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Can Pipe Freezing Be Used on All Pipe Sizes?

Can Pipe Freezing Be Used on All Pipe Sizes?

If you’ve ever found yourself staring down a plumbing challenge and wondering whether pipe freezing is your knight in shining armour, you’re not alone. It’s a brilliant bit of tech that lets us avoid draining entire systems – but does it work for everything from tiny capillary tubes to massive industrial pipes? Let’s break it down.

The Short Answer

While pipe freezing is incredibly versatile, it does have its limits. The honest truth? Pipe freezing can be used on most common pipe sizes – from small 8mm domestic pipes up to hefty 300mm industrial monsters – but beyond that, things get a bit dodgy.

Small Pipes: The Tiddlers

Starting with the small fry – those little 8-15mm pipes you’ll find in most homes – pipe freezing works an absolute treat. In fact, these are the easiest to freeze because:

  • They contain less water to transform into ice
  • The freezing equipment can fully encompass them
  • The ice plug forms relatively quickly

For these domestic champions, a simple CO₂ or portable refrigerant kit will do the job nicely. DIY kits often target this range specifically, and professionals can freeze these in their sleep (not that we do, mind you – health and safety wouldn’t be best pleased).

Medium Pipes: The Middle Ground

When we’re talking about the 22-54mm range, we’re firmly in commercial and light industrial territory. These are the Goldilocks of pipe freezing – not too small, not too large, just right.

For these pipes:

  • Professional-grade equipment becomes essential
  • Freeze times increase considerably
  • Multiple freeze points might be necessary for adequate pressure containment

The good news? This size range represents the bread and butter of professional pipe freezing services (that’s us!), so there’s plenty of expertise and equipment designed specifically for these diameters.

Large Pipes: The Big Lads

Now we’re getting serious. Pipes from 65mm up to 300mm require some serious kit and know-how. Can we freeze them? Absolutely – but there are some important caveats:

  • Specialised liquid nitrogen equipment is typically required
  • Freezing times can stretch into hours rather than minutes
  • The costs increase exponentially with size
  • The process demands careful monitoring and expertise

For perspective, freezing a 200mm pipe is a bit like trying to freeze a small swimming pool – it’s going to take some serious cooling power and patience.

Beyond 300mm: The Monsters

Here’s where we have to be brutally honest – pipes larger than 300mm generally aren’t practical candidates for traditional pipe freezing techniques. The volume of water is simply too great, and creating a solid ice plug becomes enormously difficult.

For these behemoths:

  • Alternative solutions like line stopping or hot tapping are usually more appropriate
  • If freezing is attempted, multiple freeze points working in tandem are essential
  • Costs and timeframes become significant project factors

Could it be done with enough liquid nitrogen and time? Possibly. Would it be the most efficient solution? Rarely.

It’s Not Just About Size…

While we’ve been banging on about diameter, there are other factors that determine whether pipe freezing is suitable:

Pipe Material Matters

Not all pipes are created equal when it comes to freezing:

  • Copper pipes: Freeze like a dream due to excellent thermal conductivity
  • Steel pipes: Take longer but freeze reliably
  • Plastic pipes: Can be frozen but require longer freeze times and special consideration
  • Cast iron pipes: Potentially problematic due to their brittleness when exposed to extreme temperature changes

System Pressure Considerations

Higher pressure systems (above 7 bar) can be more challenging to freeze effectively, as the pressure works against the formation of a solid ice plug. For these high-pressure systems, multiple freeze points or alternative methods might be necessary.

Contents Matter Too

What’s flowing through your pipes makes a huge difference:

  • Pure water: The ideal candidate – freezes predictably
  • Glycol mixtures: Common in heating systems, these have lower freezing points and require more intensive cooling
  • Oils and chemicals: Many require specialised equipment or may not be suitable for freezing at all

When Not to Freeze

There are some scenarios where pipe freezing simply isn’t your best bet:

  • Pipes carrying flammable gases (bit of a safety nightmare, that)
  • Systems with known severe corrosion (the pipe might not survive the process)
  • Pipes that absolutely cannot withstand expansion forces
  • When complete system isolation is required for extended periods (ice plugs aren’t designed to be permanent barriers)

The Bottom Line

So can pipe freezing be used on all pipe sizes? Not quite – but it works brilliantly for the vast majority of pipes you’re likely to encounter in domestic, commercial, and many industrial settings.

For those everyday plumbing challenges involving pipes under 300mm, pipe freezing remains one of the cleverest and least disruptive maintenance techniques available. For the real monsters beyond that size, we’d typically recommend exploring other isolation methods.

At RDS Pipeline, we’ve frozen everything from tiny domestic pipes to substantial industrial lines. We’ll always give you the straight talk on whether freezing is appropriate for your specific situation – sometimes it’s magic, sometimes it’s not the right tool for the job.

Got a pipe that needs work and wondering if freezing is an option? Give us a bell – we love a good pipe puzzle, and we’re always happy to walk you through the possibilities. After all, there’s nothing worse than finding out halfway through a job that you’ve gone down the wrong route – we’ve all been there, and it’s not pretty!