Water-pipe thawing-out equipment

摘要

The equipment, which is mounted on a vehicle (6), is used for thawing out buried pipelines which are frozen and choked with ice. It is especially used for water pipes. The end of the frozen water pipe is opened up and a hose (24) is connected to a cap (56) screwed to the end of the pipe and its end portion may be rigid and its end (63) is cut at an angle to form a sharp point. Hot water is pumped down the hose, which may be advanced down the pipe as the ice (5) is melted away. Water returns though the annular space (70) between the outer diameter of the hose and the inner diameter of the pipe and passes from a side branch with a valve (50) through a second hose (52) to a tank (9) in the vehicle. The vehicle contains a pump (15) and a water heater (19).