Fire crews battle with burst pipes

LYNN – The weekend’s warming trend may have brought relief from the bitter cold, but it brought its own challenges as fire crews throughout the region responded to reports of burst pipes.”We’ve been crazy today, and yesterday was even worse,” Saugus Fire Captain Arthur Sinclair said Sunday evening. “It’s not the time to try to save on your heating bill, not when it gets down into single numbers, because anytime it’s borderline, it’s going to freeze.”The National Weather Service recorded temperatures dropping to 2 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday night and Friday and Saturday mornings before climbing up to a high of 18 and then 32 degrees on Saturday and Sunday. Add in wind chill, and temperatures swung from 21 below to 32 above, according to the weather service.The fluctuations prompted freezing and then bursting pipes throughout the region, sending Saugus firefighters to about 30 calls Saturday and 10 calls Sunday, with more reports expected.”As it warms up (Monday) … we’re going to see more broken pipes discovered,” Sinclair said. “Then when it gets cold following that on Tuesday, we’ll start all over.”Pipes containing water can crack when the temperature drops as the water within the pipes freezes and expands, increasing the water pressure on the pipes and causing cracks. When the ice melts, the water then flows out the cracks of the pipe. A drip to a deluge may result, depending on the size of the crack, how much water comes through and several other factors.”When they’re frozen, there’s a problem but nobody notices it … they’re not leaking,” Lynn District Fire Chief Arthur Richard said Sunday. “But then when it warms up, they start leaking.”Richard said that most of the city’s calls came from commercial or large residential properties that are required to have automatic sprinkler systems. Richard said one building had a “fire watch” Sunday night – a firefighter on duty who could immediately call in a problem – when the sprinkler system was shut down. But Richard reported nobody was displaced Sunday night.Sinclair said Saugus had two properties with fire watches remaining on Sunday night. Nobody was reported displaced.Swampscott Fire Capt. John Quinn said the department responded to three or four calls and were at one as he spoke Sunday night. He also cited sprinkler systems as being particularly vulnerable.Peabody Fire Department also reported several calls.Fire officials recommended a few tips for those dealing with, or trying to prevent, burst pipes as the weather warms then cools again.Officials said pipes – particularly pipes that are not insulated – near exterior walls or in poorly insulated areas such as crawl spaces were vulnerable to freezing.Sinclair also recommended that people be wary of pipes in basements, especially in basements with newer furnaces.”One problem is today’s furnaces are so efficient,” Sinclair said. “In the old days furnaces would give off enough heat to also heat the basement. But they’re now so efficient that most basements are cold now.”If any pipes are at risk of freezing and bursting (or have frozen and burst in the past), fire and Red Cross officials recommended leaving a drip in the faucet – this helps alleviate the pressure in the pipes if a portion of the pipe freezes. Opening cupboard doors can also ensure warm air circulates around the pipes.And be sure the heat is at a warm enough temperature. Sinclair said firefighters responded Sunday to an unoccupied home that was on the real-estate market. A pipe burst on the second floor of the home, flooding that floor, the first floor and the finished basement, Sinclair reported.The Red Cross recommends a temperature in an unoccupied house as no lower than 55 degrees.And if you have a frozen pipe – a good sign is no stream or a reduced stream of water coming out of a faucet – the Red Cross recommends opening up the faucet to a trickle to alleviate the pressure and help thaw the ice. Heating the affected pipe with a hairdryer, a heating pad