Exposed Indoor Plumbing Can Create Water Damage To Your Chicago Home

2/13/2018 (Permalink)

SERVPRO Tip for Chicago Winters--Protect Against Frozen Pipes Causing Water Damage

Busted Frozen Pipes, Damage from Ice and Water, and Help from SERVPRO

Chicago winters often get extremely cold. With lake effect weather pouring into the city and surrounding areas, most people find themselves ill-prepared for temperature drops. With a network of indoor plumbing spanning to the farthest reaches of your house, any pipe exposed to the elements can be a potential problem. 

Most of the indoor plumbing that people have in their homes get comprised of either lead or copper. While these were durable and sound materials to use, they are also incredible conductors for extremely low temperatures, making it very easy for the water inside of these pipes to freeze, expand, and ultimately rupture. Even with newer construction using plastic materials, prolonged exposure to these elements could cause the same rupturing, resulting in water damage to your Chicago home.  
 
The unfortunate aspect of this reality is that most people are not fully aware of what plumbing is susceptible to these harsh conditions and what is not. While you can have your home inspected and tested, most do not consider this possibility until after they have already experienced a water emergency. In these cases, you need to act quickly to prevent the damage from continually compounding and worsening, and our SERVPRO team can help you.  
 
Our priority is limiting the exposure of your home to this water damage by stopping the flow to the pipe that has burst. Repairs are a part of the restoration process, but even this is difficult to achieve if the feed to the damaged line does not get stopped. Once the source of the water emergency has gotten quelled, our SERVPRO technicians can begin assessing structural damages while extracting water and drying the affected area. To be clear, we are not a plumbing company, though we can stop a minor leak or isolate a busted pipe, large projects are not within our scope of service.
 
Our extraction process uses several pieces of equipment depending on the severity of the water damages. Most incidents can get resolved using a combination of wet vacuums and portable pumps, but more substantial volumes could require the use of a pump truck from our fleet. Drying is also a combination of equipment, typically air movers, some heated, and dehumidifiers. The completed restoration process involves necessary repairs to the plumbing and affected materials (like drywall).
 
Water damage to your home might seem overwhelming at first, but if you reach out to SERVPRO of Evergreen Park / South Chicago City, you can entrust it to the hands of our experienced professionals. You can contact our emergency response team 24/7 at (773) 337-3900.

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