Check your water pressure; when to paint; removing artificial turf
- Updated
Get tips on making fixes around the house.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Q: I’m redoing the bathroom in the back of my 40-year-old house and want to replace the present toilet with a tankless model. Do I have to increase the water pressure in the house to get it to operate correctly?
A: No, you might actually need less water pressure than you already have.
Generally, these units operate at less than 65 pounds per square inch, a level that is probably the maximum found in most houses.
You can do the pressure test yourself using a pressure gauge from a hardware store. But in making an installation like this, you probably need to have a plumber verify what your pressure is and compare that to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Q: I have a backyard concrete slab patio that was built in 2010, and now there are several cracks in its surface. Over time, some of them seem to have separated even more to make larger gaps than there were before. Can the cracks be fixed?
A: Concrete will always crack eventually. Probably the easiest fix is to install thin concrete pavers on top of the old surface.
Have a contractor determine that you don’t have structural stress going on under the patio or around your house. Then you can have the pavers laid.
The installers generally glue a line of pavers to the edges of the patio and set the rest of them in sand on top of the concrete.
You can keep the paving going into the yard around the patio, if you wish. Be sure to choose light-colored pavers in order to keep heat building up on the patio.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Q: I have just moved into a new home, but the water pressure seems really low. I’m wondering if it’s being caused by a leak somewhere in the house. Is there a way to check on this?
A: Maybe you just moved to your new house from an area that had higher pressure and that’s partly why you sense the pressure is low in your new house.
At any rate, stop at a hardware store and pick up a water pressure gauge. Follow directions for screwing it onto the hose bib next to your house.
Then turn off all the water in the house and turn on the hose bib full blast and see what the gauge reads. Forty-five to 60 pounds per square inch is about right. If you are at 35 to 40 pounds, check with your neighbors to see what their water pressure is.
If you all have the same low readings, there’s not much you can do about the issue. You may be living in an area with lower pressure.
If you suspect some kind of hidden leak, you probably should call a plumber.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Q: I have an older home and I want to paint the unfinished wood on the ceiling of my covered patio to cover up water stains on the joists. It’s a west-facing patio that gets heavy sun at this time of year, so I’m wondering if the process will work on a hot day.
A: At this time of year, most painters start work about sunrise and work until 11 a.m. to deal with the climate. They generally don’t want to paint surfaces when the temperature is over 100 degrees. They also won’t paint when it rains or when a hot dry wind is blowing. By taking these precautions, your patio will be successfully painted. Hopefully, you’ve fixed the roof of the patio so that it doesn’t leak any more.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning “Rosie on the House” radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Q: A couple of years ago, we remodeled our house, and at the time, we had a hard-wired smoke alarm system put in. But it’s always going off intermittently and constantly. After hauling out ladders over and over again to fix the situation, we turned the entire system off. Right now, we have no smoke alarms.
A: That doesn’t sound like a good idea. So probably you should call another security or alarm system company to visit your house and make some changes. It sounds as if someone could have installed some very cheap and defective alarms. Check as well to see if your alarms are still under warranty.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to
. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Q: I finally saved enough money to go home-shopping and am ready to buy a house that I picked out. However, the house I like has a well and a septic tank. I’m wondering if I should be nervous about that situation. Do I have to set aside a lot of money for repairs?
A: Both wells and septic tanks are very common in Arizona; there shouldn’t be any special problems if both the well and septic tank belong to your property. You might want to avoid a situation where you’re sharing a well with another property owner, however. Have both the septic tank and well inspected and tested before you buy, of course. As for possible repairs in future, you should keep the names of service companies handy just in case.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to
. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Q: I had a new air conditioner installed at my house about three years ago. After I had a number of problems in the beginning with the coil, the company finally replaced that. But now when the air conditioner starts up, there’s a loud boom and a lot of vibration in the system. What could be wrong with it?
