Water Damage Everywhere in Chicago and Suburbs

Water damage everywhere in Chicago. Water, water and more water.  Water is everywhere.  We need it to sustain our lives. Our pets need it, plants need it to grow and thrive. What would we do without water? Sometimes, we wish that we could. Especially when there is too much of it and in all the wrong places. It certainly seems to have a mind all its own. Those droplets that come together to make up what we know as flowing or standing water can completely inundate a property and cause us much stress and anxiety. Especially when it is something that seems to be beyond our control to handle.

A drip from a hot water tank, or a leaky faucet is somewhat manageable, but when water gushes out of a pipe or a burst hose, or simply a spigot that won’t shut off, it can spell disastrous consequences for us. Then there is rain.  How nice it feels upon the face, or as the song goes, “rain drops keep fallin’ on my head.” While that is good in and of itself. When that rain gets to be too much, is coming down extremely heavily-that’s when life can become not a beautiful song, but a serious dirge of pain and heartache.

We’ve seen customers try all sorts of remedies to stop water from doing what it wants to do. Remember, earlier we stated that it seems to have a mind of its own. Nothing seems to stop it from traveling where it wants. In the industry, we call it the “T” syndrome. For travel. Let me explain. Water travels in a T format. Straight across a flat surface and down any cracks or crevices it finds. This causes it to get into areas that could be difficult to get to or locate. The larger the building or facility, the greater the damage that can result. The more porous materials a property has, the greater the chance that many of the items in the property will need to be either thrown away, refurbished or replaced. This happens when a multi-unit building such a condo, or court way building experiences water damage from the top down.  The tenant at the top of the building gets water in his/her place and it trickles down into the units of the tenants below, sometimes going all the way down to the basement or storage facility. Extensive damage like this takes time to remediate and make sure that all the excess moisture and condensation has been properly taken care of.

Some have spent thousands of dollars on mechanisms, pumping systems, flood prevent equipment, that is supposed to signal when heavy water is infiltrating a property and turn on these automated systems to keep the place virtually dry. Well, if we have been called, what does that tell you? The program didn’t work. Not to knock any program, or anyone’s effort to prevent a catastrophe like heavy water damage or flooding, but water has a mind of its own. When it gets out of control, nothing can stop it. The problem is that when there is too much of it all at once, it can overload a system. Even the most innovative and fancy doohickey’s out there. It can shut down a sump pump, that can’t keep up with the vast flow of water and pretty much burns out. We’ve gone into properties with 2 sump pumps and they both failed because of the heavy flow of water. So, do you get my drift? There is only so much we can do to arm ourselves. (More about that later)

The sad thing about water damage everywhere in Chicago, is that it can also mix itself with other outside elements, like sewage, dirt, grime, mold, bacteria. Well you get the picture. This often happens when there is heavy rain or a backup of some sort. Add sewage in the mix and now you really have a toxic environment that is moisture-ridden with deadly bacterial elements. It’s very sad when this happens and the first thing we think of is, whose fault is this? Why did this happen? Could it have been prevented? In some cases yes. In others it might not be a possibility. There are so many factors that go into a water intrusion incident. What type of piping was involved? Where did the water come from? Is there a drainage or plumbing issue? Was the sewage system in the neighborhood involved in some way? Did the main system experience an overload? Was it human error? All too often the answers to these questions become clearer once the cleanup and restoration process gets underway. Or if a plumber has been called out to assess the issue. And this is a very good time to add this: IF YOU HAVE A PLUMBING ISSUE, AND THE WATER WON’T GO DOWN ON ITS OWN, PLEASE, CALL A LOCAL PLUMBER BEFORE YOU CALL A RESTORATION TEAM OUT TO YOUR PROPERTY! Unless the property is vacant and no one lives there. So many clients have called us in desperation to move forward only to realize that they need to call a plumber out first to remedy the broken pipe, the drain issue, the rodding of a line, etc. And here is where caution is needed on the part of the property owner. Many plumbers are claiming to do the cleanup and restoration portion of a flood or water damage emergency. Excuse me, that’s why we are here and have been trained for. Those guys are not trained and certified to do professional chicago water damage restoration and/or professional sewage cleanup, removal and sanitizing. Inevitably, trying to do more than one assignment or expertise, someone is going to be left with a not-so-good-a job. And usually it’s the property owner who has to pay someone else to come out and do the cleanup right, and at professional grade. Don’t be suckered in. It’s the same if we as the professional restoration company, comes in and tries to do the plumbing aspect, because we have a few plumbing tools, but no real certification, license, or training. It’s best to leave the services needed to the service provider who specializes in the particular discipline for that job. All too often companies can get greedy and take away money from a property owner, and not do a good, clean, professional job. Of course, it’s your property. You can decide to handle it any way you like. But remember, tentmakers won’t give you a good restoration cleanup. That’s not their expertise. Likewise, those who claim to offer cleanup and restoration and don’t have the training, certification and/or years of experience won’t give you the satisfaction that you need. A good job done right the first time, protects you and your family in the long run.

Things to do When You Get Water Damage Everywhere Chicago

But, is there anything at you can do to arm yourself, or prepare to avoid such water intrusion? Well, as we said before, water, especially a lot of it, has a mind all its own. But should this happen to you, then take these necessary steps to help you wade through the damage and possibly prevent a worse tragedy ahead of time:

1. Clear debris from above and around storm drains
2. Clear the basement drain of clogs so water can drain out
3. Clear gutters of debris so water can flow through the downspouts
4. Keep valuables off the basement floor, relocate them to upstairs if possible
5. Quickly dry out soaked items to prevent mold and microbes
6. Wear proper PPE, boots, gloves, masks before cleaning up a flooded basement
7. Avoid standing water, especially if electricity is near and on
8. Shut off electricity at the main source before stepping into water
9. Frequently wash hands with soap/water to remove dirt and bacteria
10. Call a professional restoration and water damage company

We hope that you never have to experience water damage everywhere in Chicago or a flood in your property. But with all the heavy storms and rains it might just be a matter of time before it happens. Take the steps mentioned above if it does occur. Don’t panic. You can make it through this situation and come out on the other end high and dry, and able to tell the story of what you went through when water entered your property uninvited. Water is everywhere. You never know when that one storm will strike. That sewage backup in the neighborhood. That pipe that is just waiting to burst. The faulty plumbing system that was neglected in terms of maintenance and upkeep. You and I know it all adds up to a serious water damage emergency that you just can’t walk away from or ignore. Keep the list above handy. Write down a number of a local restoration and cleanup company, like The CleanUP Guys. You can reach us at just about any time, for water damage restoration, flood cleanup, sewage backup cleanup, mold remediation, fire damage, basement cleaning and more! Give our friendly staff a call today at 773-885-8528 (or text). Or visit us on the web at: https://www.thecleanupguys.com.