How to insulate a pipe underground. How to insulate the external water supply for the water supply of a private house in winter

The outer part of the stationary water supply system in private house usually placed in the thickness of the soil. So it does not take up space on the site, it is protected from mechanical influences. However, it must also be protected from low temperatures during the frosty period. What can be done to prevent the formation of traffic jams in the pipeline in winter?

For uninterrupted water supply winter period it is necessary to carry out the insulation of the water supply in the ground. We will tell you how to protect pipes laid in the ground from freezing. The article presented for review describes in detail the proven options for solving this problem.

Freezing of the underground water supply occurs due to the ground temperature reaching negative values. One way to prevent the problem is to run pipes at depths where sub-zero temperatures are unattainable.

If this requirement has not been met, other measures must be taken to solve the problem of uninterrupted water supply.

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Grigory Borisov

How to insulate water pipes on the street in a private house or in the country?

Currently, water supply in the country has ceased to be something inaccessible; rather, it is an indispensable attribute of country life. It usually takes place underground. Many are interested in how to insulate or in the country with their own hands? Everything is pretty simple. You need special material and a little patience. If you do not insulate the pipes before the onset of frost, then not only can they freeze, but also burst. And this is fraught with emergency work and a complete replacement of the plumbing system.

What is needed to insulate the water supply?

For the insulation of water pipes, the following insulating materials are most often used:

When choosing a heater, it is worth paying attention to some of its characteristics: low thermal conductivity, resistance to external factors.

Attention! Ease of installation, the possibility of re-use after dismantling the structures, a suitable price, tightness and duration of operation - these are the qualities that are paramount when choosing a heater for a water supply system in a country house or in a private house.

How to insulate pipes?

The process of pipe insulation does not take much time and does not require certain skills. Installation of insulation is carried out in several steps.

Works on the insulation of water pipes

So, glass wool is wrapped around water pipes and fixed with a tourniquet or plastic tape. And waterproofing is provided through the use of roofing material.

With basalt wool and polystyrene, the situation is different. These building materials are in the form of a shell, but they are also easy and simple to mount.

Advice. The size of the material is selected so that the insulation and plumbing fit snugly together.

Maintaining pressure as a remedy for freezing pipes

Few people know the fact that under some pressure, water never freezes. This is an effective and proven method for years. To bring it to life, it is necessary to install a receiver in the pipe. And in order for the pressure to be on the entire section of the pipe, after the pump, install check valve. Start the pump by first closing the valve in front of the receiver. This is a guaranteed way to ensure that the water supply does not freeze in winter.

Heating cable protection

Installation of a heating electric cable for the purpose of insulating a water supply system is a reliable option for protecting pipes from freezing in winter. So they insulate the water supply and sewerage and on suburban area and in a private house. The cable is located both inside and outside the water supply.

Advice. When using the heating cable method, the need for deep pipe laying is eliminated. The usual deepening of 2 m underground can be replaced by laying pipes in a half-meter pit.

Unfortunately, the main disadvantage of using an electric cable is the complete dependence on electricity. If it is turned off or absent, the heating will completely stop.

Attention! In order to heat the pipes from the inside, it is necessary to include a tee in the water supply scheme. It will provide the input of the heating cable.

Heating cable installation instructions

Perform cable installation. There are two laying options: longitudinal and spiral.
On the water pipe you need to wind insulating material.
Apply a protective coating on top.
Electrical connection.

Insulation of water pipes in a private house with a heating cable

Do not neglect the insulation of the water supply, even if you do not plan to live in the country in the winter. Water remains in the pipes, which can freeze and cause them to burst. There are several options for insulating a water pipe: installing a heating cable, maintaining the required pressure, and using insulating materials. In general, this work is within the power of any man.

Heating of water pipes: video

Do-it-yourself water supply insulation in a private house can be done in several ways - with heat-insulating materials or by laying a heating cable. There are many materials for insulation - mineral wool, polystyrene foam, foil polystyrene.

Why you need to insulate pipes

If you look at the freezing depth map, you can see that in the northern regions it reaches 2.4 meters - it is natural that digging holes of such depth in your area is too expensive. In addition, it is irrational from the point of view of supplying water from a well or a well to the house, problems will arise with the well - the pressure pipe must come out of the head and to install pumping equipment it will be necessary to dig and equip a caisson or a caisson pit of very great depth. Using insulation for water pipes in the ground, you can lay a water main at a shallow depth, while saving money and increasing the ease of use and maintenance of pumping equipment.

