Outside water pipes and freezing...
 

We've a 15mm plastic mains water pipe on an outside wall.

I haven't got around to lagging it yet so as a precaution i've been
turning it's supply off in the evening and had been expecting to open it
up and find it frozen.

Having had no bother and it being zero and under recently around these
parts i'm wondering at what sort of temperature you'd actually get freezing?

I realise that rather than debating this, a better use of my time would
be to go and get some lagging! :)

Outside water pipes and freezing...
 

On 20/01/2021 15:02, R D S wrote:
We've a 15mm plastic mains water pipe on an outside wall.

I haven't got around to lagging it yet so as a precaution i've been
turning it's supply off in the evening and had been expecting to open it
up and find it frozen.

Having had no bother and it being zero and under recently around these
parts i'm wondering at what sort of temperature you'd actually get
freezing?

I realise that rather than debating this, a better use of my time would
be to go and get some lagging! :)

below zero with no flow and wind.

I had a radiator freeze INSIDE a cottage once


--
"Corbyn talks about equality, justice, opportunity, health care, peace,
community, compassion, investment, security, housing...."
"What kind of person is not interested in those things?"

"Jeremy Corbyn?"

Outside water pipes and freezing...
 

R D S pretended :
Having had no bother and it being zero and under recently around these parts
i'm wondering at what sort of temperature you'd actually get freezing?

Any temperature sub-zero is cold enough, but it also depends on how
long it it below zero.

Outside water pipes and freezing...
 

On 20/01/2021 15:02, R D S wrote:
We've a 15mm plastic mains water pipe on an outside wall.

I haven't got around to lagging it yet so as a precaution i've been
turning it's supply off in the evening and had been expecting to open it
up and find it frozen.

Having had no bother and it being zero and under recently around these
parts i'm wondering at what sort of temperature you'd actually get
freezing?

It is generally a combination of temperature and wind speed that does
it. Metal pipes being somewhat more prone to it IME. How fast the heat
gets out of the water determines whether it freezes or not.

I realise that rather than debating this, a better use of my time would
be to go and get some lagging! :)

It is actually quite mild today 9C but the road is running like a river.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

Outside water pipes and freezing...
 

Harry Bloomfield, Esq. wrote:
R D S pretended :
Having had no bother and it being zero and under recently around these parts
i'm wondering at what sort of temperature you'd actually get freezing?

Any temperature sub-zero is cold enough, but it also depends on how
long it it below zero.

However MDPE (black or blue) seems to be quite OK when frozen, we have
quite a bit of exposed MDPE pipe outside and it has been frozen and
thawed quite a few times over the years with no apparent ill effects.
(It feeds a couple of horse waterers so temporary blockage doesn't
matter)

--
Chris Green
·

Outside water pipes and freezing...
 

In article , Chris Green
writes
Harry Bloomfield, Esq. wrote:
R D S pretended :
Having had no bother and it being zero and under recently around
these parts
i'm wondering at what sort of temperature you'd actually get freezing?

Any temperature sub-zero is cold enough, but it also depends on how
long it it below zero.

However MDPE (black or blue) seems to be quite OK when frozen, we have
quite a bit of exposed MDPE pipe outside and it has been frozen and
thawed quite a few times over the years with no apparent ill effects.
(It feeds a couple of horse waterers so temporary blockage doesn't
matter)

The important point is that water expands as it freezes and exerts
considerable force whilst doing so. MDPE pipe is flexible and
accommodates this, copper does not and splits or maybe forces open a
compression joint. Of course you don't know about this until the water
thaws.

--
bert

Outside water pipes and freezing...
 

bert wrote:
In article , Chris Green
writes
Harry Bloomfield, Esq. wrote:
R D S pretended :
Having had no bother and it being zero and under recently around
these parts
i'm wondering at what sort of temperature you'd actually get freezing?

Any temperature sub-zero is cold enough, but it also depends on how
long it it below zero.

However MDPE (black or blue) seems to be quite OK when frozen, we have
quite a bit of exposed MDPE pipe outside and it has been frozen and
thawed quite a few times over the years with no apparent ill effects.
(It feeds a couple of horse waterers so temporary blockage doesn't
matter)

The important point is that water expands as it freezes and exerts
considerable force whilst doing so. MDPE pipe is flexible and
accommodates this, copper does not and splits or maybe forces open a
compression joint. Of course you don't know about this until the water
thaws.

Yes, of course, I thought the OP's original message indicated that the
pipework in question was mostly MDPE. Our outside MDPE pipework has
metal 'endings' as it were and these have always survived OK. There's
a standpipe style tap at one point and two pretty standard ball float
valves in the horse waterers. These have survived many years of
occasional freezing.

--
Chris Green
·

Outside water pipes and freezing...
 

Even lagging is not always enough. During that big freeze in 63, pipes
underground were freezing. A little messy when the thaw came.
Brian

--

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"R D S" wrote in message
...
We've a 15mm plastic mains water pipe on an outside wall.

I haven't got around to lagging it yet so as a precaution i've been
turning it's supply off in the evening and had been expecting to open it
up and find it frozen.

Having had no bother and it being zero and under recently around these
parts i'm wondering at what sort of temperature you'd actually get
freezing?

I realise that rather than debating this, a better use of my time would be
to go and get some lagging! :)

Outside water pipes and freezing...
 

Yes wind chill will be the thing. If its sheltered water does not always
freeze all the way through the pipe.
Brian

--

This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
On 20/01/2021 15:02, R D S wrote:
We've a 15mm plastic mains water pipe on an outside wall.

I haven't got around to lagging it yet so as a precaution i've been
turning it's supply off in the evening and had been expecting to open it
up and find it frozen.

Having had no bother and it being zero and under recently around these
parts i'm wondering at what sort of temperature you'd actually get
freezing?

I realise that rather than debating this, a better use of my time would
be to go and get some lagging! :)

below zero with no flow and wind.

I had a radiator freeze INSIDE a cottage once


--
"Corbyn talks about equality, justice, opportunity, health care, peace,
community, compassion, investment, security, housing...."
"What kind of person is not interested in those things?"

"Jeremy Corbyn?"