HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: GA.MCL@forsythe.stanford.edu (Mark C. Lawrence)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: How to cut back my heat bill?
Date: 20 Nov 1992 17:54:14 -0800
Organization: Stanford University
Distribution: usa
NNTP-Posting-Host: morrow.stanford.edu

In article <92325.085334F0O@psuvm.psu.edu>,
<F0O@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:
>   I live in a trailer which has is only a year old and has double
>insulation in it.  I have a Miller propane heat furnace and my stove
>is also gas.  Last year, I ended up paying over $600 in gas!  This
>seems like *alot* of money to me.

You don't say where you live, so I don't know if $600/yr is a lot...
PSU, is that Penn. State?  Living in sunny California, I can't help there...

>   My question is, will turning my thermostat back to 60 and keeping
>it there save me more money then if I would keep it at 72?  I would think
>it would, but the person from the gas company said it wouldn't...

Yes, it will.  To a first approximation your rate of heat loss is directly
proportional to delta T, and your gas usage directly proportional to your
heat loss.  The lower your thermostat setting, the less you will pay.  Keep
the setting at the lowest level that is reasonably comfortable.  Get a
night setback thermostat, so you can turn it lower when you're asleep but
have it warm when you get out of bed (even in sunny CA, mine paid for itself
in a couple of months).

The *only* case I'm aware of where the above rules of proportionality don't
apply is when you have two different heating means, with different costs.
This commonly occurs with heat pumps, where a backup system (often electric)
kicks in if the thermostat setting is "x" degrees higher than the current
temperature.  In this case turning up the heat by a large amount (either
manually or automatically) can trigger the (expensive) backup system.  There
are setback thermostats designed to deal with this, however.

Mark C. Lawrence
Systems Programmer     Internet: M.Lawrence@Forsythe.Stanford.edu
Stanford Data Center     Bitnet: M.Lawrence@STANFORD
Stanford, CA 94305-4136     Tel: (415) 723-4976
From: haas@einstein.eds.com (Jerry A. Haas)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: basement floor
Keywords: Sealant
Date: 17 Nov 92 14:57:08 GMT
Article-I.D.: pascal.1268
Organization: EDS/TSD - Troy, MI

Just bought a new house, that has an unfinished basement.
It seems to get real dusty in the basement and more then
normal upstairs.    We were thinking of putting some type
of sealant down on the basement floor, both for the dust 
and to also start getting the basement ready for renovation.

Do you think this will help and what is a good sealant to
use for the basement floor?
Please E-mail me your responses.

Thanks for your help.

Jerry.
E-mail address:   haas@csid.gmeds.com

-- 
Jerry A. Haas  			Phone:  (313)-265-7113 (8)-365-
Cube 3336, 750 Tower Drive      Fax:    (313)-265-5777
PO Box 7019                     E-mail: haas@csid.gmeds.com
Troy, MI 48007-7019      
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: jdouglas@MITRE.org (Jason Douglas)
Subject: Re: Humidifier in Furnace question
Organization: The MITRE Corporation
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 21:29:38 GMT

In article <1992Nov13.194857.10009@porthos.cc.bellcore.com> 
patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com (patterson,george r) writes:
> >I am planning to put a humidifier in my furnace soon but am
> >confused - should it go in the hot air plenum or the cold air
> >return?

Since the air in the hot air plenum will be warmer than the cold air 
return's air, the relative humidity will be lower and it should be easier 
for the humidifier to add moisture to the air.  Personally, I would also 
feel better adding the moisture downstream of the heat exchanger since its 
integrity is essential to the safety of your furnace.  (perhaps corrosion 
is not really an issue but without specific information, be on the safe 
side).
From: lsnow@ncrclm.ClemsonSC.NCR.COM (Linda Snow)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Info on renting/buying
Date: 16 Nov 92 22:20:54 GMT
Reply-To: lsnow@ncrclm.ClemsonSC.NCR.COM (Linda Snow)
Organization: NCR E&M CLEMSON Liberty, SC

>don't worry too much about
>the rent money just going into someone else's pocket, for the first
>couple of years of owning a house you are only putting a few dollars
>a month towards equity anyway. 

