HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: bryant@mpr.ca (Nick Bryant)
Subject: hot water heat
Organization: MPR Teltech Ltd., Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 93 22:44:47 GMT

I apologize for one botched and two blank posts: something is screwing
up.  The first part of my request for information on hydronic heating
systems detailed a problem I am experiencing with my home system: the
water temperature in one zone, when it alone is active, reaches
equilibrium at about 150 degrees F.  The water temperature in another
zone, when active by itself, keeps getting hotter until the aquastat
causes the electric elements (in the central boiler) to cut out as a
safety measure.

The water flow _seems_ ok, as both zones _do_ warm their respective
areas, but the "bad" zone is effectively getting only half of the
possible heat because the aquastat trips out after 6 minutes and then
cuts back in after 6 minutes, giving a 50% duty cycle for the heating
elements. Any pointers would be appreciated.

N. Bryant, MPR Teltech Ltd.
bryant@mpr.ca  604-293-5319 
 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: eliot@chutney.rtp.dg.com (Topher Eliot)
Subject: Re: Gray flexible water supply pipe OK?
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 93 17:45:24 GMT
Distribution: usa
Reply-To: eliot@dg-rtp.dg.com
Organization: Data General Corporation, Research Triangle Park, NC

After considerable research, I replumbed my house with PB.  I wrote up a big
description, but no longer have a copy :-(  Did anyone out there save it?

Re joint failures:
1) Does anyone have knowledge of failed joints using METAL connectors?  Or
were all the failures with plastic inner parts?

2) In my latest house (not the one I re-plumbed), the bozo guys from the
gas company that switched out my electric water heater for a gas one tied
in using PB, but somehow managed to get the heat from soldering to the
existing copper into the PB joint, and partially melt the PB tubing.  I
had to have them back three times in the first year to fix leaks at these
junctions!  (They also made some cold solder joints.  Yeesh.)  The house I
did in all PB had no leaks up until when I moved out.  I should check with
the new owners.

PB is fantastically easy to work with, being flexible.  In a difficult
installation, that could be a lifesaver.  One might consider using mostly
copper, and PB for those killer runs, if you aren't willing to use PB every-
where.  This way the house would look to potential buyers that it was all
copper, and only you would know :-)
-- 
Topher Eliot             Data General DG/UX Systems Administration Development
(919) 248-6371                                             eliot@dg-rtp.dg.com
Obviously, I speak for myself, not for DG.
misc.consumers.house archivist.  Send mail to house-archive@dg-rtp.dg.com
"Ask me about my vow of silence."
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,misc.legal
From: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com (patterson,george r)
Subject: Re: Zoning Question
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 93 04:38:23 GMT

In article <1993Jan11.151846.19878@lloyd.Camex.COM> owen@lloyd.Camex.COM (Owen Hartnett) writes:

>On the flip side, if your taxes do go up as a result of the zoning change,
>than it has the other side effect of making your property worth more.

No it doesn't. It indicates that the government *thinks* it's worth more,
but it has absolutely no effect on the actual value. Higher taxes may,
in fact, reduce the amount a buyer is willing to pay. Plus, you only cash
in if you sell - and then you have to spend it on another place or uncle
sugar takes 25% of that!

Me, I'd much rather pay less property tax now than gamble on getting more
for the place a few years down the road.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | "Under Consideration": We never heard of it.
George Patterson -  | "Under Active Consideration": We're searching the
                    |    files for it.
                    |         Kelvin Throop - The Management Dictionary
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: stevem@newsbase.cs.yale.edu (Steve Morytko)
Subject: Re: Dual line causing crosstalk on phone?
Organization: University of Connecticut Computing Center
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 18:29:24 GMT

Watch out for "phone" wire that is not twisted pair. The silver-satin stuff 
you buy at Radio Shack or your local department store is NOT twisted pair or 
solid-core cable (usually). Twisted-pair cable effectively cancels "noise" 
on a circuit as long as you maintain pair integrity. I'll leave the theory 
to an electrical engineer or physicist. You should NEVER EVER use the 
silver-satin stuff in a data network (Token-ring or Ethernet) because it can 
cause nightmares for your datacomm guy. Get rid of that wire that 
worked great when you were using a modem or other serial-type 
connection unless your sure it's twisted pair. There are distance 
limitations when using any kind of wire in a network. If the wire is not 
twisted you get a LOT more noise and the length signals can travel goes way 
down. If you have silver-satin run throughout your house that *could* be the 
problem. I am not real sure how far you can go with voice signals but I 
suspect the rules are at least similar. 

