HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Need help removing concrete nails from slab
Date: 29 Dec 92 16:56:50 GMT
Organization: Elegant Communications Inc., Ottawa, Canada

In article <HFXgwB1w161w@cdthq.UUCP> gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston) writes:
|tslee@oracle.uucp (Terry S. Lee) writes:
|
|> I need to get rid of about a dozen hardened concrete nails driven into a
|> concrete slab.  The nails are about 30 years old, and the heads were broken
|> off during a little demo' work.

|Three choices I can think of:

|        Drive it deeper;

|        Grind it off;

|        Cut it with a cold chisel.

This was discussed about a year ago, and I think the concensus was that
driving them in farther or grinding them off was the best solution.  I think
a cold chisel will just deform, unless you're lucky and dislodge the nail.

|If you go the cold-chisel route or grind, wear heavy gloves, eye
|protection, long sleeves, etc.

Eye protection (with full surround) with driving it deeper too.  These nails
can chip when driven.

|> BTW, around each nail is a smail 1/4" deep crater.  Have any you netters had
|> any good experience with the gray resin stuff for filling concrete craters?

|Can't help with this; will these be visible, or does it matter?

I had good results with a material that appeared to simply be a mix-with-
water mortar.
-- 
Chris Lewis; clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca; Phone: Canada 613 832-0541
Psroff 3.0 info: psroff-request@ferret.ocunix.on.ca
Ferret list: ferret-request@ferret.ocunix.on.ca
From: ferrante@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Daniel Ferrante)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: For Sale: 3BR Townhouse Annapolis Area
Date: 23 Dec 92 11:59:15 GMT
Reply-To: ferrante@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Daniel Ferrante)
Distribution: dc
Organization: Carderock Division, NSWC, Bethesda, MD


3BR 1.5 Bath Townhouse in Arnold MD, 511 Greenblades Court
Owner relocating in three weeks, would greatly desire a non contingent
contract ASAP.  The house is beautifully decorated with wood floors,
and a stunning entranceway.  New carpets, extra kitchen cabinets, ceiling
fans in most rooms, finished basement, utility room with lots of storage
space, fenced in yard, and deck overlooking a wooded area.  Must see.

Property is listed with Champion Realty, Agent Andy Kritzman (410) 544-5005.
Asking 96.5K, will negotiate.
From: jeffj@panix.com (Jeff Jonas)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: "balancing" a power panel
Date: 2 Jan 93 13:09:53 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Jeff's House of Electronic Parts

>>I only have 1 main breaker at the top of the box.
>>Do you mean that the unbalanced side will trip all breakers on that side?

The breaker most probably is internally two breakers that are
connected to one handle, so popping one takes off the other.
In some designs, you can see the two handles connected
together with a bar.

>Most of these "Main Breakers" have both side tied together (with a
>little bar going across both breakers) so if one "half" trips, they
>both trip.  I've never seen "half" of a house going out.

I've had half my house go dark, intermittently.
A connector from the pole to the house went bad.
From: DHBHM@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu (Bruce H. McIntosh)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Bizzare house wiring
Date: 30 Dec 92 16:28:12 GMT
Organization: University of Florida, NERDC

Has anyone seen this stuff before?  I have a house built in 1957, to which
I wish to make wiring alterations/additions.  It's wired with 12/2 (no ground
wire) that has what appears to be a full braided metal shield around it, which
is connected to ground!  I've never encountered house wiring like this; neither
had the electrician who inspected the place when I bought it.
 
 
Bruce H. McIntosh    brucem@neufhou.mail.ufl.edu            Jesus has risen!
                     bhm@cis.ufl.edu
                     dhbhm@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu
 UF Housing user support on IBM Aggravation System/400 :-)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OBSOLETE (n.) - dependable, reliable, inexpensive and readily available
Support trailing-edge technology!
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: bb11807@medtronic.COM (Brian A. Blow)
Subject: Re: What causes a washer to squeak real bad?
Organization: Medtronic, Inc.
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 13:39:33 GMT

Darren Lilie (darrenl@natinst.com) wrote:
: We have a Maytag washer that squeaks real bad(I think it is during the rinse
: cycle).  It doesnt squeak 100% of the time but every so often it lets out
: this loud squeak that sounds like real loud crickets.  
: Anyone have any ideas?

