What to Expect During a Water Damage Inspection in Chicago

Chicago homes often deal with water damage – sometimes due to heavy summer rainstorms, other times from pipes that freeze and burst during cold winters.

A professional water damage inspection makes it easy to pinpoint where the damage is coming from and how extensive it really is in your home.

At ServiceMaster Restoration by Zaba, we’ve helped thousands of Chicago homeowners and business owners through the entire process – from inspections and repairs to navigating insurance claims.

Here’s what you can expect from the inspection process and how our Chicago team can help you through it.

What Happens During A Water Damage Inspection in Chicago?

1. Uncover the source of the damage

Here in Chicago, we see the same problems over and over again:

• Pipes that freeze and burst during our brutal winters
• Sewer backups flooding basements (unfortunately, common in older neighborhoods)
• Roof leaks from heavy rains or ice dams
• Toilet overflows
• Flooded basements when sump pumps fail during storms

We use high-tech equipment like thermal imaging cameras, moisture meters, and hygrometers to find water hiding in places you’d never think to look – inside plaster walls, underneath hardwood floors, or soaked into concrete basement walls. 

This is especially important in Chicago’s older homes, where water can travel through unexpected pathways.

2. Determine the Type of Water Damage You’re Dealing With

Not all water damage is the same; it’s classified into three types:

• Category 1 (Clean Water): This comes from sources like burst pipes during Chicago’s winter freezes – it’s relatively clean but still needs immediate attention.
• Category 2 (Gray Water): This is from problems like dishwasher or washing machine overflows – it’s contaminated but not severely.
• Category 3 (Black Water): This type involves sewage backups or floodwater. Black water is highly contaminated and poses serious health risks.

Each type requires completely different safety protocols. 

Clean water mostly needs thorough drying and repairs, while black water requires full protective gear, containment, disinfection, and specialized restoration techniques.

Once we identify the type of water, we inspect how far the damage has spread and how tough it will be to dry out.

Water damage is classified into four classes based on how deeply water has soaked into building materials:

• Class 1: Minimal moisture; affects only part of a room with low-porosity materials
• Class 2: Water has soaked into carpets, walls, and structural materials
• Class 3: Saturation is extensive, often from overhead—think ceilings, insulation, and floors
• Class 4: Water is deeply trapped in materials like hardwood, plaster, or concrete and needs special drying methods

We also take note of the type of damage for insurance documentation:

• Pre-Existing Damage: Issues that were already there before the water event
• Primary Damage: The immediate water damage – soaked drywall from a burst pipe, warped hardwood floors, or carpets drenched from a sewer backup.
• Secondary Damage: Problems that develop afterward, like mold growth (which happens fast in Chicago’s humid summers) or wood that continues warping as it dries.

3. Creating Your Action Plan

Once we know what we’re dealing with, we’ll give you a detailed roadmap for getting your home back to normal:

• Safety and structural assessments to make sure it’s safe to start work
• Professional drying and dehumidification using industrial-grade equipment to pull out every bit of hidden moisture
• Repairs to plaster, drywall, flooring, and anything else damaged – restoring everything to how it was before
• Complete documentation for your insurance company with photos, moisture readings, and detailed estimates

Once you approve the plan, our team gets to work right away. 

We handle all the coordination with your insurance company so you don’t have to deal with the back-and-forth – we just want to get your life back to normal as quickly as possible.

Need a Water Damage Inspection in Chicago?

With over 85 years of combined experience, ServiceMaster by Zaba is proud to be Chicago’s go-to water damage restoration company.

We’ve restored properties across the city, from Gold Coast condos to family homes in Northbrook, Evanston, and Lincolnshire.

We also work with commercial properties, including restaurants, schools, and retail spaces.

Call us now at 773-647-1985 for immediate help.