Can anyone please guide me as to the correct pipe for freezing locations. Can the blue under ground pipe be wall mounted in an unheated detached garage or will PEX white heating pipe be suitable for this location. What are ur views, and is there a correct pipe type for this location.
Could lag it & box it in as well. What is pipe use for, & I know it's water... outside tap, house feed?
Plastic pipe in general is better insulated so will give longer protection. Then, when the water inside does freeze, it will still (usually) have enough flexibility so's it won't actually burst. The more extra insulation you add the better. That way the 'heat' (even if it's cold ~6oC mains water) in the actual water flowing through will remain above freezing until the next time it flows. Usually.
We have had the lead water main leak from the street to the kitchen somewhere under the garage. The plumber has replaced the underground part from street to the garage entrance with the blue pipe, and now he wants to run the Rest on the Wall surface in the garage with PEX white 15mm pipe. Would the internal part on the wall be better with 25mm blue pipe with respect to freezing or PEX be better.
Blue mdpe is harder wearing, could drop down to 20mm instead of 25mm. How long internal run, is kitchen other side of garage wall, plumber running pipe through/into garage for stopcock in garage or in kitchen.
From just inside the garage the pipe on the wall goes up 2m and along the top of the wall 8m and then down again 2m and then through the wall In to the kitchen. So a total of about 12m.
Make more sense to cut a channel in garage floor for pipe, would only need to be around 70mm deep for 20mm pipe.
what did he quote for, you agree to: seems to me a shortcut. 15mm incoming main? could restrict flow. How will he earth bond the stop tap in that location? probably a huge earth lead run? Pay to have the job done properly, mdpe underground to where you need it then 22mm
Would be a lot better if your plumber ran the blue pipe around outside of house to kitchen, laid in a new trench.
Hi If there's no alternative, the trick is, make sure the plumber fits Munson ring pipe clips, that allow thick, armaflex waterproof type insulation. I would suggest 25mm blue poly pipe, Regards Peter
When we moved in to our house there was copper in the garage inside ply boxing filled with rockwool. In the fierce winters we had a couple of years back burst in 2-3 places. I fitted ordinary white plastic BUT I also fitted trace heating. This came as a kit with a 13A plug on one end, a frost stat and a long length of heating wire. 3 or so years later it still kicks in reliably when its very cold. Insulation will slow down freezing, but will not stop it. An outside above-ground pipe chilled to below freezing for long enough will eventually freeze no matter how much insulation is on it.
Many shrug off the trace heating with its associated cost, but it does work very well. Although its usually used on water pipes, i have also seen it on condense pipes.