: Darren

As others have mentioned, it most likely will be the drive belt.  I tightened
mine about 6mo ago.  When you check it keep in mind:

1.  The tension might 'feel' tight to you, but it probably slips under heavy
    load (especially when starting or stopping spin cycles).

2.  A drum full of wet clothes will put alot more stress on the belt than
    wiggling it by hand.

3.  The belt may be worn smooth.  Sandpaper the underside and check for
    excessive wear/cracks.  Replace if necessary.

4.  The drive motor is usually (at least in my experience) mounted on a
    swivel to adjust tension.  Loosen the nut, have a friend hold tension
    on the belt while you re-tighten the nut.

5.  Never put a new set of red bathtowels in the same load as your jockey
    shorts.


Brian Blow                         brian.blow@medtronic.com
Medtronic, Inc.                    (612) 574-4030
Minneapolis, MN
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: jongsma@esseye.si.com (Ken Jongsma)
Subject: Re: energy saving rebates (was: FREE gas logs!)
Reply-To: jongsma@esseye.si.com
Organization: Smiths Industries
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 14:20:15 GMT

In <2D53VB2w164w@carrera.wvus.org> pete@carrera.wvus.org (Pete Gregory) writes:

>yes, but.... where is the economy for the utility company that gives
>cash rebates for appliances (ie. refrigerators) that use LESS energy
>instead of more energy?  in other words, why would the utility pay
>me to use less energy?  what's in it for them?

The idea is that if you buy a more efficient device than you would
have normally, the utility does not have to provide the generating
capacity that would have been required had you bought the less
efficient device. Since new generating capacity is very expensive,
some of the "savings" is passed back to you, the consumer.

Personally, I think the logic is a bit shakey. I suspect that peak
demand is driven primarily by business/industrial customers, so all
this might help is with base demand.

Since all the modey for these programs comes right from the utility
bill revenue, all they are doing is giving you money you'll be paying
back to them every month.

Many state PUCs are really into this, allowing the utility companies to
even make "profits" on this avoided new capacity. Bus Week or Forbes ran
an article on this a short while ago.

Ken


-- 
Ken Jongsma                                          
Smiths Industries                               jongsma@benzie.si.com
Grand Rapids, Michigan                      73115.1041@compuserve.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: bytebug@dhw68k.cts.com (Roger L. Long)
Subject: Any opinions on "The Big Green Clean Machine?"
Organization: Wolfskill & Dowling residence; Anaheim, CA (USA)
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 06:27:32 GMT

Having sat through the info-mercial this evening, and knowning how much
dirt and grime my 4-year-old brings into the house each day, I'm tempted
to buy one.  Any warnings?  Anything better on the market?

Thanks in advance.
-- 
	Roger L. Long
	bytebug@dhw68k.cts.com
From: brian.ruppert@cutting.hou.tx.us (Brian Ruppert) 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Bread Makers
Date: 23 Dec 92 02:00:00 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: The Cutting Edge - Houston, TX - 713-466-1525
Reply-To: brian.ruppert@cutting.hou.tx.us (Brian Ruppert) 


                     -=.. Tue  12-22-1992 ..=-

<Quote>
. JK.o.I would recommend against buying a bread machine. We own one of the
.   .o.Welbuilt types, and it does an _OK_ job some of the time. I often do
.   .o.what one other poster does and just use it to prepare the dough, and
.   .o.then transfer it to another pan.
....................................................................

     Oh, contrare. . . I have a Hitachi b101 and it makes an
excellent loaf of bread.  I measure out the milk, water, flour,
sugar, salt, butter, and yeast and 4 hours later a perfect loaf of
bread.  It didn't come the first time though.  I found out that I
was using way to much flour, now that I sift the flour before
measuring I get a nice fluffy, light loaf.

          ... .rian ...
---
 . SPEED 1.3f #1032 .  ..compiled, first screen came up, ship it!!!
                                          
----
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| The Cutting Edge BBS (cutting.hou.tx.us)    A PCBoard 14.5a system  |
| Houston, Texas, USA    +1 713 466 1525          running uuPCB       |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
From: bradley@novell.com (Brad Soe)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: x10 interface for Macintosh
Date: 21 Dec 92 23:50:52 GMT
Organization: Novell, Inc.

