Pipe Freezing

The Qwik-Freezer™ kit is easy to use. A specially designed jacket is wrapped around the pipe at the point where the freeze is required. A nozzle on the jacket is then coupled to a cylinder of liquid CO2 by means of a high-pressure hose.

When liquid CO2 is injected into the space between the jacket and the pipe, it immediately expands to form a solid carbon dioxide (dry ice) at a temperature of -70ºC (-108ºF). This low temperature quickly freezes the water inside the pipe, forming a secure ice plug, which seals in the pipe.

The ice plug forms only in the section of the pipe covered by the jacket so the resulting rise in pressure is very small and there is no damage to the pipe. The technique can be used safely on iron, lead, stainless steel, copper, brass and plastic pipes.