HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston)
Date: Fri, 04 Sep 92 20:13:46 CDT
Organization: Garys' Home for Obsolete Computers

vln@icpsr.umich.edu (Victoria Neff) writes:

> In article <069FqB4w161w@cdthq.UUCP> gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston) writes:
> >
> >But fiberglass *still* isn't much good for acoustic blocking.
> 
> I used to own an old house (built in 1880).  The attic had been made into
> an upstairs bedroom.  There was vermiculite there before the upstairs floor
> was put in (as evidenced by leakage through holes in the top kitchen cupboard
> and in the downstairs closet).  There was also wall-to-wall carpeting.
> 
> It was so quiet up there that a mad sports fanatic could watch games in the
> living room and the quiet reader upstairs wouldn't even know the game was
> on.  I thought it was the insulation.  Do you think it was mostly the
> carpet?  Or is vermiculite better than fiberglass at insulating against
> sound?

The vermiculite would have more mass than fiberglass, so it would 
dampen sound better. Carpet does a lot, too. Most likely, though,
there was real wood and solid joints in there that helped the 
most. Fiberglass will be better than nothing, but to make a significant
reduction, you'll need more. For an upstairs room, the thickest 
carpet pad I could get (or two layers of thinner stuff, with a denser
one on the bottom) and a good thick carpet on top will make *lots* 
of difference.

Gary Heston, at home....
gary@cdthq.uucp
From: au363@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Ken Sussmann)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: phone number for Grainger
Date: 13 Sep 92 16:52:52 GMT
Reply-To: au363@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Ken Sussmann)
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, toml@wal.hp.com (Tom Luteran) says:

>
>  Hi!
>
>    Can someone please post/e-mail the 800 # for Grainger?  It is
>    not available via 800 directory assistance.  Thanks!
>
>  Tom
>--
>
Normally one deals with Grainger through branch offices.  To get 
one of their catalogs call 1-800-473-3473.


Ken
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: rogerd@sequent.com (Roger Demuth)
Subject: Do all Heat Pumps have a cooling cycle?
Organization: Sequent Computer Systems, Inc.
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 92 21:38:35 GMT

Subject pretty much says it all.  I need to know whether all heat
pumps have a cooling cycle.  

Thanks.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: staffan@ca.serum.kodak.com (Kenneth Staffan (x37507))
Subject: Re: Asea Washer?
Organization: Clinical Products Division, Eastman Kodak Company
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 16:43:03 GMT

>>As noise is a big consideration, I am considering buying
>>an Asea washer.  They are quite quiet.  The repairman said 
>>they were probably good but that I might have trouble locating
>>people who knew how to fix them. They are also quite a bit more
>>expensive.
>>
>>Anyone with an Asea washer out there?
>
>sorry, can't help - but concerning getting someone to fix them...
>Is this washer made on Mars or some other alien planet, so that it

Sweden.  I had a devil of a time _finding_ them when I was interested.
I guess after a successful campaign of ads, etc., in magazines like
Metropolitan Home, they were very backlogged on inquiries.  Well, I 
finally got hold of corporate (in Texas, I believe), and they referred
me to a distributor in a nearby city.  I called them, and they referred
me to the retailer in my city.  This retailer wanted me to pay list
price (after _I_ had done all the damn footwork to find the dumb things).
The distributor wouldn't sell direct, so I haven't bought one yet.
The list prices for the two washing machine models were approx $1400 and
approx $1700.  Whew!  I was suprised to hear that other poster from the bay
area list significantly cheaper prices (though still expensive, as far
as washers are concerned!)

Also, I haven't seen anyone else mention the fact that they operate
on 220V.

(P.S.  If anyone knows where I can get a better price within, say, a 
200 mile radius of Rochester, NY, please let me know, because I won't
pay list!)

