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.
QUESTION: We keep experiencing a “knocking” sound in the wall behind our toilet when it is flushed. We’ve been in the house about 12 years and have plastic pipes. We’ve already reset our air pressure at a lower level of 60 psi, and we installed an air hammer arrester. But the knocking sound continues. So, what do we do next?
ANSWER: According to plumbers we consulted, another possibility for that knocking could be that the cartridge inside your shower valve needs replacing due to an air pocket that is causing problems in the pipe. If the noise persists, the source may be a loose pipe inside the wall that can only be corrected by removing drywall in that area so that you can secure the loose pipe.
Q: A year or two ago, I put a 15-foot-by-60-foot cover over my patio. I used chipboard and 2 by 6s for the rafters. I painted all the wood, but the ceiling still looks too rustic. I’d like to put in some kind of ceiling, but I want to use something sturdier than drywall. What should I use?
A: One possibility would be T 1-11 plywood with a 4-inch groove pattern, but installing those heavy sheets of plywood yourself might mean you need to rent a sheet lifter. Other good options are vinyl siding or bead board.
No matter what you use for a ceiling cover, be sure you have all the electrical connections installed you may later want in that ceiling. You also need to set up all the lighting, the junction boxes for ceiling fans, and any sound system you want. That’s because once you cover up the roofing, it will be hard to go into the permanent type ceiling you want to install.
Q: I have a 20-year-old Sears Kenmore refrigerator. Some time ago, we disconnected the ice maker and we have no water source any more connected to the refrigerator. But recently we had water build-up under the drawers at the bottom of the refrigerator. Is it coming from the freezer up above?
A: In an older refrigerator, the water is probably coming from a tube that takes condensation and drains it out into a pan under the appliance. If you take off the toe kick at the bottom of the fridge, you’ll see that pan. Usually, the condenser evaporates the condensation before you see it. But if that drainage tube gets clogged with lint or debris, some water can end up in the refrigerator itself. It’s fairly easy to unclog this tube by yourself.
Q: I have lots of rustic-looking engineered hardwood planking in our house. Each plank is about six feet long and six inches wide. But one plank in the middle of a room has a little 6-inch-long split down the middle. It’s as if a piece of veneer has split. Can this be repaired since it’s in a highly visible spot, and can I fix it myself?
A: There are two ways to fix the problem. If you have extra leftover planks, a repair person can remove the damaged plank and drop in a new one. It will be anchored in place with heavy duty hardwood adhesive. Then it must sit for two to three days with a heavy weight on top. After that, the floor will be as good as new.
The other possibility is fixing the split area with some epoxy injected with a syringe. The color of the epoxy might not be exactly the same as the original plank, but the process will work. Be especially careful not to put down too much epoxy in the damaged area.
