Ace Hardware Blog

Ice Dams Cause Serious Damage!

They may be beautiful, but they can also be a sign of a serious problem to follow!  Icicles are formed when snow melts and re-freezes as it gets to the colder overhang of your roof.  Damaging ice dams are formed the same way.

The eves of your home are the same temperature above and below your roof (the same as the air which is cold in the winter!).  The temperature of the rest of your roof (especially on older, less insulated homes) is higher because of heat loss.  Some times it can be high enough to melt the snow, causing water to run down the roof.  Unfortunately, the real problem begins when the water gets to the eves that are still freezing cold.  Eventually a thick "ice dam" forms causing any additional water to pool on the warmer roof areas behind and in time, backs up underneath the shingles and leaks into your home!

Fortunately, this problem does not occur every winter, but this year has been quite exceptional.  Lots of snow and ice and temperatures near freezing (sometimes above) have been precisely the meteorological recipe for a potential sloppy wet disaster!

What now?  In many cases, it's too late to use a roof rake.  The snow on the eves has already frozen.  Sure, it would help to get some of the snow on the main part removed but really, the most important thing now is to melt the ice dams so water can flow through.  Fortunately, we have a new product called the Ice Viper.  The Viper is a thin (snakelike) black nylon tube filled with a non-corrosive ice-melting chemical.  The Viper is simply laid on the roof immediately behind the dams.  It begins safely melting them away within 2 - 3 hours.  Once the dam is gone and water is flowing, you can move the viper to a new spot.  An average home could easily use 2 or 3 and at only $16.99 each, you may very well want more.  Each one lasts 30 - 60 days (depending on the weather). 

Don't wait until the leaks begin!  Stop in to either of our stores so you can begin solving your ice dam problems today. 

Style AND Safety

The record rainfalls we've had the past month have resulted in a crop of mosquitoes like I have never seen!  Unfortunately, they will be around until we get about three nights of below freezing temperatures (which could be several more weeks).  Fortunately for me, I don't have a garden, do not have to walk a dog, am not a deer hunter or anything else that requires more time outside than walking to and from my car.  I can remain safely inside my home or the store. 

For those of you who still want to spend some time outside, but don't want to cover your body (especially your face) with sticky, smelly insecticide, I have the answer.  Concealment Industries of Lindstrom, Minnesota has created a complete line of head wear that cleverly hides a full size mosquito net within its lining! These hats are available in a number of different sizes and styles.  Chris is modeling the very popular Khaki Bucket, priced at only $24.99.  The bucket is also available in a full camouflage version (including the net) for $29.99.  Children's sized buckets are only $15.99 and available in a variety of pastel colors.

We also have a camouflage baseball style hat available for only $19.99.  These products are well made and with a little care will provide many seasons of stylish mosquito protection.  At this time, we only have them in our Milton store, but as with everything we stock, would be happy to send one or more directly to our Evansville store or to your home.  Don't wait.  This is a style trend you'll want to be one of the first to pick up on!

Here's a Solution to Combat Deerflies!

Mosquitoes are really annoying, but at least you can douse yourself in repellent (or buy a Mosquito Magnet) to keep them away.  Don't you wish there was something to deal with those stupid deerflies?  You know the ones I'm talking about.... they buzz loudly around your head like a drunken chihuahua with wings.  How's a person supposed to mow the lawn, go fishing or just enjoy a cool drink on the deck?

Well, it appears that trying to repel them was not the right way to handle those pests at all.  Attracting them to a spot on the top of your head and causing them to stay there is the answer!  I know it sounds crazy, but the folks at the Detex company in LeRoy, Michigan have figured it out!

Apparently, deerflies like to land on your head so they can "scope out the surroundings".  By placing one of their TRED-NOT Deerfly patches on your cap, the insects are actually attracted to the flesh colored sticky landing pads and are unable to leave!  So instead of hearing that incessant bzzzzz, bzzzzz, bzzzzz, bzzzzz, bzzzzz, you simply hear bzz.... And then silence, bzz.... And then silence.  Ok.  It's probably not a perfect solution, but for $2.69 for a pack of four, they're probably worth a try!

Absolutely Crazy!

Why are some businesses so stupid?  What is it about trying to save a buck today that causes otherwise good businesses to lose thousands of dollars tomorrow?  A few nights ago, while having dinner with two other couples, our conversation turned to restaurants.  One of our dinner mates began telling me about his recent experience. It didn't end like I thought it would.

Apparently, he and his wife had received a $75 gift certificate for an anniversary.  Although they were anxious to try out the well regarded eatery, they never seemed to get their reservation made.  After many months, they finally enjoyed an outstanding relaxed dinner.  "No wonder people speak so highly of this place", they thought.

When the server brought the bill, they placed the gift card on the tray, and finished their drink.  A few minutes later, the server returned with the bad news.  "I'm sorry, but your gift card has expired".  My friends were shocked.  The server could offer no explanation other than "she was not authorized to accept an expired card".

