HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 23:29:27 EDT
From: <U4400@wvnvm.wvnet.edu>
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Help! Washing Machine Spews out Flakes

In article <1992Aug17.153404.9771@software.org>, wartik@software.org (Steve
Wartik) says:
>
>This weekend, my 5-year-old Sears washing machine started emitting
>little green-gray flakes of something or other.  I can't quite figure out
>what they are.  They don't look like fabric, and anyway I haven't
>seen any of the flakes in the wash tub, so I'd guess that there's
>something in the drainage system that might be disintegrating.


Well, everyone else who answered just flamed Sears and didn't offer any
useful suggestions.  I bought a used washing machine for $50 from a guy
who rebuilt them and had this same problem (it is GE, I think, not
Sears).  There were two things going on.  First was that the person who
owned it before had hard water and lots of mineral deposits had built up
and were now flaking off.  I bought some Lime-Away, filled the washer
with a Lime-Away/water mixture, and let it soak and run (to clean out
the pump, etc - be sure to stop the cycle before it drains though until
you are done).  I left it in there for about a day.  It got rid of most
of the mineral deposits, and I scraped off the rest pretty easily.
Problem 2, there were still stains on things (I was just washing rags
until I got it figured out) and it turned out that the clutch was
leaking oil.  The guy I bought it from put in a new clutch at no charge,
and also replaced the agitator with a newer one that wasn't porous like
the old one was.  It has worked great now for almost a year.

By the way, to check the oil leak thing, pull off the agitator
and check around underneath it for oily slime on the rubber boot
that covers the clutch/motor.  The little old guy who fixed mine said
it happens all the time.

So, to summarize, check 1) mineral deposits and 2) oil leaking from
clutch.  Also, find some little old guy to fix it for cheap rather than
paying inexperienced Sears techs to screw it up more than it was. - Eric
|
/--------------------------/----------------------:
|      Eric T. Meyer      /   u4400@wvnvm.bitnet  |
|                        / u4400@wvnvm.wvnet.edu  |
|-----------------------/-------------------------|
|  Our life is more than our work, and            |
|  our work is more than our job.                 |
|                                 - Charlie King  |
:-------------------------------------------------/
|
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan)
Subject: Re: Killing burglars.
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 18:11:03 GMT


In article <LOWRY.92Aug19174710@rotor.watson.ibm.com> lowry@watson.ibm.com (Andy Lowry) writes:
>In article <1992Aug19.191133.18443@cc.gatech.edu> duggan@cc.gatech.edu (Rick Duggan) writes:
> > In article <1992Aug19.163045.374@informix.com> davek@informix.com (David Kosenko) writes:
> > >I think it would be sad for someone to spend time in prison for kiiling
> > >a theif.
> > 
> > I agree with the discussion about not depriving a ``thief'' of
> > his (or her) rights to a fair trial.  However, the main point is that at
> > 2:00 in the morning, I know nothing about the motive of the invader
> > in my home.  It is merely prudent to worst-case the scenario and
> > assume you (and/or your family) are going to be harmed.  Yes, 
> > it would be sad to kill a thief (and if I *knew* he were only 
> > going to take my TV, I wouldn't shoot to kill).  But the point is 
> > that I don't *know* that.
>
>Gee, you might better blast away at that person who's running toward
>you down the dark sidewalk at 2:30am.  Heck, you don't *know* that
>he's not about to knock you out and take your money.

There's a BIG difference between someone stumbling around in my home at
2:30 a.m. and someone stumbling out on the street at 2:30 a.m. One has
the right to be where he is; the other does not.  In the case where the
stumbler has no business being where he is, that tips the balance of
evidence well toward the interpretation that the stumbler is up to no
good.

>You play the odds.  The intruder is not likely to intend you or your
>family harm beyond depriving you of some articles that are probably
>insured anyway.

Sorry, but unlike you I'm not a gambler. I never go to Vegas, I never
play the Lotto, nor do I visit the dog track. Give me the sure thing
anytime.

>They *might* be after more than that, but to assume
>the worst is ridiculous.  At some point you have to weigh the odds and
>the consequences of your various choices of action.

You know, I agree with you 100%. The thief should weigh the odds of his being
shot by me should he break into my home, and decide whether or not those
consequences are something he can live with (pun intended).

