Meet the owners Tom and Steve

The owners, Tom (right) and Steve (left) saw the need for a Servpro franchise in the City of Chicago and opened Servpro of Ravneswood. Previously Steve has owned several businesses including restaurants and has a background in reconstruction, contracting, project management and cabinet making. Tom worked as a technician for Kodack for thirteen years and also has a background in contacting, restoration and cabinet making. Both Tom and Steve are certified with The Clean Trust (formally the IICRC) and Steve is also a certified in subrogation.

So if you see either of these guys come by the job site remember to say hi.

Servpro of Ravenswood-The FIRST Servpro in Chicago

Servpro has been around since the 1967 and has a franchisee network of over 1,500 locations nationwide. Servpro of Ravenswood is proud to be the FIRST Servpro location owned and operated in the City of Chicago.

Our office, warehouse and production staff all live or have lived in Chicago and are familiar with the challenges that come with working on restoration jobs in a big city. From working downtown in the loop to high-rise condos to simply navigating the best way around the city's notorious traffic we can handle it. 

Chicago Area Flood Map

If you live in the Chicago land area you know the past two summers have seen some heavy rain storms. I remember our office getting calls nearly ever minute requesting service. Servpro of Ravenswood literally received hundreds of calls over those first two days.

We noticed certain areas were affected more than others. The map below is from an article in the Wells Park Bull Dog that does a nice job illustrating where basements are more prone to flooding. This is pretty consistent with what we saw last year in June and July.

If you have property in the areas with a high risk of basement flooding it would be a good idea to look into adding sewage backup or flood backup to your current policy. You might be surprised to find out you are not covered for certain types of damage under your regular homeowners policy. If you can't afford to add sewage backup or flood coverage at least make sure your sump pumps are working properly and have a secondary power source in case of a blackout during a heavy rain storm.

Does it matter where the water came from?

YES! One of the first things a professionally trained water restoration technician should know is the category of water that caused the damage. There are three categories of water:

Category 1

This is basically clean water. Sources can range from a broken pipe, icemaker and drain over flow among other sources. Category 1 water is classified as not containing waste or contaminants.

Category 2

This is gray water. Sources can range from washing machines, dishwasher and roof leaks among other sources. Category 2 water is classified as containing some soils and contaminants. 

Category 3

This is black water. Nasty stuff. Sources can range from sewage drain backups, backed up toilets and flood water among other sources. Category 3 water is classified as containing a high degree of waste and contaminants. 

Knowing the category of water present is important in determining the drying methods that can be used to safely and quickly restoring the damaged area. 

Knowing how "wet" something is makes a big difference.

Water flows towards the path of least resistance, therefore it can sneak under flooring or run along walls into neighboring rooms causing further damage. If moisture isn't dried properly your home or business can run a greater risk of mold and mildew damage later. At the very least, untreated water damage can cause musty odors and warping of flooring.

Any reputable restoration company should be using a moisture meter to measure the amount of moisture in walls or flooring. Simply touching the surface can be very deceiving as our sense of touch is not sensitive enough to correctly know how wet something is. A typical moisture meter looks something like this:

The two prongs at the top will detect the amount of moisture present and some meters also have a non-penetrating feature that when touched gives a reading. Having the correct moisture detection equipment is the first step in starting the restoration process. 

For more information check out the Clean Trust (formally the IICRC) website and Servpro of Ravenswood.  

Servpro van's: Past vs Present

Well, if we had orange rims I'm sure we would get some attention on the road!

Below is our Servpro of Ravenswood van you might see on the road around Chicago land.

What is Servpro of Ravenswood??

Thanks for taking some time to check out our blog!


Servpro of Ravenswood is a full service emergency fire and water restoration company located in the city of Chicago. Basically we handle situations that may permanently damage your home or business and restore and reverse the damage so you can get on with your life. 


The purpose of our blog is to provide accurate information regarding the services we provide, give updates on our industry and also have a little fun. 


Dan 
Servpro of Ravenwood