In case you *are* using twisted pair, make sure you are maintaining pair 
integrity. That is, use the wires that are twisted into pairs as a pair. 
If red/green and yellow/black are pairs *DON'T* use red/black and/or 
green/yellow as pairs. Modern twisted pair wire usually has the 
following pairings but you may find something different:  

 white-blue/blue-white, white-orange/orange-white, white-green/ ...

-----------------------------------------------------------------
INTERNET: steve@uconnvm.uconn.edu / BITNET: steve@uconnvm
Voice: 203-486-1405 ; Fax: 203-486-5744
UConn Computer Ctr., 196 Auditorium Rd., Storrs, CT 06269-3138
From: newman_r@cho006.cho.ge.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Seeking advice about wells and water filtration
Date: 7 Jan 93 08:49:47 EDT
Organization: GE Fanuc Automation, North America


I've been having problems with my well and am hoping to get advice and
opinions on wells and water filtration systems.  I hope this is the
right forum. . .

Some background:  This well is about 2.5 years old, 145 feet deep, with
85 feet of casing.  It produces 25 gallons per minute.

The problem:  From the time it was drilled up until early last December,
the water has been excellent.  Then, after a light snow in December, the
water became dirty.  Since then, the quality varies, ranging from
slightly dirty, to downright grungy (for lack of better terms).  The
color of the water varies too, ranging from brownish to orange.
Sometimes the water literally reeks of iron.  During one particularly
bad period, my wife washed a load of white clothes, and they turned
orange.  The water seems to react with bleach, and *really* turns orange
(possibly the iron oxidizing in bleach?), also, the hot water is
noticably darker than the cold water, indicating that it is somehow
reacting to heat.

Suggestions so far:  After talking to my well driller and a water 
filtration salesman, I have checked the grout poured around the well
casing (it was in bad shape, I fixed it), and also poured a pad around
the casing to turn ground water away from the casing.  The filtration
salesman is coming today to test the water, and (no doubt) try to sell
me his water filtration system.  My well driller has suggested "lifting
the pump", since it may be sitting on the bottom of the well where any
sludge would accumulate.

The question:  Is there anybody out there with any experience that can
give me some advice or shed some light?  Basically, I'm curious about
good or bad  experiences with water filtration systems, and wells in
general, and want to hear opinions from people who aren't worried about
having to make good on a warranty (like my well driller), or sell me
anything (like the filtration salesman).

Please e-mail . . .I'll post or forward replies if there is interest.

Thanks in advance
-- 
Bob Newman                             GE Fanuc Automation, Inc.
(804) 978-5625                         P.O.Box 8106
newman_r@cho006.CHO.GE.COM             Charlottesville, Virginia 22906
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: smb@research.att.com (Steven Bellovin)
Subject: Re: Gray flexible water supply pipe OK?
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 18:50:59 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories

In article <1993Jan9.191040.8362@hubcap.clemson.edu>, hubcap@hubcap.clemson.edu (System Janitor) writes:
> But if you do it right, it should be fine. The connectors are much improved
> now. I've heard the horror stories, and I plan to put it in my new
> house.

A recent (the latest?) issue of Fine Homebuilding had an article on
installing polybutelene pipe.  Although it was primarily an article on
how to install it properly, it should give you hints on what to look
for in an existing installation.  The author did note some problems with
the very earliest versions, and there are still plenty of opportunities
for sloppy workmanship.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: becker@cs.rochester.edu (Tim Becker)
Subject: Re: Patching Ceiling Plaster Cracks
Organization: University of Rochester
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 19:12:57 GMT

Here's what I've done in my 90 year old lath/plaster house...

