HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jdouglas@MITRE.org (Jason Douglas)
Subject: Oil burner upgrade - worth it?
Organization: The MITRE Corporation
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 17:19:29 GMT


My burner serviceman says that replacement of my old burner with a new 
unit could reduce oil consumption by as much as a third.  Whether this is 
reasonable or not is difficult to say because of the way oil burner 
efficiency is measured.  The "efficiency" rating derived from measuring 
stack temperature, CO, etc. measures only the efficiency of combustion.   
(For example, if the oil has a specific heat of 140 000 btu/gal, a 
combustion efficiency of 50% means that 70 000 btu/hr was delivered by the 
burner to the combustion chamber).   

The efficiency of the combustion chamber and boiler (or furnace)  in 
transfering this heat to the water (or air) that heats your house is 
another matter (and is the issue here).

Anyway, the burner mechanic said that although the new burner's efficiency 
was around 82+ % and the old 77%, the overall efficiency would be improved 
more because the new burner's more "concentrated" flame would result in 
better heat transfer and higher over all efficiency.  Is this reasonable ? 
 Has anyone out there experience in this area ?

Thanks.


Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com (patterson,george r)
Subject: Re: putting down a ceramic tile floor in kitchen
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 92 23:44:11 GMT

In article <9211121828.AA04551@annapurna.wbst147.xerox.com> leisner@eso.mc.xerox.com (Marty Leisner) writes:
>
>My folks are going to put down a floor in the kitch.
>
>When they wanted to put down ceramic tile, they were told they needs a 2
>inch bed (of concrete?).
>This doesn't sound right...I have a ceramic floor in my house with a 2
>inch buildup...

You don't say what the existing floor is (or if there is one).

I laid marble squares over plywood, using a mastic/acrylic mix sold by
Home Depot. This is intended for ceramic or stone installations. The
instructions on the side state that you need a 1" thick plywood or
resin board floor under it (1.5" if the wood is in two layers). They
expressly warn against applying tile over any sort of tongue and groove
flooring.

If you're pouring concrete over dirt, two inches is too thin.

If you have a wood floor, glue and screw down a layer of plywood or
resin board to the required thickness - don't pour concrete.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | Always acknowledge a fault frankly. This will
George Patterson -  | throw those in authority off their guard and give
                    | you the opportunity to commit more.
                    |                        Samuel Clemens
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: mja@philabs.philips.com (Michael Amato)
Subject: Re: Indoor/Outdoor transition wiring question
Originator: mja@hercules
Reply-To: mja@philabs.philips.com (Michael Amato)
Organization: Philips Laboratories, Briarcliff, NY 10510
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 21:30:22 GMT


In article <1992Nov10.155712.11666@porthos.cc.bellcore.com>, patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com (patterson,george r) writes:
|> In article <BxGx4L.GEG.1@cs.cmu.edu> moody@cs.cmu.edu writes:
|> >
|> >will be GFCI protected.  My question is what is the appropriate way to
|> >run the wire to the box?  Should I use conduit, or just use an exterior
|> >-grade romex with clamps as needed?  How does the romex passing into the
|> >box maintain a weather-tight seal?
|> 
|> I'd use thin wall conduit, mainly for appearance. Exterior romex is legal,

Can you make a watertight seal to the box with thin wall conduit?  His location
for running the ex. romex is pretty safe, but why not just run a piece of ridgid
from the box up through the ceiling? This would certainly be the most rugged
solution. The pipe could be bought pre cut to length and threaded.

|> and you should use it if you like the appearance better than conduit.
|> If you want a weather-tight seal, bring the romex down past the box, hang
|> a U, and bring the wire into the bottom of the box.

Use a water tight romex compression fitting available at electrical
supply stores and some hardware stores.

|> 
|> >More importantly, what is a good method to bring the wire out through
|> >the ceiling?  Just run it out of a notch in the cedar and caulk around
|> >it, or must I install a box (yuck)?
|> 
|> Cutting a notch (or drilling a neat hole) in the ceiling will work fine.
|> Practically, you only need a junction box to contain points at which
|> you've spliced wires (that's why they call it a "junction" box).
|> 
|> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
|>                     | If it were not possible to allow a little energetic
|> George Patterson -  | discussion between opposing factions, there would
|>                     | be no market for tire irons or band-aids.
|>                     |                             Sam Venable
|> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
-- 
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Michael Amato  DoD#0639 | "If pro is the opposite of con,       |
| mja@philabs.philips.com | then what is Congress"? - Will Rogers |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com (patterson,george r)
Subject: Re: GFCI question
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 92 21:27:50 GMT