Ken
---
staffan@serum.kodak.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: macrakis@osf.org (Stavros Macrakis)
Subject: Re: Anyone know about rubber membrane roofs?
Organization: OSF Research Institute
Date: 8 Sep 92 11:47:34

In article <92251.080010TMH1@psuvm.psu.edu> TMH1@psuvm.psu.edu writes:

   I have a flat roof [with] a rubber membrane roof on it ....  (I hear
   it's a high-quality roof; is it?) Rainwater tends to pool on the
   roof,... I'm wondering if I should be concerned about potential damage
   that that water might cause.

Rubber membrane if properly installed is indeed a good quality roof.

However, rain should NOT pool on any roof.  This is just an invitation to
problems.  There's the weight, but also the danger of pinhole leaks which
only become a problem with standing water.

The roof should be sloped to a drain, either in the middle or on one of the
sides.  Waiting for the water to evaporate is pretty silly...!

	-s
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: wwang@osf.org (Weidong Wang)
Subject: Choosing a refinancing closing date
Organization: Open Software Foundation
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 21:12:04 GMT


Is it usually true that one should choose a refinancial clsoing date towards
the end of the month so that less interest to be paid at the closing time,
just like the closing date when one bought the house?

Or it does not matter since one has to pay that month's current mortgage interest anyway?

Thanks

-- 
    +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
    |  Weidong Wang                   |  Open Software Foundation        |
    |  wwang@osf.org                  |  11 Cambridge Center             |
    |  (617) 621-7272                 |  Cambridge, MA 02142             |
    +--------------------------------------------------------------------+


Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house

Hi,

  Where do you guys find workers, in general? I have jobs that I just
  don't want to tackle. Do you get contractors? or handymen?

  Howard
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Block driveways?
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 92 18:54:59 GMT

In article <1992Sep14.184936.20840@porthos.cc.bellcore.com> patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie) writes:

>Total cost for the bricks was around $560 (I ordered extra for walks). I
>used two bags of sacrete, six of sand, and two heavy duty dropcloths. It
>took me about five days to do, but I put down a herringbone pattern. There
>are simpler ones. Call it $700 and a week's labor.

That should be "Call it $600 ..."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | There are very few personal problems which
George Patterson -  | cannot be solved by a suitable application
                    | of high explosive.
                    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: b_lmcgilve@cpvax.lonestar.org
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Underground electrical wiring
Date: 14 Sep 92 10:40:47 CDT
Organization: Texas Utilities, Glen Rose TX 

I am in the planning stages for building a garage and stable.  I want to
run electricity and water underground to both.  What type of conduit do
you suggest to run the electric lines in and should I lay it in the same
trench as the water or build separate parallel trenches?  I will have a
licensed electrician do the actual hookup into the meter and install 
breaker boxes for me.  I just want to make sure that I understand what
he is suggesting.  Thanks in advance.

Laurel McGilvery			Not only do I not speak for the
CPSES (temporarily)			company, the company does not
Bechtel Corporation			speak for me. 

All opinions expressed are obviously mine.  Who else would own up to them?
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From:  daniel@kenext.msk.su (Finogenov Daniel Victorovich)
Subject: FLAT for SALE in Russia ( in Magadan )
Keywords: flat, sale, russia
Reply-To: daniel@kenext.msk.su
Organization: KENEXT, Ltd
Date: Tue,  8 Sep 92 18:28:38 +0300

          Dear Sears.
     I'm offer to you an apartments for sale.
     Location: centre of Moscow - metrostation "PARK KULTURY".
     Brief.
        Two floors:
                ground floor - 4 rooms & toilet & bathroom & kitchen -
        total area - 95 square metres,
                first floor - 4 rooms & toilet & bathroom & kitchen -
        total area - 110 square metres.
        All windows are - into calm courtyard.
        Ceiling - on the height 320 centimetre.
        3 phonelines.
        Idividual entrance.
     Further details ( particulars ) can be obtained on request.
     The price is 247000 $.
     I'll be happy to discuss the matter with you.
                Yours faithfully Daniel Finogenov.

