House Renovation Tips

If your hot water looks red-brown, rust and minerals are probably building up in the tank. It’s time to drain the water heater. Turn off the main gas burner or the electricity to the water heater. Close the inlet valve. Remove the aerator, if any, from the hot-water faucet closest to the heater and open [...]

If the water heater leaks from the drain valve, try more muscle to turn it off. If that fails, you can buy a brass hose cap with a hose washer inside. If you tighten the hose cap with pliers, it will stand up to typical water pressure.
If the leak is from the T&P valve, check [...]

Moisture on the outside of a toilet tank is condensation from warm air forming on the water-cooled tank. To prevent the problem, insulate the inside tank walls. First, shut off the water supply, then drain and dry the inside of the tank. Cut ½-inch-thick foam rubber to line the insides and bottom of the tank. [...]

To reduce indoor pollution from insulation, plywood glues, gas stoves and oil-fired furnaces in a highly insulated house, it’s a good idea to ventilate the home during the day or install a heat exchanger. A heat exchanger will transfer the heat from the warm indoor air you are exhausting to the cold fresh air you [...]

You can save water-heating costs (about 15% for an average home’s energy bill) by reducing the amount you use, its temperature, and heat loss from pipes and tanks. Try some of the following, and you’ll save water, energy and money.
Insulating you water heater
Every tank-based water heater should have an add-on insulating blanket. Inexpensive and easy [...]

Most domestic water in the U.S. and developed countries is safe to drink. Large water companies, both public and private, must frequently test the supply. They also must send the results to you each year, so you can learn about what you’re drinking. You’ll see data on mineral content, plus how the water measures up [...]

When the solid tubing that supplies water to a faucet or toilet leaks, you have two choices. You can either try to work with the existing tubing, or far easier, you can start over with flexible tubing.
The trick to replacement is getting the right size fittings for each end of the tubing. The difference between [...]

When a faucet is beyond repair-or simply out of fashion-replace it with another. Unless both the old and new faucets have 8-inch or longer supply tubes, you’ll need a basin wrench to grip and turn fittings up behind the sink.
Clear space below the sink as best you can and turn off the angle stops. Slip [...]

Get inspiration
If you have difficulty in visualising your bathroom, collect photographs of aspects of bathrooms that appeal. It could be a colour scheme, vanity, window treatment or flooring. Tear out pages from magazines and catalogues and put them together. But don’t combine too many styles, warns Phil. Having a ‘bit of this and a bit [...]