True. But the interest payments are tax-deductible. Rent isn't.
.
.
.
.
.


Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Subject: Re: Replacing gas range: DIY?
Organization: INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation, Naperville, IL
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 19:26:16 GMT

In article <LOWRY.92Nov23121244@rotor.watson.ibm.com> lowry@watson.ibm.com (Andy Lowry) writes:
>In article <LOWRY.92Nov20112132@rotor.watson.ibm.com> lowry@watson.ibm.com (Andy Lowry) writes:
>{I asked about whether replacing a gas range is a DIY job}.
>
>Thanks for all the responses on this.  Here's a summary, in case
>anybody else is faced with this:

[summary deleted]


The amazing part about this article was that it _was_ a summary!
In fact, a model one at that.  All too often, when folks summarize
on a topic, they just concatenate all the email they've gotten, without
regard to redundant or conflicting points made by different persons.
Andy compiled all the information, and wrote a detailed, complete summary.
We would _all_ do well to follow his example....

(It's kind of nice to have a pet peeve poked in a positive way for a change! :')
-- 
Jonathan E. Quist                              INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation
jeq@i88.isc.com  '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep", DoD #094        Naperville, IL
        There are many things a person should experience in a lifetime.
       Among them are an infant's first cry, and an infant's first laugh.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: deleon@hpl.hp.com (Laura de Leon)
Subject: refinishing hardwood floors
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 19:05:37 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Labs

My husband and I recently bought a house with hardwood floors in need of
refinishing, and we'd like to know what we'll need to do to refinish them.

We know we'll need to sand them down, and then put a layer of wax or
polyurethane or some such thing.  We're also considering taking up the
carpet in the hall and one of the bedrooms-- what does that involve.

What we'd really like is a book that goes into great detail about what 
is involved, and the pros and cons of any different approaches.  Any 
references would be appreciated.

Thanks!

				laura de leon
				deleon@hpl.hp.com

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: cthorne@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Charles E Thorne)
Subject: Re: How to tell a REAL buyer's agent
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 18:52:19 GMT

In article <1egqogINNa0u@sixgun.East.Sun.COM> egreen@east.sun.com writes:
>In article 24857@tessi.com, allen@tessi.com (Allen Warren) writes:
>>egreen@east.sun.com (Ed Green - Pixel Cruncher) writes:
>>
>>>I have never understood the justification for linking a RE agent's fees
>>>to the price of the house.  
>>
>>Still, I can't
>>imagine how the real estate business would be able to set up
>>how much a realtor gets paid other than the present system.  Attaching
>>a basic pay amount of a certain percentage of the sale price seems
>>the only easy, least confusing way.
>
>Oh, please!
>
>Doctors, lawyers, engineers, stock brokers, and professionals in every
>other realm of life manage to do it.
>
>Flat fee, fee + expenses, fee + hourly if over n hours, flat fee with
>incentive bonuses, there are about a million possibilities.
>
>The only other professionals I know of that charge that way are
>architects, for whom there is a direct correlation between the cost of
>construction of a building and the amount of design and contract
>administration work involved.

I'm not sure I understand what these extreme objection is to realtor fees.
It's not as if they had a monopoly on the market.  If you don't want to
do business with them there's no reason you need to.  Although working as
an agent does require licensing it's one of the least restrictive of all
licensed occupations (even barbers are morely highly regulated).

There are just a real magnitude of posts about how to make use of realtor's
services (such as MLS listings) without paying for them.  In this set of
BoY, Ir:                            postings there's the usual complaint that realtors charge too much.

You're comparing them with doctors and lawyers (who have a much more extensive
monopoly).  It's true they don't charge as a percentage of benefit but neither
are particularly badly paid (and of course they bill you whether they improve
your situation or not).
Charlie







Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,sci.physics
From: macrakis@osf.org (Stavros Macrakis)
Subject: Re: How to cut back my heat bill?
Organization: OSF Research Institute
Date: 20 Nov 92 11:38:46

In article <92325.085334F0O@psuvm.psu.edu> <F0O@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:

      My question is, will turning my thermostat back to 60 and keeping
   it there save me more money then if I would keep it at 72?  I would think
   it would, but the person from the gas company said it wouldn't.