        E - mail:       daniel@kenext.msk.su       or
                        daniel%kenext.msk.su@relay.eu.net
                        daniel%kenext.msk.su@techno.fuug.fi

        FAX:            Russia 095-292-65-11 for "LAVINA box 1383"

        TLX:            411700 for "LAVINA box 1383"

        Phones:         095-150-88-52 from 09:00 a.m. till 02:00 p.m.
                                (Greenwich time)



Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Home security tips from a burglar
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 92 16:02:31 GMT

Question for you electrical wiring gurus. I'd like to wire up a pair of
floodlights to a three-way switch in such a manner that in one position
the lights are driven by a motion detector and in the other position
they are on. I would also put a single pole switch upstream to let me cut
the thing off by cutting the power to the 3-way.

Comments?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | It is commonly agreed that the inventor of a weapon
                    | used to kill and maim must share in large measure
George Patterson -  | the guilt for its thousands of victims. By the way,
                    | who DID invent the bicycle chain?
                    |                            Kelvin Throop
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: how to locate new developments
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 22:07:22 GMT

In article <Sep.11.15.34.35.1992.19125@yoko.rutgers.edu> majidi@yoko.rutgers.edu (Masoud Majidi) writes:
>
>Is there any way to get a list of new developments (developments that
>are under construction) in a county? i.e. Is there a government agency
>which would have such information readily so that one can call and ask
>for a copy of it.

Applications for building permits are matters of public record. I have
never tried to check on them myself, but many of the local 225 carpenters
would check out the permit applications to locate building sites when
they were looking for work. I recall that Fulton County, Ga. had a
bulletin board outside the courthouse with public notices on it.

Local papers frequently have a public notices section as well. It's
usually near the want ads or in the business section.

Now, some areas of the country don't require permits for things that
other municipalities do, but I find it hard to believe that one could
legally put up a new house in the U.S. without a permit, so you ought
to be able to check on this.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | 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.
                    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: mark@nwra.com (Mark Baldwin)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Asea Washer?
Date: 8 Sep 92 21:09:40 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Northwest Research Associates, Inc.

-=- Andrew Klossner  (andrew@frip.wv.tek.com) writes:

>I have an Asea *dish* washer -- is that what we're talking about?  It's
>made in Sweden.  It seems considerably better made than the American
>varieties.  It's a little more expensive.  It's quieter.  I've only had
>it a few weeks so I can't speak to repair problems.

I shopped for a dishwasher for a friend about a year ago. The Asea is
by far the best choice if you are concerned about noise (Meile, a
German brand is similar, but costs ~$2k). 

American dishwashers are not quiet. The noise level readings they
quote (if any) are during the std. wash cycle and don't count all the
loud grinding noises in other parts of the cleaning cycle. The main
reason they are noisy is not lack of sound insulation, but because they
have OPEN VENTS in the front. These vents release hot air during the
drying process. On my "whisper quiet" Kitchenaid I tested sound levels
in the Kitchen normally and with a towel blocking this vent. The
dishwasher was 6-8 db quieter.

Asea dishwashers have a flap that closes over this vent during washing.
The friend who purchased one says that it's a "pleasure to use." That's
a lot to say about a kitchen appliance.  If I have to replace my
dishwasher, I will get an Asea.


    )_ _               -------------------------------------------    
   /  ) ) _        /       Mark Baldwin - mark@sparky.nwra.com
  /  / / / / /\_  /_/  Northwest Research Associates, Bellevue, WA
 /  / /_(_/_/  (_/ \__ -------------------------------------------  
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: wls@cray.csd.uwm.edu (Bill Stapleton)
Subject: Re: Security Alarms
Reply-To: Bill Stapleton <wls@csd4.csd.uwm.edu>
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 20:04:13 GMT

In article <1992Sep10.002350.15823@morrow.stanford.edu>, GA.MCL@forsythe.stanford.edu (Mark C. Lawrence) writes:

> ...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.
...
> 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.

