How to thaw frozen plastic water pipes. How to quickly and correctly defrost a pipe with water underground? What to do if the water in the house is frozen

Plastic pipes in last years have become a very common material. Today they are used both when laying pipelines in apartments and when arranging risers and long highways.

Your popularity plastic pipes owe a considerable number of advantages, among which it is worth noting:

Good visual qualities;
Full resistance to corrosion;
Simple and enough quick installation;
Non-conductivity electric current.

Despite their good performance, plastic pipes can freeze just like any other. A pipeline that has stopped operating due to frost is always serious problem which needs to be resolved promptly. This article will discuss how to heat water in a plastic pipe.

Causes of freezing pipes

The main reason why water pipes located in the ground freeze is that the depth of the pipeline is too small. When installing pipes outdoors, you need to calculate their depth so that they are below the freezing level of the soil. If this condition is not met, then the pipes will freeze every year.

An exception to this rule is any main water supply large diameter: in such systems the movement of water is constant, so it cannot freeze. However, such pipes are usually used for laying industrial routes, and in private construction, pipes with a diameter of 20 to 32 mm are used, which must be laid at a greater depth.

In some cases, installing pipes at a sufficient depth is not possible. To avoid freezing, you will have to use active or passive insulation, which will protect the system from exposure to low temperatures.

If the pipeline freezes with noticeable regularity, then to prevent this factor it is worth leaving the system running even at night. Very important nuance– an increase in pressure in the system is inversely proportional to the probability of its freezing. The desire to save money, for the sake of which the pressure in the system is deliberately reduced, can also lead to its freezing, so you should avoid such situations.

Methods for heating pipes

If the water in a plastic pipe is frozen, you can warm it up in several ways:

Heating with heated water. To warm the pipes in this way, you must first wrap them with material such as foam rubber or rags. After this, the pipes must be regularly watered with water heated to boiling water. This method of heating pipes is very simple, but it can only be implemented in a building - plastic pipes located underground will have to be heated for at least ten hours.
Hot air heating. To warm the pipes using heated air, you will need a hair dryer or some other good heater. Warming up the pipe will take from 2 to 10 hours, and there are some risks: firstly, uncontrolled heating can lead to softening and deformation of the pipes, and secondly, the efficiency of such heating is too low due to the large dissipation of thermal energy. Read also: "".
Warming by conduction. The pipe is wrapped with cables that are used in warm floors. The cables are connected to the power and begin to warm the pipe, which can take about three hours. This heating method does not allow pipes laid underground to be brought into working condition. In addition, heating cables are quite expensive, so it is not profitable to buy them for one-time use.
Warming from the inside. Heating the pipe from the inside allows you to completely melt the ice plug formed in the pipe. The main requirement for this method there is good access to the pipe so that you can fill it hot water. Water is supplied either under pressure or using devices similar to a boiler. Such heating of pipes takes a lot of time (up to three days), and there is a limitation - internal heating is only suitable for horizontal sections of the pipeline.

Do-it-yourself heating of plastic pipes

If the pipe that needs to be heated is located underground, and the pipeline itself has turns or bends, then the methods described above for heating the structure will not help. In this case, it will not be possible to break through the ice plug with a wire, because the length of the frozen section of the pipe is unknown.

One of the methods suitable for solving such a problem is folk remedy: welding machine connects to the two ends of the pipe and starts. There is another effective way to heat pipes, which involves supplying hot water directly to an area where it cannot reach on its own.

Sequence of actions required to heat the pipe hot water, as follows:

First you need to take a high rigidity hose or metal-plastic pipe with a smaller diameter;
The hose or pipe is inserted into the frozen pipeline until it hits resistance in the form of an ice plug;
Hot water or strong brine is poured into the pipe;
Melting water will gradually flow out of the pipe, so you need to take care in advance of the container in which it will be collected;
When the ice plug dissolves, it is necessary to run running hot water to completely eliminate the effects of freezing.

