frozen pipes

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kb8713

kb8713

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montana
Does any one have any great ideas on how to thaw the ice out of 3/4 PVC under the concrete. The conduits are about 40 to 50 feet long and turned up at each end.
 
Are their ant wires in it? If so, i have seen someone hook up a welder to the wire to heat the wire to melt the ice. The wire is no longer any good but at least the pipe can be used.
 
If you have access, glue on a hose adapter and run a hose from a water heater. It seems like it would eventually clear the frozen part out. Run it enough to ensure complete removal.

Follow up imediately with air pressure to clear out the water. Pull your wires in imediately also.
 
Last time I ran into that we re-scheduled the job for April. (Maybe it was May?)

If vehicle traffic passes over it, the frost will be DEEP. The instance I am thinking of the PVC was at least 6' probably more. It was fed from a man-hole on one end, then under the drive.

OF COURSE the reschedule was only after we tried ALL of the customers ideas, like a hair dryer, snaking a hose down and running water (from both ends). There were a few more, but all were equally silly.

Hopefully someones got a great Idea, I'd like to hear it myself. :grin:

Doug S.
 
kb8713 said:
No there are no wires in it
Click to expand...

Going out on a limb here...is the ice conductive? If so energize a fish tape from both ends. Control the current with a vari/ac auto tranny and a amp meter, as you keep feeding the tapes further in, and in....and in and in....and in

Hey its only time...............:D
 
Years ago we had an 800 foot run of PVC freeze. What was done (I did not believe it would work), was to have a large compressor supplied by the GC brought to the jobsite.

They applied a lot of pressure for about 25 minutes. The ice plug finally broke clear... it came flying out of the raceway and smashed the ceiling.

From the amount of ice we saw,I would think that only 4 or 5 feet of PVC had ice in it.
 
How much is blocked? A few feet - or all 50'? if a few feet - Pour in a bottle in each end - then agitate with a fish tape. (Not sure if a plumbers snake would fit? But if it does go for it...)
deicer_fluid_main.jpg

If you break through run a swab, then flush with hot water and swab it dry.

If that don't work - SPRING for a calander and take bets.;)

Now ahhhhh, since there is nothing in it - what makes you think its ice, and not just plain ol' broke?
 
kb8713 said:
Does any one have any great ideas on how to thaw the ice out of 3/4 PVC under the concrete. The conduits are about 40 to 50 feet long and turned up at each end.
Click to expand...

Can you build a wood fire on top of it?
It may take a while, but it would eventually thaw.
I've thawed water lines like this before.
Just a idea

steve
 
Connect a small diameter tube, say 3/8" to a water heater or pump up garden tank filled with hot water. Feed the tubing into the conduit melting the ice as you feed.
 
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