Photo by Shelley Hanson| A trickle of water from one’s faucet can help prevent pipes from freezing during frigid weather.

WHEELING — As the temperature begins to temporarily warm this week, the Wheeling Fire Department anticipates receiving calls for service regarding bursting water pipes.

Assistant Fire Chief Deric Jamison said Monday that it happens every year — after a cold snap, when it warms up and frozen water pipes begin to thaw, and a leak can appear.

Meanwhile, Lou Vargo, director of the Wheeling-Ohio County Emergency Management Agency, said Monday the National Weather Service has issued an advisory for flooding Thursday night into Friday morning.

“With the temperatures going above freezing with snow melting, additional rain would increase the possibility of flooding,” Vargo said. “Also, you must consider that the watershed for our creeks is in Pennsylvania, so there is a lot of snow to melt.

“Attention will have to be made on the river rising as we watch the predictions,” he continued. “This may not be flash flooding, but creeks rising over the day.”

Regarding a frozen pipe, Jamison noted it is typically easy to tell if a line is frozen.

“When you turn on your water and there’s a gurgle or just a drop, there’s no coffee for you today,” Jamison said. “That’s the start of a bad day. If you cause it to burst with improper thawing, your day is getting worse.”

He added the department is anticipating some calls for service on broken pipes.

Jamison said residents’ best bet is to prevent their pipes from freezing by running a trickle of water from their cold and hot lines, providing additional insulation to pipes prone to freezing or even opening cupboard doors to allow more heat to reach an area of pipes.

If a pipe does freeze overnight, Jamison said it is best to warm it slowly to prevent any damage to the pipe and to prevent an accidental fire. The frozen section will typically have frost on it or feel colder than other sections of pipe.

“If you have to thaw a pipe, safety is the first consideration,” he said. “Thaw it slowly with gentle heat.”

Frozen pipe warming methods can include wrapping the frozen pipe in towels soaked in hot water or towels from out of a hot clothes dryer or blowing warm air on it from a hair dryer on its lowest setting.

Space heaters should never be put in an enclosed area to warm up a frozen pipe, as they need 3 feet of clearance on all sides. If using a hair dryer, one should be holding the hair dryer and not leave it unattended.

Blow torches should never be used to thaw a pipe as it can turn the water inside the pipe into steam and cause it to burst, Jamison said.

When the fire department responds to a call for help regarding pipes, its first move is to stop the water from flowing to prevent additional damage. Sometimes the water must be shut off at the street valve with help from operations workers. If there is enough water, firefighters will use a pump to remove water from an area.

Jamison noted the department responded to a couple pipe bursts last week caused by freezing and thawing. He also wanted to remind people to make sure they have working smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

“If you have working smoke detectors in your house you’re twice as likely to survive a fire,” he said.

According to the National Weather Service, today’s high temperature is expected to reach 46 degrees and dip back to 31 degrees at night. Wednesday’s high temperature also is forecast to hit 46 degrees. Thursday’s high also is expected to reach 43 degrees. Freezing rain is forecast for Thursday night along with snow; Friday’s forecast includes the same. Temperatures are anticipated to plunge again starting Friday night with a low of 9 degrees followed by a high of 27 on Saturday.