Thawing the pipe

[Thumper & Buttercup]

Ours went in with two other districts to cut their cost. I help them with their computer work when they need help, with them its a lot.

 

[DANOCHEESE]

Welder will work fine. Myself I would just use a light bulb. Keep the wind away and it will open fairly quick. open a tap when you do this.

 

[user.69169]

The neighbor did that welder thing a couple years ago and it worked. I didn't think it was going to because the plastic pipe shouldn't have conducted electric, but he ductaped the end of the MIG gun to the suck line just inside of his house and taped the trigger down on the gun.

Once he pulled about half a roll of wire out of the pipe the water went to flowing pretty good.

 

[Redneck in training]

Redneck -- I found a wire that goes inside the pipe and has inch and a quarter fittings with the wire connectors and thermostat and is all up to code
Thumper -- the water department is me but now you have me wondering if any of my neighbours has a steam genny

Doesn't Wallmart sell a hand held steam kitchen cleaner? If it does you could attach silicone tubing to it sent the steam to the water pipe. Perhaps even hair dryer or heat gun would work.
Is the heating cable you found designed to go inside of the water pipe or in parallel pipe in vicinity of the water pipe?

 

[studor]

Redneck --It is a product from these guys and actually fits inside the current pipe
Water Line Heat Trace Freeze Protection For Cottage, Home, Commercial Water Pipe Applications - Heatline
(removed) -- you lost me -- did your neighbour have a loop of wire inside the pipe or did he feed in wire from the mig with the ground connected somewhere by the well head?

 

[user.69169]

Redneck --It is a product from these guys and actually fits inside the current pipe
Water Line Heat Trace Freeze Protection For Cottage, Home, Commercial Water Pipe Applications - Heatline
(removed) -- you lost me -- did your neighbour have a loop of wire inside the pipe or did he feed in wire from the mig with the ground connected somewhere by the well head?

Truth to tell the neighbor has always impressed me as a little past daft, so even though I was willing to give him a hand the welder idea made me a bit more than nervous, and I was ducking down behind a sheet of plywood when he flipped the switch. I've heard there are things inside of them welder machines that can explode, and I like all my body parts right where they are.

I went over and asked today, and he says he just used the regular MIG wire, but he didn't use no gas with it, whatever that's all about. He figured since the water has high iron content it should conduct electric and warm up and aparently he was right. He claims he got the idea from the coffee heaters the inmates used when he was a prison guard. I guess he knew what he was doing cause the water did melt and come through the pipe.

 

[Redneck in training]

Studor
Hope you are alive and well drinking bourbon after nice and hot shower. Keep us posted how you got the water running.

 

[studor]

Ok -- I tried the halogen light thing for about 5 hours with no luck -- so I found some 3/4" pvc conduit that I could make into a long enough length to put into the pipe --- sure enough only managed to get about 11' into what should be about 17' of pipe. I then heated water on the stove and poured it into the conduit. After about 15 gallons of water I had managed to push the conduit in another five feet or so before running out of time and water. I will try the same technique later in the week. What a PITA

 

[PILOON]

I have thawed many a pipe line.

Made my own steamer from an electric kettle using a car rad cap for pressure blowout protection. (actually soldered the kettle bottom to a copper vessle that incorporated a rad filler and pressure cap and fitted cannection for the steam line.

BUT, easy and works great.

Rent a wallpaper steamer, (has the required protection valves) and connect a 3/8" suitable length of rigid plastic line (bulk polyB,like used for speedways) works for me.
Wear heavy gloves as that line gets hot!
Once the steemer starts boiling, pressure builds up and you'll get a good 12" steam jet blowing out the end.
Just poke the end into the pipe and you'll be pushing that line hand over hand melting the ice away.
You do need to use a stiff plastic that stands heat.

Clear vinyle is no, black poly-no, POLY-B is great!

I have steamed out 100 ft lengths that way.

Another trick that works like a charm (when convienient) is an adaptor to the household hot water tank and a small compressor.
Once cleared a 75 ft frozen solid pump line in about 15 mins that way.

Also a pressure tank (BBQ propane tank 1/2 water filled) plumbed with small hose, heat with propane torch and pressurize with small compressor works.

When I say pressure, a mere 5# will suffice, just enough to push the hot/boiling water out.

Good luck!

When thawed out leave the water running slightly as moving water will not freeze!

 

[studor]

Just a quick thanks to everyone who contributed -- finally got it all back together and thawed today. The internal heat wire will be ordered this week
The total distance in ice was about 5'. Ironically I have about 30 acres of water in front of the house now with the rains and thawing this past week -- water water eveywhere bit none in the pressure tank (until today)

 

[Egon]

Good show!

Does that mean "Shower time Tonight" ?

 

[Tig]

Gald to hear you got things thawed out. Now it's time for some of that bourbon.
Piloon, it sounds like you have this drill down to a science.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Do you have an arc welder? Make a loop (use a cable and twist two wires together on one end) of gauge 6 or 8 cooper wire long enough to reach trough the ice plug. Adjust the amps so the wire gets warm enough but wouldn't melt the insulation and push it in the pipe. Use good rubber boots and rubber gloves to insulate yourself from the ground and don't do it alone. I don't think it is too dangerous but as we used to say: "Devil never sleeps." Drink bourbon only after the water is running.

Yes. Good idea! Studor, 12ga Romex feeding a short tip of 14ga will be more effective than all 12ga or larger. [The 14ga will have higher resistance.] Watts = Isquared x R and your tip is where its trying to make progress thru the ice. The wire that is inundated in the water could take a lot of current w/o melting the insulation, but youll be limited by your lead in wire that is in air. 12ga would be 50 or 60 amps. Romex will give the advantage of making a nice consolidated snake that you can push and wiggle effectively for at least the 15 feet you need. It wont be fast. Be careful. If you use hi amps and dont wiggle it you may get the tip heating too much by laying stagnant against the inside of the plastic pipe and damage the pipe. 50-60 should be easily safe if you wiggle even a little.
larry

 

[Redneck in training]

Just a quick thanks to everyone who contributed -- finally got it all back together and thawed today. The internal heat wire will be ordered this week
The total distance in ice was about 5'. Ironically I have about 30 acres of water in front of the house now with the rains and thawing this past week -- water water eveywhere bit none in the pressure tank (until today)

Just curious. How did you do it.

 

[studor]

Egon -- naw thats next month
Tig -- since I did not have water I mixed the bourbon with maple sap -- not bad
Larry -- I figured by the time I rewired the basement to take the Arc welder and figured out how to do it spring would be here
Redneck -- took water to the farm in five gallon containers, heated on the stove, pushed a piece of 3/4 conduit into the 1 1/4" suction pipe until it hit ice then poured the hot water in to the conduit. If I had to do it over again I think I would use Piloons wallpaper steamer idea