Thawing Machine

Bill_3

I read somewere, that there is a special thawing machine for frozen pipes. Could someone advise me were to purchase this machine.

Chris Maderia

I have one

that I'd sell ya. Give me a call 1-800-349-1900.

Steve Bergerson

Ridgid Tools

has an electric pipe thawing machine... you can view it at:
http://www.ridgid.com/catalog/117.html

Eric Taylor_3

Welder

Get your self an old welder if you are talking about copper pipe. Hook up one lead to each end and let some current be conducted by the pipe. I did this on a buried water main over 100 feet long. It was 3/4" type K copper and only took 50 amps about ten minutes to get the water flowing again. One lead was attached to the line side of the water meter and the other to the neighbor's water meter. Great fun.

Eric

hot_rod

Be extremely careful with welders

I have seen two houses burn to the ground caused by welders thawing pipes. One house was several door down from theone being thawed. Current carried up the ductile iron main and found a ground and sparked in the wall.

Pipe thaw machines are much safer. The main difference is the voltage, and amperage. Thaw machines run about 6 volt output. Welders can run 40 volts or more.

An old timer showed me a trick to determine where the current is going. He placed a small ammeter on the pipe to determine if the current was traveling to the frozen pipe or down the main to a neighbors!

You need to know if the current is flowing between the two hook up via the frozen pipe, or arcing to a ground in the wall. That's how the fires start. The current from the welder will jump to the ground conductor in a piece of nearby romex.


Still a risky business. Check your insurance poilcy before you start, or wait for warm weather

hot rod

sootmonkey

thaw

sootmonkey, from raymond maine. i have a lot of ex per ence with the "thaw machine" 2 volts @ 250 amps. or 4 volts @ 300 amps. 20 to 30 feet of pipe at a time. ( copper)

John Abbott

Thaw machine?

I have a icebreaker 300 made by C.K. Systematics inc.215 696 9040 That works like a charm just follow the instructions.

John