24/7 Emergency ServiceSERVPRO Answers the Call 24/7 from Chicagoans for Restoration Services
7/6/2019 (Permalink)
Chicago Buildings Both Tall and Small Rely on SERVPRO for Cleanup and Restoration Services
Why Chicago Residents Choose our Restoration Services for Personal Property Damages
The role of a professional restorer is to mitigate losses in the structure, structural contents, and contents of your home. First responders can deal with the immediate danger of a home emergency. Contractors can replace the weakened structure or perform remodeling duties. The restorer operates in between, performing drying, cleaning and deodorizing to ensure permanent damages are kept to a minimum. Our restoration services are professional using our employees local to the area with access to national resources and equipment.
Water
The methodology for the restoration of water damage in Chicago tends to fall under two broad categories. The first is open system drying. Principally, open system drying involves exchanging moist indoor air with drier outdoor air. SERVPRO achieve this by opening windows and doors in the home to create an open circuit. The strategic placement of rapid air-movers encourages both air flow, through centrifugal motion, and evaporation by raising surface temperatures.
Restoration services using open-system drying may be deemed inappropriate by a SERVPRO technician. During colder periods of the year, the opening of windows and ventilation in Chicago may not be feasible. In these circumstances, a technician can use a close-system drying method. The core principles remain the same, except dehumidifiers with desiccant chemicals are used for the exchange of moist air with drier air. Sometimes, a drying tent may be set up to concentrate remediation efforts.
Both methods are proper drying techniques for your Chicago home. Humidity levels need to be monitored continuously throughout the operation using thermal hygrometers. By keeping moisture in the air below 60 grains per pound, SERVPRO can ensure microbial growth remains under control throughout the process. This controlling of microbial growth is essential to avoiding expensive secondary damages to your structure and possessions.
Fire
During a house fire smoke can enter your heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit. Smoke can cause harm to your HVAC requiring restoration services for fire damage in Chicago. Worse still, smoke residues can be spread through your home, distributing deposits from return-side ventilation ducts. SERVPRO can assess and clean your system as well as removing the deposits from various areas of the home. HVAC remediation is usually required for medium to substantial smoke damages. Failure to attend to this issue can result in soots being released into an otherwise restored structure.
The first step a SERVPRO technicians takes is to inspect your system. We are answering questions like at what point smoke has entered your HVAC- either the return side or the supply side- and applying appropriate restoration services to remedy it. Smoke on the return side usually requires removal and replacement of the filter, located just behind the ventilation duct. Supply-side damage requires a more extensive cleaning process since it is likely your system has spread smoke throughout ventilation ducts.
The supply side is usually the largest vent panel in your Chicago home. It draws in clean air and redistributes it via the return vents. SERVPRO may need to deploy negative air pressure machines fitted with hoses. Usually, an entrance point must be cut using a saw to allow hose access. After service, the ventilation tunnels can be thoroughly deodorized with the cut-out replaced using sheet metal screws for fastening.
Storm
Our primary task after adverse weather conditions is to protect structure and contents from water damage in Chicago and the surrounding the area. SERVPRO runs out of hours restoration services using local technicians on call throughout the night. We do this to ensure the community can reach out to us during a time of emergency and because a fast response to flood waters entering the home can significantly reduce the likelihood of permanent damages being sustained.
Restoration services focused on the structure are best done by technicians with applied structural drying (ASD) qualifications. SERVPRO can create access points to wall cavities, subfloor, or crawlspaces by drilling small holes that can be filled in and do not damage cosmetic appearance. Allowing access to these cavities is essential to deploying injectidry systems into the voids of your Chicago home. By accessing these cavities, we can significantly reduce the likelihood of long term or permanent damages by eliminating all hidden moisture.
In terms of your structural contents and possessions the question of whether the items can go through restoration services onsite or off-site. On-site proceedings tend to be quicker. These processes could mean floating carpets to dry beneath them and draw moisture from the subfloor. In more extreme cases, it may be best to relocate possessions to a secure storage location, allowing more targeted drying techniques and access for cleaning equipment like truck-mounted extraction units.
Mold
Microbes are living organisms that exist in virtually all environments- especially where water or moisture is present. One type of microbe fungi, known colloquially as mold, can proliferate in ideal conditions causing unpleasant odors, soiling and affecting indoor air quality. You may need professional remediation for mold damage in Chicago, using local restoration services. SERVPRO has experienced technicians for the assessment and remediation of uncontrolled microbial growth and can be reached twenty-four hours a day.
In remediating microscopic fungi, the first action after assessment should be to quarantine sections of the home. Air-borne particles can enter, and infest other areas of the home without adequate containment. SERVPRO achieves this by setting up physical barriers, in the form of plastic sheeting, or by using negative air pressure when clearing away soiling.
Using air scrubbers in a contained area can help to pull microbes from the air before they become a threat to other areas of your Chicago home. SERVPRO can deploy air scrubbers fitted with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters which can remove particles as small as 0.3 microns from the atmosphere. Larger quantities of mold can be wrapped up and taken with us for safe disposal to avoid cross-contamination and reduce the likelihood of mold returning.
Restoration services are geared toward mitigating loss and guarding against future damage. Contact SERVPRO of Marquette Park / West Lawn / Ford City at (773) 337-3993 to arrange expert assistance.