We have an old Sunbeam Steam Iron that has a great feature: Automatic shut-off. If the iron if left in its flat, working position, a sensor checks for motion and if it detects none for a prescribed time, it shuts off the heater. If the iron is parked in an upended position, the time out period is longer. This feature has given me great comfort becasue I am the worry wart of the family when it comer to fire hazards. Over the past 20 years, I have found that iron left on twice. It only takes once to burn down a house. I believe that the Sunbeam Corporation no longer exists, but, surely this feature can be found in other irons, possibly the same iron made by another manufacturer.

Maddie, I'm going to look at that iron. I don't mind ironing, as long as it's not alot at one time. I iron most everything (hubby irons some of his items), but not sheets ;-). I love a good steam iron. My iron also cuts itself off, as does my curling iron (used to straighten bangs LOL), but I don't trust that feature. A plugged in small appliance could still cause a problem. I guess it's better than one that doesn't cut itself off, but I strive to unplug any such item. Don't ask my hubby how many times we've gotten in the car and I ask "did I turn the curling iron off?" HA! I have gotten to where I say out loud when I unplug it "curling iron is unplugged", so that I will remember unplugging it!!

If you explained your water situation to them and/or they did some testing, all of the folks you've talked to are, quite frankly, incompetent. You have ferric (particulate) iron. None of them addressed it. You have varying iron content that is sometimes extremely high, or it's a high amount of fine sediment. In either case, none of them addressed it. The Kinetic won't handle the ferric iron. The Water Right won't handle the ferric iron if particle size is small (which it most likely is), and you don't need your pH adjusted. This option could be fine IF they actually analyzed the particulates in your water and it meets the specs for their media. From what you've said, however, they failed to do this. The Fleck dealer at least sort of addressed it by saying "if for some reason it doesn't take out all of the iron . . ." The tiny softener they recommended will become fouled with the ferric iron very quickly and will be hard pressed to removed the ferrous iron. The Birm would be absolutely necessary. However, Birm requires high oxygen content in your water (not that likely in well water). You need dedicated iron/sediment removal, then a softener downstream if you want soft water. A softener on its own, even one with Water Right's (zeolite) media cannot and will not do the job. Here is some information about iron removal: 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 would 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/sqft. Backwash flow rate is 12 gpm/sqft. 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. 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.

is the driveway/patio side of the hedge always in shade? .. especially as it gets taller ... is there the same damage on the tops which appear to be in full sun???? one issue is how close they were planted to the driveway ... necessitating the constant shearing.. to keep them off the driveway ... eventually you will have to go deeper into the plant.. to remove all the hard older wood so that you can maintain the shearing .... what some might call a renovation pruning at height ... or all the way to the ground.. with no insult to the root mass and presuming a healthy plant.. you might be surprised how fast they will regrow ... dead wood is dead.. it should be cut out ... sooner or later.. the only question when you do that.. is whether you need to sanitize your clippers between cuts to be safe ... ken