Warming of sewer pipes. Methods and materials

Sewerage is an integral part of almost every building and structure. If you properly care for the water disposal system, then it will last you much longer. The main point in the care of sewage pipes is their insulation.

Why you need to insulate the pipes

Many owners of country houses, one way or another, are faced with the issue of insulation of sewer pipes. Many people think that this is not necessary. Experts consider it differently. The need for insulation of pipes will depend on the climatic zone, as well as on the technology of construction and the passage of communications.

If the building is built in the area where the temperature rarely drops to minus one degree, then it is not necessary to insulate the sewer pipes. But if the building is built in a terrain with a harsh climate and frosty winters, the warming of the sewer pipes is considered mandatory.

There is another option, in which it is not worthwhile to protect the pipes - when the communications are laid at a certain angle and are lower than the freezing layer.

It is necessary to perform pipe insulation if:

• the pipeline does not pass in a straight line, but with a turn;
• the depth of the sewer pipe is half a meter ;
• when there is a slight bias of communications( less than half a millimeter per one meter linear);
• when the slope of the pipes, on the contrary, is significant and exceeds one and a half centimeters per meter;
• when pipes are often clogged;
• so that the pipe does not burst into frost( due to temperature difference);
• so that in cold weather the sewage does not freeze in the pipe, turning into an ice jam.

In any case, the insulation of the sewer pipe will not be superfluous either outdoors or indoors.

Materials for insulation pipes

There are materials with which you can insulate the sewer pipes in the ground and in the house.

To insulate the sewer pipe in the ground,

• fiberglass wool is used. This material was considered the only insulation for pipes a decade ago. Now technical cotton wool is used extremely rarely, because for its laying it is necessary to use additional auxiliary materials - waterproofing. As a result, it turns out that the effectiveness of this material will be low;
• basalt insulation is easy to install and has good thermal insulation properties. Among the shortcomings noted the high cost of the material;
• polystyrene foam - a demanded thermal insulation material. Has good performance, easy installation. It is considered a budget option;
• polyurethane foam, like its predecessor, polystyrene foam, keeps the heat well. It looks like a "shell" in which a "sewer" pipe is wrapped. On sale you can find two types of pipes - ordinary and insulated. The latter is produced in a polyurethane foam shell. In this case, the installation of pipes is greatly accelerated;
• penoizol - has a double action: completely isolates the sewer pipe, and also removes excess moisture from the soil.

For the insulation of sewer pipes in the room is used:

• foamed polyethylene. A common type of insulation for pipes. It allows you to easily and quickly insulate the sewer pipes in the apartment.

How to choose a heater?

When protecting the sewer system in the street, it must be taken into account that the insulation should not cause damage to the environment and it is good to cope with its task.

Let's consider more in detail popular kinds of heaters: polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam and mineral cotton wool.

Polystyrene has the appearance of a half pipe, connecting with each other with special fasteners.

The first two heaters have a number of advantages:

• have a small weight, so they are convenient to transport and install;
• is easy to carry out installation work;
• have a long service life;
• environmentally friendly material;
• have an affordable price.

Due to its uniqueness, the foam plastic shell withstands any temperature and temperature fluctuations.

If we talk about the durability, the insulation of foam and polystyrene foam can last fifty years in a row. It also happens that the sewer pipe breaks down earlier than the heater itself.

Polyfoam is allowed to be installed inside the room, because it self-extinguishes, and if it ignites, it will burn one, maximum two seconds.

If you have decided to insulate pipes with an old proven method - mineral or glass wool, then you should familiarize yourself with some of the nuances:

1. This kind of insulation is not an environmentally friendly material, because the mineral wool contains a lot of corrosive materials that destroy the soil.
2. Over time, the insulation shrinks and cracks form on it. Due to its peculiarity of absorbing moisture, it becomes necessary to use an additional insulator to attach the material.

Warming of the sewer pipe in the street

To protect the pipes from freezing during the cold season, they must be insulated.

There are such ways of thermal insulation:

• engineering;
• with the use of insulating material;
• is active.

The first method is considered to be the simplest, because when laying sewer pipes they should be located below the freezing level of the soil. Based on practice, the optimal depth of the pipe is two meters or more. It depends on what region you live in.

Thermal insulation of pipes is carried out according to the following scheme:

1. A trench of a certain depth is prepared so that pipes with a slope of one centimeter per meter of length can be laid. The depth of the pipes can be found from the table. There is a table for each region.

1. Then, at the bottom of the trench, you need to make a pillow of sand or gravel( grain size is not more than twenty millimeters).The thickness of the layer should be at least ten centimeters.
2. Installation of sewer pipes is in progress.
3. Now it is necessary to fill the pipes with sand or small gravel. The thickness of the layer should be at least twenty centimeters above the pipe. The layer needs to be compacted well.
4. To avoid the question of where to get gravel, use the material that was taken out while preparing the trench.

There are a number of points that make this method of insulation ineffective. For example, the structure of the soil or the proximity to groundwater, the presence of insects and other harmful substances that can destroy the structure of the pipe.

With this method, it is also necessary to take into account the probability of a sewage pipe burst. To repair a damaged area, it is necessary to excavate the pipe or remove it completely, to replace it with a new one.

The second method - insulation of pipes with thermal insulation materials. Depending on the situation, a different kind of insulation is used.

How to perform work on the insulation of sewer pipes with your own hands:

1. Specify the location of the trench pass.
2. Prepare a trench sixty centimeters wide and depth according to the project, plus a stock of five to ten centimeters.
3. The trench must be arranged with a slope in order to ensure the self-flow of the passing liquid through the pipes.
4. At the bottom of the trench lay a layer of sand or gravel( thickness of ten centimeters).Compact it.
5. Lay the pipeline on the surface near the prepared trench.
6. Perform a series connection of the pipes.
7. Treat the pipe ends and sealant itself with a sealant.
8. Now it is possible to put a heater on the pipe and fix it with a construction scoop.
9. The pipe must be lowered into a trench, connected and covered with a layer of gravel or sand.
10. Perform the final backfilling of the trench with soil. It is important to ensure that it does not have large stones and glass.

The third method active insulation is considered the most effective, but also more expensive. It is necessary to lay electrical cables parallel to the sewer pipes, which will warm the drains. The heating system is regulated by a temperature sensor, to which all automation is connected. If the water inside the pipes cools down to zero degrees, the sensor is triggered and the cable begins to heat the pipeline. As soon as the temperature rises, the sensor automatically turns off.

This method of thermal insulation is considered effective, although it is considered to be energy-efficient and is used in exceptional cases when the two previous methods proved ineffective. It should be taken into account the fact that if you do not additionally insulate the pipes with heat-insulating material, it turns out that the cable will warm the ground, and not your pipes.

How to perform the insulation of sewer pipes, take a look at this video: