Winter, frost and sun is not only a romantic mood and joy from a snow-white environment. Frost can do a lot of trouble in a private house - freezing of the water supply in country house happens too often to ignore such a possibility. What can be done to save the plumbing system? First of all, do not get upset or panic - you can find a way out of any situation. When the water supply freezes, the problem can be solved in several ways.
We are looking for a problem place
Before solving the problem of a frozen water supply, it is necessary to find the place of freezing. Remember: only those pipes freeze that are either located above the freezing depth, or they were poorly insulated. And if we are talking about a private house, then most likely these problem areas are well known to the owners.
Either the entire highway or some localized area can freeze - it is easy to determine if the water flow did not stop on a part of the site (for example, there is water in a barn or garage, but not in the house).
After the freezing point is determined, you need to prepare it to fix the problem:
- excavate a localized section of the frozen water supply;
- make deep groove holes when a large area freezes.
How to reheat metal pipes?
Despite the widespread use of plastic pipes for the installation of a water supply system, many still prefer metal. To some extent, they are right - after all, even heating such a water supply system is much easier than a plastic one:
- metal is not afraid of open fire - you can make a fire under the chimney;
- this material perfectly retains and distributes heat, so you can make a fire in one place and wait for thawing for a sufficiently long distance.
Note: when heating a metal pipe, avoid the heat of threaded connections - they will then need to be repackaged.
In addition to making a fire near a frozen pipe section, you can try to defrost the pipeline using a construction hair dryer or blowtorch. These are not the most effective methods that can be used only if absolutely necessary. Be careful: when using a blowtorch, fire safety precautions and metal screens should be used.
Electric current and frozen pipes
Metal perfectly conducts electric current, this can be used when the water supply freezes. You need to do the following:
- excavate a section of a frozen water supply system;
- use a welding transformer - connect it to the pipe;
- apply electric current to the pipe.
When an electric current enters the metal, the latter heats up strongly, and the water in the pipe thaws. This method of thawing a frozen water supply from metal pipes will take a long time - it will take several hours to thaw, but without your direct participation.
Anti-ice heating cable
The simplest and most affordable method for warming up frozen metal water pipes is to use. They are sold in stores and are inexpensive, so they are available to everyone.
It is very easy to assemble the heating cable - there are instructions for this. But it is worth remembering some of the nuances in using a heating cable:
- you do not need to turn on this device all the time - it is enough to use it only at night and when predicting severe frosts;
- make sure that the heating cable does not completely "go" to the pipes - leave a small fragment for control;
- the heating cable is capable of heating pipes up to 40 degrees;
- This fixture can be used to defrost water pipes and prevent further freezing for both plastic and metal water pipes.
note: It is advisable to use heating drops immediately during the installation of the pipeline. The main thing is to choose the right type of cable, based on the goals set (the cable can be simple or with a self-regulation system).
How to warm plastic pipes?
Traditional methods used to remove ice plugs in metal piping are not suitable for plastic pipes. You cannot light a fire near the chimney, use welding machine, and also try to insert a metal rod into the pipe (you will either not achieve the result at all, or damage the pipeline). Only 2 methods are considered effective, which we will describe below.
Defrosting plastic pipes with a construction hair dryer
If the water supply is mounted from plastic pipes, then in no case should they be heated with an open fire - it is better to use a construction hairdryer. In this case, you should not count on a quick result, because plastic conducts heat very poorly.
If such a tool is not available, then you will have to resort to the old-fashioned method: the frozen pipe is wrapped with rags and boiling water is poured on them. It is necessary to achieve continuous spilling / heating of the frozen section of the pipe for 20-30 minutes.
Please note: before starting to heat the plastic pipes, you must open the tap - even slightly thawed water under pressure will find a way out.
Pouring hot water into pipes
If the plastic plumbing is frozen, the most effective way The solution to the problem is to pour hot water inside. It is necessary to find the junction of two pipe sections closest to the freezing point, untwist them and insert a hollow tube into the area of ice accumulation (a gas or oxygen hose is suitable). Hot water must be supplied through it - it will act directly on the ice and quickly defrost it.