>Reasoning by worst-case scenarios is very rarely useful as a guide for
>decision making. [...]
>Generally, if you want to maximize your benefits, think in
>terms of likely scenarios, not worst-case.

I agree again. The worst case is that I'll be sent to jail on
manslaughter charges. It's far more likely that I'll be aquitted with a
ruling of justifiable homicide. Even a non-gambler like myself can see
that the odds favor "shooting to stop."
From: cconell@reed.edu (Carol Conell)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Styrofoam "beams": removal
Date: 18 Aug 92 19:50:19 GMT
Article-I.D.: reed.1992Aug18.195019.20425
Organization: Reed College, Portland, Oregon

We just bought a house where the previous owner had glued fake
beams made of styrofoam to the ceilings.  We want to remove them
and would like tips from anyone who knows how.  Once complication
is that the ceiling underneath is textured.  Thanks in advance, plese
email me and I'll summarize.
-- 
Carol Conell; Sociology; Reed College; Portland, OR 97202 (503) 771-1112
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: markm@wri.com
Subject: Re: Mice
Reply-To: markm@wri.com
Organization: Wolfram Research, Inc.
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 22:24:45 GMT

In article <1992Aug12.130558.15492@linus.mitre.org> ptrei@bistromath.mitre.org  
(Peter Trei) writes:
> In article <1992Aug12.002329.11464@cbnewsj.cb.att.com> ecl@cbnewsj.cb.att.com  
(Evelyn C. Leeper) writes:
> >We seem to have a mouse problem....
> 
> >Does anyone have any ideas as to how to discourage this sort of
> >behavior?
>
> remove it. Not all cats are interested in mice, and those that do
> often "play" with it until it dies, then bring you the body 

My DOG loves to catch mice.  I live two doors down from a cornfield, so the  
little field mice come in every winter.  Aiko (my dog) will hear the scratching  
and just sit and wait for a mouse to pop it's head out.  And that's all she  
wrote!  It's just like a big game for him, and truly hilarious to watch.

--Mark
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Another brick patio question
Reply-To: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 92 23:36:06 GMT

In article <1992Aug13.192353.2426@cbfsb.cb.att.com> dwb@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (david.boyle) writes:
>In article <1992Aug13.152612.11962@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov>, sns@bondi.jpl.nasa.gov (Sam Southard) writes:
>> patio stuff deleted
>> 
>> I plan to make a wall around the base of the tree and put a planter around the
>> tree, but I'm not sure how far from the tree the wall should be.  I know not to
>> change the ground level of the tree, so this planter would probably either be a
>> place to put pots of flowers or I'd construct a planter box which was supported
>> off the ground.
>
>
>How come you can't change the ground level of the tree?
>Is it improper to build a 2-2.5 foot tall planter around a tree and then
>just fill it with dirt?  Was thinking of doing just that around a pine
>(not sure of the variety) tree in my yard.  The tree is currently about
>30 feet tall if that matters.  Thanks.  Dave

It depends on the tree species, and I'm not an expert on which species
get hurt, but many trees need a mat of roots close to the surface. With
these trees, if you pile a lot of dirt on the roots, the roots die, killing
the tree. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | The origin of the English slang term "boffin"
                    | for scientist is not known; however, it has been
George Patterson -  | pointed out that the eggs of the Puffin are perfect
                    | obloids which always return to the same position
                    | if pushed and that this is also true of the ideas
                    | expressed by boffins.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan)
Subject: Re: Telephone Outlets
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 18:11:16 GMT


In article <5942@grus.cs.nps.navy.mil> erickson@taurus.cs.nps.navy.mil (David Erickson) writes:
>In article <DuFqPB1w161w@cdthq.UUCP> gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston) writes:
>
>>> In article 21159@col.hp.com, tvervaek@col.hp.com (Tom Vervaeke) writes:
> 
>>> >We have a cordless phone but do not use it too much. Many of the neighbors
>>> >do have scanner, etc.. and I live privacy. 
> 
>>It doesn't take expensive equipment; it's possible to monitor virtually
>>all home comm appliances (cordless phones, cellular phones, baby monitors,
>>intercoms, etc.) for about $200 spent at Radio Shack. 
>
>Are all cordless phones easy to monitor?

Yes.

>I thought they had built in
>scrambling circuitry, which is set according to a small bank of
>dip switches.