A: This kind of problem can sometimes be fixed by installing a new jump starter on your compressor. But it’s also probable that the compressor itself is breaking down and needs to be replaced. Hopefully, this type of problem is covered by the warranty for your AC. However, if you had a lot of problems with the original installer, you might want to call another company to look at your system.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to
. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Q: I’m upgrading the plumbing fixtures in all three bathrooms in my house. What I need to know is can I attach a Pfister shower handle on the Delta valve that’s already in my wall from my old shower fixtures?
A: Probably not. There is very little compatibility among different brands involving plumbing valves and fixtures. In order to make this kind of change, you may have to remove some of the tiles and cut into the dry wall in the shower to pull out the old valve and replace it. Sometimes that’s even necessary if you make this kind of change when working with different models of the same plumbing brand. In any case, you need the help of a professional plumber to make the switch.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to
. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Q: The master bedroom in my 8-year-old house gets very hot in the evenings during the summer because the late afternoon sun tends to hit that part of the house the most. So I’ve closed some HVAC registers in the rest of the house in hopes of having more cool air from the air conditioner blow into that bedroom. Is that a good idea or won’t it work?
A: We don’t recommend doing that because it could create pressure problems for your heating and air-conditioning system. Instead, close all the registers in the house by about 60 percent so that they’re blowing about 40 percent of their capacity.
After a couple of days you can then go into the bedroom that gets hotter and open the vents completely. That should help you cool off the bedroom.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Q: We found ants all over the vanity cabinets in our bathroom and got rid of them and cleaned up the area. The next day, we found them all over the kitchen; we followed the trail of ants and found that they were breaking in because of a crack in the grout on the kitchen tile floor. I suspect they’re coming in from an underground area. What should we do?
A: Use a bait-type system to eliminate them. The ants will take the bait back to the queen of their colony, and that should be the end of them. It’s possible they’re coming in through a crack in the slab under the tile. But it’s very difficult to correct that situation. If you remove the tiles to do a repair on the crack, it’s going to be very hard to put them back again successfully.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Q: It always seems much more humid inside my air-conditioned house than it is outside. The humidity inside is about 35 percent while outside it can be 15 percent. Is that OK, and why does it happen?
A: That humidity level is ideal. Your house is usually more humid because it’s all sealed up in the summer, and moisture produced in cooking or running the shower stays locked up inside. Your humidity level in summer could actually reach about 40 percent. If it gets higher than that — perhaps 45 to 55 percent — it’s actually possible that you have too big an air conditioning unit and it isn’t coming on and running long enough. In that case, you need to lower the thermostat a couple of degrees. You’re better off with an under-sized air conditioning unit that runs a little bit longer.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Q: My water company is suggesting that we invest in expandable flood barriers in case of flooding in our area, which has happened in previous monsoon seasons. Is this a good idea?
A: These devices are often called quick dams because they don’t require the time that sandbags take to set up around your house. You just take out the quick dams and set them up outside in front of doors, windows and foundations. As water comes up around the house, it activates an absorbent powder or other material inside the barrier that swells up when it gets wet. The expanding barrier then prevents water from getting close to your home. The only problem, of course, is where you will store the barriers, which can be somewhat bulky. It can also be expensive to buy enough of these barriers to cover the entire perimeter of your home.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Q: We recently installed a water softener in our home because of problems we had with hard water. But now I can’t seem to get the hard water scale and marks off my glass shower door and plumbing fixtures. What should I use to clean them?
A: Try a mixture of vinegar and water to start with. If that doesn’t work, you may have to buy one of the stronger, more aggressive cleaners for sale in supermarkets and hardware stores.
For more tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Q: Is there any way that I can lower the temperature inside my attic in the summer? Would installing a fan work?
