Question about fittings and freezing

[slash007]

Are they busting before you start the thaw process or during it? I learned the hard wash that when I began to unfreeze a bay i would start with the wand, work up the hose, to the boom, etc. I busted fittings that way because I believe the tip on the wand didn't provide enough of an opening for a rapid thaw and the ice would have no where to go.

t have since learned to remove the hose/wand from the boom and put it in the equipment room to thaw. I then start working the boom on up. Of course my freeze ups now are far and few between as I've tweaked settings in the bays over the years.

I have always taken off as many hoses as possible after a freeze up and let them thaw in the ER. At the wash with the busted fittings, I don't know that they are busted until it thaws on it's own, but I'm sure they bust upon freezing.

 

[Jeff_L]

I would assume the fittings are broken because they were frozen, and they're just not leaking until they're thawed. I can't imagine how you'd burst a fitting by thawing it.

Not sure either - but it was an old timer who told me to do it. Ever since I started doing it this way I haven't busted a fitting. Perhaps all the ones I replaced were old and weak.

 

[JGinther]

Actually, water is just a unique animal in the physics world. Both freezing and thawing will cause the bursting. Water is one of the only chemicals that expands in volume under freezing due to hydrogen bonding and the lattice design of ice crystals. That expansion obviously will break about anything. Also, though, anything that gains heat energy expands in size due to distance between molecules when activated. So, if there is ice blockage on two sides of a hose and thermal expansion in the middle.... pop!

 

[Jeff_L]

Thanks for the save JGinther!

 

[slash007]

Isathe trough insulated? I found the insulation had broken down in a place I took over. Put in ridgid foam on all 4 sides.

It turns out that I actually already have a line from my floor heat running through my trough. I guess that it's not enough. I'll check to make sure that there are no places that air can get in as that would negate the little warmth the floor heat line gives out, correct?