Where'd you get THAT crazy idea?

>We bought a Sony cordless recently, and we were told
>that it has built-in scrambling.

Ah, now I understand where you got that crazy idea. You should know better
than to believe anything a salesdroid tells you. ;-)

>Are you saying that the scrambling
>is easy to defeat with the $200 in equipment, or do your comments apply
>to cordless phones which do not have scrambling built in?

He's saying that the VAST majority of cordless phones do not have
scrambling. NOTE: What your sales droid friend may have told you was
"scrambling" is probably, in reality, a "security code" which does
nothing more than reduce the likelihood that someone else with the same
model phone can come up near your house with their handset and place a
call using your base. It does NOTHING to the sounds transmitted between
base and handset.

You might want to double check your phone's owner's manual to be certain
that it does what the droid told you it did...

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,talk.politics.guns
From: khan@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu (Scott Coleman)
Subject: Re: Burglars and dogs and snakes, oh my!
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 14:38:32 GMT

keith@clodii.Columbia.NCR.COM (Keith Boyd) writes:

>In article <1992Aug7.164531.2686@adobe.com> pngai@adobe.com (Phil Ngai) writes:

>No. First you let him die, then you call the cops and the ambulance.
>When someone breaks in your home, they give up certain rights.

>This will help ease the overloaded legal system and jails and will
>also make the next thug who fancies breaking into your home think twice.

First of all, I support your position. However, I disagree with the last
part of your sentence above: killing one burglar will probably not serve as 
an effective deterrent for future burglars. For one thing, how are other
burglars going to know that a burglar was killed in your house? OK, so it
appeared in the newspapers, but not all burglars read them. It was on the
news, but some might have been out burgling at the time and missed the report.
There's word of mouth, but not every burglar knows every other burglar.
And many burglars these days are on drugs, so they don't CARE that you're
waiting inside with a gun to kill them.

In that situation, I would put a little sign on my doors saying:

"PLEASE STOP! We've already been forced to kill one burglar who entered this
house; please don't force us to kill another." This idea comes from Jack
McLean, the author of "Secrets of a Superthief" which I recently re-read
because an earlier poster reminded me of it. 

>If they have no respect for my rights and property, why should I have
>respect for their life? If a thug knows his chances of being fatally
>wounded during a break-in are very remote, what is going to stop him?
>He already knows that if he is caught, the legal system will protect
>his rights to the hilt at mine and yours expense and his jail time 
>will be light with early parole assured. No matter how long his record
>may be.

Not only that, it gives him a chance to go to the College of Crime, the state
pen, and learn all sorts of new ways to burglarize people. Some burglars 
even look forward to the experience. (No joke!)

--
Scott Coleman                                                    tmkk@uiuc.edu

Free Advice: It is inadvisable to read Bush's lips at an official banquet.
From: gonzalez@bbn.com (Jim Gonzalez)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Painting Douglas Fir Plywood?
Date: 16 Aug 92 02:59:39 GMT
Reply-To: gonzalez@richard.bbn.com.BBN.COM (Jim Gonzalez)
Distribution: usa
NNTP-Posting-Host: bbn.com

I plan to replace the crumbling Masonite currently covering the 
overhang of our house with plywood.  I assumed that douglas fir 
would be more durable than pine, so I ordered two sheets of it.  

Several days later, Family Handyman magazine arrived in the mailbox,
with an article on painting.  They mentioned that douglas fir doesn't
take paint well.  How severe is the problem?  Are there special primers
I might use?  Am I better off using the fir for something else (like
workbench tops) and getting southern pine?

				-Jim.
From: davek@informix.com (David Kosenko)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Help! Washing Machine Spews out Flakes
Date: 19 Aug 92 17:56:41 GMT
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.

In article <1992Aug18.151004.7923@porthos.cc.bellcore.com> patter@dasher.uucp 
(24224-guthrie) writes:
>In article <1992Aug17.233849.11607@gvl.unisys.com> garyp@gvls2.gvl.unisys.com 
(Gary Palangian) writes:
>
>>I beginning to think that Sears really sucks!
>
>What took you so long?
>
>Seriously, Sears is not a manufacturer. They are a retailer. They farm
>out the manufacturing rights to "their" products. Not only is the
>quality suspect (after all, you're dealing with the lowest bidder here),
>but there's no continuity of manufacturer. Just because you got a real
>good Kenmore appliance 10 years ago is no indication of the quality of
>that appliance today. The manufacturer will be different.
>
>Personally, I sometimes buy Craftsman tools like sockets and wrenches
>(not carpentry tools), but I avoid Sears house brands for anything else.


