How to defrost a sewer pipe

In our country, there are severe frosts in the winter. It is on these days that communications at home can be in serious danger. If the sewers or plumbing pipes are not sufficiently insulated, they can simply freeze. In this case, about any comfortable accommodation and there can be no question. How to defrost a sewer pipe underground in a private house, and what methods exist for this? That's about it and will be discussed.

Which leads to freezing

Before we talk about how to defrost the pipes, it is worthwhile to talk about the main reasons for the freezing of drains in them. There may be several, let's call the main ones:

• Very often, sewage pipes are laid above the level of soil freezing. This fact is the most frequent cause of freezing of drains.
• Bad insulation. Even when laying the sewage system below the ground freezing level, it is desirable to warm it.
• Insufficient bias. If the pipes are laid without a bias towards the septic tank or cesspool, or it is insufficient, then the drains may stagnate and as a result simply freeze.
• Also, the resulting blockages lead to freezing of water. If drains begin to accumulate in one place, then they will surely freeze in case of large frosts.

That is why the installation of sewage must be taken very seriously. Proper installation of pipes (to the desired depth, with thermal insulation and the correct slope) will guarantee the absence of such troubles.

What you need to know before starting work

The defrosting of sewer pipes can be carried out in different ways. The choice of a method will depend on several factors. Namely:

• the material from which the pipes are made;
• cork size;
• removal of ice jam from the house.

Sewer pipes can be made of metal or plastic. The first option (which is not so common today) makes it possible to use the method of external heating. Plastic pipes can not be heated, at best, they will withstand temperatures up to 100 ° C.

The size and location of the ice plug can be determined using thick metal wire. It is introduced first from the side of the house, and then from the side of the sump or septic tank. Knowing the length of the entire communication and the penetration depth of the wire, one can easily calculate the place and size of the ice plug.

Defrosting methods

For metal sewer pipes, you can use a special apparatus for defrosting. The principle of its operation is quite simple. Terminals are attached to the edges of the pipe in which the ice blockage has formed. Then an electrical current is applied to them. As a result, the pipe heats up and the ice inside it melts. But such equipment is suitable only for metal pipes.

To defrost plastic, and any pipes, you can use another method. It is longer in time, but less expensive. To defrost you need to prepare the following devices and materials:

• Esmarkh mug (you can buy it at any pharmacy):
• hydro level;
• red-hot steel wire section of 2 mm;
• tank for collecting water.

The principle of this method is that the ice is heated by hot water. Esmarch's mug (or simply an enema) is connected at the hydro level, to which a piece of wire is attached with tape. Such a device is introduced into the pipe and hot water is supplied through a mug. Consumption of the latter will depend on the diameter of the pipe. As a rule, boiling water needs 5 liters for every 5–10 cm of ice jam.

При этом стоит учитывать то, что при подаче горячей воды она будет вытекать вместе с растопленным льдом. Поэтому если размораживание происходит со стороны дома, то нужно подготовить tank for collecting water. Если процедуру проводят со стороны выгребной ямы, то емкость не нужна.

Another way to defrost a plastic pipe is to use PETN. To do this, we construct a special device. On the board of the desired size set TEN. His bend should protrude beyond the front edge of the board, and the rest of it should be completely on it.

Knowing the location and size of the ice jam, we prepare the electrical cable of the desired length. Connecting it to the heater must be carefully insulated terminals. Then a metal or better metal-plastic pipe is attached to the board. She will play the role of the pusher.

This design is placed in a pipe. It is better to do this from the side of the sump or septic tank, so the thawing water will be where to drain. When moving the heating element it is disconnected, and the supply of electricity is carried out after installation of the structure to the right place.

Heater should not touch the walls of the pipe.

If the pipe is frozen near the toilet, then you can try to defrost the pipe, heating the water in this sanitary device with a heater or boiler.

In addition, metal pipes can be heated with a blowtorch. To do this, dig a trench at the place of laying the sewer. Then with a blowtorch, the tube heats up. In this case, you need to start from the side of the cesspool or septic tank, so the water will be much to go.

Video

In this video, the author showed how he defrosts the discharge of water in a private house with the help of a boiler: