Each year, thousands of Arizona residents email or call Rosie Romeroβs radio show with questions . His goal is to provide answers that suit Arizonaβs specific lifestyles.
QUESTION: 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 β copper or PEX?
ANSWER: PEX tubing is probably the best choice for you because itβs much easier to work with in a do-it-yourself project. (PEX stands for βcross-linked polyethyleneβ 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, install a ball valve shutoff on the side of the house so that you can turn off the water easily in an emergency.
Q: My sonβs 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 heβs worried that he needs 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.
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. Thatβs 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 wonβt do a thing to greatly improve the temperature in your attic. You could put whirlybird type fans on the roof β fans that are powered by the wind. But they wonβt 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.
Q: We recently installed a water softener in our home because of problems we had with hard water. But now I canβt 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 doesnβt work, you may have to buy one of the stronger, more aggressive cleaners for sale in supermarkets and hardware stores.