The ice has thawed a little, but there is still no water coming from the tap? So, you need to move on - move the tube or try to direct a stream of boiling water into the middle of the ice plug.
After the water comes out of the tap, you can put the system back together. If the freezing area is located at the entrance to a house or garage, then a pipe with boiling water can be inserted into the section of the water supply system, which is located in the room.
You can also use an Esmarch mug to defrost water pipes. You will need a hydro level, steel wire with a diameter of 2-4 mm (we wrap it around the water level tube) and a medical device used for cleansing enemas (Esmarch's mug). The pipe defrost diagram is shown below:
It will take a long time for the water supply to completely defrost: in an hour of work, you will free approximately 0.8 - 1.0 m of the pipe from the ice.
Ice removed - what to do next?
Whichever method you choose to defrost the water supply, you need to achieve the optimal result - get rid of the ice. But even when this process is over, you cannot relax - some repair work has to be done.
After the ice has disappeared and the water has gone through the pipes, you need to drain about half a liter of water and turn off all the taps. Then, within 15-20 minutes, you will have to observe the sections of the excavated water pipes - whether water accumulates in the holes. If there is no such phenomenon, then the system remained intact even after its expansion with ice - you are in luck. If water is present, then you will have to look for damage and replace the problem area.
How to insulate a water supply system: preventive measures
It is also necessary to take care of preventing the next freezing of the water supply system - it is unlikely that winter will end overnight. To do this, you need to do the following:
- remember which parts of the water supply system are most susceptible to freezing and excavate them;
- wrap them with insulation or, in extreme cases, with old rags - it doesn't matter, the task is to insulate possibly problem areas;
- in places of possible freezing, you need to lay a heating cord - this is sold in stores;
- try to ensure a constant, uninterrupted outflow of water, at least with a minimum intensity.
note: if no one lives permanently in a private house in winter, then drain the water from the entire system and turn off the taps.
Insulation of the water supply system must be carried out even before the arrival of winter - this way it will be possible to avoid freezing of pipes. To do this, you need to comply with the norms for the location of pipes in the ground - find out the depth of freezing of the soil in your region and in the warm season, redo the existing water supply system, or lay a new one according to all the rules.
What can and should be done to prevent freezing of the water supply system in winter? Only specialists can give a competent answer to this question. It is worth listening to their advice:
- Find a shut-off valve in the house in advance and report your find to all adults living in the house.
- If it is supposed to move out of the country house for the winter period, then drain the water from the system, turn off the taps and collect all the hoses.
- If on your site all the drainage systems are in the garage or shed, then the doors of these rooms should always be kept closed.
- If there are unprotected water pipes, you need to block the possible access of cold air to them - for example, plug all the holes with rags.
- It is not enough to insulate pipes in the ground; you need to take care of this in other places where the water supply system runs - many people also have it in the attic.
- In case of severe frosts, you need to lay the heating cable along the pipes - ideally, this should be done along the entire length of the water supply system, but enough to protect the "weakest" areas.
- In the winter season, when frosts are predicted, keep the tap always ajar - let the water drain out of the system on the sly. If you see that the water has stopped running, this means that ice has appeared in the pipes - open the water harder, it will squeeze the already formed ice out of the pipes with pressure.
The insulated pipes must be returned to their original position after the end of winter:
- firstly, you need to remove all heating devices and thermal insulation materials - overheating of the water supply system is also harmful to the system;
- secondly, it is necessary to examine the state of the water supply and drainage system - even with seeming well-being, damage may be detected;
- thirdly, it is advisable to reconstruct the system and exclude the possibility of freezing of water pipes next winter.
Water pipe insulation is a direct path to the joy of frost and sun. But if you have not taken care of this process in advance, then you will have to resort to one of the methods recommended above to defrost the water supply system.
