We are happy to be providing a Car Seat Clinic in the Al Hattie Insurance parking lot for the mall's Customer Appreciation Day this coming June 8th. The clinic will go over everything you need to know to keep your young one safe and strapped in. The clinic will run from 9-3 along with the other events we have planned for the day, including complimentary document shredding by Shred-It (accepting donations to Food Bank) and Child Find I.D. Clinic. The mall will be hosting many other events and activities in the parking lot that day as well so make sure to come by and bring the kids. We'll see you there!
Environmental responsibility is something we care about at Al Hattie Insurance. Through a company called Shred-It and their Trees Saved Program we have saved 7.9 trees through shredding and recycling our confidential documents.
The company estimates that every ton of recycled paper saves:
- 18 new tress from being harvested for pulp and paper production
- Uses 64% less energy
- 50% less water
- Causes 74% less air pollution than the same quantity of paper from virgin wood
If you have confidential or personal documents you would like to have shredded, Shred-It will be on site in our parking lot on June 8th for the mall's Customer Appreciation Day. There will be no fee for the shredding, but we will be collecting non-perishables for the food bank. You can come down between 10am - 2pm, and we will be having many more activities that day including a car seat clinic, child find ID clinic, and much more put on by the mall and it's merchants. More information will be available on our blog, Facebook, and Twitter in the following weeks.
Ice dams are those thick ridges of ice that build up along your eaves over the winter. When your roof heats up, either through warm temperatures or heat from the attic, and the snow slowly melts it refreezes when it hits your eaves. This freezing can rip off gutters, loosen shingles, and cause water to build up and pour into your home. This can cause major interior damages like peeling paint, warped floors, stained and sagging ceilings, and moldy insulation. With a little prevention now, you can combat ice dams in your home and keep from making a claim and paying more for your home insurance.
The simplest routine to get into is raking the snow off the roof. You can buy specialized roof shovels with extended handles that will allow you to quickly and easily pull the built up snow off your roof. This is especially important in areas of your roof that form a valley.
If you are able to safely reach up to your roof where the ice dam occurs, DO NOT use an axe or ice pick as it will cause damage to your shingles and roof. Using a blunt mallet, gently tapping the ice chunks will slowly free them up. Be warned this still may cause damage to your shingles. You can also melt troughs through the dams using calcium chloride ice melter, but DO NOT use rock salt as it will damage paint, metal and plants.
If you are experiencing heavy leakage in your home quickly set up large fans in your attic to help ventilate hot air out of the attic to stop the melting and allow the water to freeze again while you contact roofing specialists to come remove the ice dam.
If your home is prone to ice damming, consider taking steps to keep warm air out of your attic. Proper attic ventilation, adding insulation, and sealing areas that may leak heat into the attic (like an attic hatch) will keep your roof the same temperature as your eaves and prevent unnecessary damage to your home during winter and spring months.