I saw this item at a junk surplus store and on the package it states that 
it is for a Mac 512K. If anyone knows what I am talking about, it looks
like it is a x10 interface controller that allows a Macintosh to be used to 
control the x10 devices in your house. My question is does anyone know 
if this can be used on a MacPlus or SE? I am interested in picking it
up because it is cheap.

If you can help, let me know.

Thanks
Brad

Brad Soe
bradley@novell.com
From: davek@informix.com (David Kosenko)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: How to buy a house
Date: 17 Dec 92 17:39:40 GMT
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.

Brian Glendenning writes:
>
>We intend to buy our (first) house in 1993. Is there a FAQ on how to
>do this, or has anyone a collection of net.wisdom they can email me,
>or are there books you'd recommend, etc. Thanks!

You MUST go out a pick up a copy of "Homes and Other Black Holes" by
Dave Barry, as it is the only book out that tells the whole truth* about
home purchasing and maintenence.

* The "truth" according to Dave Barry, that is

Dave
-- 
Disclaimer: These opinions are not those of Informix Software, Inc.
**************************************************************************
"I look back with some satisfaction on what an idiot I was when I was 25,
 but when I do that, I'm assuming I'm no longer an idiot." - Andy Rooney
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: john@ice.stx.com (John DiMarzio)
Subject: Whole house humidifiers.
Reply-To: john@ice.stx.com
Organization: Hughes STX, Lanham, MD
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 18:40:20 GMT

I'm looking for a good Humidifier to install on my furnace.  I have looked
at AprilAir and Sears versions so far.  They operate in completely different ways.  One has a spinning drum and the other sprays water into a metal mesh. Anyone have any reccomendations on which type/brand is better and on how
hard to install these things can be.  Thanks in advance for any help.

John DiMarzio
Hughes STX Corp.
john@ice.stx.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Subject: Re: How to go low?
Organization: INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation, Naperville, IL
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 23:02:49 GMT

In article <1992Dec28.192605.1179@tessi.com> allen@tessi.com (Allen Warren) writes:
>pjh@mccc.edu (Pete Holsberg) writes:
>
>>In article <Bzy0wq.6yE@boi.hp.com> bobpassl@boi.hp.com (Bob Passell) writes:
>>=Another request for net.wisdom!
>>=
>>=I have my house on the market, priced $100 dollars below
...
>>=Keeping in mind that her contract is up on 12/31/92
>
>>=Homes in our area sell for just about what we're asking all
>>=the time, in an average of 90-110 days. We've been on the 
>>=market for 95 days and have had lots of activity but no
>>=offers. I have called a sample of the realtors bringing
...
>
>>What *did* they say about why no one made an offer?
>
>>I'd recommend calling a few REs and getting MVAs from them. There's only
>>one reason that a house doesn't sell, and that's price. If no one has
>>made an offer, it may be that the asking price is indeed far out of line.

>Or . . . maybe this time of year is not the best for home sales?  I've
>owned and sold two previous homes, and I sold both of them in the spring.

This may be closer to the truth....

The fact that there has been a lot of activity and you are getting
showings indicates that the price isn't too far out of line - if it
was, the realtors wouldn't waste their time with showings.
-- 
Jonathan E. Quist                              INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation
jeq@i88.isc.com  '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep", DoD #094        Naperville, IL
                Celebrate the winter holiday of your choice by
                  offering your hand to someone who needs it.
From: cc100aa@xray.gatech.edu (Ray Spalding)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Seeking advice to get rid of fleas
Date: 21 Dec 92 17:03:47 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

Many thanks to those who responded.  It was pointed out to me that there
is a FAQ on rec.pets for this problem, and it has been very helpful.