Another advantage of insulating water pipes in the ground is saving resources. The water entering the house is heated for domestic needs and heating - it is clear that more than cold water more electricity will be needed. If the pipes are insulated from cold ground, then the cost of insulation and work over time will not only fully pay off, but will also bring significant savings.

An effective way to combat freezing of water pipelines is to use an electrical cable that is glued to the line along its entire length and lowered into the well. Placing the cable and pipeline as additional insulation in a warm sheath will significantly save electricity when heating the water main.

Table of heat losses depending on the thickness of the heat insulator

Ways to insulate water pipes

If, during the underground laying of the pipeline, the depth of the line was maintained correctly and there is no danger of water freezing in this area, then when entering the house, the water supply system rises closer to the surface and enters the soil freezing zone.

After that, he enters the building and walks some distance along the basement (underground). If the rooms below the zero mark of the house are warm, then it is only necessary to isolate the underground section of the pipe rise and the input unit. Otherwise, the work on the thermal insulation device is divided into two stages:

insulation of water pipes in the ground;
thermal insulation of pipes of open laying in the basement.

This division is due various technologies applied for each case. The insulation of the underground laying must be rigid, moisture-proof and not attract rodents and insects. For open pipe laying in the basement of a building, the requirements are less stringent and make it easier.

The use of insulating materials

Application building materials with a low coefficient of thermal conductivity - one of the most simple ways, which is the most common when insulating pipes in the ground and on the surface. Materials can be placed around pipes or applied to their surface in the form of paint, resin or foam. The technology is widely used in the industrial sector, for the insulation of water supply and sewerage in private homes.

Heating cable for plumbing

Cable power 10-15 W (average price - 15 USD / m.p.). Excellent for heating pipes in the ground with a small depth of their placement. According to the rules, it is not advisable to place any communications in the soil below the level of soil freezing. There are situations in which this requirement is ignored. In this case, simple pipe insulation will not give the desired result, because. the pipeline will in fact be in water (in a humid environment that freezes in winter). Most of the heaters are not suitable for this mode of operation and do not provide proper thermal insulation.

The use of a cable for heating water supply provides the possibility of laying pipes at a depth of up to 500 mm.

Water pipe heating cable

The heating cable for water pipe insulation is wound along the pipe or around it with a predetermined pitch. The pitch is determined by the power of the cable. The lower the power, the smaller the step. Ways of laying the heating cable are shown in the diagram.

Wiring diagram for installing a cable for heating a water pipe

Masters and users note that the insulation of a water supply system by heating a pipe with a cable is the most reliable method to protect pipes laid in the zone of soil freezing.

Cable heating makes it possible to avoid freezing of water in the pipe, and, no less important, to quickly defrost frozen pipes. Such a need may arise in the country, if it is intended for seasonal living. In this case, you can quickly prepare the pipeline for operation, because in natural conditions you can wait for complete defrosting until May (when laying pipes at the level of soil freezing). The cable is located both inside and outside the water supply pipe.

Note. Installing temperature sensors along the cable route will make it possible to control the temperature of the cable and adjust it manually or automatically.
Pressure insulation

With the help of pressure, the water supply system is protected from freezing in trunk systems with underground occurrence or in unheated rooms; a special receiver is used to increase the pressure. The pressure in the system with this technique exceeds 5 atmospheres, while standard pumping equipment for organizing individual water supply is designed to work with a pressure of no more than 3 bar.

Rice. 4 Electric heating cable - appearance

This technique was developed for use in industrial and municipal engineering communication systems; in everyday life, the use of high pressure is effective in the presence of high-quality pipelines and devices designed to work with high pressure. To implement the method, it is necessary to use an electric pump to pump water into the main line at a pressure of more than 5 bar. and turn off pumping equipment - theoretically, water at such a pressure should not freeze for a very long time in the absence of owners.

Air insulation

A more expensive method that is used in the industrial and municipal sectors. When it is used underground, the line is isolated from above with a heater, and from below it is fed warm air, heating plumbing.

The method is often used when the pipeline is placed in a pipe large diameter, inside which warm air passes. This method is usually used to isolate a water main that runs along the surface; it can also be used in individual areas if the pipeline is buried in the ground - an air gap will prevent water from freezing without heating.