So much for the high-tech end.  How about the low-tech end, at the source,
namely "hardening" the phone line?  I've got one of these telephone-monitored
alarms.  The phone line gets to my house near the roof, then the cable,
unprotected, very cuttable, and obviously for the telephone, simply comes
straight down on the outside and enters into the basement.  What are the
issues involved in "hardening" this cable with some sort of covering, say
metal or PVC conduit?  While I'm sure many thieves carry wire cutters for
a quick snip of a simple wire, I doubt many are ready to cut through anything
stronger, or scale the heights to make the cut-off at a more vulnerable spot.

So, is covering telephone wires on the outside of your home legal, law-wise
and code-wise?  Metal would be best, and could be secured enough so it couldn't
be easily ripped out.  Do I need to worry about lightning, grounding, inter-
ference on the phone line, etc.??  I have aluminum siding if that matters.

--
Bill Stapleton
     wls@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
     uwmcsd4!wls
From: klf@druwa.ATT.COM (FranklinKL)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Sheetrocking Question
Keywords: Some thoughts
Date: 11 Sep 92 17:51:58 GMT
Distribution: misc


In Message <1992Sep9.192115.23987@odin.corp.sgi.com>
kim@castle.wpd.sgi.com (Kim Rachmeler) responds:


>|> Any pre sheetrocking tips, suggestions, etc?  What do I need to buy/have?
>|> What is the best/cheapest ways to finish the ceiling? Etc.
>|> 
>
>  In no particular order:
>
>	-- Hang the sheets on the wall with the long side horizontal.  
>		This will put the seam at an easy to reach waist level.
>
>	-- Use the largest possible drywall sheets.  If a wall is 10ft 
>		long, buy 4X12 sheets of drywall and cut off the 
>		excess rather than piecing 8ft sheets together.
>

Remainder of suggestions (deleted here) were good ones but I take issue with
running the long seam horizontally.  Doing so means that you will have
the spaces between the studs with unsupported seams, that is, there will
be nothing behind the seam to reinforce it.  This may be alright for
certain walls but doing this in a traffic area can cause problems.
An impact on the wall has the possibility of popping a seam.



--
Ken Franklin 	They say there's a heaven for people who wait
AMA     	And some say it's better but I say it ain't
GWRRA           I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints
DoD #0126       The sinners are lots more fun, Y'know only the good die young
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Security Alarms
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 92 22:08:37 GMT

In article <1992Sep10.200413.5509@uwm.edu> Bill Stapleton <wls@csd4.csd.uwm.edu> writes:

>.......  The phone line gets to my house near the roof, then the cable,
>unprotected, very cuttable, and obviously for the telephone, simply comes
>straight down on the outside and enters into the basement.  What are the
>issues involved in "hardening" this cable with some sort of covering, say
>metal or PVC conduit?

Your local telephone company owns that wire up to the point at which it
enters your house. You'll have to get their permission to make any
changes to it. Once it's inside the house, it's yours.

With new service connections, they like to mount the service junction
box (a plastic thingie) on the outside about chest high. This makes it
easy for them to disconnect the line without entering the house (yes, I
know that most disconnects are done at the office, but they still have
to physically shut people off sometimes).

I would bet that, if you try to get the old service redone, they'll put
in one of these boxes. This would put a crimp in plans to (for example)
bring the phone service wires into the attic. These junction boxes are
about as solid as a cheap tackle box. It wouldn't take much to break into
one.

If you built an enclosure around the entire line and didn't tell the
phone company about it, you might be legally in the clear - you wouldn't
actually be messing with their equipment. Is there a lawyer in the house?