What exactly is the reason a business would turn away a customer who presents a card for which cash had obviously been exchanged.  In this case, there was no confusion regarding where the card was purchased or that some form of fraud had occurred.  The only problem was that it was "expired".  To me, that is an incredible "cop out".  It's like a trick which appears to encourage otherwise honest people into waiting a day too long, thus forfeiting hard earned money to the benefit of the business.  In this case, the restaurant may have felt like they "made $75", when in actuality, they have lost many times that in future sales and good will.

How many times do you think my friends have shared that story?  How many people have forgotten about the good food and service and now only associate that particular business with denying products after having already earned over a year's worth of interest on another's money?  What happened to my friends was unfair.  Any employee should have realized that. 

At Dave's Ace Hardware, all our staff is empowered to make decisions that are fair to our customers (even if it temporarily costs the business some money).  The people we employ are smart.  They possess better than average common sense and know how they would like to be treated "if the tables were turned".  If they are not sure how to solve a problem, they think about WWDD (what would Dave do?).  Had the gift card situation played out in one of our stores, I know what would have happened..... we would have honored it.  Not only do we honor outdated gift cards, we honor long outdated gift certificates.  A few years ago, I even accepted a certificate purchased 7 years before I even owned this store (1984) that was purchased from the previous owner!  Why?  Because I know my customers remember things like that, AND TELL THEIR FRIENDS!

I know we aren't perfect, but at least we try to be fair.    

Excuses, Excuses

I know.  You're probably wondering where I have been for the last three weeks.  I could easily make up some far-fetched story about how busy I've been (I have) or how many trips out of state I've taken (two) or any of several other lame excuses.  I have  a much better, albeit more unusual, reason for my literary absence!

Last year Lori, Savannah and I took a trip to Russia.  We always try to fly on Midwest Airlines because they do a good job and are a Wisconsin company.  Unfortunately, Midwest does not fly to Russia (or anywhere within several thousand miles).  This trip we had to use Delta Airlines.  Being a big believer in getting something for free, I signed all three of us up for their "frequent flier" program.  Who knew, maybe we might fly with them again and be able to tally enough miles to get a free trip.  After almost a year, we did not.

Fortunately, I received an e-mail from Delta advising me of the impending demise of our frequent flier miles unless we made another trip soon.  Unfortunately, I had nowhere I wanted to fly (at least not with Delta).  Not wanting to lose all those miles, I checked their web site for something else I could use them for.  Guess what I found?  MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS!  I could convert all those miles into lots of magazines.  In fact, I was able to get 27 different titles (three of which are weeklies) and the daily Wall Street Journal all delivered to our home for one whole year, absolutely free!  I've even got two Spanish language periodicals (and I barely speak English!).  It really did seem like a good idea.... until they started arriving.

You see, we already received about 10 different magazine subscriptions before starting to receive the free ones.  This flood of reading material has totally monopolized my time.  I can barely find enough hours in the day to mow my lawn, let alone write a new blog post!  This is becoming something of a nightmare.  Not the kind where a pack of rats attack but more like being engulfed in a sea of paper.

I guess I am just going to have to stop reading and start saving them for later.  I sure hope you don't hear about me being found ten years from now in an unkempt home, piled high with magazines and newspapers.  This could really be the beginning of a serious problem.   

Times Are Changing

Anyone who's spent much time working in a hardware store knows it's impossible to predict what kind of situation will present itself next!  Over the years, I've seen a lot of things happen in our parking lot (car washes, helicopter landing, etc.), but until today, I've never seen a group of high school students milling about with a collection of farm tractors.  I assumed it must have had something to do with the last day of school (except technically, the last day is next Monday, to make up for the abundance of snow days this year!  Maybe they didn't know.) and I WAS RIGHT!  The young men explained that they were planning on driving the tractors to school to celebrate the end of the year.  I'm familiar with "take your kid to work day", but "take your tractor to school day" is a whole new concept to me.

End of the year celebrations have apparently changed since I graduated in 1979.  Being older and wiser, now that I think about it, that's probably a really good thing!

Take the Five Minute Challenge

A few months ago, Bob Kimball, a good friend (and customer) of mine showed me a puzzle he had purchased in Florida.  It was called Scramble Squares.   Honestly, it didn't seem like much of a puzzle as it only had nine square pieces.  According to him, all I had to do was correctly arrange the nine pieces so all the pictures lined up correctly.  I figured, "how hard can that be?  After all, I can easily assemble my 9-year old daughter's 100 piece jig saw puzzles!"  Not only had he challenged me to properly assemble it, but he told me if I could do it in 5 minutes or less, I could keep it!