Requirements for the materials used

The materials used to insulate water supply pipes must have the following characteristics:

Low thermal conductivity and the maximum possible ability to retain heat;

Complete resistance to moisture;

Good resistance to aggressive external factors;

Long service life;

Ease of installation;

Low cost.

Compliance with all the described qualities allows us to say that the selected material is good enough for pipe insulation. However, there are no ideal heaters, so you need to choose depending on the specific operating conditions.

Insulating materials for thermal insulation of water pipes.

Mineral wool is widely used to insulate water pipes. various types, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane foam, polyethylene foam. Recently, a relatively new insulation has been increasingly used - foamed rubber.

Classification of types of thermal insulation

The market for thermal insulation materials is replete with offers. Among them are time-tested options and the latest offers, which are distinguished by a higher price.

Heat-insulating paint is one of the latest tools that allows you to insulate pipes with high quality, without significantly affecting their total weight and thickness.

Pipe insulation can be divided according to the type of material into the following groups:

fibrous, including mineral wool, fiberglass. Is not the best way for water pipes, because it will require additional waterproofing;

polyurethane foam available in solid and liquid state. This is the most popular option for plumbing insulation - both shells and liquid spraying;

heat-insulating paint, which appeared on the market recently. It, in addition to the main function, perfectly protects metal pipes against corrosion, but is an expensive material;

polystyrene, used as a heater less often, it is very brittle;

foamed polyethylene, well proven due to its excellent performance and ease of installation.

Paint is a new word in the world of liquid insulation. It contains special inclusions that provide excellent thermal insulation.

Thermal insulation paint is a ceramic heat insulator, inclusions are visible under the microscope, providing its unique properties

Material selection rules

When choosing the right material for thermal insulation of a local water supply system, one should focus primarily on the quality of the insulation. Indeed, among the proposals you can see many inexpensive options that attract the price. Here you need to carefully study the accompanying documentation and consider the appearance of the proposed product.

More often it turns out that the cheapest option will not save water pipes from freezing. Therefore, no matter how limited the budget is - the quality of the insulation is not something worth saving on.

It is better to save on laying by refusing the services of specialists. Having chosen the right insulation, all the work on its installation can be done by hand

In addition to quality, the heat-insulating material must meet the requirements for it:

withstand the conditions in which he is to perform his functions;

be simple and convenient to install if you have to install it yourself;

have a long service life and protection against rodents and other pests;

the price should be suitable, because the prohibitively high cost is not always justified for a certain material.

Sometimes it is necessary to additionally select an option for waterproofing an insulated pipe in order to protect the material from getting wet, thus ensuring a long service life.

Most often for home use choose foamed polyethylene and polyurethane foam. These materials are not the most expensive and easy to install. They allow you to do all the work with your own hands, spending a minimum of effort - the fastenings are simple, and suitable material for fastening the parts together is offered by the manufacturer.

Mineral wool

One of the cheapest but not the best practical insulation, which can be used, including for plumbing - mineral wool. The material is porous and reliably insulates the pipeline from the cold.

Rolled mineral wool

The disadvantage of such a heater is its high hygroscopicity, it strongly absorbs moisture, due to which the thermal insulation characteristics gradually decrease.

During the operation of the pipeline, especially in conditions of insufficient ventilation, condensate constantly accumulates on its surface, which is successfully absorbed by mineral wool. It is for this reason that using it is not the best option.

There are several forms of mineral wool production. Almost everything is used for pipes, but it is more convenient to use the one that is made in the form of a shell for water supply.

Foil Styrofoam for Pipes

The material is made of ordinary polystyrene pipe shells, additionally wrapped in a foil coating.

Foil Styrofoam for Pipes

The foil reflects heat radiation well and does not allow cold to penetrate into the material. Insulation of an open pipeline in a private house or in the country with the help of this material is more preferable, because. foil polystyrene foam more reliably insulates the pipeline from the cold.

Polyurethane foam spraying

Such a heater is able to reliably protect the pipeline from the cold. The disadvantage of the method is its high cost, because you will need to pay not only the material, but also the work of the installers. It will not work to spray on the pipeline on your own. To do this, you need to have special equipment and skills to use it.

It should be borne in mind that the foam is afraid of direct sun rays, therefore, the street water supply insulated using this method must be additionally wrapped in a material that does not transmit light. We recommend roofing material, foil or other material with similar characteristics.

Foamed polyethylene

Another material that is successfully used for insulation of pipelines, including open ones, is polyethylene foam.