It seems that a combination of methods, applied over a period of time,
is necessary in most cases.  :-(

I'm currently trying frequent vacuuming and spreading Borax; this
appeals to me as it is both low cost and low environmental impact.
I appreciate the other suggestions as well, and will try them if
needed.
-- 
Ray Spalding, Office of Information Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332-0715
Internet: ray.spalding@oit.gatech.edu (NeXT Mail accepted)
From: rrw@sunset.cse.nau.edu (Bob Wier)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Home Automation -- NOT X10
Date: 31 Dec 92 03:26:20 GMT
Originator: rrw@sunset.cse.nau.edu

From article <1992Dec30.110429.202@forsyth.wsnc.org>, by thompson@forsyth.wsnc.org:
> 
> There are a couple of competing technologies out there, both of which share
> the problem with SmartHouse that they are not fully implemented.  CEBus is
> the Consumer Electronics Bus.  Whereas SmartHouse is pushed by the home
> building industry (you have to buy a new home to have SmartHouse), CEBus is
> pushed by the consumer electronics industry (you have to buy all new home
> appliances).  A company called Echelon (sp?) has designed a chipset that 
> promises great functionality at a relatively small price, but it's not a
> consumer product as yet.  There are a variety of companies selling semi-


  Motorola is involved in producing the silicon for the Echelon system
  (known as "LonWorks").  It was one of the more interesting sessions I
  went to at the Motorola University Symposia back last June.  What is
  basically going on is that there will be a microprocessor in every
  controlled device, and they will communicate with each other via the
  power wiring.  Since the functions are controlled both with software
  and hardware, you have virtually unlimited choices of things to do.

  I was already to jump in and start designing until I found out how
  much the development system cost - oops - plus there is (at least for
  me) always the nagging concern about being locked into a proprietary
  technology, although it would ease my mind considerably if it were to
  be second sourced...things may have moved along since June in these
  matters...I havn't been keeping up.


- Bob Wier

  ---------- insert favorite standard disclaimers here ----------
                   College of Engineering
      Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff Arizona
  Internet: rrw@naucse.cse.nau.edu | WB5KXH | fax:602 523 2300
From: wpns@miki.pictel.com (Willie Smith)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: energy saving rebates (was: FREE gas logs!)
Date: 22 Dec 92 00:01:30 GMT
Organization: PictureTel Corporation

In article <1992Dec21.150412.6940@primerd.prime.com> mguyott@eriador.prime.com (M. Guyott) writes:
>In some ways this makes a little sense.  The less gas that is used the lower
>the demand so the lower the rates.  Therefore it makes some sense for me to
>help others to conserve to help keep my rates down.

Actually, it's probably more along the lines of: Conservation means
lower use means lower profits means the gas company asks the PUC for a
rate hike.

Sigh
-- 
Willie Smith     wpns@pictel.com     N1JBJ@amsat.org
"That's the wonderful thing about crayons, they can take
you to more places than a starship."  Guinan - STNG
From: carl@Cayman.COM (Carl Heinzl)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: "balancing" a power panel
Date: 31 Dec 92 17:29:43 GMT
	<1992Dec31.145747.3746@cbfsb.cb.att.com>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Cayman Systems Inc., Cambridge, MA
In-reply-to: dwb@cbnewsb.cb.att.com's message of 31 Dec 92 14:57:47 GMT
bcc: carl


>I can understand the balancing part, in fact I'm going to take a look to
>see if I require some modifications myself, BUT how can you bring half
>your house into darkness?  I only have 1 main breaker at the top of the box.
>Do you mean that the unbalanced side will trip all breakers on that side?

Most of these "Main Breakers" have both side tied together (with a
little bar going across both breakers) so if one "half" trips, they
both trip.  I've never seen "half" of a house going out.

-Carl-
--
From: carl@Cayman.COM (Carl Heinzl)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Whirlpool or SPA and related questions...
Date: 28 Dec 92 19:56:12 GMT
Organization: Cayman Systems Inc., Cambridge, MA
bcc: carl



Well, the time has come to finish the basement (I really mean finish
finishing it).  We have built three rooms already and have room for a
nice sized bathroom.  There is an existing bathroom (very old) that
we're going to basically tear out and rebuild from the ground up.  I
have a plumber and electrician to take care of the necessary work
however there is one (well, maybe more than one) rather interesting
decision(s) that we haven't made yet.

When we rebuild the bathroom we had originally planned to put in a
whirlpool bath.  After talking to people at several stores, I was told
that whirlpools cannot be used as a normal bathtubs (i.e. w/ soap,
shampoo, etc) because this would foul the pumping mechanism.  I have,
however, seen several models that come complete with a shower
attachment (flexible hose with something like a shower massage head on
it).  What good would this do?

