Stage Rat, Around here we can plant Astilbes in full sun although I try to give them shade for the noonish part of the day. As I made the bed I made a mental note of where the sun was at what part of the day and the Astilbes will be receiving direct sun after 2 pm but nice bright light before this. Our temperatures, because of the Atlantic Ocean being close by, are nice in the summer, rarely going over 90F. In terms of watering, as long as the soil has some moisture in it they will be fine once established. Basically just like any other plant. Soil which is completely dry will do them in. Even after no rain for two and a half weeks, the soil in this area still had moisture and Astilbes in other gardens have not been watered yet this season for the same reason. If I don't have to get the hose out, I don't. :O) Vera, I still have lots of room so you could bring them over here! I have several Hardy Hibiscus which were winter sown 5 years ago but have yet to see them bloom because of our coolish summers. Maybe one day... Bakemom, It is obvious that they amended the soil for the lawn years ago with some good topsoil so I was pleasantly surprised by it's quality. That coupled with the fact that I fling UCGs on the lawn twice every season made it nice to work with. Definitely not used to that. :O) What I am used to though is rocks and when I started planting I discovered a HUGE one right one the middle, and another a couple of feet away. Both are like icebergs - the tips are only 10% of the actual size - and to take them out would require a bulldozer. LOL! As usual, I'm working my way around them...

I took a look around the internet and didn't find much but I did find a couple of different apps for the Ipad. The one that seemed like it would be the most helpful is Sun Scout by Benjohn Barnes for $9.99. I am just reading the description of the app because I don't need to download it but you might want to check it out. I searched the terms Sun Position and few different options came up. I know that before we chose a spot to buid our pool we noted the suns position in our yard for a few days in order to pick just the right spot and take down any trees if necessary. Good luck!

Supply air should be 'at least' 15-20 degrees lower than return air. If the figure is lower than 15 degrees difference it's not going to cool unless OAT isn't much more than 80 degrees or so. The gage picture looks to show that the unit is running and the refrigerant charge may be proper or very close to it but just looking at a picture doesn't tell the whole story just fragments of it. Problems such as this in rental properties rarely get fixed unless the land lord is adamant about getting it fixed, which from the sound of it doesn't appear so. Landlords, most of them are bean counters and do not want to 'invest' any money back into any property they own. Gas and go companies is the least of your problems at this point. Complex AC problems these days usually result in many companies telling you it's time to replace the unit. The last thing a landlord will ever want to do... which many times results in you having to eventually coming to the realization it is time to move or take it upon yourself to get this system fixed right. Avoid companies that use Technicians, find a 'working' Licensed HVAC contractor in your area. Expect to pay for these services. No one works for free when the service is worthy of it.

There are several options for iron removal. Each has pros and cons - hopefully this will help you make a decision: Softener: You have expressed no desire for a softener, but, just in case you want the info anyway - A softener with specialty resin is capable of removing dissolved iron, up to 7 ppm (mg/L) but asking a softener to remove iron at those upper limits is really pushing it so I do not recommend this method. In addition, a softener will become fouled with particulate iron. A softener will not remove sulfur compounds. Additionally, extra steps need to be taken monthly to ensure the iron is adequately stripped from softener resin - This is the poorest choice for iron treatment. Oxidation/Filtration: An oxidizer such as ozone, air, or chlorine may be used to react with the iron and force it to become particulate iron that can then be removed via filtration. This will also remove most sulfur compounds. A typical setup would involve the oxidizing unit, a holding tank, then a media filter. This type of system works quite well, but takes some expertise in sizing - you would want a water treatment pro that you trust to help you with this option. Oxidizing filtration media: This type of treatment consists of a sealed tank filled with one of several media. Water passes through and is oxidized and filtered by the media. Most will remove sulfur compounds as well as iron. These are relatively easy to operate and what I recommend for the average homeowner. There are several different media that can be used: Manganese greensand: water runs through for treatment. The media must be regenerated with potassium permanganate. Care must be taken with dealing with potassium permanganate as it readily dies organic material, such as your skin, a purple-brown color. Some people are quite comfortable dealing with the chemical; others are not. Synthetic greensand: This is essentially the same as option (a) but consists of a coating of greensand on a silica sand core so does not require as much backwash flow. Service flow rate is 2 - 5 gpm/sq ft. Backwash flow rate is 12 gpm/sq ft. Birm: This media acts as a catalyst to force oxidation of iron. While it does not need to be regenerated, it does need fairly high dissolved oxygen in the water. If your water does not have adequate dissolved oxygen (and it probably doesn't since it is well water), air injection would be necessary prior to the birm. Additionally, birm requires a minimum pH of 6.8. Service flow rate is 3.5 - 5.0 gpm per sqft. Backwash flow rate is 11 - 20 gpm, depending upon water temperatures and desired bed expansion. Pyrolox: an ore that oxidizes then filters the iron out. It does not need regeneration, but needs to be backwashed (to rinse out the iron) at a high rate. pH range is 6.5 - 9.0. This type of filter works very well, but backwash is critical. Service flow rate is 5 gpm/sqft. Backwash is 25-30 gpm/sqft. Backwash daily. Terminox: Similar to Pyrolox, but a proprietary formula . It does not require as much backwash flow rate and is more resistance to a low pH. The particulars are only available from the company that sells it - this means you have to rely entirely on the vendor for proper sizing. Backwash daily. Filox: Also similar to Pyrolox. pH range 5.0 - 9.0. Backwash flow 12-15 gpm/sqft. Service flow 6 gpm/sqft. It must be backwashed daily. Pro-OX: Essentially the same as the previous three. Requires 12-15 gpm/sqft backwash. As with Terminox, specs are lacking information so you'll have no way of knowing if the unit you get is sized appropriately. Katalox-light: Similar in action to the previous four, but is comprised of zeolite, manganese dioxide and hydrated lime. It should be designed for 6 - 12 gpm/sqft service flow atnd 8 - 10 gpm/sqft backwash. For well water, it's a good option as it requires lower backwash. In all cases, media ought to be replace somewhere between 5 - 10 years. If any vendor tells you their media lasts forever, walk away - they aren't trustworthy.