The gas company person is incompetent.  Of course keeping the
thermostat lower will cost you less.  Heat loss is proportional to the
difference in temperature.  Moreover, turning it down when you're out
of the house and turning it up when you're in will also reduce your
bills.  There is the mistaken idea that "heating the house back up"
costs more than keeping it warm constantly.  This is false.  Get a
timer thermostat and set it up so the house is warm when you get back
(experiment).  Also, turn down the setting at night -- most people
sleep better at lower temperatures.

I'd suggest 68 F when you're in the house, 63 F overnight, and maybe
55 F when you're out of the house.  Most Americans would find a
constant 60 F uncomfortably cold.  Do be careful though that you don't
let pipes freeze.

	-s



Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: hank@well.sf.ca.us (Hank Roberts)
Subject: Re: Home Automation
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1992 00:51:30 GMT


There's a company outside of Atlanta, Georgia (USA) called Home
Automation Laboratory that seems to have quite a selection of
computer software and hardware along with X-10 devices.  They have
a BBS system intermittently (try nights) at 1,4043196227

Tell'em I sent ya, and ask if they ever got a Net connection locally.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: mgc@unislc.uucp (Marc Christensen)
Subject: Re: Power paint rollers
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Organization: Unisys Corporation SLC
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 17:24:12 GMT

DONALD L. HARDY (dh0a@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu) wrote:
: After Christmas I will be repainting my entire house (inside).  Anybody have
:any input on those power paint rollers, with the hollow handles that just keep
: on feeding?  I don't feel  up to spraying, and don't want to bend and stand,
: bend and stand.
: 
: Any thoughts?
: 
I have a Wagner "Paint stick"? it had a hollow handle about 2.5" in diam. it
has a push button valve up by the roller that you push in and when you pull
the plunger in the handle out it draws about 1 quart of paint into the handle.
when you push the plunger back in it will send the paint to the roller. if you
press the valve in it will eject the paint out the intake port back into the
paint can. You could run some flexible tubing from the paint port on the roller
to a backpack setup of a 5 gallon bucket of paint. I only needed to fill up 
about 6 to 8 times to paint a room so i didn't figure it was worth it to rig
such a setup. It was much cleaner to paint because I didn't get drips between
the paint tray and wall all the time. 
I got mine at home club for about $20.00. I would not spent the extra money on
a power unit and that is from someone that buys lots of gadgets of questionable
usefulness.

Marc Christensen
  
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: lowry@watson.ibm.com (Andy Lowry)
Subject: Re: Replacing gas range: DIY?
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 21:36:59 GMT
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
	<LOWRY.92Nov23121244@rotor.watson.ibm.com>
Organization: IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

In article <LOWRY.92Nov23121244@rotor.watson.ibm.com> lowry@watson.ibm.com (Andy Lowry) writes:
 [summary of gas range replacement]

One other warning I forgot to mention:

 - Local codes and regulations may require that this sort of work be
   performed by licensed professionals (may not include plumbers).  So
   by law it may not be a DIY project.
--
Andy Lowry, lowry@watson.ibm.com, (914) 784-7925
IBM Research, P.O. Box 704, Yorktown Heights, NY  10598
From: thompson@forsyth.wsnc.org
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Home Automation
Date: 18 Nov 92 09:47:56 EST
Distribution: world
Organization: Forsyth County, Winston-Salem  NC

In article <722050942snx@uumike.UUCP>, mikey@uumike.UUCP (Mike Couture) writes:
> I'd like to know if there are any cateloges out there for home
> automation especially how to attach a PC to control this stuff....
> 
> Mike Couture
> mikey@nlbbs.uucp
-- 
Call Home Automation Labs (1-800-HOMELAB) and request their catalog.  They
have the best catalog, but their prices are usually not as good as those
from Home Control Concepts (they have an 800 number but I don't have it
at hand).  I have no connection with either of these companies, etc.

____________________________________________________________________________
Robert Bruce Thompson                thompson@ledger.forsyth.wsnc.org
Forsyth County MIS Department        (919) 727-2597 x3012
Winston-Salem, North Carolina USA    (919) 727-2020 (FAX)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: ehill@rose.hp.com (Eric Hill)
Subject: Re: Neighborhood from hell
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 18:38:47 GMT
Organization: HP - Systems Technology Division
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1.8 PL6]

Being the president of a homeowners association and living next to a neighbor
who live in a barn and has junk cars all over the place, maybe I can present
the other side of the story.

