HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house

I think I paid about $40 for my Robertshaw a few years back.  This is
a 7-day model, with two setback periods.  I don't remember all the
features, but one nice this is the fact that I can get different
setback temperatures for different days of the week.  F'instance,
I'll use an extreme setback on the weekdays when nobody's home, but
for the weekend, I'll alter the timing and keep it a touch warmer.

My model supports A/C, though I didn't need it.  (I think I got this
one because it had the rest of the features I wanted.)  This is
the third R-shaw thermostat that I've used (previous house had two
of them).  I'm pretty happy with the unit.

Pete Brooks
From: handgl@ucbeh.san.uc.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Rock Lathe: What is it?
Date: 15 Sep 92 07:05:56 EST
Distribution: world
Organization: Univ. of Cincinnati

In article <1992Sep15.014957.15737@wyvern.twuug.com>, mallen@wyvern.twuug.com (Marc Allen) writes:
> A friend of mine is having a house built, and the contractor is going to use
> something called "Rock Lathe" instead of wall board.  Is taht simply a
> brand, or what?  We've never heard of it.
> 
> Has anyone on the net?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Marc

I didn't know they still made rock lath. I've owned two houses in which
it was used. Both were constructed c.1935. A friend of mine, a building
inspector, told me that rock lath was an evolutionary step between wood
lath (a framework of thin boards to be covered with plaster) and drywall
(in which only the seams are plastered).

The rock lath in my houses has been a thick (1") 2 foot by 4 foot
miniature version of drywall. Nailed onto the wall framing, it was
completely covered by a 1/2" skim of plaster. It makes good strong
walls, but they tend to get hairline cracks along the seams.

I'm not sure if modern rock lath works the same way. As I said, I
thought it was a thing of the past.

Greg Hand
greg.hand@uc.edu

>
Organization: Central Michigan University
Date: Thursday, 10 Sep 1992 15:54:08 EDT
From: Karl A. Johnson <3MECZLX@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU>
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Builder's Square ?
Distribution: usa

Builder's Square is a V E R Y  L  A  R  G  E  store that has everything
you might need when building or remodeling your house.

One word of warning: If you shop there PRICE CHECK  F I R S T !!!

I have found that at the 2 stores that I have been in, the prices are
higher on SOMETHINGS.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: vln@icpsr.umich.edu (Victoria Neff)
Subject: repair of drywall in bathroom
Organization: Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 16:02:00 GMT

I've looked through the FAQs and I didn't see this question addressed.  If
it was, I apologize for repeating it....

Our tub is surrounded by tile (mud) up to about 5 1/2 feet.  Above this 
there is just drywall.  The shower causes splashing above this (especially
when someone who is 6'4" uses it!).  The paint is coming off the wall
in sheets, and the drywall underneath is disintegrating.

I need to do something FAST, but what?  Can I seal the drywall with some
penetrating sort of something that will render it more impervious?  I
used oil paint when I painted it, but this started coming off after only
one year.

What should I do?  Please advise.

Thanks in advance!

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: kilroy@gboro.glassboro.edu (Dr Nancy's Sweetie)
Subject: Red & Blue Lint Problem
Summary: It's all over the place.
Keywords: lint, red, blue, counterfeiters, `Woof!'
Organization: Rowan College of New Jersey (was Glassboro State College)
Disclaimer: This article was written by my dog Brandy, whose house has no
            problems with lint.
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 18:07:21 GMT


My wife & I rent a recently-renovated house, which was well finished both
inside and out.  (The landlord is a licensed electrician, and his father owns
a hardware store.)

We have, however, one weird problem: red & blue lint.  If you put a piece of
white paper on a table, in about 20 minutes it will have visible bits of red
and blue lint on it.  The stuff is everywhere.

It's not from the carpets, which are brown, and it's not bits of the furnace
filter coming apart (since there's no red in the filter).  There's no
printing press in the cellar, so it's not lint from fake money paper.

It might be dryer lint, I suppose, but there's no brown lint or green lint
to go with the red & blue, even though we have brown and green clothes too.

I suppose it could be attic insulation, but it's not clear how it comes down
from the attic.  

Has anyone encountered anything like this before, and if so what did you do?
Did it work?