Foamed polyethylene for pipes

Made in the form of tubes different diameter and different wall thicknesses. For ease of installation, some types of tubular polyethylene foam have a longitudinal cut, if there is no such cut, then if necessary it can be easily made using a regular clerical knife.

Foamed polyethylene practically does not rot and, if properly installed, is able to additionally protect the pipeline from moisture, because does not absorb water. It is possible to install foam polyethylene insulation both during the pipeline assembly process and after it is put into operation. Installation does not require special equipment or tools, it is enough to have a tape measure and a clerical knife.

Advice! For reliable insulation of a water pipe, you can wrap it in several layers of polyethylene foam insulation of various diameters.

Like the previous material, polyethylene foam can be produced with an additional coating in the form of foil or metallized film. Thermal insulation with a foil coating protects more reliably from the cold, but requires mandatory gluing with a joint using metallized adhesive tape. Compared to price, foil insulation is a little more expensive than usual.

Expanded polystyrene for pipes

The next material that is successfully used to protect pipelines from freezing is expanded polystyrene. It has a porous structure, which contains a large amount of air, for this reason it has a low coefficient of thermal conductivity.

Expanded polystyrene for pipes

Expanded polystyrene does not absorb moisture well, so it can be used in places where there is direct contact with water.

Manufacturers produce expanded polystyrene for pipes in the form of a shell, which is put on the pipeline and fixed with a special lock or adhesive tape. It is convenient to use such a heater for a pipeline with a minimum number of turns. The fact is that the polystyrene shell for pipes practically does not bend. For this reason, additional polypropylene parts are used to insulate corner joints, taps and other structural elements, which are installed end-to-end with the main insulation and sealed with adhesive tape.

How to insulate a pipe with cold water

Consider how you can insulate a cold water pipe with your own hands. Work begins with taking measurements and choosing a heater. The length of the pipe and its diameter are measured. If you plan to use rolled insulation, such as mineral wool, it is not necessary to measure the diameter of the pipeline, since this is not important. In the case of tubular insulation, the length and diameter of the pipeline are important.

In order to properly insulate the pipe, it is necessary to follow several recommendations of masters and manufacturers of thermal insulation materials:

There should be no uninsulated areas.

Throughout the pipeline, the insulation must be securely fixed.

Joints of thermal insulation with foil coating must be glued with metal tape.

If there are valves in the system, they must be completely closed. heat-insulating material.

It is convenient to cut the insulation with an ordinary paper knife. Tape or tape is suitable for fixing plastic ties. Some manufacturers, complete with insulation, supply fasteners designed to fix it, as a rule, these are plastic clips. The installation step of the fastening clips should not exceed 15 cm.

Clips for pipe insulation

If for reliable insulation it is required to make a frame (box), it can be made from boards. The wooden structure is rigid and does not require additional protection against mechanical damage. You can also make a foam box, it is less durable, but additionally protects the pipeline from freezing. For fastening foam sheets to each other it is convenient to use mounting foam, in addition, it will save the structure from the penetration of cold, because. fills the gaps between the frame elements.

Installation of insulation cylinders

Mounting the "shell" insulation is simple - the required diameter of the "shell" is selected according to the diameter of the water pipe. Since the shell "consists of two halves, it remains to bury a section of the pipe on both sides, leaving 10-15 cm of open shell" to overlap it with the next cylinder. To improve the thermal insulation properties of the cylinders, a protective polyethylene film, metal or aluminum foil, roofing material or membrane heaters are applied to the shell. In any modern insulation material there are air bubbles that retain heat in the space between the pipes and the insulation.

Insulation "shell"

Cabling

Installation of an electrical cable will cost more, but the depth of the pipeline is minimal. The heating wire can be located inside or outside the pipeline; water pipes with an installed electric cable or with a cable channel for its installation are commercially available. Most often, cable installation on the surface is used, while the depth of the pipeline does not exceed 50 cm. Works on installation of a cable heater consist of the following stages:

The pipeline at the location of the cable (in a spiral or straight line) is pasted over with foil adhesive tape.

An electric cable is laid on the glued tape and fixed with the same adhesive tape.

On top of the resulting structure, a shell of basalt insulation is installed, which is connected with adhesive tape. When installing the heating cable along the line, it is practical to use foam insulation with special grooves.

To control the operation of the system, it is desirable to install temperature sensors along the water supply line.