Dermatovenerologist at the Medicina clinic, Ph.D.
How to keep warm when you're already at home
Diving into a hot bath is a big mistake, now you are not able to adequately assess the temperature of the water and you can easily earn a burn as well. Gradual is your motto. It is best to quickly change into your home clothes, wrap yourself in a blanket and sit quietly sipping something warm and sweet - for example, very weak tea (strong tea contributes to the loss of fluid).
If your beloved man is nearby, let him warm you with the warmth of his body. No kidding, this is the safest way to get your temperature back to normal. It is not forbidden to take the drug acetylsalicylic acid, it will help to cope with vasospasm.
How to keep warm if you are not at home yet
Go to the nearest entrance, store or cafe and stay there until you feel that you are thawing. It's great if you have the opportunity to slowly drink something warm, but avoid caffeine - your body should not lose fluid now.
Alcohol is not recommended - its alleged warming effect is more a fiction than a fact. The fact is that stronger drinks quickly and seriously increase heat transfer, and you don't need this at all now. Get home, spend 3-4 hours there, defrost completely, and only then you can sip a glass if you really want to.
Frozen nose, cheeks, or ears
You cannot rub the affected areas with snow or woolen mittens - you will get microtraumas of the skin and blood vessels. If your fingers obey you, do a light massage (but only indoors, not outdoors). Once you get home, stick to the slow warming tactics.
Freeze hands
Take off rings, watches and bracelets - they can prevent the blood from restoring normal movement through the vessels. Do not put your hands on a radiator or a heater, holding them over a stove, especially a gas one, is also a bad idea: the sensitivity of the covers is temporarily lost, and you can suffer even more seriously. It is best to slowly but surely warm the hands under the armpits or under the knees - it is warmest there. And don't forget about the hot drink.
Feet are frozen
Give them a medicinal bath: fill the basin with water (25 ° C) and pour it warmer for half an hour, so that in the end its temperature reaches 38–40 ° C, but not higher. Warming drink in this case will not hurt.
Many gardeners are faced with a situation when potatoes froze during storage. This is a fairly common problem, since it is inevitable if stored improperly and temperature conditions are not observed. We will analyze what to do, how to act correctly and save potatoes in such a situation.
Let's figure out how to tell if a potato is frozen.
First, you need to put the potatoes in a warm place and leave for a couple of hours. After that, cut it and if the cut shows blackness, then it is better to discard it immediately.
If it was difficult to cut a vegetable, the potatoes were frozen: then they leave it warm for several hours, then cut into several pieces and boil, but it will be a little sweet.
Like water, potatoes freeze when the thermometer drops below zero degrees. The most optimal temperature for storing vegetables is 2-3 degrees above zero.
Expert opinion
Filatov Ivan Yurievich, private farmer for over 30 years
How much frost can potatoes withstand? When the temperature drops below zero, the potatoes begin to freeze. The starch in the vegetable turns into sugar, which negatively affects the taste of the product. And if the storage temperature rises above 4 degrees, the potatoes begin to sprout, which is also very undesirable.
When storing potatoes in the basement, there is often a danger of freezing vegetables. The condition of the tubers depends on the air temperature in the storage:
- At temperatures from +2 to +5 ° C, potatoes retain their taste, at higher temperatures, they germinate prematurely.
- From 0 to +1 ° C, briefly drops to -1 ° C, the starch begins to break down, and a sweet taste develops over time. They asked, does the potato freeze at what temperature? Consider that you have the answer.
- Potatoes freeze at temperatures of -1.7 ° C or lower and acquire a distinct sweet taste. As the temperature rises, the frozen tubers begin to rot and those that were intended to be planted lose their germination.
If the potatoes are frozen, can you eat them?
As a rule, frozen potatoes can be eaten.
Grate frozen potatoes while they are not melting. Add flour, egg and make burgers. Salt, seasonings to taste. Fry on both sides in a skillet and delicious pancakes are ready!
Do you think frozen potatoes can be eaten?