Darren F Provine / kilroy@gboro.glassboro.edu
"I use not only all the brains I have, but all those I can borrow as well."
                                                          -- Woodrow Wilson
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: toml@wal.hp.com (Tom Luteran)
Subject: please post Habitat for Humanity address/number..
Organization: Hewlett-Packard
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 15:00:57 GMT


  Would someone please post the Habitat for Humanity address and
  phone number?  Thanks!

  (Habitat for Humanity helps low income families to build inexpensive
   housing, using mainly volunteers and donated materials.)

  Tom
--

+----------------------------------------------------+
| Thomas Luteran           | INTERNET address:       |
| Hewlett-Packard Company  | toml@wal.hp.com         |
| Medical Products Group   | HP TELNET: 1-290-3021   |
| 175 Wyman Street         | VOICE: (617) 290-3021   |
| Waltham, MA. 02254-9030  | FAX: (617) 890-5451     |
+----------------------------------------------------+

+ Opinions presented above are my own & not necessarily those of my employer +

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: prange@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Henry Prange)
Subject: Re: Underground electrical wiring
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 19:34:37 GMT

I have never had a problem with putting electric, plumbing and phone lines
in the same trench. I use wire specified for direct burial and don't put
it in conduit unless it is near the surface or likely to be disturbed. Your
electrician should be able to tell you what the local codes require.
From: meltsner@crd.ge.com (Kenneth J Meltsner)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Built in bookcase kits?
Keywords: Where can I find some?
Date: 15 Sep 92 19:25:28 GMT
Reply-To: meltsner@crd.ge.com
Distribution: usa
Organization: GE Research and Development Center



In article <Sep.15.06.55.17.1992.21778@aramis.rutgers.edu>,
lfischer@aramis.rutgers.edu (Lfischer) writes:
|>Homey depot now sells particle board covered with laminate for about
|>$20 a 4x8 sheet.  They have plans for just about anything.  Dont go
|>the plywood route if you have them in your neighborhood.

Particle board covered with laminate might look great, but I've had
bad experiences with the long-term creep of particle board.  After six
months or so, heavily loaded shelves will bow.  Design solutions
include supporting the rear shelf edge, or using a sturdy face frame,
but you'd better take long term creep into account -- books are real
heavy.  (Says someone who just got a quote of ~$400 to move 3000
paperbacks and 1000 hardcovers from an apartment to a house.)

===============================================================================
Ken Meltsner                        | meltsner@crd.ge.com (518) 387-6391
GE Research and Development Center  | Fax:  (518) 387-7495
P.O. Box 8, Room K1/MB207	    | Nothing I say should be attributed
Schenectady, NY 12301               | to my employer, and probably vice-versa
================ Materials and Manufacturing, World O' Stuff ==================
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Home security tips from a burglar
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 21:41:29 GMT

In article <BLK.92Sep11115613@vanity.mitre.org> blk@mitre.org (Brian L. Kahn) writes:

>All the motion detector things I've seen allow you to toggle them ON
>by flicking the light switch, and toggle back to AUTO by flicking the
>light switch again.  I think there is no need for your 3way switch.

Thanks. That's a big help!

Thanks also to the other people who have replied (Dave, email couldn't
find you).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | You can't find the answers in the bottom of a
George Patterson -  | whiskey glass, but if you look hard enough, you'll
                    | forget the questions.
                    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: GA.MCL@forsythe.stanford.edu (Mark C. Lawrence)
Subject: Re: Security Alarms
Organization: Stanford University, California, USA
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 00:23:50 GMT

In article <1992Sep8.201744.8374@primerd.prime.com>,
mguyott@eriador.prime.com (M. Guyott) writes:
>I just called my local phone company (NYNEX) and they had no idea what a
>"leased" telephone line was.  I talked with people in both the residential
>and business offices.  Anyone have any idea if these types of lines are
>offered in New England?  If so, what are they called?

Well, what you want in this case is usually just called a "burglar
alarm circuit".  The department that takes residential phone orders
won't have a clue about this.  Ask the phone rep. for the office that
handles "special service lines".  Or ask your alarm company; they
must have a bunch of these, and know how to order them.

"Leased lines" in general are telephone circuits that go from one
point to another without connecting to the telephone exchange.  Uses
for these include burglar/fire alarms, broadcast circuits (such as
studio-to-transmitter), telemetry (such as transmitter to studio),
background music, PBX extensions, and data communication.  You can
try mentioning all of these to your phone droid to see if any of them
"ring a bell" so to speak.

