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I have an older Rheem gas hot water tank that has been operating fine for a dozen or more years. It just started leaking from a hex fitting on the top, NOT on the side. I pulled the levers that allow me to isolate the the hot water heater if need be. I shut it off, brrr, cold shower time...

In my old house (1894), a previous owner had a full bathroom installed in the basement decades ago. Sink, toilet were gone. When I bought the house, my plan was to make the bathroom functional again, Sink drain is capped off, so nothing could get in or out. Toilet drain was open, with just a...

I have a toilet in the basement of my house that goes into a drain in the concrete floor. The toilet is not installed. The drain is over flowing a little bit with the plug in place as the picture shows. I recall it used to not be overflowing even with no plug in place. Is there some type of...

I rescued the workbench top in the photos from an alley in Chicago after seeing it on Craigslist for free. I scrubbed it down with soapy water and hosed it off before the weather got cold. It is now on top of another workbench in my dry basement. There were no legs or supports with it. It is...

Last spring I was having issue with the main furnace (Luxaire) in my house not working reliably. It's older, I think it dates to 1996. Mainly, it wasn't coming on regularly. it might be a gas valve or pressure switch and that problem may be the main issue, or there may be others. From...

Okay, so here's what I'm trying to do. I am adding interior shelving around the perimeter of my 1950's garage. It's unfinished and there is no drywall, but otherwise a lot like the attached picture. It will be used to store light duty stuff; spare tires and heavier items will not be stored on...

I have an older furnace in the basement of my house, dated 1996. This furnace heats the basement and first floor. There is a second, newer furnace that heats the second floor and attic. The older furnace seems to have a problem with not coming on when the outside weather warms up, but is...

I have two furnaces in my old (1895) house. The older furnace,in the basement has been a source of aggravation for a while, but is currently operating like it should. The newer furnace, in the attic, is dated 4/23/2005. It is a horizontal Luxaire, unit model gm8s080a12uh11b. It has suddenly...

I figured I'd post this here and see what the experts say to see if I can conclusively narrow down the problem and fix it myself before calling anybody. New well pump bought from Speedbump and installed by local pros a few years ago, November 2016. New pressure tank also installed then. Been...

I live in a big old Victorian house. Years ago it was made into a two unit. While it is all now one house again, it still has two furnaces. The bigger one in the basement heats the basement and the main level. The smaller one in the attic heats the second level and to some extent the...

I have an older Magic Chef oven, Model 3468XTW. The oven and stove generally work fine, but now the oven has developed an issue where in the Bake setting, the igniter will ignite the gas, and the entire tube will emit flame as it's supposed to, then it will die out to just the igniter flame. I...

In the front inside of my house, I have a front foyer with a ceiling light and switch, and an upstairs landing with a ceiling light and switch. Both lights can be turned on or off with either switch. A couple nights ago I came home to find both lights on though I had turned them off when I...

Years ago my house was converted to. Two unit for rental purposes. Thus, I have two electrical meters and two fuse boxes. One is for the upstairs and attic unit, the other is for the lower level and basement/outdoors. My electrical company, Com Ed, will soon be converting the old meters to...

In my basement I have 8' of clearance from the concrete floor to the bottom of the joists. I am using the basement as a workshop area. I would like to install 4' florescent lights between the joists to give as much clearance as possible. First, is there a rule of thumb as to how many lights...

In my 1895 Victorian house, one room had some thin oak flooring strips that were not level. Pulling them up, I found that the pine boards underneath were cupped at the ends. I also saw that the pine boards had quite a gap between their ends and the edge of the floor. Should I build some...

I live in an old Victorian house with three floors and a basement. My main (and only) TV watching room is on the first floor. I would like to add a TV to one or two bedrooms as well. There is no Antenna on the roof. I currently have cable TV (Direct TV) in the far western Chicago suburbs...

A friend of mine lives in New York City and is having a tough time finding a reputable copper gutter installer to do some smaller repairs, and may also be considering a slate roof. The house is about 80 years old.... Any comments or recommendations? I have no dog in this fight, just trying to...

My house was built in 1895, with a coal-burning furnace in the basement, no fireplaces. It still has much of the original siding, though it is covered in several layers of paint. I have noticed that the walls feel colder on windy days. I have sealed up the gaps between parts of the foundation...

The back porch of my house curves around the north and west corner of my house. This means it gets a lot of wind-driven rain, and also quite a bit of sun in summer, but not the strong sun like on the south side of the house. Result is that I get mildew on the porch railings and floorings...

My 1895 house has one window opening in the attic, and that window was covered up with a plastic grate and screen several years ago. Previous owners of the house can't tell me anything about what kind of window was there originally, and old photos are not of any help. The attic was originally...