Each year, thousands of Arizona residents email or call Rosie Romeroβs radio show with questions about everything from preventing fires in their chimneys to getting rid of tree roots invading their sewer system. His goal is to provide answers that suit the specific lifestyle wherever someone lives in Arizona.
Q: I bought my home about a year ago. The water pressure seems to be terrible here, but only when I turn on the hot water. Itβs so bad that you can use only one appliance at a time; if youβre using the dishwasher, for example, you canβt get hot water anywhere else. The house was built in 2005, so itβs not that old. The cold water faucets in the house seem to have good pressure. So whatβs going on?
A: First you need to check the shut-off valve on your water heater. Generally, this valve is a lever at the top of your water heater and is located on a pipe leading into your house. On some water heaters, it may look like a screw-type faucet. The problem is that this valve may not be completely open. If it is not, move it to the fully open position. If that doesnβt make any difference involving your hot water flow in the house, then you probably may need to call a plumber. There may be some obstruction in the water heater or in a hot water pipe.
Q: The water in my house doesnβt feel βsoftβ any more. I had a plumber at my house to check the water softener, and he said that I need new resin beads in the tank. Itβs a 10-year-old system and itβs going to cost $450 to make this replacement. Is that a reasonable price?
A: If your water softener isnβt putting out soft water properly, it is often because you have a damaged resin bed β something that can happen after 10 to 15 years. The bed in your softenerβs tank is filled with small beads. When the softener is working properly, hard water flows through the beads and an ion exchange takes place. The hardness ions in water β generally calcium and magnesium β are exchanged with soft ions on the resin beads. As a result, you have soft water. Although replacing the resin may be costly, having a brand-new softener installed can cost about $1,100.
Q: I want to buy a large oleander in a 5-gallon can and will try to turn it into a small tree in my yard. Is that possible?
A: You should look for a young bush with a strong, straight central stem. Cut off the other branches and stems. Use a pruning shears cleaned with a solution of one part bleach to 10 parts water. If youβre successful, your oleander tree may grow to be 20 to 25 feet tall. However, in recent years, oleanders have become susceptible to bacterial infection which causes leaves to scorch and turn brown. There seem to be no effective way of stopping the disease. So it seems as if the best approach might be to choose some alternative to the oleander β possibly Arizona rosewood or a hopseed shrub. They can be turned into βtreesβ as well.
Q: I want to start growing more tomatoes now that fall is here. Do I just cut back the old growth on my plants that bore fruit in spring and then start fertilizing the tomatoes again?
A: You can do that. After pruning and fertilizing youβll get new tomatoes again if your plants are still alive after the hot summer. Not many people can keep their tomatoes going that way during the hottest months of the year. Another possibility would be to plant brand new Early Girls because they will have mature tomatoes in about 56 days or so, which would be aboutNov. 1.