Many of these services have been deregulated in recent years, with
the result that prices may be unreaonably high.  The cost of renting
a pair of wires from your house to the central office may be much
higher if you just want the pair than if you want a piece of their
telephone switch connected to it.  However, I do recommend that you
obtain such a circuit if you want a reliable alarm service.  The
alarm company will know immediately if the circuit is cut.

An earlier poster was asking about whether the phone company would
immediately notice if your line was cut:
>From: sparkle@access.digex.com (Pat)
>Would all or any of these machinations be necessary with all systems?
>I was told by the Rollins people that, if my telephone line were cut,
>the central office in Atlanta would take immediate steps to notify
>the local police.

This would be true for a leased line, because your alarm system puts
a constant current through the line, and reverses polarity to signal
an alarm.  If the line is cut, the current goes to zero.

For a dial phone line, the phone company will never know if the line
is cut.  If they went to measure capacitance, they would notice that
you didn't have any ringers connected, but this would hardly make
them call the cops.  I'm assuming that this poster was referring to a
dedicated line to the alarm company.

Mark C. Lawrence
Systems Programmer
Stanford Data Center
Stanford, CA 94305-4136
(415) 723-4976
Xref: sparky misc.consumers.house:11886 misc.consumers:16179
From: ark@alice.att.com (Andrew Koenig)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Credit report
Date: 4 Sep 92 16:08:01 GMT
Article-I.D.: alice.23631
Reply-To: ark@alice.UUCP ()
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill NJ

In article <wewJqB2w161w@cdthq.UUCP> gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston) writes:

> The only 
> circumstance in which I'd give them anything to send a copy of
> whatever they've got on me is if they provided a *written* guarantee
> that none of it would be entered into their files.

Don't be ridiculous!  If nothing else, the fact that you asked for
a copy of your file will go into your file.
-- 
				--Andrew Koenig
				  ark@europa.att.com
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1992 08:00:10 EDT
From: <TMH1@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Anyone know about rubber membrane roofs?

I have a flat roof, and the previous owners installed a rubber membrane roof
on it four years ago.  (I hear it's a high-quality roof; is it?) Rainwater
tends to pool on the roof, and after a very rainy summer here in central
Pennsylvania, I now have probably an inch of water on the roof.  It makes
for a great bird bath, but I'm wondering if I should be concerned about
potential damage that that water might cause.

The previous owners tell me that the rubber membrane is *much* lighter than
the previous roof, so that I shouldn't be concerned about the sheer weight
of the water, but I wonder if the water itself (i.e.  all that moisture)
isn't good for the rubber.

Should I get up there with a push broom from time to time and sweep the
water off of there?  Or pay no attention to it?

Please reply by e-mail, as I'll be away for a week or so and won't see the
net for a while.

Thanks for your help.
From: hale@btree.uucp (Bob Hale)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Two electrical questions.
Date: 10 Sep 92 22:01:50 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Brooktree Corporation

In article <1992Sep09.140841.4202@fincomp.raidernet.com> root@fincomp.raidernet.com (Neal McClain) writes:
>In <1992Sep4.141851.12383@primerd.prime.com> mguyott@eriador.prime.com (M. Guyott) writes:
>
>
>>            When I turn the fan (switch) off there is a brief interuption
>>            in the radio.  It only happens when I turn the switch off.  It
>>            is almost as if the power is momentarily (it is very brief but
>>            noticable - almost like a "click" in the radio) turned off to
>>            the radio.  Does anyone have any idea why this is happening?
>
>Possibly it is RFI (radio frequency interference) caused by the colapse
>of the magnetic field in the fan motor when it is turned off.  If this
>is the case then the interference is coming "thru the air" and not
>"down the power cord".  Try running an extension cord from some distance
>away to the radio and see if the noise persists.  Then move the radio 
>around and see if the noise changes with distance from the fan.

RF interference is the most likely cause.

The receiver (assuming AM broadcast) has an AGC circuit; if this circuit
sees a very strong signal from any origin it will reduce the gain of
the receiver immediately.  It takes some time for the receiver to readjust
to the smaller signal level of the station, thus a period of "silence".