Heating of metal-plastic pipes

Before heating a plastic pipe, you need to thoroughly study the algorithm for performing this work, which includes several stages:

The first step is to localize the frozen part of the pipeline. To do this, you need to thoroughly examine the pipes located right next to the house. As a rule, the problem area is located tactilely - it is usually much colder to the touch than the functioning part of the pipe.
After localizing the ice plug, the pipe is wrapped with a rag. Next, you need to open all the water taps, having a supply of hot water with you. If it is not there, you can melt the snow.
The pipe is watered with water in two stages: first the cold water flows, and after that the hot water flows. A gradual increase in water temperature is necessary to ensure that the pipe is not damaged due to sudden temperature changes.
Water that has changed from solid to liquid will come out through open water taps.

To prevent a defrosted pipe from freezing in the future, it is better to immediately take measures to insulate it - then in the future you will not have to think about how to warm up a pipe with water.

If water is frozen in plastic pipes located under a layer of soil or foundation, then to warm them you will need a barrel, a pump and an oxygen hose, using which you need to carry out the following steps:

The barrel is filled with hot water, the temperature of which constantly rises.
The hose is inserted into the pipeline exactly until it collides with the ice crust.
The tap opens and connects to a hose that must be inserted into the barrel. If the barrel itself or the possibility of installing it near the tap is not available, then an ordinary bucket will do.
The pump starts, after which the water heated in the barrel is pumped into the plastic pipeline. The hose must be constantly pushed inside the pipe so that it defrosts all the ice in the system. The pump is periodically turned off to drain excess water.
When the blockage has cleared, the hose is removed and the water is drained from the pipeline.

Heating a plastic pipe can be done in other ways. For example, you can always use a hydrodynamic machine for these purposes. Its hose is inserted into the pipe, after which the device starts up. In this case, the ice will break using pressure.

A safer option for plastic pipes is a steam generator, which removes ice by turning it into a gaseous state. A pressure gauge and a valve designed for a pressure of 3 atm are attached to the thick-walled pipe of the device. When working with a steam generator, you must strictly follow the instructions to avoid possible troubles.

Conclusion

Questions like “a pipe frozen underground - what to do?” quite common among private home owners. Solving a problem with a frozen pipeline is not so difficult, but the task itself is quite troublesome and time-consuming. It would be much better to design the pipeline in advance so that the water in it does not freeze even in the coldest times.

If water does not flow into your house, and the sewage system does not fulfill its direct “responsibilities”, and this happened when the thermometer dropped below the “-30” mark, most likely you have become a victim of severe frosts. Most likely, an ice plug has formed somewhere along the pipeline section, which should be eliminated. And now we will tell you how to do it correctly.

One of the biggest troubles that can happen when wintering in a private house is the lack of water. We are not talking about those cases when it is turned off due to non-payment or for preventive purposes, but about those when “yesterday it was in the tap, but today it is not.” If your home was suddenly “blocked” in the cold, it means that the pipes are frozen and need to be “reanimated” urgently. Usually, for this it is better to use the services of professionals or wait for warmer weather, but if you need to live in the house right now, you can try to defrost it yourself.

Why does water freeze in pipes?

An unpleasant surprise in the form of a sewer or water pipe tightly clogged with ice can await you in the following cases:

if they are laid underground at shallow depths. External wiring of water supply and drainage channels must be below the freezing point. Otherwise, do not be surprised when at -30-35ºC the liquid stops circulating;

the pipes are not insulated or the seal of the insulation is broken;

if the appropriate slope for the sewerage is not made at the rate of 20 mm for every 1 linear m. If laid carelessly, drains clog passages and freeze when cold weather sets in;

insufficient diameter of pipes of both types, in particular below 110 mm. Through narrow gutters, liquid flows more slowly, becomes viscous and crystallizes;

