Re: Use of ice to plug a pipe

From: <George>
Date: Thu Jul 29 2004 - 14:17:00 EDT

Chris:
Actually, as long as you don't block the ends, you shouldn't have problems. The method under discussion is to make a localized freeze, as opposed to your situation, where the whole piping system froze. In that case, the still liquid water has no place to go, and builds up the pressure. But if it is a localized freeze, the liquid water just gets displaced, and the ice plug doesn't build any significant pressure. Moral - you can use a freeze stopple, but DON'T close the block valves (or have a relief valve that will bleed off the pressure).

George McKinney

• Original Message ----- From: Christopher Wright To: Pipingdesign Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2004 12:50 PM Subject: Re: [PipingDesign] Use of ice to plug a pipe

>Has anybody used a similar method for temporarily plugging a pipe?
   Lots of people have in Minnesota. Regrettably the side effects involve    broken pipes or fittings, because water expands when it freezes. The pipe    usually unplugs itself at some point when it splits. I once inspected a    small house which was temporarily unoccupied when the furnace failed. The    water and hot water heating pipes had frozen the pipes and fittings had    split at many points in the system. Even the toilet tank had cracked, as    did cast radiators and pipe runs, without any pattern that was    immediately obvious.

   I heard a story in grade school that some early American inventor once    had a supply of surplus cannon balls that he wanted to sell, but couldn't    because there was no way to guarantee that all the powder inside was    gone. The guy simply filled them with water one winter night and spiked    the fuse hole. Mother nature did the rest--the next morning every one had    split neatly.

   The upshot is that freezing the pipe generates tremendous internal    pressure. If the plug is truly solid, you'll probably rupture the pipe.

   Christopher Wright P.E.    |"They couldn't hit an elephant at
   chrisw@skypoint.com        | this distance"   (last words of Gen.
   ___________________________| John Sedgwick, Spotsylvania 1864)

   http://www.skypoint.com/~chrisw

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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Received on Thu Jul 29 14:17:00 2004