To fix this problem you need to fix the source of the RF interference,
namely the switch and motor.

Bob Hale                                      ...!ucsd!btree!hale
...!btree!hale@ucsd.edu                       ...!ucsd!btree!hale@uunet.uu.net
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,misc.consumers
From: macrakis@osf.org (Stavros Macrakis)
Subject: Re: Another mortgage scam?
Organization: OSF Research Institute
	<1992Sep10.202948.24023@news.mentorg.com>
Distribution: usa
Date: 11 Sep 92 11:08:51

In article <1992Sep10.202948.24023@news.mentorg.com> philip@simserver1com (Philip Peake) writes:

   It is a lender's choice to use whatever rate they want - even if the
   going rate is 20%, nothing stops them lending at 5%.

Agreed.  That's what I said.

   Using the "going rate" as a guideline to set their own rates is
   an acceptable practice, but pretending that "someone else" sets the rates
   and using that as an excuse for floating them from day to day isn't on.

Why not?  Someone else (namely the secondary market in mortgages) is
in fact setting the rates.

   The only reason they all follow like sheep, is that most lenders have no
   intention whatsoever of keeping the loan, they all want to sell them,
   and loans with rates much different from the "going rate" are difficult to
   sell.

They're not `difficult' to sell; they simply sell at a discount or a
premium, which brings them back to the market rate.  Note that rate
commitments are in fact sold on the open market (it is not the bank
that speculates).

   So, Peggy, keep looking at other lenders.  A good one will want
   *some* commitment from you, in the event that you decide to buy,
   but you shouldn't pay much (if any) extra for the "privilege" of
   locking in an interest rate for a few weeks.

Here we agree.  You should certainly look for a bank (or brokerage) which
offers rates and conditions you're comfortable with.

	-s
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: btwomey@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (william.tw0mey)
Subject: Re: Some drywall questions.
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: bl
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 15:59:36 GMT
Summary: hang it horizontally


I would definitely go with horizontally hanging drywall.  In my home,
which I gutted and re-drywalled, I could not count on studs being
evenly spaced.  I would have done a lot of trimming.  You don't want
to cut off beveled edges and tape butt joints.  Even with good
construction, you will end up with more work.

Consider a 9' wide wall hung vertically.  You'll hang two whole and one
partial sheets.  There will be at 16' of vertical seam to tape, running
from floor to ceiling.  I would rather tape 9' feet of horizontal seam
just above waist level.  So would a professional.*  I would also use 10'
sheets on this wall.  You might throw away 1' from the ends (although
closets eat up lots of scrap).  Thats 8 sq. feet, or one quarter sheet,
about 75 cents worth.  I would rather do that than face extra taping.

You can get drywall in 10, 12, 14 and 16 foot lengths.  Maybe longer.
Using drywall as wide as your room means you hang two pieces on a
wall rather than 3 or 4.  Definitely less work.  (Hint: when you
build anything, use the largest material that you can handle that
does the job.  Less pieces to manipulate is less work.)

The drawbacks to horizontally hung, wide as your room drywall, seem
to be:
 - a bit harder to handle
 - slightly higher cost of material (less competition, less discounting)
 - Availability of material
 - more planning (I need 30 8' sheets, 4 10', 8 12', 12 16')

The pluses are:
 + Ease of installalation
    + less pieces to hang 
    + less trimming
    + no trying to fit two rows of nails/screws into a stud*
 + Ease of finishing
 + more planning (no overbuying, less waste, no underbuying, running
   out to the home center in the middle of the job)

* My taper said that the the drywall job in my house was,
  "a pretty nice job".  There was < 16' of butt joint in a
  1200 sq. Cape Cod.
* Its not fun at all.  You want to stay as far from the edge as you
  can, you have to drive the screws in straight, and you only have
  1 5/8 inches of stud to get two rows of screws into, less if you
  are off center.  As opposed to having 1 5/8 inches to get 1 row
  of screws into.

Another plus which sort of counters the observation about seams popping
in high traffic areas:  You have less seems over door ways and windows
if you go wide-as-your-wall.  There will be no seam for a slamming door
or window to crack.  In a high traffic area, I would consider putting
in a couple of crosspieces between studs.  You can screw the seam into
them, ~and~ keep clods from breaking the drywall.