leaks and cracks in pipes arising due to temperature changes or due to the use of low-quality materials. At first, a few drops ooze through the crack, which freeze in the cold. Gradually, the “ice plug” expands and clogs or even breaks thin metal and plastic walls;

mistakes when using a septic tank. When a small amount of water is discharged into the sewer system in winter, both its remainder in the channels and part of the septic tank may freeze. Let’s say you have the following “composition” installed: a 10-15 m long channel with an inspection well, a septic tank made up of several reinforced concrete rings and a filter well is removed from the building. If the septic tank is not deep enough (for example, it is at a depth of 1 m), then first the drain into it, and then the “waste” inside, may freeze, clogging the outlet hole into the filter well. As a result, flushing water in the room will not work.

ON A NOTE! Most often, the cold “attacks” the metal and plastic elements of pipes at the joints, as well as where the pipes reach the surface.

The water in the pipe froze... but where?

Liquid may freeze in one or more areas or along the entire length of the structures at your disposal. It is quite possible to determine the scale of the disaster “by eye”, without special equipment. What to pay attention to first:

gently tap the pipe - where ice has formed, the sound will be dull, not ringing;

Remember that most often water stagnates in connections and fittings. Disassemble several of these problem sectors and check them for the presence of hard frozen lumps;

check for strong drafts in areas where communications are on the surface. Strong winds combined with frost can freeze the sluggish substance within a few hours;

if, as a result of inspection and heating of the external parts, water does not flow, it means that the worst has happened - the pipeline in the soil has been caught in ice. If this happens, immediately begin to “revive” it.

Options for warming up communications

Depending on the severity of the disaster, the material used to make the water supply and plumbing fixtures, the nature of their installation, and the required speed of “resuscitation,” there are several methods of heating pipes.

1. Fast and Bold Methods

If the matter is urgent, you can use express heating methods.

Use boiling water. This option is chosen in cases where the zone of stagnation of water is precisely defined and it is small. Wrap the open frozen “compartment” of the pipe with a rag or rag and pour hot water over it. Open the tap - this will speed up the melting of the ice, and the dampened rag will retain heat for a while and allow the plastic or metal to thaw. After defrosting is complete, “pack” the problem part in insulation to avoid re-freezing.

Advantages method: instant effect, minimum costs, suitable for pipes made of any materials.

Flaws: Not suitable for underground and hidden parts in walls.

Apply a hair dryer. You can use any powerful device that generates a flow warm air. To a greater extent, this technique is suitable for heating small areas, but it is possible to “process” fittings, turns and valves along the way. It is better to blow with the tap open - this will speed up the thawing. Blow the area from all sides, and then “wrap” it with a piece of old cloth or blanket and tie it to the surface of the pipe to avoid heat loss.

pros this method: “dry and work for half an hour”, use of available equipment, the ability to heat any area.

Minuses: the plastic case can be overheated and melted, it is impossible to heat communications in the ground and in the wall (in the latter case, you can try using heat gun, if there is one on the farm).

Use gas burner or blowtorch. This is the most radical action that allows you to quickly raise the temperature in the channel. Direct the flame to the problem areas and move it evenly from all sides until they thaw in the planned place. Why is it effective?: instant results, ease of execution. Why is it ineffective?: will do only For metal pipes in open spaces. Doing this indoors is dangerous and may cause a fire!

2. We act carefully and tastefully

This group of life hacks features a more gentle approach to plumbing and sewerage. However, they have all also proven to be effective.

Run hot water through the pipe. If the outbreak subzero temperature is not determined or it is “hidden” at depth, the easiest way is to run hot water through the system using a pump. Standard garden hoses are not suitable for this; it is better to purchase hoses for supplying oxygen or those used to connect to gas cylinders. If it is frozen somewhere near the sink or toilet drain, pour a hot solution into it. table salt at the rate of 1 kg of salt per 10 liters of water.

