diff --git a/synapse/api/errors.py b/synapse/api/errors.py
index 33d15072af..581439ceb3 100644
--- a/synapse/api/errors.py
+++ b/synapse/api/errors.py
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
 
 import logging
 
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
 
 class Codes(object):
     UNAUTHORIZED = "M_UNAUTHORIZED"
@@ -38,7 +40,7 @@ class CodeMessageException(Exception):
     """An exception with integer code and message string attributes."""
 
     def __init__(self, code, msg):
-        logging.error("%s: %s, %s", type(self).__name__, code, msg)
+        logger.info("%s: %s, %s", type(self).__name__, code, msg)
         super(CodeMessageException, self).__init__("%d: %s" % (code, msg))
         self.code = code
         self.msg = msg
@@ -140,7 +142,8 @@ def cs_exception(exception):
     if isinstance(exception, CodeMessageException):
         return exception.error_dict()
     else:
-        logging.error("Unknown exception type: %s", type(exception))
+        logger.error("Unknown exception type: %s", type(exception))
+        return {}
 
 
 def cs_error(msg, code=Codes.UNKNOWN, **kwargs):
diff --git a/synapse/api/events/__init__.py b/synapse/api/events/__init__.py
index a01c4a1351..8a35b4cb7d 100644
--- a/synapse/api/events/__init__.py
+++ b/synapse/api/events/__init__.py
@@ -83,6 +83,8 @@ class SynapseEvent(JsonEncodedObject):
         "content",
     ]
 
+    outlier = False
+
     def __init__(self, raises=True, **kwargs):
         super(SynapseEvent, self).__init__(**kwargs)
         # if "content" in kwargs:
diff --git a/synapse/app/homeserver.py b/synapse/app/homeserver.py
index 85284a4919..fddb24b520 100755
--- a/synapse/app/homeserver.py
+++ b/synapse/app/homeserver.py
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ class SynapseHomeServer(HomeServer):
         # extra resources to existing nodes. See self._resource_id for the key.
         resource_mappings = {}
         for (full_path, resource) in desired_tree:
-            logging.info("Attaching %s to path %s", resource, full_path)
+            logger.info("Attaching %s to path %s", resource, full_path)
             last_resource = self.root_resource
             for path_seg in full_path.split('/')[1:-1]:
                 if not path_seg in last_resource.listNames():
@@ -221,12 +221,12 @@ def setup():
 
     db_name = hs.get_db_name()
 
-    logging.info("Preparing database: %s...", db_name)
+    logger.info("Preparing database: %s...", db_name)
 
     with sqlite3.connect(db_name) as db_conn:
         prepare_database(db_conn)
 
-    logging.info("Database prepared in %s.", db_name)
+    logger.info("Database prepared in %s.", db_name)
 
     hs.get_db_pool()
 
diff --git a/synapse/crypto/event_signing.py b/synapse/crypto/event_signing.py
index 4dff2c0ec2..a9d8953239 100644
--- a/synapse/crypto/event_signing.py
+++ b/synapse/crypto/event_signing.py
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 def check_event_content_hash(event, hash_algorithm=hashlib.sha256):
     """Check whether the hash for this PDU matches the contents"""
     computed_hash = _compute_content_hash(event, hash_algorithm)
-    logging.debug("Expecting hash: %s", encode_base64(computed_hash.digest()))
+    logger.debug("Expecting hash: %s", encode_base64(computed_hash.digest()))
     if computed_hash.name not in event.hashes:
         raise SynapseError(
             400,
diff --git a/synapse/http/server.py b/synapse/http/server.py
index ed1f1170cb..03f7768761 100644
--- a/synapse/http/server.py
+++ b/synapse/http/server.py
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ class JsonResource(HttpServer, resource.Resource):
             )
         except CodeMessageException as e:
             if isinstance(e, SynapseError):
-                logger.error("%s SynapseError: %s - %s", request, e.code,
+                logger.info("%s SynapseError: %s - %s", request, e.code,
                              e.msg)
             else:
                 logger.exception(e)
diff --git a/synapse/storage/__init__.py b/synapse/storage/__init__.py
index 330d3b793f..1231794de0 100644
--- a/synapse/storage/__init__.py
+++ b/synapse/storage/__init__.py
@@ -508,7 +508,7 @@ def prepare_database(db_conn):
                 "new for the server to understand"
             )
         elif user_version < SCHEMA_VERSION:
-            logging.info(
+            logger.info(
                 "Upgrading database from version %d",
                 user_version
             )
diff --git a/synapse/storage/_base.py b/synapse/storage/_base.py
index 2c04a1c5be..236cfebf64 100644
--- a/synapse/storage/_base.py
+++ b/synapse/storage/_base.py
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ class LoggingTransaction(object):
             if args and args[0]:
                 values = args[0]
                 sql_logger.debug(
-                    "[SQL values] {%s} " + ", ".join(("<%s>",) * len(values)),
+                    "[SQL values] {%s} " + ", ".join(("<%r>",) * len(values)),
                     self.name,
                     *values
                 )
diff --git a/synapse/util/logcontext.py b/synapse/util/logcontext.py
index 2f430a0f19..23b3decb45 100644
--- a/synapse/util/logcontext.py
+++ b/synapse/util/logcontext.py
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import threading
 import logging
 
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
 
 class LoggingContext(object):
     """Additional context for log formatting. Contexts are scoped within a
@@ -53,7 +55,7 @@ class LoggingContext(object):
             None to avoid suppressing any exeptions that were thrown.
         """
         if self.thread_local.current_context is not self:
-            logging.error(
+            logger.error(
                 "Current logging context %s is not the expected context %s",
                 self.thread_local.current_context,
                 self