Almost everyone knows how to defrost the water supply in the open air, but not everyone knows how to melt the ice in a pipe at a depth of 1 meter underground. There are a lot of inexpensive devices that can be made from improvised materials available in everyday life, and will be extremely effective in solving this problem. How they are fighting with the defrosting of plastic and iron pipes in our country and what is needed for this – we read further!
How to defrost the water supply – the methods and tools that we will need
We make water supply from polypropylene pipes – video
As you know, there are several types of pipes, the most popular today of which are plastic. Metal are used less often, as they are very prone to corrosion, and also have a large weight.
So, let’s consider several methods of defrosting these types of pipes and denote the tool that we need:
Esmarch method. For many years of struggle to defrost the pipes, “tactics” have improved and significantly simplified and reduced the design of a mechanism that will help save the house from homeless. For this method, we will need: Esmarch’s mug (in the folk language – an enema, preferably 1-2 liters), a hydraulicarian tube or its substitute similar in strength, as well as a bucket for collecting water.
Method of “boiling water”. This method of defrosting pipes is best suited for metal water pipelines or for plastic ones, in which there is water on the entire segment of the pipe. To do this, we need: 2 wires for 3-4 kW, a working outlet with a fuse, a fork, and a metal bar.
There are also other methods of struggle, such as a gasoline lamp (for external sections), hot antifreeze, ultra -volume and the like, but these 2 methods are characterized by increased efficiency and simplicity.
Water defront – work, nuances and tips
Video – water supply and sewage
Suppose that your water supply is frozen underground in the winter, as it often happens in our latitudes, so we immediately use the Esmarch method immediately. Pipe, whether it is metal or plastic, goes into a room where it does not freeze at positive temperatures – this is where we start work. We lower the plastic tube into the pipe before the start of water or to the frozen site and, by means of a “star” screwdriver, put the clamp on the hose, worn on the mug of Esmarch, we begin to wrap up the water pre-heated on the stove to +70-85º C. Since the temperature underground at a depth of 1 m is approximately 0º C, such water will cool for a very long time and quickly melt the problem area.
If you want to speed up the process of defrosting the pipe, then you can install another drain “bucket”, into which the already cooled water is poured and constantly pump boiling water. As practice shows, the ice will melt in just 2-3 minutes.
The second method is more “angry”: we take 2 wires, some ends of which are fastened to a long bar, the width of which should be much smaller than the diameter of the pipe, and other ends to the fork, and insert into the outlet. We will have the effect of a boiler. It is important to remember that such a boiler can only be lowered into the water (it can be added). Water heats up, melts the problem area, and the level of its water drops sharply (we will see it right away). After that, we immediately turn off our device so that the plastic pipe does not melt. Defrosting time – 1-2 minutes, if the frozen area is close to the surface. Remember that when defrosting with the help of a boiler, you must constantly lower and raise it so that it does not be in one place in the pipe for a long time – it can melt the wall.
Precautionary measures
The first method is more harmless, it is important to observe only the rules for working with boiling water, not look into the pipe and not approach a possible source of burn. It is better to work in kitchen gloves for a stove. With neat handling of tools, the danger is almost zero.
The second method is more dangerous and here you should adhere to the basic rules of conduct with electrical appliances. The boiling water should be connected only to the outlet, which has an automatic machine that turns off the electrician with minimum voltage fluctuations. It can only be lowered into the water, and contacts are best packed with a soldering iron.
When defrosting the water supply, you should not immediately resort to the expensive services of plumbers and specialists, just collect the tool that is in every house and devote several minutes of time, and your pipe will work again as before.