On straight sections just insert the hose into the outlet and organize the supply warm water. For curved parts, you need to make a more complex design. Attach a strong wire with a curved tip to the already mentioned elastic hose. The wire will help break up the ice jam and push the ice pieces through. Push them all the way in (to the “mini iceberg”), and then start dispensing hot water. You can also use an Esmarch pump or mug. The latest contraption is a type of medical enema that uses water heated to 40°C. In effect, you are doing a wash on your communications. Don't forget to install a bucket to collect the resulting liquid. Advantages method: you only need water and simple devices, environmentally friendly and safe way even for polypropylene pipes. Flaws: to walk one meter of frozen area it will take about 1-1.5 hours, and to melt a 5-10 cm layer of ice you will need up to 5-8 liters of boiling water.

Experience the hydrodynamic machine. This device is often brought with them by professionals from the relevant services to clear blockages and as a preventative measure. Compact but powerful hydraulic units pump liquid into the pipeline under high pressure and clean it. To operate, simply connect the unit to a source of water and electricity and follow the instructions. Why is it profitable?: reliable cleaning not only of ice, but also of blockages, the procedure does not take much time, and one person can handle the device. Why is it expensive?: high cost of equipment, dependence on electricity and water supply, as well as the likelihood of damaging pipes with high pressure.

Light a fire over a frozen net underground. This solution is suitable when you have neither water nor electricity, but you need to heat the pipes located at a depth of 1-1.5 m in the ground. Maintain the flame for several hours (at the same time you will warm yourself), then hide the coals under a slate “hut” and leave for 6-8 hours. In addition, by warming up the soil, you will be able to dig up the area and determine what is wrong with the system - maybe the pipes have burst. Positive: smooth heating of the earth and elements laid in it without affecting the collectors themselves. Negative: you need to accurately determine the freezing area, you will have to maintain the flame for a very long time and wait for the results.

Do not forget ! Any work with open flame is dangerous! You do them at your own peril and risk!

3. The situation is heating up - electricity comes to the rescue

Electricity is often used to defrost pipes. Advanced site owners do this using the techniques described below.

Heating using a step-down transformer. Take copper wire, remove the insulation from it and wrap it around a piece of frozen pipe. First remove the thermal insulation (if any) and any remaining paint from the pipe. Lead the ends of the wire to the secondary winding of the welding transformer and secure them to them ( The device must be turned off!). Install on the unit minimum value working current. By turning it on, you will melt any ice within a couple of hours, since the current high strength And low voltage will gradually warm up the body and eliminate ice blockages. Advantages: point impact on the frozen element and simplicity. Flaws: access to communications is required, you can only work with metal pipes, and you must have experience working with electrical devices.

Bare wires for plastic housings. Take a two-core cable with 2.5 mm cross-section (for example, an installation power cable), remove the outer insulation along a length of 8-10 cm and separate one vein from the other. Bend the “blue” core for now, strip it halfway and twist it in a spiral so that the core does not unwind (as shown in the figure below).

Strip the “red” conductor almost completely, bend it back and wrap it around the end of the cable, grabbing the insulation of the “blue” conductor. Pass the end wrapped with wires along the pipe to the first plug, and power the second end from the mains. A discharge will pass through the two resulting windings, which will heat the ice and melt it. As this happens, “drive” the wire, move it forward to the next “control point”, and melt water pump out using a pump. pros: only ice melts, water supply and sewerage elements, wires do not heat up, so the method can be used for plastic materials. Minuses: you should handle “homemade products” carefully so as not to get an electric shock and operate cables only on plastic pipes with similar fittings, taps and locks.

How to prevent pipes from freezing

And yet, it is better to ensure that your communications have enough heat and take care in advance of the safety of drains and water supply parts. You will have to complete the complex preventive measures and take care of some of them during the construction and installation of basic systems.