I don't enlarge the crack.  I scrape any lose stuff out and then cover
it with dry wall tape.  I use the fiberglass screen type (not the
paper type).  I go over that with pre-mixed drywall compound.  I treat
it just like a drywall joint -- feathering it out and
sanding/sponging.  The crack won't come back through the tape.  If you
do a good job with the feathering, it looks great.

Where my plaster was really pulling away from the lath (it moves in
toward the lath if you push on it), I replace it with drywall.  In
some places, I just replaced a section of the ceiling.  Again, you
have to use drywall compound to make it look just like the rest of the
ceiling.

I have to add that doing a good job with the drywall knife requires a
lot of practice.  It's very frustrating at first.  But it can look
real nice once you get good at it.

Tim Becker.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: russell@b30.ingr.com (Mark Russell)
Subject: HELP with financing money pit!!!
Organization: Intergraph
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 19:27:30 GMT

Re-sending previous posting, but still desparate for help:

Several banks in the state of Tennesse are now offering 100% equity
home equity loans.  This was the first time I had heard of any such
offer, particularly since banks have begun clamping down due to the
S&L crisis.  Apparently, the loan can be used for any purpose and is
not limited strictly to car loans, etc.

The loan is at a higher rate of interest (variable, currently at
10% - with max cap of something like 18%).

Granted, the rate is lousy compared to standard equity lines that are
readily availabe, but you can't beat the loan to value ratio they are
offering.

We are renovating a 1905 Victorian home and definitely need all the
help we can get as far as financing.  Even though the high rate is
not terribly desirable, it is much better than the short-term, high-
interest rate loans that I currently have taken out.  Unfortunately,
I live in the Huntsville, Alabama area and the Tennessee banks will
not cross the state border for financing.

Does anyone know of any national bank offering this type of loan that
would go into any state? Or, does anyone know of any other options? This
could be a life-saver for me since the best I am currently able to get
here is 85% financing on a "cash out" basis.

Thanks,

Mark Russell

---------------------------

Intergraph Corporation
Huntsville, Alabama
(205) 730-3400
russell@c10160.b30.ingr.com
From: jp45+@andrew.cmu.edu (Jim Thomas Park , Jr.)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Asbestos house coverings
Date: 10 Jan 93 04:07:54 GMT
Organization: Computer Operations, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

All,
	I am reposting this just in case perple out there do a global kill on
any Re: messages. Sorry for any inconvience.

My wife and I are looking at a house and the real estate agent said that
the house covering is asbestos. I would like to know if there is a
danger in this siding. The siding looks like squares about 6-8 inches on
a side and a "wavy" bottom edge. They are overlayed on each other. I
would like to know if this stuff is dangerous and how should I go about
having it tested before we make a bid on this house. 

						Thanks,
						    -Jim 

P.S. Is there anybody out there that knows who I could contact in the
state of Pennsylvania to find out about asbestos on houses.


***************************************************************
 Hey Man, I'm  drinking wine, eating cheese and catching some rays.

				Oddball
	  			 From Kelly's Heros
***************************************************************
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com (patterson,george r)
Subject: Re: Funny Feeling From Heater
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 93 18:57:13 GMT

In article <C0r33E.33G@well.sf.ca.us> lp@well.sf.ca.us (Lily Pond) writes:
>
>Others have suggested something about vent gasses and cracks in something as
>possible causes and I'm trying to understand that, but don't really. I don't
>really smell anything, any more than nitrous oxide at the dentist's office
>really has a smell, but it makes you feel something anyway.
>
>Anybody got any possible explanation? Thanks. Or something specific I can
>either check for myself or have checked for - and then real specifics,
>please. Thanks again.