No, the potatoes are spoiled and become harmful
Yes, there is nothing wrong with thatSpices and herbs will help disguise the sweetness of potatoes: salt, Bay leaf, Bell pepper, dill, parsley. Suitable mayonnaise-sour cream sauce, grated carrots. From the frozen root, you get delicious French fries. Children must appreciate! Despite your best efforts, do potatoes still taste sweet and unpleasant to eat? Get rid of stocks. If there is a lot of potatoes and it’s a pity to just throw it away, give the livestock farms to feed pigs, cows, horses. And the next time, before storing potatoes, warm the room according to all the rules so that there will be no such problem in the future.
Another phenomenon of the potato is its greening. Read on and how to avoid greening.
Initially, it is necessary to select sufficiently large tubers without defects, wash them and remove them from the skin. Since potatoes can be frozen in several ways, further preparatory steps will also differ:
Such blanks do not require defrosting - they are immediately sent to a frying pan or microwave. If you add a fresh egg inside, you get a delicious, beautiful and original side dish.
If the potatoes are frozen in the cellar or if the potatoes are frozen on the balcony - what to do? There are some tips for defrosting potatoes correctly without changing the taste:
- Take the amount from the potato storage that is immediately used.
- It is sent to hot water (about 50-60 ºC). You need to watch how the peel begins to thaw and it becomes easy to peel.
- Peel and add immediately to the food you are cooking.
What can you do with frozen potatoes? Yes all! The tasty qualities of such defrosting of potatoes do not change.
This is how the peoples of the Far North prepare frozen potatoes:
- The required amount of frozen potatoes is taken from the storage. It goes into cold water within 5 minutes.
- Then the peel is peeled, and the potatoes are cut in half and dipped in cold water again.
- The whole procedure takes about 30 minutes. Such potatoes can not only be cooked, added to soup, but also fried. The only downside is that it gets a little dry due to the lack of starch.
What to do if potatoes are frozen in the cellar and become sweet? Take away this sweetness! How to remove excessive sweetness from frozen potatoes?
- To do this, take the right amount of tubers again and dip in cold water for 5-10 minutes.
- Then it is cleaned, cut into pieces and boiled in boiling water with vinegar.
- 1 tablespoon of vinegar per liter of water.
- The potatoes are cooked until tender and then drained.
- Now it can be added to soup, second course. Unfortunately, the sweetness will not be lost. You can add to cabbage soup from sauerkraut or borscht - there it will give them a special piquancy.
Potato harvesting should begin in the fall. It is worth insulating the basement and building storage space. Also, make sure that the temperature of humidity and air corresponds to the generally accepted norm. And only under such conditions can you protect the crop from cooling or sudden freezing, which can lead to its uselessness.
Video
In this video, you will clearly see what can be done with frozen potatoes so that they can be eaten.
Very often residents multi-storey buildings keep vegetables on the balcony, this is especially true in winter, when the temperature there is optimal and contributes to long-term preservation. But if a fierce winter is raging outside the window, and the temperature drops to exorbitant values, then even the best glazing will not cope with it, then there is a risk that all your reserves will begin to freeze. This is especially true when potatoes are injured on the balcony, and very often it freezes all over there, what to do with it then?
How to understand that the potatoes are frozen
If frosts hit, and your balcony absolutely cannot cope with them, and you suspect that the potatoes stored there are frozen, you should check this. But how do you do it? There are two options for the development of events, the first, when the potatoes are frozen, and the second, when they just froze.
The first option is very easy to check, you just need to bring the potatoes indoors for one to two hours, and then try to cut them. If everything went smoothly without difficulty, and the potatoes in the middle remain of their usual color, then everything is in order.
In order for the crop to be stored much longer, it must be stored in complete darkness.
If it was difficult to cut, then leave the potatoes to freeze for a longer period, about six hours. After that, take one potato, cut into several pieces and boil for half an hour. If it takes on a sweetish taste, then your potatoes are completely frozen.
