diff --git a/core/sip/wheeltimer.cpp b/core/sip/wheeltimer.cpp
index 4bd98150..df5c581f 100644
--- a/core/sip/wheeltimer.cpp
+++ b/core/sip/wheeltimer.cpp
@@ -59,14 +59,14 @@ void _wheeltimer::insert_timer_abs(timer* t, uint64_t us, uint64_t latest)
     buckets_cond.notify_one();
 }
 
-void _wheeltimer::remove_timer(timer* t)
+void _wheeltimer::remove_timer(timer* t, bool del_timer)
 {
     if (t == NULL){
 	return;
     }
 
     std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(buckets_mut);
-    delete_timer(t);
+    delete_timer(t, del_timer);
     // Don't wake up worker thread: This is not necessary because in the worst case the
     // worker thread would wake up early, see that there's nothing to do, and just go to
     // sleep again
@@ -193,13 +193,17 @@ void _wheeltimer::add_timer_to_bucket(timer* t, uint64_t bucket)
 }
 
 // requires buckets_mut mutex to be held
-void _wheeltimer::delete_timer(timer* t)
+void _wheeltimer::delete_timer(timer* t, bool del_timer)
 {
     if (t->disarm())
 	DBG("successfully removed timer [%p]\n", t);
     else
 	DBG("timer [%p] not found for removing\n", t);
-    delete t;
+
+    if (del_timer) {
+        DBG("timer object has been deallocated\n");
+        delete t;
+    }
 }
 
 
diff --git a/core/sip/wheeltimer.h b/core/sip/wheeltimer.h
index a1ada79b..250a4971 100644
--- a/core/sip/wheeltimer.h
+++ b/core/sip/wheeltimer.h
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ class _wheeltimer:
     void add_timer_to_bucket(timer* t, uint64_t);
     uint64_t get_timer_bucket(uint64_t);
     uint64_t get_timer_bucket(timer*);
-    void delete_timer(timer* t);
+    void delete_timer(timer* t, bool del_timer = true);
 
     void process_current_timers(timer_list&, std::unique_lock<std::mutex>&);
 
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ public:
 
     void insert_timer(timer* t, uint64_t relative_expiry_us, uint64_t latest_expiry = 0);
     void insert_timer_abs(timer* t, uint64_t expiry_us, uint64_t latest = 0);
-    void remove_timer(timer* t);
+    void remove_timer(timer* t, bool del_timer = true);
 };
 
 typedef singleton<_wheeltimer> wheeltimer;