Yep. Could be that you're getting carbon monoxide from the chimney -
that's probably what people are meaning when they talk about vent gasses
and cracks. This can be easily checked - take a trip to the nearest
light plane airport (look in the YP under "Flight Instruction") and buy
a CO detector. The cards which are sold under the name "Dead Stop" work
for months and are only a few bucks.

It's unlikely that this is the problem, though, or you'd be complaining
of headaches. If the house is excessively well insulated and weatherstripped,
and if the furnaces use house air for the burners, you may actually be
creating an oxygen deficiency. If that's the case, you'll have to get
the furnaces modified to use outside air, and you may need to "loosen"
up the house a little.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | The human race likes to give itself airs.
George Patterson -  | One good volcano can produce more greenhouse gases
                    | in a year than the human race has in its entire
                    | history.                - Ray Bradbury
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: rwc70@duts.ccc.amdahl.com (Robert W Creasy)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Renovating a 100 yr old home, what's involved?
Date: 11 Jan 93 18:02:51 GMT
Reply-To: rwc70@DUTS.ccc.amdahl.com (Robert W Creasy)
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

Hello all,
  I have questions for anyone who has renovated a home that is older than
60 years of age.  My situation is as follows.  My wife and I are looking
into purchasing a house that is approx 100 yrs old in the San Jose Ca area
and are trying to determine what we may be getting ourselves into.

Specifics:
- The house seems to be sound structurally, but is rough cosmetically.
- It has a full concrete foundation and the house is already bolted to it.
- New roof.
- No updates have been made to electrical or plumbing systems.
- Very minor termite damage, tented in June 1992.
- *One* window opens.  All others are painted or "settled" shut.

Questions:
- The Plaster/lathe walls have minor cracks and layers upon layers of wall
  paper that is peeling in copious amounts.  Would the standard method of
  repair be to lay drywall over the existing plaster or does this present
  other problems?

- What potential electrical problems might I face?  The existing system
  has exposed cloth insulated wiring strung between porcelin posts.  How
  many amps are these systems typically able to handle?  Because the house
  has a full basement I would be able to rewire the house fairly easily if
  necessary.

- Any idea how much per sq/ft a garage would cost to build as a DYI'er.
  How about a contractors price?

- Are windows that are stuck closed a real problem to get working again?
  I know some windows would require replacement of the entire unit.  Some
  may just need a new window frame built or lots of scraping/planing.

- The plumbing seems to be in pretty good shape although it would need to be
  updated when the kitchen is remodeled.  Here again the basement makes
  access a breeze.  Anything critical I should worry about?

What do I need to know and/or worry about that I haven't mentioned?
All suggestions and answers are greatly appreciated! Either respond to
the Net or direct.

Thanks,  Bob
E-mail reply: rwc70%CDS.amdahl.com  or  rwc70@duts.ccc.amdahl.com
From: egreen@east.sun.com (Ed Green - Pixel Cruncher)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Anyone have a problem with Huntington Mort
Date: 12 Jan 1993 14:42:54 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, RTP, NC
Distribution: world
Reply-To: egreen@east.sun.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: laser.east.sun.com

In article 1888@falcon.aamrl.wpafb.af.mil, bkottmann@falcon.aamrl.wpafb.af.mil (Brett Kottmann) writes:

>I've noticed that
>Huntington has been mailing their payment notices later and later in the month. 
>We recieved November's notice 3 days before it was "due".  

Your mortgage is the same each month, no?  And it's due on the same
date?

*Why* do you need a notice from the mortgage company to pay it?!?

---
Ed Green, former Ninjaite |I was drinking last night with a biker,
  Ed.Green@East.Sun.COM   |and I showed him a picture of you.  I said,
DoD #0111  (919)460-8302  |"Go on, get to know her, you'll like her!"
 (The Grateful Dead) -->  |It seemed like the least I could do...

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: rwee50@melton.sps.mot.com (Allan Klaus)
Subject: Re: Gray flexible water supply pipe OK?
Organization: /etc/organization
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 18:47:39 GMT

    One other drawback of the gray polybutle tubing for a house is that
rodents love to chew on it.  I had a rat chew a hole in my polybutle
plumbing in three different places before I trapped him.  He didn't
chew any holes in the copper tubing on my propane lines. 