The purpose of CC&R's is to protect the property values of those who buy in
an area.  You sign a statement at close of escrow stating you received a copy
of these and also they are mentioned in the title search.  No one should
claim they were unaware of these prior to moving in.

Most CC&R's are not so restrictive that they prevent reasonable use of one's
property.  There are some out there that are so restrictive that I would not
consider living under their restrictions.

It is true that there are different levels of enforcement that take place.
It is bases upon the volunteers that sit on the board and also whether or not
they have the ability to collect dues.  Those with money have far more power.  
(Try to hire a lawyer without money.

Eric Hill

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com (patterson,george r)
Subject: Re: New House Appliances
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 92 17:45:17 GMT

In article <1992Nov20.140242.3965@mcl.saic.com> pcohen@mcl.saic.com writes:
>Greetings !
>
>First of all I would like to thank all those who responded to my new house walk
>through question.  My walk through went very well.  Now I have another
>question.  I need to buy a new vacuum cleaner.  I would like to purchase an
>upright model.  Is the Eureka Powerline Plus a good one ?  In addition, I need
>to purchase a washer and dryer.  I like the Maytags but they are WAY expensive
>!  Can you make any recommendations ?  Im sure there are horror stories to be
>told with every brand but I could use some guidance.  Thanks !

I have a Eureka. It's worth what I paid (which isn't much). I'm not
familiar with model names; mine is an upright. It works very well on
carpet and is useless on anything else.

I have owned two GE washers and currently still have one. I bought one
used and the other came with the house. You can't kill them. Should I
ever need a new one, it'll be another GE.

I have gotten good value from Westinghouse dryers and wouldn't hesitate
to buy another.

My parents had several Maytag appliances, by the way. Although they do
last quite some time, the Maytag repairman was able to pay his rent. I
think they're a little overrated myself.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | The reason that cliches become cliches is that
George Patterson -  | they are the hammers and screwdrivers in the
                    | toolbox of communication.
                    |                        Terry Pratchett
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: rusty@nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov (Kenneth Hall)
Subject: Re: FHA questions
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 19:41:00 GMT

In article <1992Nov18.174020.13545@oakhill.sps.mot.com>, millerm@oakhill.sps.mot.com writes...
>(I think my previous post didn't make it...)
> 
>Question on FHA rules:
> 
>Is there a rule prohibiting the seller from paying the origination fee?
> 
>--Mike

Ok... first disclaimer:
     I am a licensed agent in the state of Maryland and not a mortgage 
banker.

On with the rest:

     From my recollection in dealing with FHA loans there is no rule 
against trying to get the seller to pay the loan origination fee for 
your loan.  But, you are now dealing with a double edged sword.  The 
FHA has a list of what is consider "customary" per the area the home 
is in.  What I mean by this is that they will expect to see certain 
things in a contract that the seller will pay (for my area: asking the 
seller to split the taxes, pick up some of the discount points, and 
maybe pay for some of the test that will be needed).  Anything that is 
outside of what is customary will effect the down payment you have to 
make.  If your seller agrees to pay the loan origination fee, what you 
will see is that proportional amount is added into the down you will 
need at settlement.

     One other affect that this will cause is the FHA underwriter will 
see this as a flag and look at the loan application and contract a lot 
harder for any other flags.  If they find anything that is in question 
the more than likely will refuse to underwrite the loan and you won't 
get the loan.

     I know that this is pretty long winded but basicly what I would 
recommend to do is pay the origination fee and ask the seller to pay a 
couple of points and go for the best rate possible where the two 
agreed figures meet.  Best of luck in your endevors.

Rusty 
From: jefftb@hpmwtd.sr.hp.com (Jeff Brown)
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 22:39:14 GMT
Subject: Re: Water saving toilets
Organization: HP Santa Rosa Site (SRSD MWTD)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house

 I have three Kolher wellworth lites. They work fine at only 1.6 gal/flush.
 Some big "wads" that came from daipers got clogged, but nothing a plunger
 wouldn't fix. If you hold down the handle a little longer it gives a double
 flush. I think consumer reports rated them pretty high.

