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 have a home that was built using the Integra block system. But now I have been surprised to find termite tubes on one side of the house at the foundation level. I didn’t think that they could eat my masonry walls. What does it mean?
A: The Integra system, of course, has engineered masonry walls that use tension rods, foamed-in-place insulation and masonry blocks. It’s true that termites can’t eat the masonry, but they’re building those little mud tubes to get past the parts of your house that they can’t eat in order to reach your drywall and the 2-by-4 studs in your walls and roof structures. So you do need to treat your home for termites despite its sturdy block construction.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona homebuilding 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 1-888-767-4348.