Rice. 13 How to insulate water pipe underground electrical cable

When deciding how best to insulate a water pipe in the ground with their own hands, many prefer a foam shell - it is easy to install, has the best physical parameters and has a low cost. It is more practical to use an electric cable for shallow water pipes and a borehole head - it can be used to simultaneously heat water in the main and well.

Protecting the insulation from negative factors

Protection against freezing of a water pipe located in the ground has its own specifics. The material should not completely or partially lose its thermal insulation properties under the influence of external factors.

Re-insulating or repairing the outer layers requires expensive and labor-intensive earthworks, therefore, it is necessary to immediately take care of maintaining the integrity of the protective structure.

Destructive impact of land and water

Underground water supply is under ground pressure, so the material used for insulation can be crushed. This can significantly increase its thermal conductivity. To prevent such a development of events, it is necessary to create a solid outer shell using pipes of a larger diameter or special trays.

Mineral wool is hygroscopic and can be crushed with a little finger force, so the earth layer compresses the material and it loses its low thermal conductivity property.

In the case of using hygroscopic materials as thermal insulation for pipelines, it is necessary to prevent the possibility of the influence of groundwater on them, which is always in the ground, regardless of the degree of soil water saturation.

To protect mineral and glass wool, additional means of protection are used - plastic pipes larger than plumbing, which simultaneously solves the problem of crushing the insulation.

You can also use the following materials to create a waterproofing shell:

rolled aluminum foil;

reinforced (sanitary) adhesive tape;

ruberoid;

high density polyethylene film.

Styrofoam, extruded polystyrene foam poorly absorb moisture, but over time they also become unusable with constant defrosting. Foam glass, polyurethane foam, as well as heat-insulating paint are completely not subject to crushing and moisture.

Protecting objects located in the ground from moisture with the help of roofing material - a long-used, but not the most practical option

Solving the problem of insects and rodents

Another cause of damage to the insulation of the water supply can be rodents and insects. Ants gnaw through numerous passages in thermal insulation that is attractive to them, and mice use it to build a nest. These actions expose parts of the pipes, which negatively affects the quality of insulation.

Neither insects nor mice can spoil polyurethane foam, foam glass, but they do an excellent job with basalt wool. It and similar materials for external insulation of water pipes must be protected from rodents if they are located at a depth of less than 2 meters. Earth ants do not penetrate below 1 meter, while forest ants build a large anthill, the above-ground part of which cannot be overlooked.

To protect against rodents, you can wrap the insulation with a metal fine mesh. To prevent access not only to mice, but also to ants, it is necessary to wrap the material with aluminum foil, reinforced tape, or use plastic pipes or trays of any shape as an outer shell.

The shell of polyurethane foam or foam glass withstands soil pressure, the effects of moisture in the ground, and cannot be damaged by rodents and insects

Video

The main requirement that is set for the insulation of water supply pipes on the street is to protect the system from contact with cold. For its installation, both proven polystyrene shells and high-tech methods in the form of a cable with a sensor are used.

To protect the highway outside the premises, it is not necessary to deepen it much. It is enough to do the insulation correctly.

Article content

Which heater to choose?

The operation of the water supply system outside the premises, that is, on the street, is carried out in extreme conditions. Two requirements are set for its insulation: low thermal conductivity and low water absorption.

Being in the ground, the main is simultaneously in contact with cold on the one hand, and heat on the other, so condensate appears on its surface. The material must be resistant to the formation of fungi and mold, pliable to the mount and have the maximum possible service life.

There are the following heaters for water pipes:

glass wool;
basalt wool
expanded polystyrene.

Glass wool used for mounting the heat-insulating layer is produced in rolls. They are characterized by a soft structure, therefore they are widely used for insulating elements of complex configuration: cranes, etc. The material is used for insulation of metal-plastic pipes. Works only with roofing material or fiberglass.

Basalt wool is produced in the form of cylinders. Builders call them. These are ready-made joints 1 m long. They can be easily cut into smaller pieces to insulate small sections. Some types of basalt are produced with an aluminum surface. She designed to protect the material from mechanical damage, so it lasts longer than the others.

Expanded polystyrene, similar to basalt wool, is produced in the form of shells. It is characterized by ease of installation, therefore it has become widespread among private developers. From expanded polystyrene produce insulation with angular turns. Can be used multiple times.

The material meets all the requirements for insulating gaskets, however, it is combustible, therefore it is not used in places with an increased risk of fire.