Can I eat frozen potatoes
There are many different theories, some experts claim that such a product is absolutely harmless and suitable for food, others say that in the process of being torn apart, potatoes release toxic substances and can no longer be consumed.
So which of this is true? Of course, there are no poisons in potatoes, the most common fructose and sucrose begin to stand out from it, which will give an unusual sweetish taste to cooked food.
Frozen potatoes do absolutely no harm to the body and harmful substances it is not formed at all. So, if you are not embarrassed by the fact that the potatoes will be sweet, you can safely eat them.
What to do with frozen fruit
If suddenly more than one hundred kilograms of potatoes were stored on your balcony and after severe frosts it froze all over, do not despair there are ways to fix it, of course, they do not always work, but even if the situation is not corrected, spoiled potatoes can be used practically without loss. So, let's look at the option of correcting the situation and returning the potato to its original position.
Tip 1: Culling and cleaning
First, take as many potatoes from the total frozen quantity as you can eat at a time. Potatoes must be immediately immersed in hot water, the temperature of which is between forty and sixty degrees Celsius.
Remove the top layer, sort the tubers, wash them thoroughly and dry them. You need to dry in the dark, the potatoes should not be cramped.
This way, the top layer will thaw pretty quickly and you can clean it up quite easily. After peeling, potatoes should be immediately used to prepare the planned meal. Having done everything quickly and correctly, the sweetish aftertaste should not appear, so you can cook potatoes without fear.
Tip 2: For feeding livestock
If the potatoes are too frozen, but the sweetness still appears, then it can be used in other areas, such as feeding livestock, making moonshine, or making homemade potato starch, which will always come in handy in household and in the kitchen.
Tip 3: Culinary recipes
If you have never tried eating frozen potatoes, do not be afraid, first try a dish made from such ingredients, and then draw your final conclusions. Many people like to eat just such a potato, because of its sweetish taste, which makes the dishes unusual. Simply put, dishes made from frost-bitten potatoes are an amateur and should not be completely written off from the bills.
There are many recipes for frozen potatoes: you can make dranniki or cook in uniforms.
If the potatoes are not too frozen, but you are still worried about their quality, the best dish in this case, there will be potato pancakes. Having fried potatoes well, they will not change their original taste at all and the dish should turn out to be quite tasty and satisfying.
Such potatoes can be baked in the oven, then the sweetish taste will completely disappear.
Also, if you want to cook soup or borscht from such ingredients, then the potatoes in it will be too soft and for an uninformed person this may seem like an unusual phenomenon.
If you want to fry such potatoes, then there is a risk that it will turn black very quickly and completely lose its pleasant taste and become unpleasant. This is possible if the frostbite was too strong or there were mistakes in the cooking process.
Dip the frozen fruit for a minute in cold water, then in boiling water, to which a little vinegar is added.
One of the conditions that is fundamental when eating frozen potatoes is the time it is torn apart. The most important thing is not to do so that thawing will be slow, but to speed up this process as much as possible.
If slow thawing has not occurred, then the enzymes that are in the potato do not have time to completely break down and the starch does not turn into a sugar state. This method of storing potatoes is used in the north, where it is kept completely frozen, and when cooking, it is allowed to thaw a little to peel the skin, after which it is immediately boiled.
Watching the video: Potato recipes, master class
Last year I have 10 JUNE the seedlings are frozen from 98 bushes. One left.
Yesterday it was, and a day later everything was brown and dead.
As a result, hemp remained (2-3 cm near the ground). That is, the trunks were COMPLETELY DRYED and died.
I knew that some people would be okay because I always believed in tomatoes. Unlike people who buy seedlings on the market (a little the leaves wilted and everything is bad seedlings, and the brains turn on and understand that all April (while it was snowing) or most of May, these seedlings grew in a greenhouse and, accordingly, acclimatization simply did not could pass, because it grew in the ground (in a greenhouse). They do not understand simple things. After planting, the seedlings take root well.
