Each year, thousands of Arizona residents email or call Rosie Romero’s 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 had a furnace company out to do some regular maintenance on my heating and air conditioning system. The repairman suggested having our air ducts cleaned because of the build-up of dust inside the ducts. Is that a good idea? And how much should it cost? We moved into our home when it was brand-new back in 2005.
A: That’s a good idea, provided that you have the cleaning done by a firm that is licensed to do the job. In order to do it right, the workers have to disassemble part of the air conditioning system in order to clean the coil and the condenser unit. It’s a process that should be done every eight to 10 years. You may see lots of coupons that offer to do it at a reduced rate. But if it’s done properly, it should cost about $400 to $500. After the cleaning is done, be sure to install new one-inch disposable paper filters – not fiberglass – in your air intakes every month.
Q: I have a Bartlett pear tree in my backyard. A couple of years ago, all the pears turned black and shriveled up before we could eat them. At the time we were doing overhead watering, and I switched to on the ground watering. But this past year, it happened again, too. The pears are reaching full size and they turn black and dry up. The stems turn black, as well.
A: Your pears are suffering from fire blight, a disease that can also affect apples. You need to spray your tree with a dormant oil spray now that can control this problem in the summer. An additional piece of advice: Always pick your pears before the summer heat arrives and let them ripen indoors. Put them in a paper bag on the kitchen counter.
Q: I just moved in to a new home where I have a palo verde growing in the yard. One of my neighbors told me that I have mistletoe growing in it and that it can kill the tree if I don’t prune it out.
A: Mistletoe can do that, but it can take a very long time. It probably looks like a dark ball of vegetation up in the tree; sometimes it gets red berries, but it’s not related to traditional Christmas mistletoe. It’s a parasite that is spread by a bird called the phainopepla, or silky flycatcher. There’s nothing you can spray on the tree to get rid of it. All you can do is cut it out of the tree and remove the debris. Try not to spread the branches or twigs around. Some people clean their pruning shears with bleach to remove the sap from the mistletoe.
Q: I’m installing a new red brick patio floor in back of my house. It will be partly covered by a roof, but still exposed to the weather at times. Should I use cement or polymeric sand to fill the joints between the bricks?
A: Polymeric sand is the way to go, but you probably need to get detailed advice from a company that sells bricks and pavers on how to install this product. Polymeric sand includes fine sand plus additives that when mixed with water will form a binding agent that will help lock the bricks together. If done properly, a heavy rain won’t wash out all the sand from between the joints which can happen if you use plain old sand. The additives will also stop weeds from growing.
But remember, you have to do extensive excavation and preparation of the patio site before you put the bricks down. You may want to have this entire job done by a contractor who has training in the techniques involved.