Ways to insulate water pipes

In addition to the materials mentioned above, there are ways effectively insulating pipes from the cold in places where deep laying of highways is not required. Among them:

Heating cable.
Insulation of water pipes with air.
High pressure insulation.

It is not necessary to wrap the pipe line with heat-insulating material. You can heat the space around it with a heating cable. The power of its work per 1 m of running pipe is 10-20 watts.

The advantage of the cable is that it can only be operated during the winter months. This method allows you to deepen the pipes only 50 cm from the top soil level, compared to 2 m of conventional installation.

The second way is to create a kind of thermal shield in the way of cold air. Warm streams emanate from the lower part of the highway, which are preserved around it, thanks to the umbrella effect. It is mounted in this way: a pipe is placed in a cylindrical insulating material so that in practice a “pipe in pipe” system is obtained.

The third method involves connecting a receiver, into which pressure is pumped. It is effective in the arrangement of submersible pumps water supply, as they are characterized by the optimum pressure for the system - 5 atmospheres. The operation of the pump requires the installation of a check valve, which allows you to pressurize the entire system.

Insulation with basalt and expanded polystyrene

Installation of shells made of basalt and expanded polystyrene is carried out in the same way. It is better to start it from a flange connection. The installation steps are:

Select shells whose inner diameter will correspond to the diameter of the pipe.
Put their halves on the main sections so that they overlap 10-20 cm wide.
Secure with tape.
Put on selected or self-made shells on the places of pipe bends.
insulate street areas highways with roofing felt or foil. Segments that are under the soil cover are not exposed to fiberglass materials.
Pull the material around the pipe.

If it is necessary to gain access to the "bare pipe", the dismantling of the insulation layer is carried out in the reverse order.

Expanded polystyrene and basalt wool are materials with a low density. Backfilling soil into a trench with laid pipes can cause deformation of the insulation, and, consequently, a decrease in the thermal insulation layer.

To speed up the installation of insulation and make it more efficient, backfilling must be done in layers, carefully tamping each layer.

Ramming will also protect against soil erosion during the autumn rains, which is important when laying water pipes on the surface.

Pipe heating with cable

There are two ways to install a cable in order to heat supply pipes:

laying the cable inside the pipe;
cable laying on top of it.

The first method, although effective, has a number of disadvantages, the main among which is the complexity of installation.

If you want to apply this particular method without the help of a specialist, you can not do. The second method is easier to install. Cable laying takes place before installation.

To simplify the process, manufacturers have released ready-made insulation (i.e. a shell, or a cylinder) with a built-in heating cable or a channel for it.

Do-it-yourself pipe insulation with a heating cable (video)

Heating cable installation sequence

Insulation of pipes on the street with a cable occurs according to the following steps:

Along the entire length of the pipe, foil-type adhesive tape must be glued. Its application should not be too tight so that the cable is held when wrapped around the pipe.
Lay the wire in an adjusted spiral in increments of up to 15 cm.
Glue the cable with foil tape, which will fix the heating cable.
Cut the insulation lengthwise and fix it around the highway. To prevent the occurrence of cold bridges, it is necessary to check the coincidence of the joints between the cable and the insulation.
Wrap the entire pipe tightly with adhesive tape. It not only fastens the insulation elements, but also prevents the penetration of ground water.
Insulation of sections of highways above the soil.

Places of the cold water supply line that pass above the soil, additionally insulated with a polyethylene film. It is wrapped around the entire surface of the pipe and covered with a box on top. A heater will be stuffed under it.

The top of the box is additionally insulated with a moisture barrier.

To control the temperature level along the length of the pipeline, control sensors are installed that collect information in manual or automatic mode. When the temperature drops significantly, a voice signal is triggered.

What a convenience it is - home plumbing! Red girls with yokes, gracefully floating down the street from a well with full buckets in the past, it is much more pleasant in chilly weather to open a tap without leaving the house, and enjoy a bath / shower, and at least wash the dishes in normal conditions, and not in a basin. If in the summer there are no problems with this, but with the onset of frosts, an uninsulated, properly water supply system can make a lot of unpleasant surprises, from the loss of water (it just froze) to the rupture of pipes, then the repair costs will be very tangible. So, as in medicine, prevention is better - take care of warming in time.

What is suitable as a heater

In this article we will talk about how the water supply should be insulated in the country with our own hands. Our grandmothers used padded jackets, old blankets or sheepskin coats in this capacity. It’s the 21st century in the yard, after all, so old clothes have been replaced by modern technologies in the form of PVC insulation materials.