Lay pipes to a depth of at least 1.5-2 m and accurately determine the soil freezing points on the site in order to lay communications below these values. Remember that in Belarus frosts of -30°C can last almost a week and this is also vitally important to take into account during construction.

Use pipe insulation. The wiring protected from the cold does not freeze or burst. Can be purchased as insulation mineral wool, polystyrene foam, basalt compounds, polyethylene foam, etc.

Install additional protection along the entire length of the plumbing fixtures in the basement or ground floor. Concrete cools faster than the ground, so communications are hidden in a casing larger diameter, and the voids are sealed with polyurethane foam.

Use cable to insulate pipelines. This measure has two undeniable advantages: the system can lie shallow and the heating will be adjustable. The cable is wound around the pipe, and the level of its activity is monitored by sensors that respond to temperature environment. The only drawback of this type of insulation is the increased energy consumption.

Lay pipes of larger diameter made of polyethylene. They remain elastic, do not tear due to constant ice formation, and a strong flow of water prevents them from freezing.

For the waste subsystem, use chemicals and reagents that prevent it from freezing. They usually come in liquid or granule form. However, before purchasing, read the recommendations for use, since not all substances are suitable for plastic elements, for example.

Periodic freezing of a water supply or sewerage system is a phenomenon that sooner or later any owner of a private home encounters. It is much easier to prevent it at the construction stage than to fight ice later. However, with our advice, you can return your home “arteries” to their former mobility and be able to enjoy all the benefits of civilization. The main thing is to be careful, and best of all, entrust the work to professionals.

Text: Vladimir Marchenko

Photos used from the sites: abclocal.go.com, flickr.com, obustroeno.com, propertycasualty360.com, septikvdome.ru, teploizolyaciya-info.ru, tesisatturkiye.com, uniontool.ru

Instructions

The possibility of heating a water pipeline is largely related to the features of its design - in particular, the depth of installation. It is easier to heat the water supply in the house, since its owner usually knows exactly where the pipes run and in which places they are most sensitive to frost.

As a rule, the water supply freezes at open areas exposed to strong winds. This condition may be one of the keys to finding a section of water supply that needs to be heated. Usually, an ice plug forms first in the most problematic area: if it is melted in time, the water supply can be restored. The more time passes from the moment the water supply stops, the larger the section of the pipe will freeze, and the more difficult it will be to resume the water supply.

Locate the area where you think the water supply may have frozen. Clear the area of snow and build a fire there. Be prepared for the fact that it will take more than one hour to maintain the fire. The earth will warm up quite slowly, and the ice plug will melt just as slowly. The fact that your efforts are not in vain will be announced by the appearance of a thin stream of water from the tap. Open all the taps and let the water flow, this will help the ice plug melt.

In rural houses with autonomous water supply, can freeze sections of the water supply near a pump, well or borehole. As a rule, for the convenience of prevention - for example, to remove deep well pump, part of the water supply may not be covered with earth, but covered with light heat-insulating materials. In severe frost and wind, such protection may not be enough, and the pipe will freeze.

To heat the water supply in this case, you will need one or two kettles of boiling water. Remove insulation to gain access to frozen pipes. Place rags under them - for example, bags, any old unnecessary clothes, etc. After this, pour boiling water over the frozen pipes. After pouring out all the boiling water, wrap the pipes in wet hot rags, then cover them with thermal insulation. As a rule, this procedure is enough to melt the ice in the pipes.

If the centrifugal pump installed next to the well is caught in the frost, boiling water will also help you. Remove the thermal insulation and tuck rags under the pump where possible. Then start the pump body with the impeller (but not the electric motor!), the outlet pipe with a section of pipe, and the pipe that carries the water to the pump. These measures may be enough to get the water supply running again.

To prevent water pipes from freezing in severe frosts, you should not long time stop the water supply to the house. It’s better to get up one more time at night and turn on the water for a while than to find out in the morning with annoyance that the water supply is frozen.