Moreover, tomato as a weed(see for yourself: there is no growth point - firstly, it is very convenient, and secondly, someone uses it: giving the opportunity to grow an additional mass of roots. I had a little experience (at the very beginning - "the first pancake"), despite the return, there was an excess of seedlings. The most varied. And they planted in a hurry quite tightly. Many stretched out. But I watered them normally. In the end, can you imagine what happened after 6-7 weeks? It was real tropics, everything thickened , overgrown when you dug up seedlings 1.5-2 meters long (and longer; because the varieties were interesting to me), I thought, well, how can I plant them.
Since they grew in moisture and trudged along the ground, they had a lot of places where roots formed. It was funny to bury 1.2 m of the stem in the ground and leave 30 cm above the ground. And we generally grew our stepchildren (from greenhouse tomatoes) by simply sticking them into the ground and after 2-3 weeks this is already a huge seedling. Only water cannot be denied to him, well, you can shade if the temperature is already under 30C.
Oh yes. Hemp.
I abandoned them. Watering another 2-3 times, and then abandoned. Were in the grass. Somewhere, perhaps more could have been saved.
About 35-40% of the bushes survived... Grew up and gave a crop.
I was surprised that my wife was still collecting several boxes of tomatoes on different days. I thought that there would be nothing special. They have remained with me "trailing" by themselves.
If the varieties are good. If you feel sorry for the work. If it is a pity to buy new seedlings or to travel far (and it happens, neighbors live around, rarely gets out to the city, they do not grow seedlings).
If you just want to see that they really grow up.
That need to be covered with cover(well, at least for the time of frost). I mean: you are late, the tomatoes are frozen (anything can happen) - you arrived, they covered it anyway. Then, when it gets warmer: watering, mulching is MANDATORY. And they will trample new "sprouts" from the roots - how cute.
We're kind of late with the boarding. And the frosts came on time! That was not 15 years old. It was a pity (when they froze), but there was a lot to do and somehow the hands did not reach the tomato.
It has never been so cold.
Well, the leaves were withered, well, the tops, well, what else. But to freeze in a day: 100% tomato, 60% cucumbers, 50% peppers, so that the leaves of the RASPBERRY freeze - this is some kind of finish. And according to the forecast, it was only + 2 + 4C (well, yes, this is too much, but under the covering layer in two layers, in principle, even the cucumber seedlings survived, although not all). Obviously fantastic for meteorologists, as always.
Victor
Freezing is a big problem for many gardeners. I also had a similar no less dramatic case.
Once on May 26, forecasters did not promise a strong frost. In the evening, feeling that the cold was approaching, I covered the freshly planted tomatoes with a covering cloth, plastic wrap on top, and a third layer of a fabric tent. Usually this was always more than enough to protect tomatoes. And he went to sleep peacefully. What a stress it was for me when I went out in the morning to see what and how, and saw minus 9 on the thermometer!
When it got warmer, and I opened the beds, I was convinced that the miracle did not happen. All died 52 planted tomato bushes. Just like you, Roman, are frozen to the root!
It's a shame that that night I myself was at the dacha. No, so that I get up at two for an hour, look ... I could have saved! I would quickly warm up the water, put it under a shelter in buckets, or do something else ... But I slept like a dead man ... I never even dreamed of nightmares! The nightmare came in the morning!)))
Well, I had a surplus of seedlings, and I restored plantings, it was not required to leave damaged bushes.
And you can restore the bushes. Once, in June, in my absence, the wind tore off the protection from a freestanding tomato bush. As luck would have it, frost came at night, and the bush was badly damaged. It's a shame, because it already had good ovaries. I left the unfortunate bush, then cut it off, watered it, looked after it, and covered it again in the fall.
And a grateful tomato came to life, tied a lot of fruits and pleased with a good harvest!
So in such cases, there is no need to despair, if there is no other way out, then do not rush to throw away the seedlings damaged by frost! It is quite possible to try to go out!