You might try asking the phone company about armoured lines - they
may actually sell what you want.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    |
George Patterson -  | I'd rather fight an entire army than battle an
                    | idle rumor.
                    |              Major General Smedley Butler
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: bsmith@stake.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (ROBERT SMITH)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: ARGH! Crickets!
Date: 4 Sep 92 14:05:46 GMT
Organization: Stakeholder Relations, NCR Corp in Dayton,OH

<Sep.2.09.45.20.1992.15544@cadenza.rutgers.edu>
Reply-To: bsmith@stake.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (ROBERT SMITH)
Organization: Stakeholder Relations, NCR Corp in Dayton,OH

In article <Sep.2.09.45.20.1992.15544@cadenza.rutgers.edu>
masticol@cadenza.rutgers.edu (Steve Masticola) writes:
>nick@socrates.umd.edu (Nick Lemberos) writes:
>
  [stuff about cricket problem deleted]

>@= Its that time of year again...I can hear them outside just 
>borrow a cat - they'll have fun chasing it.
>

Yes, borrow a cat.  Our cat, who is generally bored by most vermin, greatly
enjoys catching, playing with, and dismembering crickets.

>- Steve (masticol@cs.rutgers.edu).


-- 
Bob Smith
E-mail => Robert.D.Smith@daytonoh.ncr.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: packer@amarna.gsfc.nasa.gov (Charles Packer)
Subject: Re: Sound insulation for ceiling/floor:  ideas?
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1  
Keywords: sound insulation fibreglass
Organization: Dept. of Independence
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1992 11:14:00 GMT

In article <3785@ecicrl.ocunix.on.ca>, clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis) writes...
>Rockwool batts are considerably denser than fiberglass, so would be a lot


Yes, density is the key to reducing sound transmission between
rooms. I've read that broadcasting studios are insulated from
surrounding rooms by sheets of lead.
From: egreen@east.sun.com (Ed Green - Pixel Cruncher)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Home security tips from a burglar
Date: 8 Sep 1992 20:12:32 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, RTP, NC
Distribution: world
Reply-To: egreen@east.sun.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: laser.east.sun.com

In article 14579@gazette.bcm.tmc.edu, so690561@mbcr.bcm.tmc.edu (Susan Elizabeth Olson) writes:

>....so much for the "no gun" solution request of an earlier poster - I'm
>interested to see if anyone else out there comes up with other home
>security tips that don't involve the purchase of a weapon.

Sure, but most of them boil down to common sense:
- Be friendly with your neighbors, look out for each other.
- Lock your doors and all ground floor windows.
- Put timers on your lights and on a radio.
- Install outdoor lighting with moton or infrared sensors.
- Put deadbolts on the doors (I prefer the double lock type, with some
  common-sense precautions to prevent it from becoming a fire hazard).
- Don't let your house look like you're on vacation when you are.
- Install an alarm with a LOUD horn.

For personal security:
- Never allow unscheduled repairmen in the house without calling the
  business to verify their schedule (look it up in the phone book, not
  the card the guy hands you).  Same goes for uniformed cops, firemen,
  anybody.
- Turn on the shower before opening the door.  Yell, "I'll get it,"
  before opening the door.
- Report suspicious people, vehicles, or phone calls to the police.

Most of the discussion on guns concerned intruders into your house in
the middle of the night.  I look at that as somewhat different from
"home security," that is "personal defense," and "get and learn how to
use a gun" is sound advise in that context.

---
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: Mr_b
Subject: Circuit Breaker Sub-panel Placement
Organization: LMSC
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 92 18:31:02 GMT

In the old house I am buying the seller is willing to have the
circuit-breaker sub-panel moved from its truly terrible location inside
a small clothes closet to a more appropriate location.  The logical location
would seem to be on the outside of the house.  None of the rooms adjacent
to this closet really have a practical location for this subpanel.
Any one have any special suggestions about placement on the side of the
house?  That spot is surrounded by high solid fencing and a gate, so passers-by
would not be fooling around there.

When I was little I lived in a neighborhood with exterior fuse boxes and they
always seemed to be unobtrusive and practical enough.


Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house