Ice Dams and Water Damage in Your Chicago Attic

3/1/2022 (Permalink)

Time to call SERVPRO when ice dams create water damage on your Chicago home's roof

When Your Chicago Attic Has Suffered Water Damage or Ice Dams, Call SERVPRO

During Chicago winters, the temperature of your attic can reach above freezing, which melts the snow on your roof. When this melted snow runs down your roof and into the colder eaves, it refreezes. Over several days this cycle continues, and freezing snowmelt builds up and creates an ice dam. Behind this, water forms into puddles that are quite large. This water can push into your attic or damage the structure's siding.

With attic leaks, you may not even realize there is an issue at first, which could worsen the water damage by the time you notice it.

Your Chicago home needs the help of water damage professionals to get it back in shape. SERVPRO is always ready to help you clean up the water mess and repair any damage that has been done.

Attics are not always easy to access, and the amount of equipment we can get into the damaged area can be limited. The drying process can be difficult because of water-soaked sheetrock, which may require demolition, allowing access to the attic crawlspace.

Restoration of attics often involves SERVPRO crews to manage the insulation. We can dry out wet fiberglass insulation and save it, but we might not be able to restore damp plaster or sheetrock under the insulation. Typically, it is more efficient and cost-effective to remove and discard the insulation. Removing insulation and sheetrock during demolition can make vast amounts of dust, plus high air movement can force the dust to move throughout your home. In this case, we might have to build containment to minimize cross-contamination and utilize negative air pressure to channel the airborne particles to the exterior.

SERVPRO of Marquette Park/West Lawn/Ford City is sure to be careful while drying and repairing your attic after water damage. Call us at (773) 337-3993.