After about 20 minutes of struggling, I decided to call Lori, my wife, for help.  She is a puzzle genius.  She makes crosswords, jumbles and Sudokus look like child's play.  Maybe Bob would give it to her when she completes it in 5 minutes or less, I thought to myself.  Remarkably, she couldn't do it either!  Not one to give up easily, Lori borrowed the puzzle and spent another hour at home....STILL WITHOUT SUCCESS!  Dejectedly, I gave Bob his stupid puzzle back.  Later, I started thinking that maybe some of my friends would like to try these puzzles, so I called the b.dazzle company and bought a bunch.  Now everyone in Milton and Evansville can feel as foolish as my wife and I do!

Probably the only bad thing about stocking these addictive puzzles is now the entire staff wants to see if they are more clever than me (most of them are).  These days, dusting, sweeping the floor and straightening the shelves are out.  Assembling (or more accurately, attempting to assemble) puzzles is in.  This is becoming a real problem at Dave's Ace.  I would really appreciate having all my readers purchase at least one of these, so we could all get back to work!

The Scramble Squares come in several colorful patterns including birds, tractors, wine, football, lighthouses, cats and most anything else you can think of.  We stock 23 varieties.  They cost $8.99 each unless of course you care to accept our special 5 minute challenge.  If you can successfully assemble the puzzle we have on display in 5 minutes or less, we will give you one free of charge!  In addition (and even more valuable) to the free puzzle, I will publish your picture in and upcoming blog post so everyone with a computer will be able to share in your glory!  Hurry in today. 

Local Celebrity in Evansville

This morning, Al Fagerli, the WCLO sports guy, is visiting our Evansville store.  He will be conducting a live broadcast on both WCLO AM and WJVL FM radio stations until 2 PM.  If you can make it to the store before he leaves, there is a good chance you could get a free tee shirt and an even better chance that you could get some free passes to Mount Olympus Water Park in Wisconsin Dells!  Just tell him that Dave sent you.

If you have never been to our Evansville store, this would be a great excuse for leisurely Sunday drive.  Our Evansville store is about the same size as the Milton store.  My little brother Paul Warren is the manager and has a great staff of folks to help you with whatever project you are working on.  Stop and see them soon!

Saturday Special for WCLO/WJVL Listeners

Something big is happening today at Dave's Ace Hardware in Milton.  No, it's not the special products on sale for the Memorial Day weekend.  No. it's not the fact that I am actually working (although some of my staff may disagree).  This is the day that Austin Riggs from Pure Country WJVL is broadcasting live from our parking lot! 

Today, as a reward for reading my blog, the first two listeners to stop in and tell Austin Riggs that "he'd be a much better looking with a cowboy hat", will receive a brand new WCLO or WJVL tee shirt!

If you have never been to Dave's Ace Hardware in Milton, it's really not too hard to find.  We are on County Road Y (also known as John Paul Road), just north of the Varsity Lanes Bowling Ally.  You can't really miss it, since there is a big WCLO/WJVL van with a very tall antenna parked by the road.  There is even a sign that cleverly reads "Dave's Ace Hardware"! 

Remember, get here quick and tell Austin "he'd be much better looking with a cowboy hat"! While your here, don't be afraid to stop inside and check out the bargains.  Hope to see you soon!

Only at Dave's Ace

After about 30 years in the hardware business, I thought I had heard it all, but today a customer really caught me off guard.  Michael Dittman stopped in and told me the Rubbermaid jug he had purchased just 10 days ago, was not holding up as well as he had anticipated.  Usually this would not be a problem.  Our entire staff aims to please and no matter what the reason, we would typically just replace the product in question with a new one.  Well, almost "no matter the reason".  This time, I had to hear the entire explanation.

It seems Mike had purchased the cooler specifically to carry ice water while he went turkey hunting near Ladysmith, Wisconsin.  Apparently he set up his tent and left the cooler, filled with ice water, sitting inside.  When he finally returned, he was shocked to find the tent laying in a big messy ball.  Upon further examination he found his Rubbermaid water jug, lying inside.  Unfortunately, it was not in the same condition he had left it.  Despite still being filled with ice and water (and not leaking a bit), the jug was covered with hundreds of little holes.  At first, when he showed me, I thought maybe he had mistaken it for a turkey and blasted it with a shotgun, but after looking more closely, I could tell it had been mauled by something a bit more ferocious!

Mike did see the culprit, a 200 pound black bear, walking about 30 feet away from his camp.  Rather than confront the trouble maker and demand proper restitution, he wisely decided to try out the Dave's Ace promise of "Your Satisfaction Guaranteed.... Period".  Just thinking about what Mike could have looked like had it been him in the tent instead of the jug, was giving me the creeps!  Honestly, I knew Mike's request was entirely "tongue in cheek", but after I regained my composure, I just couldn't help but offer him a new one anyway for all trouble he had gone through.    His only concern was that he didn't really want to part with the original jug.  I guess I can't blame him since it probably would make a nice conversation piece for his home.  Not only that, since it still holds water, he might actually need two jugs sometime in the future!