A: Homeowners often contact us during the summer to complain about the hot air in their attics and ask how they can cool off the attic. That’s because they believe that cooling the attic can somehow cool their homes and result in smaller electric bills. But the basic truth is that the best thing you can do in the average attic space is to be sure that you have the recommended R-38 insulation installed, though more insulation won’t do a thing to greatly improve the temperature in your attic. You could put whirlybird type fans on the roof – fans that are powered by the wind. But they won’t make a dramatic change in your attic, either. The worst possible thing you can do is to install electrically powered fans. They would create a negative pressure situation in the attic that would start sucking the air out of the air-conditioned rooms in your home. As a result, your attic might be much cooler, but you would lose some of the air conditioning in the livable area of your house. The truth is that a hot attic contributes very little to the cost of your utility bill.
For more tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Q: My son’s air conditioner had a leak of condensate fluid that got some of his carpeting and drywall wet. The leak was very small, and he cleaned it up quickly, but now he’s worried that he needs to cut out the drywall to replace the drywall and carpet to avoid a mold problem.
A: Before tearing up the walls or the floor, he should get a mold test kit and test the area for problems. If the leak and the damage were cleaned up quickly, there will probably be no mold developing later. Most mold infestations develop after leaks are left unrepaired for an extended period.
For more tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Q: I have moved into a home built in the 1950s, and the water that comes out of the pipes is always very hot in summer. So I am going to redo the water line to install it at a deeper level. The water line is now about 6 to 8 inches below ground. How deep does the line have to be to get cooler water and what type of material should I use for piping — copper or PEX?
A: PEX tubing is probably the best choice for you because it’s much easier to work with in a do-it-yourself project. (PEX stands for “cross-linked polyethylene” and is a plastic product.) You probably want to go about 18 inches deep; that would make the water much cooler. But first of all, be sure to call for a measurement by the Arizona Blue Stake Center. Its staff will come out to tell you where you can dig underground and how deeply you can go without running into electric, water, gas, cable or telecommunications lines. There is no charge for the service. When you redo the water pipe, you want to install a ball valve shutoff on the side of the house so that you can turn off the water easily in an emergency.
For more tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Q: I’m redoing the bathroom in the back of my 40-year-old house and want to replace the present toilet with a tankless model. Do I have to increase the water pressure in the house to get it to operate correctly?
A: No, you might actually need less water pressure than you already have.
Generally, these units operate at less than 65 pounds per square inch, a level that is probably the maximum found in most houses.
You can do the pressure test yourself using a pressure gauge from a hardware store. But in making an installation like this, you probably need to have a plumber verify what your pressure is and compare that to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Q: I have a backyard concrete slab patio that was built in 2010, and now there are several cracks in its surface. Over time, some of them seem to have separated even more to make larger gaps than there were before. Can the cracks be fixed?
A: Concrete will always crack eventually. Probably the easiest fix is to install thin concrete pavers on top of the old surface.
Have a contractor determine that you don’t have structural stress going on under the patio or around your house. Then you can have the pavers laid.
The installers generally glue a line of pavers to the edges of the patio and set the rest of them in sand on top of the concrete.
You can keep the paving going into the yard around the patio, if you wish. Be sure to choose light-colored pavers in order to keep heat building up on the patio.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Q: I have just moved into a new home, but the water pressure seems really low. I’m wondering if it’s being caused by a leak somewhere in the house. Is there a way to check on this?
A: Maybe you just moved to your new house from an area that had higher pressure and that’s partly why you sense the pressure is low in your new house.
At any rate, stop at a hardware store and pick up a water pressure gauge. Follow directions for screwing it onto the hose bib next to your house.
Then turn off all the water in the house and turn on the hose bib full blast and see what the gauge reads. Forty-five to 60 pounds per square inch is about right. If you are at 35 to 40 pounds, check with your neighbors to see what their water pressure is.
If you all have the same low readings, there’s not much you can do about the issue. You may be living in an area with lower pressure.