It used to be that Sears had some pretty good quality stuff, say going back
20 years or so.  I currently posses a ~30 year old Craftsman tablesaw
(belongs to my dad, but I'm borrowing it until I gather the resolve to
spring for a Delta contractor's saw) that is still going pretty strong.
Most everyone I talk to who has purchased power tools or appliances from
Sears in the last 10 years or so are less than thrilled with the quality.
A lot break down sooner than one would expect, or they are not as powerful
as the older units they replaced, etc.  I suspect this is in large part
the reason Sears has declined as a market force (when I was a kid, we and
everyone else tromped to Sears on the weekend for almost everything).
Craftsman hand tools seem to be the major exception to this, as they
still seem to be good quality, and have a lifetime guarantee.

Dave
-- 
Disclaimer: These opinions are not those of Informix Software, Inc.
**************************************************************************
The heart and the mind on a parallel course, never the two shall meet.
						-E. Saliers
From: jheath@CERIS.Purdue.EDU (Jim Heath)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Shooting, Poisoning, Cruelty
Date: 13 Aug 92 19:17:14 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Center for Environmental and Regulatory Information Systems, Purdue University

From article <1992Aug13.182847.29185@cbfsb.cb.att.com>, by rajeev@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (rajeev.dolas):
> In article <1992Aug7.164259.23379@Arco.COM> dbsjwb@Edm.arco.com writes:
>>
>>The cruelty and violence suggested and/or advocated in
>>of a number of postings recently re: home intruders, bothersome
>>pets ... is simply astounding. The anger and hatred in our society
>>is out of control.
>>
>>I, for one, am outta here.
>>
>>'click'
>>
>>-- 
>>bielak@Arco.COM             ARCO Exploration and Production Technology
>>james.bielak@Edm.Arco.COM   2300 W. Plano Parkway PRC-D1139A
>>(214) 754-6184              Plano, TX 75075
>>
> 
> 	Yeah! Mind telling that to the jerk who is in YOUR house, trying
> 	to steal all your wordly possessions, and who may not think twice
> 	before killing YOU or your family if you tried to stop him?
> 
> 	Come on folks, it's absolutely absurd that you feel sorry for the
> 	thieves.  Even if they are caught and sentenced all they will do in
> 	the cell is watch that goddamn TV, while you are still bustin your 
> 	ass working trying to earn some honest money? And they will probably 
> 	revert to their old ways after being out of the jail.
> 
> 	Also how do you know that person in your house is a thief in the first 
> 	place? What if the person is a freaked up mass murderer? Will you 
> 	preach non-violence to him before he kills you?
>

Well, I remember a story about an old Quaker gentleman who, on
hearing something go boomp in the night, came down the stairs
with a 10 gauge fowling piece.  He found a young burglar putting
the family silverware in a bag.

The Quaker said, "Friend, I would not harm thee for the world,
but thou are standing where I intend to shoot."

The burglar dropped the bag, dove out a convenient window and
never came back. 
-- 
"Land of song, said the warrior bard,           Jim Heath
Though all the world betrays thee.
One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard, (The Minstrel Boy)
One faithful harp will praise thee."         (Thomas Moore)
From: n9020351@henson.cc.wwu.edu (James Douglas Del-Vecchio)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Shooting, Poisoning, Cruelty
Date: 20 Aug 92 18:33:36 GMT
Article-I.D.: henson.1992Aug20.183336.19004
Organization: Western Washington University

davek@informix.com (David Kosenko) writes:

>(Carl Heinzl) writes:
>>>"A liberal is just a conservative who hasn't been mugged yet"

>(Rich Greenberg) writes:
>>"A conservative is a liberal who has just been mugged."

>A conservative never considers what it would be like if they were on
>the other side (e.g. poor, accused of a crime, unemployed, etc.)...

And a liberal does consider what it would be like if they were on the
other side (e.g. a conservative, employed, an employer, etc), but he
can only see stereotypes and straw-man images so he is wrong.

