Happy Holidays!!

Decorations hang from many a fixture and cubicle, home-baked treats smell sweet in the break room and holiday cards line desks and file cabinets: Yes, the seasonal cheer is impossible to miss at GBA’s many offices.

Yet, we realize not everyone is as fortunate.

So, the GBA elves did their best to help, pairing with The Gillis Center of Kansas City, Mo.

The Gillis Center has a long history of helping children and families, dating back to 1870. Back then, it provided shelter for women and children displaced and destitute after the Civil War. Today, it serves families and children through campus-based and community-based services, including residential care, special needs education, crisis intervention and reunification. The ultimate goal is for each of the center’s families to have healthy, nurturing and self-sufficient homes.

 

While the Lenexa office was donating goodies and making cards for Gillis Center families, our O’Fallon office was collecting items like diapers, art supplies and clothing for the St. Louis Crisis Nursery. The nursery provides short-term care for young children while helping families resolve crisis.

Thank you to everyone who donated items and their time!

Happy holidays and best wishes for peace and prosperity in the New Year from all of us at GBA!  

Holiday Tips from the Experts

Tim Ross talked to some experts about the holidays. Check out their tips.

The Assault On Concrete by Deicing Chemicals

Exterior concrete slabs and pavements are bombarded every winter with deicing chemicals to remove snow and ice more quickly. Even though these deicing chemicals make concrete surfaces—like roads, sidewalks and parking lots—safer for pedestrian and vehicular traffic, they can be detrimental to the concrete itself.

Winter moisture already does a number on concrete by itself, as water—snow melt, sleet, runoff—expands 9 percent its original size when frozen. That means when concrete freezes, any moisture in the concrete can create pressure in the pores of the concrete. When this pressure exceeds the concrete’s tensile capacity, it causes cracking and spalling of the concrete surface.

If large aggregate in the concrete is porous or absorptive, the moisture in the aggregate can freeze and crack and split. If these aggregates are close to the surface, they can create pop outs that look like cone shaped indentions on the surface of the concrete. This cracking can also create D-cracking, which is closely spaced cracks that parallel joints. These cracks will continue to multiply over time and show up further and further from the joint.

Deicing chemicals can make this process worse in different ways.

First, the deicing chemicals reduce the freezing temperature of the offending moisture. So rather than the moisture in the concrete freezing at 32 degrees and staying frozen until the concrete temperature exceeds 32 degrees, it thaws at a lower temperature and refreezes at a lower temperature. Therefore, the concrete goes thru more freeze/thaw cycles than it would have if deicing chemicals were not used. Each time the concrete freezes, it repeats the expansion pressure that can create more cracking and spalling.

Most deicing chemicals contain chlorides. These chlorides are like sponges that attract and hold moisture. Therefore, concrete that is more saturated with chlorides is probably more saturated with moisture and thus more susceptible to damage when the concrete freezes.

Even worse, certain deicing chemicals can actually chemically attack concrete. Sodium chloride, calcium chloride and urea are the most used deicers. Sodium chloride has little to no chemical effect on concrete, but can damage plants and is highly corrosive. Calcium chloride in weak solutions has little effect on concrete and is less offensive to plants but is also highly corrosive, but calcium chloride in concentrated solutions can chemically attack concrete. Urea has little effect on concrete, plants or metal. Deicers containing ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate aggressively attack and disintegrate concrete and should not be used.

But it’s not just the concrete these chemicals harm. Chlorides in deicing chemicals can aggressively attack metal and transform metal into rust. When metal rusts, the rust can become four times larger than the original metal. Therefore, rusting reinforcing steel embedded in concrete can expand and crack and spall the concrete covering it. Once this process starts, both the concrete and steel deteriorate even faster than before.

Deicing chemicals can certainly have a negative effect on concrete. In January, we will discuss ways we can try to protect our concrete from these effects.

Tis the Season to Save Energy!

As we begin displaying festive décor and spreading holiday cheer, we must not forget to conserve energy. Applying practical and innovative holiday conservation methods will make a positive effect on our environment, and it will help you pinch pennies! Here are a few ideas on how you can make an impact this holiday season:

Light for Less

Recycle conventional lights in exchange for LED lights. LED lights will conserve 80-90% compared to conventional lights and save an average of $9 per season for an average display.  An extravagant display could save $270 or more per season. Local Non-Profits, Home Depot and Wal-Mart are just a few among many organizations to participate in recycling conventional holiday lights – some businesses are even cutting consumers deals when replacing conventional lights with LED lights!

Time the Tinsel

Set automatic timers on your holiday decorations which will ensure shorter hours for display. No need to burn the midnight oil!

Skip the Stove

Eager to sneak a look inside the oven at the apple crisp – think again! Opening the oven door while baking wastes energy. Better yet, employing the use of smaller appliances will conserve more energy. Explore ways to spice up your holiday feast with crock pots and toaster ovens.

Guests Galore

As you open your home to family and friends, be mindful of best practices to save energy around the house. For example, turning off lights in unoccupied areas could save 10-20% on your energy bill. Another tip would result in skipping the use of technology and electronics. Instead of watching the television or listening to music, assemble a puzzle or sing a carol.
 
In the spirit of the season, we hope you utilize tactics to conserve energy for our environment. May you have a happy and energy conscious holiday!