Chicago Property Owners Can Count on Fast Water Mitigation

12/13/2020 (Permalink)

Regardless of the way that water entered your home and caused the damage, team SERVPRO can help. We are available 24/7 for your emergency call.

SERVPRO Is Available 24/7 in Chicago For Water Mitigation

Chicago got established where Lake Michigan and the Chicago River meet. In the beginning, the city used the lake as the municipal water supply and also for waste disposal around 1850. Around 1871, Chicago began dumping its wastewater into the Mississippi River system of drainage by engineering a reversal in the Chicago River's flow. Then, the city commissioned sewage systems to get built in the late 1800s that still emptied into the river.  This led to a massive amount of pollution spread from the river into Lake Michigan, affecting the public water supply. This situation was the basis for the creation of water treatment facilities to stop the cycle.

Chicago Origins on the Lake

The city of Chicago got established on Lake Michigan's shores, the second largest of the great lakes by volume and rates as the fifth largest lake globally. In the 19th century, the city used the lake to ship over 90% of the grain eastward to the rest of the United States. This central area for commerce assisted in helping the rest of the United States expand and grow.

Points of Interest Around Chicago and Lake Michigan

There are several tourist stops in Chicago that include the lake. Many people engage in the "Circle Tour," considered one of the most scenic routes in the United States. The tour takes participants on state highways that border the lake and go through Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The Illinois leg of the tour goes through Chicago suburbs and has points of interest such as: 

• Navy Pier
• Soldier Field
• Lincoln Park Zoo 
• Calumet Park

Navy Pier has been in operation since July 1916 and designed to serve the local area as a dock for passenger ships and freight-bearing ships. Soldier Field carried the name Municipal Grant Park Stadium when it originally opened in 1924. It was then re-dedicated in 1926 to the American soldiers that lost their lives in combat. The Lincoln Park Zoo has the distinction of being one of the oldest zoos in the United States, founded in 1868 and also one of the last remaining free zoos in the country.

The Great Chicago Fire

In the fall of 1871, The Great Chicago Fire swept through Chicago. The legend says Mrs. O'Leary's cow knocked a lantern over in a barn; however, the O'Leary's denied this was the cause. Because most buildings, streets, and sidewalks had wood paving in the city and the dry conditions made the fire spread quickly, causing a large amount of damage. The fire caused:

• Deaths of 300 people
• Left more than 100,000 residents homeless
• With over 17,000 structures destroyed by the flames 

At present, the Chicago Fire Department has a training academy located on the former O'Leary farm property site.  In 1997, a resolution passed by the City Council that exonerated Catherine O'Leary and her cow from any responsibility for the fire. Although the fire's direct cause has never been established, the O'Leary family and their cow have been cleared from any wrong-doing.

Chicago Climate

The city of Chicago has four well-defined seasons, and winters, in particular, can be brutal with both high winds and ice storms. The winter weather usually arrives in late November and sticks around until early March. Snow is a frequent event, with several inches getting dumped on the regional area. Blizzards are not infrequent, with blowing gusts and temperatures dropping below zero. Spring happens in Chicago from around mid-March until the end of May on average and brings unstable weather. Snow sometimes occurs through early April, and the cooler air meeting, the warmer air gives rise to thunderstorms and sometimes tornadoes. The summer weather happens from June to August with hot, humid, and sunny conditions, with temperatures reaching 104 degrees Fahrenheit are not uncommon. The calmest period weather-wise is the Fall, occurring from September to November. Flooding caused by Lake Michigan and lake-effect snow are common occurrences that locals need to stay alert for.

One of the worst floods that hit Chicago did not have a cause rooted in the weather but rather an engineering issue. The Chicago flood happened in April 1992 when workers repairing a bridge damaged the retaining wall under an abandoned utility tunnel that ran under the Chicago River. The breach caused basements and low-lying areas to take on water resulting in 2 billion dollars in damages. At the peak of the flooding, some buildings in the area had nearly 40-feet of water in their lower levels. The water could not be seen from the air as it was all situated underground.

What Can Happen to Tile Flooring in Chicago Homes Without Fast Water Mitigation?

After a water damage event in a Chicago home, the water mitigation efforts need to begin as rapidly as possible to lessen the house's amount of destruction to property and contents. Common problem areas include: 

• Seepage under the tile 
• Delaminated tiles that require removal
• Need for moisture detection equipment to determine the scale of the water migration
• Warped or damaged subfloor 

SERVPRO technicians use devices such as infrared cameras, which show fluctuations in temperature, and collections of water can show as colder areas if the water wicked into the sheetrock on the wall from the floor. Probes are another frequently used device to "see" under flooring and determine if the subfloor has seepage and requires drying. This enables the techs to follow the migration path of the water and find areas of moisture collection.

The scoping and extraction work towards making the drying phase lasts the least amount of time possible by removing as much water as possible using their professional equipment. The techs monitor the premises carefully as the air movers and dehumidifiers work to bring down the interior air moisture levels. Afterward, the techs measure the air to determine if drying goals got attained and if any further work needs to get done.

SERVPRO of Evergreen Park / South Chicago City at (773) 337-3900 proudly serves the local Chicago area for any size water mitigation and property restoration services needed.