Adventures in Ice Damming
Ice damming is no picnic. It came to us through our sun room and front entrance. On a sunny afternoon in late January we heard water dripping. Soon we had assembled buckets and bowls underneath the biggest leaks and even perched small pitchers and cups on a heavy wall mirror to catch every drop. It didn’t take long before fissures had opened down the walls and paint began bubbling from enough leaks to sink a yacht. We know for a fact that this hadn’t happened in our house since at least 1974! The deep freeze from the first polar vortex, then slight thawing and then refreeze...
read moreHeavy Rain and Flooding in Chicago Area
The record rainfall in the Chicago area this year caused flooding for thousands of homeowners. Chicago’s north and south sides were both hard hit with flooded basements, roadways, and even sinkholes. Some of the hardest hit areas include River Forest, Des Plaines, Oakbrook, Downers Grove, Lombard, and Lisle in the western suburbs and Barrington, Barrington Hills, North Barrington, Lake Zurich, Cary and Fox River Grove in the north and northwestern suburbs. The highest rainfall recorded during the June 26th rain event was 8.05” in Barrington. What do you do after the initial basement...
read moreRecord Rain in Chicago Area for First Half of 2013
Fast Fact: Does it feel like we’ve had a lot of rain this year? That may be because we’ve had more than ever. The first half of 2013 has been the wettest on record for the Chicago area. Overflowing rivers, water-logged basements, and cars stalled in flooded underpasses have been a big part of the overall weather picture this past year. By the end of June, total precipitation had reached 28.46 inches. That’s more than all of 2012. The next highest measurement on record is 26.19 inches in 1975. Bussey Environmental Inc. offers the full range of environmental services, including testing,...
read more