Definitely use screws.  Get a professional model driver.  I like my
Milwaukee.  You might want to get a prefessional model that 
drives heavier screws at slower speeds, for when you build 
your deck. :-)

Have fun,
Bill Twomey
-- 
bt@violin.att.com

Bill's Law on Netnews discussions:
"If a poster's name is in the Subject, its not worth reading."
From: smb@ulysses.att.com (Steven Bellovin)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Romex & Thinwall Question
Date: 7 Sep 92 17:02:55 GMT

In article <1992Sep4.150110.8919@ttinews.tti.com>, bellas@soldev.TTI.COM (Pete Bellas) writes:
> Generally no, the insulation on the wires inside romex is different from
> wire that is designed to be pulled.  The proper way is to end the romex
> in a junction box, connect the conduit (EMT or flex) to the box and then 
> pull THHN or THWN wire trough the conduit.  I had to do this in several
> cases.  Another option in most locations is to use BX cable instead of
> conduit and pulled wires (BX is sort of like romex with a metal jacket).

OK, let's try to end this thread.  I'm a bit more tired of it than
usual, since a similar discussion took place in rec.woodworking a few
weeks ago, and the outcome is in the next version of the FAQ, but...
Anyway, here's what the NEC says, complete with section numbers:

	336-3(a)  Type NM cable shall be permitted for both exposed and
	concealed work in normally dry locations.

In other words, exposed Romex is permissible under certain
circumstances.  However:

	336-10(b): Protection from Physical Damage.  The cable shall be
	protected from physical damage where necessary by conduit,
	electrical metallic tubing, pipe, guard strings, or other
	means.  Where passing through a floor the cable shall be
	enclosed in rigid metal conduit, intermediate metal conduit,
	electrical metallic tubing, or other metal pipe extending at
	least 6 inches (152 mm) above the floor.

``Where necessary'' is up to to common sense and your local inspector.
Note, too, that running NM cable through conduit is not only
permissible, under certain circumstances it's mandatory.

Finally, note

	300-15(b) A box shall be installed at each conductor splice
	point connection point, outlet, switch point, junction point,
	or pull point of
	... nonmetallic-sheathed cable ... at the connection point
	between any
	such cable system and a raceway system.

	Exception No. 1:  Where cables enter or exit from conduit or
	tubing which is used to provide cable support or protection
	against physical damage.  A fitting shall be provided on the
	end(s) of the conduit or tubing, to protect the wires or cables
	from abrasion.

Conclusion:  you can, and probably should, run the Romex through a
length of conduit to protect the exposed section.  There's no need for a
separate box in the crawl space to switch to other types of wire.  If
you do opt for unsheathed wire, though, Pete and a few others are right
about the kind of wire you need.
From: nederost@hpcc01.corp.hp.com (Tom Nederost(Nedorost))
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: cost of building a deck/porch
Date: 8 Sep 92 20:03:40 GMT
Organization: the HP Corporate notes server

I'm just in the process of replacing a deck.  I'm having Archadeck of Atlanta
do the work.  They build really nice looking decks (running decking at 45
degree angles, nice railings & stairs) using Grade A Mellco sealed Pressure
Treated Pine.  Anyway, my deck is about 11 X 17 and I was quoted $2800.  I
had other estimates from $2400 to $3200, but Archadeck seemed to have the
best design and construction and they were the most professional of the 
companies I talked with.

Tom
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: lester@naomi.b23b.ingr.com (Les Bartel)
Subject: Mold growing on A/C evaporator
Reply-To: lester@naomi.b23b.ingr.com
Organization: Dazix, An Intergraph Company
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 17:41:02 GMT

How can I prevent mold from growing on the condensor of my A/C?  This
is causing an oder in the air when the A/C is run.  I live in the south
where the temperature is always less than the relative humidity and the
dew point is always lower than the current temperature :-) or is that :-(.

 - les

Spring has sprung,
Fall has fell,
Summer is here,
and now its hotter than ... it was last year at this time.

-- 
Les Bartel			lester@naomi.b23b.ingr.com
Dazix, An Intergraph Company	uunet!ingr!b23b!naomi!lester
Huntsville, AL			(205) 730-8537

There are three kinds of people in the world:
Those who can count, and those who can't.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house