Patio door won't quit squeaking; privet tree is struggling

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: There are French doors leading to my patio, and one door that we use all the time has started creaking loudly when we open or close it. It started doing this last summer and then it stopped during winter, and now it’s back again. There is a loud squeaking noise even though I’ve oiled the three hinges. I’ve put graphite powder in the hinges, too, and that helped for a little while but now the squeaking is back again. What should I do?

A: You can start by taking out the middle hinge pin to see if the squeaking stops; if it doesn’t, put the pin back and try removing each of the other hinge pins one at a time. Once you isolate the problem, you may have to take a problem hinge off and replace it; or maybe you’ll have to replace all three hinges. Another possible fix might be spraying silicone on the hinge pins.

Q: Two years ago, I planted a privet as a tree in a very large container. But it has not been growing very well. It gets full sun and plenty of water. In fact, I often remove excess water from the saucer using a shop vac.

A: Container gardening can be a great experience, but it’s often a challenge working with a planter that has a limited amount of soil. Your privet could be getting too much sun; privet trees often need protection for part of the day though they can take more sun once they reach maturity. You might try moving it to a location where it gets more shade. It’s also hard to keep moisture in a container without overwatering. You might want to cut back some on water and augment the soil with some fertilizer. You should give the tree another year or two to adjust; it’s still early in the game to give up on your plant.

Q: I’m living in a rental home where there is very poor air-conditioning. Is it possible for me to install a mini-split air-conditioner, the kind that can cool one room, and then take it apart and take it with me when I move to a new location?

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A: You can do that, but it would be a very expensive fix. The real problem with installing a mini-split is that it costs a lot more to do the installation or the removal than it does for the unit itself.

You would be better off financially to go to a home store and buy a portable air-conditioner to use temporarily in your rental house until you leave.

Q: I bought my 1995 house about six years ago. Initially, there was a hairline crack in the hallway, but now we’ve seen it expand all the way through the house. We’ve also seen some hairline cracks growing in the walls. Is this evidence that we have a foundation problem?

A: There’s no way of telling without having a foundation expert look at your home and perhaps do manometer readings. There could be settling or heaving going on with your slab, or there could be a moisture problem with your soil.

But there are methods available to repair your home if you have one of these problems.