 Just my $0.02
 Jeff Brown
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: monica@searchtech.com (Monica Skidmore)
Subject: Re: need advice on cooking range purchase
Organization: Search Technology, Inc.
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 17:56:40 GMT

In article <40527@unix.SRI.COM> cole@unix.SRI.COM (Susan Cole) writes:
>I'll ask my questions first, then explain them.  I'm in the market for
>a new gas range and I'd like to get people's comments on ...
>
>1) Is "Modern Maid" a good brand?
>
>2) Are there any hidden problems related to installing, using, or maintaining
>a range that uses downdraft ventilation?
>
> [...]
>
>
>The downdraft style actual seems desirable from the standpoint of leaving me
>the wall space above the stove to use, but I wonder if it presents problems
>-- like needing unusual clearance, or being noisy, or less effective, or
>breaking down more often.
>
> [...]

I'd like to hear answers to these questions too.  I'm building a house, and
the plans call for a downdraft cooktop/oven combo.  

How does a downdraft compare to a normal range hood?  
Jenn Air, GE, and Kitchen Aid are the brands I'm most curious about.  
Which has the most effective vent?

Finally, what are some pros and cons on a separate wall oven vs. a cooktop/oven
combo?

Thanks for any information!
-- 
Monica D. Skidmore                            monica@searchtech.com
Search Technology, Inc.                       emory!stiatl!srchtec!monica
                                              monica@srchtec.uucp

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: moroney@ramblr.enet.dec.com
Subject: Re: Motion Detector Lighting Outside
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1992 05:25:16 GMT

In article <1992Nov23.211114.4962@vlsi.ll.mit.edu>, ac@vlsi.ll.mit.edu (Andrew V. Curtis) writes...
>	Is it true that motion detector lighting decreases its
>ability to sense movement the colder the temperature is?

Actually just the opposite.  At least for the infrared type (the most common
type).  The colder it is, the bigger the difference between a 98.6 F human and
the ambient, so the bigger the temperature difference it sees when a person
moves around in its range.

-Mike
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: manes@magpie.nycenet.edu (Steve Manes)
Subject: Re: Getting Ready to Sell House: How to Ma
Organization: Manes and Associates, NYC
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 18:10:24 GMT
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]

Ed Green - Pixel Cruncher (egreen@east.sun.com) wrote:
: In article 5786@mccc.edu, pjh@mccc.edu (Pete Holsberg) writes:
: Why do you automatically assume the poster even plans to use an
: agent?!?
: 
: The only time selling a house through a RE agent makes sense is if the
: house has some particularly undesirable "features," or time is
: critical, such as a job change out of state.
: 
: For a well maintained house in a desirable location, there is seldom
: any compelling reason to list the house through an agent.

For well-maintained house in a desirable location, and a seller who
has years to make the sale.  I just bought a house in Redding,
Connecticut after several years of on and off looking (with and
without an agent).  In the process, I saw a lot of owner-represented
properties, some very desirable.  The problem in all cases was that
the owners had a difficult time discussing their homes with the
degree of detachment I required to get an honest impression of the
home's condition.  Maybe it was just my reluctance to insult the
owner but, as a buyer, I feel like I can more aggressively inspect
the property and demand candid answers from a broker than with an
owner.

In one owner-represented case, I saw a nice house with a new
addition that, although well-executed, looked suspiciously
home-made (no access to crawl space, no soffet vents, no ridge
vent).  The owner was less than informative in his response to my
questions about who did the work, which left my only recourse being
a time-consuming search of building permits and inspections at city
hall to make sure that I was looking at something insurable.  The
house was attractive but not >that< attractive so I blew it off.  If
the house had been agent-represented, the agent would have been
happy to fetch that documentation for me so I could have satisfied
myself that the structure was sound.  Who knows?... I might have
stayed interested.  That's a case where an agent would have helped
both the buyer and the seller.
-- 
Stephen Manes					   manes@magpie.nycenet.edu
Manes and Associates/Commontech-NoHo		   New York, NY, USA  =o&>o

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house