If you suspect some kind of hidden leak, you probably should call a plumber.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Q: I have an older home and I want to paint the unfinished wood on the ceiling of my covered patio to cover up water stains on the joists. It’s a west-facing patio that gets heavy sun at this time of year, so I’m wondering if the process will work on a hot day.
A: At this time of year, most painters start work about sunrise and work until 11 a.m. to deal with the climate. They generally don’t want to paint surfaces when the temperature is over 100 degrees. They also won’t paint when it rains or when a hot dry wind is blowing. By taking these precautions, your patio will be successfully painted. Hopefully, you’ve fixed the roof of the patio so that it doesn’t leak any more.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning “Rosie on the House” radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Q: A couple of years ago, we remodeled our house, and at the time, we had a hard-wired smoke alarm system put in. But it’s always going off intermittently and constantly. After hauling out ladders over and over again to fix the situation, we turned the entire system off. Right now, we have no smoke alarms.
A: That doesn’t sound like a good idea. So probably you should call another security or alarm system company to visit your house and make some changes. It sounds as if someone could have installed some very cheap and defective alarms. Check as well to see if your alarms are still under warranty.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to
. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Q: I finally saved enough money to go home-shopping and am ready to buy a house that I picked out. However, the house I like has a well and a septic tank. I’m wondering if I should be nervous about that situation. Do I have to set aside a lot of money for repairs?
A: Both wells and septic tanks are very common in Arizona; there shouldn’t be any special problems if both the well and septic tank belong to your property. You might want to avoid a situation where you’re sharing a well with another property owner, however. Have both the septic tank and well inspected and tested before you buy, of course. As for possible repairs in future, you should keep the names of service companies handy just in case.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to
. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Q: I had a new air conditioner installed at my house about three years ago. After I had a number of problems in the beginning with the coil, the company finally replaced that. But now when the air conditioner starts up, there’s a loud boom and a lot of vibration in the system. What could be wrong with it?
A: This kind of problem can sometimes be fixed by installing a new jump starter on your compressor. But it’s also probable that the compressor itself is breaking down and needs to be replaced. Hopefully, this type of problem is covered by the warranty for your AC. However, if you had a lot of problems with the original installer, you might want to call another company to look at your system.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to
. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Q: I’m upgrading the plumbing fixtures in all three bathrooms in my house. What I need to know is can I attach a Pfister shower handle on the Delta valve that’s already in my wall from my old shower fixtures?
A: Probably not. There is very little compatibility among different brands involving plumbing valves and fixtures. In order to make this kind of change, you may have to remove some of the tiles and cut into the dry wall in the shower to pull out the old valve and replace it. Sometimes that’s even necessary if you make this kind of change when working with different models of the same plumbing brand. In any case, you need the help of a professional plumber to make the switch.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to
. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Q: The master bedroom in my 8-year-old house gets very hot in the evenings during the summer because the late afternoon sun tends to hit that part of the house the most. So I’ve closed some HVAC registers in the rest of the house in hopes of having more cool air from the air conditioner blow into that bedroom. Is that a good idea or won’t it work?
A: We don’t recommend doing that because it could create pressure problems for your heating and air-conditioning system. Instead, close all the registers in the house by about 60 percent so that they’re blowing about 40 percent of their capacity.
After a couple of days you can then go into the bedroom that gets hotter and open the vents completely. That should help you cool off the bedroom.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Q: We found ants all over the vanity cabinets in our bathroom and got rid of them and cleaned up the area. The next day, we found them all over the kitchen; we followed the trail of ants and found that they were breaking in because of a crack in the grout on the kitchen tile floor. I suspect they’re coming in from an underground area. What should we do?
A: Use a bait-type system to eliminate them. The ants will take the bait back to the queen of their colony, and that should be the end of them. It’s possible they’re coming in through a crack in the slab under the tile. But it’s very difficult to correct that situation. If you remove the tiles to do a repair on the crack, it’s going to be very hard to put them back again successfully.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Q: It always seems much more humid inside my air-conditioned house than it is outside. The humidity inside is about 35 percent while outside it can be 15 percent. Is that OK, and why does it happen?