Jim "see how easy it is to make a straw-man" Del Vecchio

>Dave
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: cox@acae206.gda (Henry Cox; x6410)
Subject: Re: DYI Ceramic Tile -- Questions
Reply-To: cox@cadence.com
Organization: /net/acae206/home/cox/.organization
	<1992Aug13.172339.23648@porthos.cc.bellcore.com>
Date: Wed, 5 Aug 1992 05:06:11 GMT


>>Now the big questions.  First, are we roped into having to use Durock or some 
>>equivalent on top of the underlayment?  I would really like to minimize the 
>>thickness of anything that I have to put under the tile so that the floor 
>>height between the tile and our hardwood is close.

>I put down marble over plywood in a bathroom. I used a compound which Home
>Depot sells which consists of a sort of mortar and an acrylic binder. The
>salesperson said the acrylic was necessary when using it over wood. The
>directions on the acrylic state that it's designed for your sort of job.

>They also state that you need a minimum of either
>  a. A combination of a 5/8" subfloor and 5/8" ply or particle board.
>- or -
>  b. A 1" thick plywood or particle board floor.
>
>You've got the first, so you could use this stuff to glue your tile
>directly down.

The tile folks we talked to (also at Home Depot) explictly said _NOT_
to tile over particle board, as the thinset mortar used to glue down
the tiles will damage the glue holding the particle board together.  I
seem to recall them saying that mastic (tile glue) will do the same
thing.  (didn't pay a lot of attention, as we were using mortar).

Their recommendation to us was:

a) any combination of plywood (or etc. wood) to 1.25" thickness, (at
least 1/4" exterior grade ply on top) or:

b) any combination of ply (or etc.) to 3/4" thickness, with 1/2"
concret board (durock, wonderboard, glas-crete, etc.) on top.

They also said that you should use the acrylic binder on plywood, but
that it was optional (but recommended) on concrete.

One guy said not to put concrete board on the floor, as it will tend
to crush over time.  We ended up going the plywood route - no trouble
as yet.

					Henry
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: walker@eplrx7.es.duPont.com (Scott Walker)
Subject: Deadbolt in steel door
Organization: DuPont Central Research & Development
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 20:38:43 GMT

Hello there,
    We are about to move into a house with a steel front entry door.  I 
would like to add a deadbolt after we move in.  How do I go through the
steel?  Just drill a hole?  With what?  It looks like the edge of the door
is wood, so that shouldn't be a problem.
    Thank you,
          Scott
******************************************************
Scott C. Walker
walkersc@esvax.dnet.dupont.com

+++The few opinions I express are not the opinions of my employer.
"What's settled down?  Settled down is you get married and then you buy a
house.  You can get a wood house, a plaster house or a stucco house.  
Oh, how you can get stucco!"  - David Lee Roth, on Rockline
******************************************************
From: jefftb@hpmwtd.sr.hp.com (Jeff Brown)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Microwaving termites
Date: 12 Aug 92 14:58:21 GMT
Organization: HP Santa Rosa Site (NMD MTA MWTD)


 There is a company in the Bay Area that uses liquid nitrogen to freeze
 them. They claim it works. I think they just squirt it in the walls. 
 I would be concerned what those extremly cold (-137deg c?) would due to 
 stuff like romex insulation. Maybe someone know the name of the company.
 They had an advertisement in the San Fran Comicail.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Killing burglars.
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 03:58:38 GMT

In article <1992Aug14.181611.23008@informix.com> davek@informix.com (David Kosenko) writes:

>if someone breaks a law, it is up to the system to find them guilty.
>Someone breaking into your house *still* has the right to due
>process under the law.  Sure, if they threaten your life, you can
>shoot/whatever them in self defence.  The onus is on *you*, though, to
>be able to prove your life was threatened.  This does not always lead

Sorry, but you can't have it both ways. The onus is still on the system
to prove that he *didn't* attack me. If the system wants to try.

In fact, you seem to be making the mistake a lot of people make. "The
system" is not, and never has been, the only legitimate method for handling
criminals. If an intruder enters my house, it is *my* responsibility to
defend it and myself. If that defense is best served by calling the law,
good; if not, it's still my responsibility to take care of the situation.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    |
George Patterson -  | "Better" is the enemy of "Good enough".
                    |                     Russian proverb.
                    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,talk.politics.guns