With a huge selection of them, pay attention to the necessary characteristics:

Need a material with low thermal conductivity for better heat retention.
Must endure all adverse environmental conditions firmly and steadfastly.
Possess water-repellent properties, because the wet material no longer protects from the cold, but, on the contrary, conducts it well.
Not damaged or damaged by high temperatures.

If you are wondering how to insulate water pipes on the street, then this article will be useful for you. Of course, the insulation is produced with special materials. Here are the most popular and demanded options for heaters on the market.

Glass wool.

The material of such firms as Ursa, Isover, Knauf is especially popular. Often used for metal-plastic pipes. With its features - low density - it is necessary to strengthen it with the help of waterproofing in the form of roofing material, which requires additional. costs.

Styrofoam.

Most suburban option. Great for independent work for insulation, so it does not require any instructions. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, in case of outdoor use it is better to protect it with an additional outer coating.

Basalt insulation.

A rather expensive option, although very reliable, especially if the modification is reinforced with roofing material, glassine or special. foil. It is convenient in that it is already produced in the form of cylinders, which can be easily put on pipes of any diameter.

Heat-insulating paint.

Recent novelty. It is a paste-like mass on water or varnish, which includes acrylic and special. fillers. It is applied to pipes with a sprayer. Neither high nor low temperatures affect it, and the pipes under its action are protected from corrosion. Its principle is that a thicker layer is better sewn, although a single-layer coated pipe will endure cold quite well.

If country life you started with a change house or a container block, insulate the water supply anyway, because later, when you already have a stationary house, the temporary house can be adapted for a bathhouse, and water supply is also needed there. So kill 2 birds with one stone.

How to insulate

Technology.

All of the above materials have basically the same characteristics. The choice can be influenced only by the option of the laid water supply. Not every option will require trenching.

There are some tricks that can save the budget, for example:

Liquid under high pressure. Suitable for submersible pump, in a well, for example. We introduce a receiver into the system, pressurize it with a pressure of at least 5 atmospheres, and the pump already has the necessary characteristics and will support the declared water pressure.
Air bag. Created by the above porous PVC materials. They will reliably insulate the pipes from moisture, and the air will maintain the desired temperature.
electrical way. A cable is taken, laid parallel to the pipe in direct contact with it or even inside it, the required cable power is 10 - 20 W per r.m. With such insulation, a pipe can be buried not by 2 meters (freezing depth), but by only 50 cm. And electricity can only be used in frosty winter time.
There are frequent power cuts in the cottages. Here's something else because of this, and your water has not yet frozen, stock up on a diesel generator that will help out and temporarily support the operation of the water supply.

Thermal insulation as protection

Above, we told you about how to properly insulate the water supply. Now we will give you a lot of interesting information.

We insulate pipes with fiberglass.

You just need to wrap the material around the pipe and secure with plastic tape.
Wrap roofing material on top as waterproofing.
For internal insulation this is a great option.

And for outdoor use, it has several disadvantages:

The second layer of roofing material on the pipe will be a costly action.
A layer of soil on top, when filling trenches, will compress the material, which will affect its thermal insulation properties.
And further tamping of the soil will further reduce the effectiveness of protection.
Outside, it is best to use expanded polystyrene or basalt insulation.
We simply put 2 halves of the corresponding diameter on the pipe.
The halves overlap each other, and in these places we fasten them with adhesive tape.
For corners and turns, there are shaped options, take care of purchasing them in advance.
The last 2 examples of heaters have a low water absorption effect, no more than 2%, therefore they are extremely effective outside the home, but they can also be used in an unheated part of the house, for example, in the attic or in a cold veranda.

Cable heating of pipes.

The pipe is glued with adhesive foil tape in a spiral.
A cable is wound on top (bought in a store), between the turns we leave 10 - 15 cm.
We fix it with the same tape.
From above we fasten polystyrene foam, or something like that, we make sure that there are no gaps anywhere.
We close everything with plumbing tape, it also performs the function of a waterproofing agent.
The pipe can not be buried in the ground by more than 50 cm; if the procedure is carried out correctly, the water does not threaten freezing.

Finally

Here, in fact, are some very effective methods for warming the water supply system for the winter. With careful observance of the above technologies and advice, your plumbing will calmly winter and will not cause you any inconvenience in the form of freezing water or bursting pipes.

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