A: That humidity level is ideal. Your house is usually more humid because it’s all sealed up in the summer, and moisture produced in cooking or running the shower stays locked up inside. Your humidity level in summer could actually reach about 40 percent. If it gets higher than that — perhaps 45 to 55 percent — it’s actually possible that you have too big an air conditioning unit and it isn’t coming on and running long enough. In that case, you need to lower the thermostat a couple of degrees. You’re better off with an under-sized air conditioning unit that runs a little bit longer.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Q: My water company is suggesting that we invest in expandable flood barriers in case of flooding in our area, which has happened in previous monsoon seasons. Is this a good idea?
A: These devices are often called quick dams because they don’t require the time that sandbags take to set up around your house. You just take out the quick dams and set them up outside in front of doors, windows and foundations. As water comes up around the house, it activates an absorbent powder or other material inside the barrier that swells up when it gets wet. The expanding barrier then prevents water from getting close to your home. The only problem, of course, is where you will store the barriers, which can be somewhat bulky. It can also be expensive to buy enough of these barriers to cover the entire perimeter of your home.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Q: We recently installed a water softener in our home because of problems we had with hard water. But now I can’t seem to get the hard water scale and marks off my glass shower door and plumbing fixtures. What should I use to clean them?
A: Try a mixture of vinegar and water to start with. If that doesn’t work, you may have to buy one of the stronger, more aggressive cleaners for sale in supermarkets and hardware stores.
For more tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Q: Is there any way that I can lower the temperature inside my attic in the summer? Would installing a fan work?
A: Homeowners often contact us during the summer to complain about the hot air in their attics and ask how they can cool off the attic. That’s because they believe that cooling the attic can somehow cool their homes and result in smaller electric bills. But the basic truth is that the best thing you can do in the average attic space is to be sure that you have the recommended R-38 insulation installed, though more insulation won’t do a thing to greatly improve the temperature in your attic. You could put whirlybird type fans on the roof – fans that are powered by the wind. But they won’t make a dramatic change in your attic, either. The worst possible thing you can do is to install electrically powered fans. They would create a negative pressure situation in the attic that would start sucking the air out of the air-conditioned rooms in your home. As a result, your attic might be much cooler, but you would lose some of the air conditioning in the livable area of your house. The truth is that a hot attic contributes very little to the cost of your utility bill.
For more tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Q: My son’s air conditioner had a leak of condensate fluid that got some of his carpeting and drywall wet. The leak was very small, and he cleaned it up quickly, but now he’s worried that he needs to cut out the drywall to replace the drywall and carpet to avoid a mold problem.
A: Before tearing up the walls or the floor, he should get a mold test kit and test the area for problems. If the leak and the damage were cleaned up quickly, there will probably be no mold developing later. Most mold infestations develop after leaks are left unrepaired for an extended period.
For more tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
- By Rosie Romero Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Q: I have moved into a home built in the 1950s, and the water that comes out of the pipes is always very hot in summer. So I am going to redo the water line to install it at a deeper level. The water line is now about 6 to 8 inches below ground. How deep does the line have to be to get cooler water and what type of material should I use for piping — copper or PEX?
A: PEX tubing is probably the best choice for you because it’s much easier to work with in a do-it-yourself project. (PEX stands for “cross-linked polyethylene” and is a plastic product.) You probably want to go about 18 inches deep; that would make the water much cooler. But first of all, be sure to call for a measurement by the Arizona Blue Stake Center. Its staff will come out to tell you where you can dig underground and how deeply you can go without running into electric, water, gas, cable or telecommunications lines. There is no charge for the service. When you redo the water pipe, you want to install a ball valve shutoff on the side of the house so that you can turn off the water easily in an emergency.
For more tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
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