The water heater is an amazingly reliable appliance and one you rely upon every day. It really has very few parts that can go wrong and most are easy to repair. Of course knowing the various water heater's components and their names are essential so reviewing the Anatomy of a Water Heater is a good starting point.

In the article How to Repair a Water Heater I'll provide you information on tank type and tankless water heaters, and I'll show you how to troubleshoot and repair your water heater. From replacing a water heater thermocouple to understanding the anatomy of a water heater to sizing a tankless water heater, it's all covered.

And in the tutorial Replacing a Water Heater Thermocouple or Flame Sensor I'll provide illustrated step-by-step instructions on how to remove and replace your water heater's thermocouple so you can keep yourself in hot water!

The ban on the 100 watt incandescent bulb is now in effect.

As of January 1, 2012 the law says you cannot manufacture or import into the United States any General Service Incandescent Lamp that is above 72 watts having a light output of 1490 - 2600 lumens and a minimum service life of 1,000 hours.

That means the $0.50, 100 watt, standard incandescent light bulb is now banned.

What has emerged to take its place is a $5.00, 72 watt, halogen bulb stuck inside a standard incandescent light bulb shape. I guess it's that shape so you don't notice that less light output now costs you 10 times more.

 Of course there is also the mercury containing 23 watt CFL bulb but that still costs about $4.00 to $5.00 too.

In the tutorial Incandescent Lighting Ban I'll explain a bit about the realities that are starting to set in about the standard incandescent light bulb ban and the frantic media hype trying to convince you it's not happening.

The winter snow storms are starting up a little late this year but soon icicles will be everywhere. Although icicles may look attractive hanging from eaves of homes they signal a more ominous condition known as an ice dam.

Ice dams are caused by poor roof ventilation and a warm attic space, and form when melting snow on a roof runs off and refreezes at the edge of a roof. Left untreated, ice dams can cause serious damage to your home.

Heavy snowfalls bring on ice dams quickly because of the snow's insulating properties. The reason why snow is an insulator is explained along with how to prevent and repair ice dams (including the use of roof rakes) in the tutorial Ice Dams: How to Prevent & Remove Them.

Having a hole in your drywall is never fun, although it may have been caused by having too much of a good time. Most drywall holes are small and easily repaired, but large holes can happen as a result of accidents, gaining access to wiring or plumbing or because of home renovations. And larger holes require a special technique for repair.

Fortunately there are a few tricks I can show you in How to Repair a Large Hole in Drywall.

For smaller holes caused by doorknobs, kids, toys and other elements of home life there is the tutorial Repairing a Small Hole in Drywall

Don't have holes but just dents, popped nails or drywall tape? Then Tips for Repairing Drywall is the tutorial you need.

And after the repair, you'll have to paint the wall so take a read through Repairing Textured Walls and How to Paint a Room.