Pipefreezing

Paul Barker · 18 Aug 2006

I have had one of those arctic freeze kits for 100 squid for a few years, only use it very infrequently.

Today we had to change rad valves on a one pipe system, so I tired it again. It took 3 bottles to get it to work, £39. WOW if I'd known that before I started I'd have done it another way, shucks should have bunged the tank.

Anyhow does anyone have a cheap source for those electric jobbies. If I had one of those I'd probably use it quite a bit. Is there a cheap way to buy them?

Talking of cheap stuff,

We end up doing quite a bit of water main work, so I decided to buy my own heavy breaker. It's 55 Jule force against the 60 of the Bosch but only cost £279 Buy it Now off eBay all inclusive including delivery, came next day. Works a treat. Well worth it.

corgiman · 18 Aug 2006

Really paul

I hate freezing pipe, never had any luck wif it

Biggles.. · 18 Aug 2006

Paul you can get the rothenberger rofrost electric kit from ebay. they appear from time to time but come in around £200+. good piece of kit with two heads and a seperate control for each. Surprised it took three cans of gas, was the pipes clean of paint etc and the system cold only asking cos have never failed with my rothenberger gas kit yet.

fitz1 · 19 Aug 2006

did 2 one inch iron pipes last week with one large can.got to work fast though.

geoff@cetltd · 19 Aug 2006

How long do these electric freezers take to work then ?

fitz1 · 19 Aug 2006

very well. they enjoy it.

ChrisR · 19 Aug 2006

I find a couple of 15's takes about half a can or Arctic juice. I use a bigger sleeve round the smaller one to help keep the stuff in, otherwise it can all run out on a vertical pipe.

geoff@cetltd · 19 Aug 2006

but that's not lectric chris ...

Paul Barker · 19 Aug 2006

Yes it was 3/4 vertical layered in paint and the stuff was runnign out like no tomorrow.

I did wander whether wraping closure plate tape round the whole lot wouldn't be a good idea in future. I did have to use 2 cuffs as it had to be isolated from above and below the rad t's.

So what's the consensus on this here £200 machine? A fellow in the merchants said they are great never fail, just leave them on until it's solid, but can take 20 minutes.

I may have only used my freeser 5 times in all. First when I got it was a complete failure, I discovered the next time I used it that the first time I had simply not read instructions at all and didn't realise it took a few minutes to work. The next few times I always had success until this time (when I eventually had success by keeping on adding cans until it worked). I follow Winston Churchil's advice to a group of undergraduates "never give up".

So for me it has worked every time except the first when I hadn't read the instructions.

As we all know instructions are a waste of our time in most cases.

ChrisR · 19 Aug 2006

You have to get a fair bit of the paint off, a third say. Rothenberger's equivalent version has much tighter fitting plastic collars, I keep meaning to get hold of a couple of the 15mm ones. The coolth comes from the evaporation of the liquid, so you need to keep most of it IN and not let it dribble out.

Haven't used electric much Geoff. The machines do need servicing every few years it seems. DP's was a lot of trouble. Would be good on warm pipes though - time for a beer.

Arctic told me that the DIY cans of freezer are much colder than the Polar ones. Possibly more cost effective to just use those.

Nige F · 19 Aug 2006

Paul.......we all need closure ........then we can move on

Paul Barker · 19 Aug 2006

What do you recon is in the cans? Co2? or Nitrogen?

Would it be worth getting that in proper bottles from boc?

Crushed dry ice wrapped around pipe?

I recon I'll overwrap my sleeves with clingfilm and tie wraps.

Right that's the bedroom antics out the way.

bripl · 19 Aug 2006

never had a prob with my polar freeze kit works a treat but i was always shown to make sure that the wraps were sealed tighter than a nuns fanny

any electric freezers i have used have been excellent but the servicing and recharge costs are horrendous.

Paul Barker · 19 Aug 2006

The COSHH sheet for arctic freeze says it is made of

DIMETHYL ETHER 1-5%
1,1,1,2-TETRAFLUOROETHANE 60-100%

So a bottle of co2 from the local pub won't do.

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Pipefreezing

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