Winter, frost and sun are not only a romantic mood and joy from snow-white surroundings. Frost can cause a lot of trouble in a private home - freezing of the water supply in country house happens too often to ignore this possibility. What can be done to save the water supply system? First of all, don’t get upset or panic – you can find a way out of any situation. When a water pipe freezes, the problem can be solved in several ways.

Looking for a problem area

Before solving the problem of a frozen water supply, you need to find the place where the freeze is occurring. Remember: only those pipes freeze that are either located above the freezing depth or are poorly insulated. And if we are talking about a private house, then most likely these problem areas well known to the owners.

Either the entire main line or some localized area may freeze - it is easy to determine if the flow of water has not stopped in part of the area (for example, there is water in a barn or garage, but not in the house).

Once the freezing location has been determined, you need to prepare it to fix the problem:

excavate a localized area of frozen water supply;
make deep holes-grooves when a large area freezes.

How to heat metal pipes?

Despite the widespread use of plastic pipes for water supply installations, many still prefer metal. To some extent, they are right - after all, even heating such a water supply is much easier than plastic:

metal is not afraid of open fire - you can light a fire under the chimney;
This material perfectly retains and distributes heat, so you can light a fire in one place and wait for it to thaw for a fairly long distance.

Note: When heating a metal pipe, avoid being exposed to the heat threaded connections– they will then need to be repackaged.

In addition to starting a fire near the frozen section of the pipe, you can try to defrost the pipeline using a hair dryer or blowtorch. These are not the most effective methods and can only be used when absolutely necessary. Be careful: precautions should be taken when using a blowtorch fire safety and use metal screens.

Electric current and frozen pipes

Metal is an excellent conductor of electricity, which can be used when the water supply freezes. You need to do the following:

excavate the site frozen water pipe;
take advantage welding transformer– connect it to the pipe;
apply electric current to the pipe.

When an electric current penetrates the metal, the latter becomes very hot, and the water in the pipe thaws. This method of thawing frozen water pipes made of metal pipes will take a lot of time - it will take several hours to thaw, but without your direct participation.

Heating cable against ice

The simplest and available method heating a frozen metal water pipe - use. They are sold in stores and are inexpensive, so they are available to everyone.

Assembling the heating cable is very easy - there are instructions for this. But it is worth remembering some nuances in using a heating cable:

There is no need to constantly turn on this device - it is enough to use it only at night and when severe frosts are forecast;
be sure to ensure that the heating cable does not completely “go” to the pipes - leave a small fragment for control;
the heating cable is capable of heating pipes up to 40 degrees;
This device can be used to defrost water pipes and prevent further freezing for both plastic and metal water pipes.

note: It is advisable to use heating drops immediately during pipeline installation. The main thing is to choose the right type of cable based on your goals (the cable can be simple or with a self-regulating system).

How to warm plastic pipes?

Traditional methods used to remove ice blockages in metal pipelines will not work on plastic pipes. You cannot light a fire near the pipe, use a welding machine, or try to insert a metal rod into the pipe (you will either not achieve any results at all or damage the pipeline). Only 2 methods are considered effective, which we will describe below.

Defrosting plastic pipes using a hair dryer

If the water supply is installed from plastic pipes, then under no circumstances should they be heated with an open fire - it is better to use construction hairdryer. In this case, you should not count on a quick result, because... Plastic conducts heat very poorly.

If such a tool is not available, then you will have to resort to the old-fashioned method: the frozen pipe is wrapped in rags and boiling water is poured on them. It is necessary to achieve continuous shedding/warming of the frozen section of the pipe for 20-30 minutes.

Please note: before you start heating plastic pipes, you must open the tap - even slightly thawed water will find a way out under pressure.

Pouring hot water into pipes

If you're frozen plastic water pipe, most effective way The solution to the problem is to pour hot water inside. It is necessary to find the junction of two pipe sections closest to the place of freezing, unscrew them and insert a hollow tube into the area of ice accumulation (a gas or oxygen hose will do). You need to supply hot water through it - it will act directly on the ice and quickly defrost it.