    I would avoid this stuff at all costs!!!!!!!!!

Allan
-- 
Allan Klaus     rwee50@melton.sps.mot.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: trb@cbnews.cb.att.com (tom.balent)
Subject: Re: Dish washers available that run on 120Volts????
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 11:08:12 GMT

In article <1992Dec26.003602.26877@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com> billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) writes:
>
>Dishwashers are not that old. 

How old is old?  A friend here at work found an old Western Electric
catalog (from the 20's) that showed all of the things that you could
buy from WE.  In there was a dishwasher - of course it did not look
anything like the ones we have today, but still, almost 70 years ago
they had home dishwashers.

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: stevez@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (steven.a.zubatkin)
Subject: Re: Basement Carpeting.
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 20:09:54 GMT

From article <C0E8Hn.2tM@news.rich.bnr.ca>, by kdesai@brtph490.NoSubdomain.NoDomain (Kalpit Desai P265):
> 2. I am going to get someone to install the carpetting for me. But I want
>    to get recommendations of what type of carpet I should install. How
>    will the installer affix the carpet to the concrete floor.

We installed indoor/outdoor carpeting on our basement floor.  The
installer glued the carpeting down.  We are very pleased with it
considering the cost.

Once the carpet wears out, I am told we can use it as a pad for
regular carpeting so there should be no problem.

Steve Zubatkin 
Morristown, NJ
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com (patterson,george r)
Subject: Re: 2nd story addition $$$
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 93 01:53:16 GMT

In article <1idc22INNle0@jethro.Corp.Sun.COM> keith@badseed.Eng.Sun.COM writes:

>So, we were thinking maybe it would be best to add a second story, or part of
>a second story. Since we live in norther California(south bay), I was wondering
>what the expense of such an operation might be.  The minimum addition would be
>a master bedroom with bath and sitting area, the maximum would be to cover the
>whole house with another floor.  Any clues?

Not really, but before you ask, you need to check the foundation. If
the foundation is too shallow to support a second story (and this is
very likely the case), the cost is going to be about doubled. One technique
to handle this situation is to build the second floor on pilings placed
around the first floor and standing on a separate foundation, but no
realistic estimate of the cost can be made until you know whether this
need be done or not.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    |
George Patterson -  | Of course truth is stranger than fiction; after
                    | all, good fiction must make sense.
                    |                        Samuel Clemens
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: krubin@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Kenneth S. Rubin)
Subject: Refrigerators
Organization: CS Department, Stanford University, California, USA
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 21:10:34 GMT

I am looking to purchase my first refrigerator and would appreciate some input.
I have researched Consumer Guide and found that they tested models that are 
different than the one in which I am interested. 

In particular, I am interested in a 24-25 cu ft side by side. The catch is that
I do not want the ice and water dispenser through the door. I rarely use ice,
and I drink bottled water, so for me this dispenser is just wasted space 
in the freezer. As far as I can tell there is a limited number of models
available.  The two that I am currently considering are:
Amana SZ25M2 and Maytag RSD2400A

The problem is that I keep getting conflicting information from sales people.  
The Amana seems to be available in just about every store that I visit. It
has the proper features, color and an acceptable price.  However, I have been
told by the representatives of several stores that do not sell Amana that
the Amana product is poorly constructed (this is the reason they give for not
carrying the product to begin with). These stores try to sell me the Maytag.
Then the story reverses and the other dealers tell me that the Maytag
is a piece of junk that Maytag doesn't even manufacture, but simply puts 
their name on.

All of this is enough to drive someone crazy!  I figure I could put this
all to rest if I could get some unbiased, personal observations from people
who have experience with these refrigerators.  I would be very interested 
in hearing from people who own either Maytag or Amana refrigerators.  
I am interested in how well you think these machine function and how loud 
it is when it is cooling.

Thanks in advance,
--Kenny Rubin
krubin@parcplace.com