One of the problems that you may face in winter is the freezing of the water meter or the built-in pipe. In this article, we will try to explain the methods of preventing the pipes from freezing and the methods of de-icing.
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Prevent pipe freezing
To prevent pipe bursting, we must consider methods.
Insulation of exposed pipes that are located in the yard or on the terrace using glass wool that is wrapped around the pipes.
Some people leave the water open a little to prevent the pipes from freezing, which has no other result than wasting water and increasing costs.
When piping the building, use polymer pipes that are less likely to rot.
Insulation of pipes to prevent freezing of water pipes
In order to avoid the freezing of water pipes in the winter and cold season, we suggest you to try the pipe insulation method. If you have the time and ability to do this yourself, you can perform the insulation of the pipes with the help of the instructions given in this article, otherwise, you can open the pipes with the nearest branch of the pipe opening of your place of residence, including Call west of Tehran.
For this, you need some glass wool to insulate the hot and cold water pipes. It goes without saying that glass wool is one of the oldest types of cold and thermal insulation, and one of the advantages of using it is that it has high resistance to heat and fire, and if it is exposed to fire, it will lead to the spread of fire. or toxic gases will not be produced. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to insulate the water pipes in parts of the building such as the attic, the basement, and the pipes in the parking lots using glass wool, which is easily available.
Water cut in case of long-term non-use or uninhabited units
Another common case that causes contact with different branches of Mousavi Plumbing is the freezing of water pipes of uninhabited people who have encountered freezing of the pipes after returning. If you are not going to use the plumbing system of the building for a long time, close the main faucet that is located inside the building. Then open the water tap from outside the building so that the remaining water in the pipes is properly and completely drained. This will ensure that no water drops remain inside the pipes, which will freeze in cold weather.
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Use an empty bottle to prevent pipes from freezing
You may have heard that you can prevent the pipes from freezing and bursting by placing an empty bottle in the opening of the pipes. This method does not cost anything, and it is better than leaving the faucet open a little, so that the water always flows in the pipe. This method does not have any economic benefits and causes water wastage and increases the water bill.
Prevent the water meter from freezing
You must have all seen the water meter that is inside the pond-shaped containers. The water meter is mostly located in the yard of the building or in the parking lot. In order to prevent it from freezing, it is better to prepare a standard door for its compartment and seal the existing seams with cement. These simple recommendations will make your building's pipes less likely to freeze in winter.
Identifying the location of pipe freezing in the facing pipes
To solve the problem of frozen pipes, you must first be able to identify its location. For this, we remind you of some simple methods that do not require any tools.
The place of freezing is often in the cold part such as the yard, warehouse, parking lot and such places.
If you have a toilet in the yard, it is likely to freeze in winter.
You can open the water taps one by one and check their output. A pipe that is frozen will not have water output.
If you guess or identify the freezing area, you can run your hand on the pipe to determine its exact spot. The point that is colder than the other points is the desired location.
In some cases, freezing causes the pipes to burst and leak. By finding these points, you can identify the freezing.
By tapping on the pipe, you can identify the place of freezing. Because the sound in the frozen place can be lower than the normal sound.
A part of the pipe that is frozen changes its volume, and by touching the pipe, you can find out where the pipe is frozen.
Methods of unfreezing pipes
It should be noted that it is easier to identify the place of freezing and fix it in exposed pipes than the freezing of built-in pipes, which sometimes requires destruction and costs more to fix their freezing. There are different ways to unfreeze a pipe. You can try any of these methods.
Use a warm towel to defrost the pipe
Boil some water in a pot and prepare a thick towel. Throw the towel in boiling water and immediately transfer it to the frozen place of the pipe after heating. After a few repetitions, the freeze will open.
Using a hair dryer to defrost frozen pipes
When the diameter of the frozen pipe is large and consequently the diameter of the ice created in the pipe is larger, if we want to use the hot towel method, it will be very time-consuming. For this reason, we recommend that you use a hair dryer in such cases to open the water in the pipe. In this method, be careful and don't bring the hot hair dryer to the frozen pipe at once, keep it at a distance from the pipe and slowly bring it closer to the pipe, or turn on a heater in the space where the frozen pipe is located. The temperature of the room or space increases.
De-icing the pipe with thermal tape or thermal glue
These adhesives are long strips that work using electricity. The end of this strip is connected to the electrical outlet. The tape is wrapped on the pipes and this tape slowly heats the pipe and removes the frost.
Use salt to melt the ice in the pipe
Dissolve some salt in warm water and pour into the pipes. Salt melts ice. Pay attention, do not pour boiling water because the water pipes will definitely crack.
Using water vapor to defrost the pipe
Boil a container of water under the frozen pipe and let the water vapor reach the frozen place and slowly melt the ice. It will be long but fruitful. We recommend that you keep the steam at a little distance from the pipe.
Unfreeze the built-in pipe
All the methods that were mentioned about unfreezing the pipes were related to exposed pipes. But what to do about the built-in pipes? It is better to know that you cannot do anything about this. Because the pipes and signs we used to identify them are not visible at all.