Monday, July 26, 2010

Monsoon Rain - Is it Climate Change?

As everyone knows, monsoon rains fell on the Chicago Area over the week-end with some places receiving as much as 7-1/2 inches of rain overnight on Friday. Don't know if it was because of climate change or just another freak of nature so common to Chicago but all you condo owners out there should be checking on your storage and utility areas.

Most of the flooding was caused by drainage system back-ups with some areas seeing as much as 1 to 2 feet of water collecting in the low areas such as boiler rooms, laundry areas and storage spaces. Living up off the ground, sometimes we forget about those areas until we happen to go down there later and find items that were stored to be mouldy and ruined.

Water damaged can be mitigated fairly easily if it is handled quickly. It is important that waterlogged items be removed and standing water be drained or mopped up. High levels of humidity in the closed spaces of a basement area can lead to mold formation. The best way to avoid this is by getting a good quality de-humidifier operating in the flooded area. What I mean by good quality is one of industrial grade that can be rented from places like Home Depot or from a mitigation company. They should be kept running for 5 to 7 days or more to draw all of the water out of the walls and partitions. Badly soaked drywall should be removed and replaced after the supporting studs have thoroughly dried with the de-humidifier.

If you have concerns about water in your building, you should contact your management company. They can point you in the right direction to help keep any  problems from arising later.

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