So, can you use these as a normal bathtub w/ soap (or just the shower
attachment?) to wash first, THEN fill it (after the shower) and use
the whirlpool.  Am I missing something obvious here?

Of course, the same would go for a SPA.  The problem with SPAs is that
they must be filled/emptied with a hose, there is no drain.  The water
stays in them and is treated chemically.  So there is definitely no
way to use these w/ soap/etc.

The other issue is heating.  I really wanted a whirlpool w/ a heater
so I could sit and soak and keep the water hot (around 100-102).  The
most I have seen is that some models have an in-line water heater
which is only for heating the water during the filling and does not
heat it during the recycling action.  All the SPAs have the type of
heater that I would like.

Are there any whirlpools out there that also heat the water during
recirculation???

Thanks in advance for any info.  If people email me, I'll post a
summary in a week or so.

-Carl-
--
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: allen@tessi.com (Allen Warren)
Subject: Re: vinyl floor question
Organization: Test Systems Strategies, Inc., Beaverton, Oregon
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 17:46:33 GMT

bsweeney@argon.prime.com (Brian Sweeney) writes:

>Is it possible to put a vinyl floor over an already existing
>vinyl floor?   In other words, do you have to rip up the old 
>stuff and put down an underlayment and then the new stuff?

You can put a new vinyl floor over an existing and in fact, this
is done quite a bit, for a couple of reasons.  First of all, it's
pretty easy to put a new floor over an existing.  Secondly, most
of the older (don't know about the new stuff on the market these
days) vinyl flooring has asbestos in it, so ripping it up needs
to be done in a well ventilated area AND you should be wearing a
mask, as you can't see the fine particles as they blast into the
air, and if you've ever taken up old vinyl flooring before 
(which I have, ACCK!), it sure is messy and difficult.

BTW, if you DO take up the old stuff, it's pretty easy to rent
a floor sander and take up the old adhesive, without having to 
lay new underlayment.

allen
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: adam@microware.com (Adam Goldberg)
Subject: Home Automation -- NOT X10
Organization: Microware Systems Corp., Des Moines, Iowa
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 14:11:07 GMT

I've gotten the Home Automation FAQ, and called several companies to
send me their sales info--and was struck by the following:

   No one that I've received info from has any products for sale that
   are NOT X10.

I'm building a new house, and was hoping to put wires in the walls
which would do some home automation.  I am not particularily happy
with the X10 idea.  I want to use physical wires.

Does anyone know of any company which sells home automation stuff
which is not X10?? Anyone?

(Please reply directly to me, I'll post a summary of any responses)
-- 
Adam G.
adamg@microware.com, or ...!uunet!mcrware!adamg
The above is not to be construed in any way as the official or unofficial
statements of Microware, or any Microware employees.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: wouk@alumni.cs.colorado.edu (Arthur Wouk)
Subject: Re: Mechanical Setback Thermostats
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1992 00:02:07 GMT

kludge@grissom.larc.nasa.gov (Scott Dorsey) writes:

>I've been looking for a mechanical setback thermostat for the last few
>days, and not having any luck.  So far I have found a Robertshaw model
>which has to be special-ordered, and doesn't look terribly impressive,
>either.

>I have seen the older Honeywell Chronotherm models, but my local Honeywell
>dealer has never heard of them... he wants to sell me a Chronotherm III
>digital model.

>I don't want any digital equipment; because of the high RF level around
>the place at times I tend to destroy microelectronics that aren't well
>protected.  I just want a nice, simple mechanically timed thermostat.
>Is that too much to ask for.

too bad you weren't around two years ago when we moved to this house.
we threw one of those emchanicals out because it made so damn much
noise in the living room and near the bedroom that my wife couldn't
sleep. you would have been welcome to it.

there is a reason for the digitals: they just work better and are
quiet. we replaced with a non-setback thermostate for the simple
reason that it doesn't take too many brains and too much thought to
move the thermostat up and down according to one's needs. like up in
the morning and down at night. we had trouble finding the classic
honneywell round thermostat at that time.
-- 
arthur wouk 
internet: wouk@alumni.cs.colorado.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house