. The temperature of steam is higher than the temperature of hot water, so using a pressure cooker gives a greater effect and allows you to heat faster.
Another option to replace the steam generator is to use a Karher steam cleaner. The power of the steam cleaner is enough to cope with defrosting.
If the underground water supply is made of iron or copper, then you can use it to defrost it. special device— apparatus for defrosting pipes. You can find out which device model to use for a specific pipe diameter by reading the device manufacturer’s instructions. The most popular devices in Russia are “Dragon” and their analogues.
The essence of the method is that the power cables of the device are connected to the main line and voltage is applied to them, due to which the walls of the pipe heat up and the ice jam thaws. This method can be combined with crushing method.
Its essence is to tap the metal line in order to cause the ice to peel off from the inner walls or cause its destruction. Crushed pieces of ice may come out under the pressure of water in the system. Using this method, you need to take care of the unhindered passage of pieces of ice along the entire length of the water supply. This means that the outlet valve, tees and other structural elements with a smaller diameter must be dismantled.
Everything seems simple, but in reality it doesn’t always work out, because... The device has limitations on the distance for connecting electrodes. If connecting an electrode from the outlet side of the water pipe is not a problem, then installing a second one at a certain distance from the first is not always possible, due to the fact that the system is closed and the water has frozen in the pipe underground. Sometimes such nuances make it impossible to use the device to heat a closed water supply system.
At one end of a rigid two-core wire, several centimeters of wires are exposed and wrapped around the wire in such a way that the exposed contacts do not touch each other, and the distance between them does not exceed 1.5-2 cm. A plug is installed on the other end of the wire for connecting to a household outlet . Next, the structure is pushed inside the pipeline and connected to network 220. By passing current, the water between the contacts of the wire heats up, and the water supply gradually thaws.
Important: the method is suitable for use in closed system made of plastic pipes, used in metal structures strictly prohibited, because the pipe wall contacts are closed.
If the length of the frozen water supply is short, it is convenient to pour hot water from a bucket or a rubber medical heating pad, often called an Esmarch mug. This is a simple method that requires a minimum of auxiliary devices. It is often used for self-elimination icing of pipes in the country. For heating, you will need a piece of thin hose no less than the length of the frozen main and a funnel for easy filling of the hose with hot water.
The hose is inserted into the water pipe until it stops, that is, to the point of freezing. Next, hot water is poured into the hose. Hot water, passing through the hose, goes directly to the freezing point and gradually melts the ice. As it melts, it is necessary to move the hose inside the water supply and add hot water, because... it will gradually go away and cool down.
A sewer system that is made with wrong slope, or from small-diameter pipes and laid without insulation, is at risk of defrosting. You can warm up a drain pipe in a private house, in the event of an ice jam, using the same methods that are used to defrost hidden water pipes.
Important: to remove ice, it is not enough to pour hot water into the toilet, because... this is ineffective; it is necessary to organize a supply of hot water directly to the place of the ice plug, which means you need to use a hose.
If the sewerage system is long enough, then to deliver the hose to the freezing point, it can be tied to a plumbing cable.
There are several nuances when defrosting.
You can defrost metal water pipes that are located underground using the same methods that are used when you need to warm up a HDPE pipe in the ground. If there is access to the pipe every 10 meters, for example, wells are installed, then heating can be effectively carried out using a pipe defrosting apparatus.
Ice in a pipe underground begins to form at minus 5 degrees, which happens closer to spring, so during this period you need to be extremely careful, especially if the underground metal pipes are new and are wintering for the first time.
Similar to metal ones, plastic pipes defrost at temperatures from -5, but warm them up with all accessible ways it is forbidden. For example, it is prohibited to warm frozen plastic pipes using open fire. 
Plastic is a flammable material and can catch fire in a few minutes. Also, for plastic communications, the method of crushing and heating using a device is not used. The device will not work because polypropylene pipe does not conduct electricity. At low temperatures, some types of plastic lose their flexibility.
If you hit the frozen plastic system hammer or other percussion instrument, the walls may not hold up and burst. As a result, part of the water supply will have to be replaced. Metal-plastic pipes burst even more easily, so crushing does not apply to them either.
In conclusion of the article, I would like to note that in order to avoid problems with sewerage and water supply systems, you do not need to neglect the requirements regulatory documents, for example SNiP SNiP 2.04.01-85*. If freezing could not be avoided, then after restoring the system’s functionality, it is necessary to analyze the causes that can be eliminated in warm time of the year. Otherwise, the situation will repeat itself. It is not always possible to get away with just thawing the water supply, because... the integrity may be compromised and the system will have to be changed in the winter, or a temporary main will be laid, which will require additional investments.
On video original way defrosting pipes with hot water from flow heater"Atmor":
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 entire month 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 cabin 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 shoveled out 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
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. Removed the tap, disconnecting the couplings on both sides and open position placed 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 designer, tying the strips with threads through sticks and connecting through the terminal blocks, clamping the strips with steel wires from paper clips. These are almost like nationwide razors through 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 day off and the last option left.
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 put four turns of stripped aluminum wire from the same AC-16 on the aluminum tube three times - that’s 6 wires - it should hold up. 
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 resistance of the circuit 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, put the shut-off valve on the pipe in place (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 casing pipe(neighbors have 14 meters to the level), install a pumping station and make a connection to the system - it will be pure 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. At long length ice plaque, 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 tie a flexible hose from the level to a 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.
- Can also be supplied via hose hot air, for example, connect a household hair dryer - a car compressor into a 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.
