In the harsh Russian winters, heated pipes are not a luxury, but a forced necessity or a simple precaution. If the plumbing or sewage system freezes over, defrosting work will be very difficult due to weather conditions, and the cost will be higher than similar work in the summer.
Modern technologies can significantly reduce and even minimize the problem of pipe freezing. Various heating cables and films allow you to protect water supply and sewerage from low temperatures. And the installation of thermostats makes it possible to create fully automated systems that will maintain the temperature within a given range.
Heating water pipes
Cable heating
This method of heating pipes is the most common. There are two methods of cable fastening: along pipes and spiral winding. In both cases, the heating element mustfix. This is best done with special adhesive tapes that are resistant to high temperatures. For example, aluminum tape. After the cable is laid, it is necessary to make thermal insulation of the water supply. But before doing this, you should lay a layer of foil screen. This is necessary so that the heated pipes receive heat evenly. This approach allows you to increase the efficiency of the cable. And then the thermal insulation of the water supply itself is already performed directly. In order for the insulation to retain its operational properties longer, it must be covered with a waterproofing film. If the water supply is laid above the ground, then it is also necessary to make protection from wind and mechanical influences, for example, a wooden, plastic or metal box.
Film heating
This method has recently gained great popularity due to its characteristics. Firstly, such material is easier to mount. The film must simply be wrapped around the pipe and fixed with the same aluminum tape. Secondly, the efficiency of film heating is higher than that of cable heating. This is due to the fact that the film completely surrounds the water pipes, which allows for uniform heating. Screening is not necessary in this case. The next step is to insulate the heated pipes. You also need to take care of protecting the resulting structure from moisture and mechanical stress.
Heated sewer pipes
Pipes of the sewerage system can be heated in the same ways as water pipes. But it should be borne in mind that the consumption of the heating cable or heating film will be more significant, since the diameter of such pipes is much larger. But there is another way - laying the heating cable inside the pipe. Naturally, it is also necessary to make thermal insulation of the sewerage system in order to reduce heat losses and increase the heating efficiency.
Sufficiently simple work in the warm period of time allows you to make heated pipes that can easily endure even the worst winter frosts. Water supply and sewerage will always function normally due to the operation of the automated heating system.
