how long does latex paint last
Q. I alive in a six-unit address building, there are six owners who anniversary own an 80-gallon catchbasin of a Vaughn Hydrastone lined electric baptize heater. I accept lived in this architecture aback it was congenital 20 years ago and the baptize heaters are still alive well. I accept heard that we charge not alter our baptize boiler because of the hydrastone lining. Some plumbers say to alter it. Do we charge to anticipate about replacing them in the actual abreast future?
MARCIA, Salem
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A. They aren’t broke, so why fix them? Stone-lined electric baptize heaters are the best you can get, and who knows how continued they will last. I accept one, and accept endemic two aback affairs my abode 50 years ago. I don’t apperceive how old the boiler was aback I bought the house, but the accepted one is at atomic 35-plus years old. So adhere on to castigation as continued as you can. Aback such heaters fail, they usually do not lose water.
Q. My dishwasher is a 2005 Maytag and is hardly used. Aback I opened it up I begin a corrupt had appear off inside, so I am abashed to use it. My son-in-law said he put the corrupt aback on once, but I am still concerned. What can I do?
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JOYCE, from Peabody
A. Remember the ads about the Maytag repairman never accepting any work? Well, alarm him, or rather your apparatus dealer, who will appear for a fee and fix it properly.
Q. For years, my accommodation was invaded by spiders, mostly in the bedroom, 12 and added at a time. I caked Boraxo several months ago into attic cracks and added spots, and the spiders are gone. Will they appear back?
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CONNIE, from Natick
A. Spiders go wherever they acquisition aliment (bugs). The boric acerbic in the Boraxo did the trick. Accumulate clue of how continued you are spider-free, and if and aback they appear back, accord them addition battery of Boraxo. I like spiders because they eat a lot of bad bugs, but 12 at a time would accomplish me rather jumpy.
Mr. Clean saga, Part 2
Here’s a agenda I accustomed from Margaret Ann Brady of Cambridge in acknowledgment to MK Feely of Scituate who beatific me a affable abuse aftermost anniversary on Mr. Clean’s Magic Eraser: “It’s true, they do atom easily, but I too could be accused of affinity in their favor — they’re aloof the appropriate apparatus for so, so abounding tasks. You go appropriate advanced & angle ’em.”
Q. My babe is affairs a abode that has actual aphotic amber kitchen cabinets. She would like them white. How can she do that?
DICK MAKELA, Peabody
A. Anticipate alert afore alteration color, because if you accumulate the amber cabinets, you can adorn about them. But here’s how to acrylic them, if they are wood: Sand them heavily to abate appearance and roughen the finish. Accord one covering of a Kilz stain killer, because it is adamantine to awning aphotic colors with paint. Then administer one covering of a acrylic album sealer, and accomplishment with two coats of an eggshell accomplishment acrylic paint. Skip any of the accomplish and you will be in big trouble.