The ice has thawed a little, but there is still no water coming out of the tap? This means you need to move further - push the tube or try to direct a stream of boiling water into the middle of the ice plug.
After the water comes out of the tap, you can put the system back together. If the freezing area is located at the entrance to a house or garage, then you can insert a tube supplying boiling water into a section of the water supply that is located indoors.

Also for defrosting water pipes You can use Esmarch's mug. You will need a hydraulic level, steel wire with a diameter of 2-4 mm (we wrap it around the hydraulic level tube) and a medical device used for cleansing enemas (Esmarch's mug). The pipe defrosting diagram is shown below:

It will take a long time for the water supply to completely defrost: in an hour of work, you will free approximately 0.8 - 1.0 m of pipe from ice.

The ice has been removed - what to do next?

Whatever method you choose to defrost the water supply, you need to achieve the optimal result - get rid of ice. But even when this process is completed, you cannot relax - some repair work still needs to be done.

After the ice has disappeared and the water has flowed through the pipes, you need to drain about half a liter of water and turn off all the taps. Then, for 15-20 minutes, you will have to observe the sections of the excavated water supply pipes to see if water accumulates in the holes. If there is no such phenomenon, then the system remains intact even after its expansion by ice - you are lucky. If water is present, you will have to look for damage and replace the problem area.

How to insulate a water supply: preventive measures

You also need to take care to prevent the water supply from freezing again - winter is unlikely to end overnight. To do this you need to do the following:

remember which areas plumbing system most susceptible to freezing and dig them out;
wrap them with insulation or, in extreme cases, old rags - it doesn’t matter, the task is to insulate possibly problem areas;
You need to lay a heating cord in places of possible freezing - this is sold in stores;
try to ensure a constant, uninterrupted outflow of water, at least with minimal intensity.

note: if in a private house in winter period no one lives permanently, then drain the water from the entire system and turn off the taps.

Insulation of the water supply system must be carried out before winter arrives - this way it will be possible to avoid freezing of the pipes. To do this, you need to comply with the norms for the location of pipes in the ground - find out the depth of soil freezing in your region and redo it in the warm season existing system water supply, or lay a new one in accordance with all the rules.

What can and should be done to prevent water pipes from freezing in winter? Only specialists can give a competent answer to this question. It is worth listening to their advice:

Find the shut-off valve in the house in advance and report your finding to all adults living in the house.
If it is assumed from country house move out for the winter, then drain the water from the system, turn off the taps and collect all the hoses.
If all drainage systems on your site are located in a garage or shed, then the doors of these rooms should always be kept closed.
If there are unprotected water pipes, you need to block any possible access of cold air to them - for example, plug all the holes with rags.
It is not enough to insulate pipes in the ground; you need to take care of this in other places where the water supply runs - many people also have it in the attic.
In case of severe frosts, you need to lay a heating cable along the pipes - ideally, this should be done along the entire length of the water supply, but it will also be enough to protect the “weakest” areas.
IN winter time years when frosts are predicted, always keep the tap slightly open - let the water drain from the system slowly. If you see that the water has stopped flowing, this means that ice has appeared in the pipes - open the water more, it will force the ice that has already formed out of the pipes.

Insulated pipes must be returned to their original position after the end of winter:

first, you need to remove everything heating devices And thermal insulation materials– overheating of the water supply is also harmful to the system;
secondly, it is necessary to examine the condition of the water supply and drainage system - even with apparent prosperity, damage may be detected;
thirdly, it is advisable to reconstruct the system and eliminate the possibility of water pipes freezing next winter.

Insulating the water supply is a direct path to joy from frost and sun. But if you haven’t taken care of this process in advance, you will have to resort to one of the methods recommended above to defrost the water supply.