How Can I Call a Halt to Water Damage in My Chicago House?

7/14/2020 (Permalink)

Sometimes flood cuts are necessary to dry your home's structure. SERVPRO has the necessary training to know how to restore your home.

Team Up with SERVPRO to Stop a Water Loss from Continuous Harm to the Structural Components and Contents of Your Chicago Home 

Transitioning your Chicago home from the devastation of a severe water crisis back to preloss condition is a multi-phase operation. The overall term used by customers and some in the industry is "restoration," but that word might better describe the ultimate goal rather than the tasks and steps necessary to achieve it. Recovery from a water loss involves assessing the scene and then planning plus monitoring of a continuum of work beginning with mitigation, moving through remediation, and then completing with any repairs or rebuilding needed to reach restoration, "Like it never even happened." 

What Is MitigationA fter a Water Emergency? 

When leaks in plumbing or appliance mishaps occur in Chicago, prompts and comprehensive water mitigation is crucial. Mitigation includes all efforts to stop water from continuously soaking into and spreading over the residence's structural components and contents. Eliminating the source of the water is an essential mitigation strategy. Homeowners should know where the main water supply valve is on their property and how to shut it off to prevent the flow's continuing harm. 

Are There Mitigation Strategies a Property Owner Can Take Before Professionals Arrive? 

Homeowners can take action to mitigate water damage beyond shutting off the main. Take care that the area you address is free of electric shock hazards and contaminants. Consider doing the following: 

• Collect clothing, books, throw rugs, and other loose items on the floor and move them to a safe, dry area 
• Remove cushions and pillows from upholstered furniture and temporarily store them in the same dry area as the loose items
• Place furniture on blocks or insert aluminum foil under the legs to prevent staining and limit more water absorption into porous materials
• Drop clean, colorfast absorbent towels on floors to soak up moisture
• Open cabinet doors in wet areas
• Open doors and windows unless contraindicated by temperature or high outside humidity 

What Should or Can Wait for Professional Interventions? 

The chance of water-related hazards can be significant, and SERVPRO project managers are well-prepared to inspect for harmful circumstances and conditions. If in doubt, wait for our certified employees to assess and manage: 

• Deeper water that could hide submerged debris 
• Water contaminated with sewage, chemicals, or seepage from damaged oil or gas utility lines
• Wet spaces where you are unsure if the electricity is live
• Ceilings or walls evidencing trapped water through bulges, new staining, "sweating," or peeling paint
• Wet installed carpet and padding
• Evaluation of laminate or hardwood flooring that is distorted by delamination, warping, and buckling 

How Do Professionals Continue the Mitigation Process? 

We consider each Chicago water disaster individually, crafting a plan that meets the needs assessed at your home. Consequently, there are differences and adaptations for each project. Expect to see a range of mitigation strategies, including the careful release of trapped water, based on visual and device-aided (moisture detectors, moisture meters, or infrared imagery) inspection. 

Mitigation strategies can also include controlled demolition or temporary structural adaptation approaches such as: 

• Flood cuts
• Drilled, sawn, or punched holes
• Removal of toe kicks under cabinets and other built-ins
• Prying off beadboard and paneling
• Wanded extraction at the dry edge of water incursions on wall-to-wall carpeting to prevent further spread before weighted water extraction of soaked areas
• Removal of wet padding to enhance the efficacy of weighted extraction of carpeting
• Removal of wet insulation and breached vapor barriers in walls and crawl spaces to halt water reabsorption into building materials
• Pack-out of wet contents, including furniture and electronics, to our production facility to simplify the mitigation and remediation tasks designed to extract water and remove residual moisture from structural components
• Pumping and aggressive extraction of standing water from affected spaces to shorten the time needed for effective structural drying 
• Raising of appliances above the waterline 

Can I Continue to Help with the Mitigation? 

Our team strives throughout every project to keep lines of communication open. We encourage our customers to work with our crews safely and collaboratively to move from the mitigation phase to remediation and finally to repairs and rebuilding. Insurance claims and seeking answers to concerns are also a joint effort. 

Believe in and partner with the skilled and well-equipped team at SERVPRO of Evergreen Park / South Chicago City when you need swift and sure water mitigation. Call us at (773) 337-3900 as soon as practical to arrange an expert assessment and development of an effective plan.