You were helped with your problem on the Home Repairs forum.

jannie, Your question/statement was: "He set the temperature for the water at 120 degrees. Is this enough to keep us supplied in hot water for showers, laundry and dishes as well as heat for our 1500 sq foot home?" So is the temp set at 120 to take showers or heat the home or both, because you make it sound like it does both. Perhaps its just me but you state 120 and in the same breath mention water use and heating a home. My question was to help you decide if 120 degrees could heat your home as you say it gets cold. To preanswer, unless you have massive amounts of cast iron radiators, have radiant floor or have anouther heat source, 120 degrees on the boiler for heating isnt enough for heating with a 20 degree differential. 120 is the maximum setting for hot water heaters to prevent scalding but not high enough to prevent bacterial growth in the tank. I'm betting your boiler is set much higher and only your domestic hot water is set to 120, which doesn't give us a clue if your house will be warm in cold NY state. I'm from Central NY myself and don't care to experience another cold grey winter again. ;-)

I have bumpy plaster also. I use fiberglass tape on cracks. There is a new, thinner variety out there that you can get at home depot and I would recommend that. I create a texture with my final coat of drywall compound using a sponge and this funky faux painting tool I picked up years ago (it has tons of little rubber fingers on it) but if texturing primer works for you go for it. I'm guessing that your texture came from a sand paint originally anyway. Use thin layers (at least 3). You'll get better as you go an there will be less sanding as your technique improves. I have never run into chalky plaster so I'm no help there. The bulges you describe could be because the keys in the plaster that attach it to the lath have broken. You might want to research plaster washers or broken plaster keys and see if that is your problem. I don't use oil primer but I do prime my patch once, then prime the whole surface and then paint one or two coats of color. The repair will absorb paint differently than the old painted plaster and the paint layers will help the repair blend in. I'm glad you are taking the time to repair your walls. It will be worth it. And someday if you move to a non rental place that needs repair you will have the learning curve behind you.

Wildchild-I didn't realize Jannie used a flour tortilla.Missed that little detail.LOL Not all enchiladas are made with corn tortillas.One of our favorite Mexican restaurants makes their green beef enchiladas with thin flour tortillas and they are delicious and definitely not a burrito!LOL I make them sometimes with flour tortillas if I can find the smaller thin ones.I also make my fried tacos with flour tortillas.I always make some of each because some of my family prefer the corn and some the flour. Liz-Chimichangas! That is what my 9 year old DGS always gets when we eat at a Mexican food place. We ate at a place last month in OK that they had never eaten at before and he ordered one.I'll swear it was a foot long!LOL When they brought him the plate he looked at his mom and his eyes got real big like "WOW".He ate every bit of it though.LOL