In article <MICHAEL.92Nov11112444@sunbeam.ksc.nasa.gov> michael@sunbeam.ksc.nasa.gov (Michael D. Myjak x7-3286) writes:

>Now, on to pick a nit: a GFCI in a circuit will protect *all* outlets
>on that circuit. In other words, a GFCI can go anywhere in the circuit
>and will provide protection to all devices in that circuit. Thats
>because the GFI is sensing a current difference between the hot and
>neutral...  which there shouldn't be unless current is being grounded
>somewhere elsein the circuit. Typically, GFCI circuit breakers are set
>to trip at .005 amps.

The Levitron GFCIs I installed in my house won't do this. The original
poster is correct. Most GFCIs protect only the outlets which are
electrically "downstream".

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | 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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: burd@pilot.njin.net (Barry Burd)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Cellulose vs Fiberglass insulation
Keywords: insulation
Date: 10 Nov 92 19:57:41 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.


PLEASE MAIL REPLIES DIRECTLY TO bburd@tarzan.drew.edu
I'll post a summary to misc.consumers.house

My house is old and uninsulated.  One contractor says that the
fire-resistance of cellulose insulation wears off after several
years and this causes a fire hazard.  Another contractor says
blown-in fiberglass is as dangerous to the lungs as asbestos
and that the lack of a moisture barrier is a serious problem
with blown-in fiberglass.  Who's right?

P.S. If there's a FAQ file that deals with this, please let me know.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Toilet leak...
From: michael@sunbeam.ksc.nasa.gov (Michael D. Myjak x7-3286)
Date: 12 Nov 92 08:54:09
Organization: NASA, Kennedy Space Center, FL.
In-reply-to: hmoss@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com's message of Wed, 11 Nov 1992 17:00:16 GMTLines: 22


     I have a toilet that leaks CLEAN water onto the floor after flushing.
     The water collects in front and definitely is clean so I assume there
     is a crack in the toilet along the path the water takes going from
     the tank to the bowl. Is this repairable? Is there a simple sealer
     that can stop the leak?

There is a gasket between the tank and the bottom unit. The gasket can
easily and cheaply be replaced. You will however, need to drain and
remove the tank first. When reassembling, be sure to tighten all three
bolts evenly so that the gasket has a uniform pressure applied to it.



--
- Michael D. Myjak			
  Senior Technical Specialist, Systems Analyst
  McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Company
  Kennedy Space Center, Fl., 32815
  MYJAK@TITAN.KSC.NASA.GOV

Gravity. It's not just a good idea. Its the LAW!
From: faunt@dustbin.cisco.com (Doug Faunt N6TQS 415-688-8269)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Gas logs in your fireplace
Date: 6 Nov 92 19:35:44 GMT
Organization: cisco Systems, Menlo Park, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: dustbin.cisco.com
In-reply-to: dougl@mail.boi.hp.com's message of Wed, 4 Nov 1992 15:16:46 GMT

A question I've had for a while:
Why are gas pipes requires to be black iron?  Why not galvanized?
From: connie@sw.stratus.com (Connie Lopes)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Humidity in Bathroom
Date: 10 Nov 92 13:52:05 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc.
NNTP-Posting-Host: saigon.sqa.stratus.com


In article <1992Nov9.202944.21162@dsd.es.com>, apetty@dsd.es.com (Annie Petty) writes:
> In article <720851425snx@uumike.UUCP>, mikey@uumike.UUCP (Mike Couture) writes:
> > I am having humidity problems in my bathroom.  I have a fan but we still
> > have alot of humid air that is creating mildew on the ceiling.  Is there
> > any paint or 'stuff' I can use to stop this mildew?
> > 
> > 
> 
> 	I installed a tongue in groove cedar ceiling in
> 	my bath over the existing ceiling.  That was 7 years
> 	ago and it still looks great.  
> 
> 	Annie


	Can you post more info on this? Does the cedar keep its aroma?
	Does the moisture cause it to fade, or do you stain it? I've
	just installed a fan in my bath because of mildew on the cieling
	and I'm ready to clean and repaint the cieling. I bought an
	additive to put in the paint that prevents mold and mildew from
	growing on the paint. Most paint stores have it and I heard it
	works.

	Connie
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: kan@bugs-bunny.rtp.dg.com (Victor Kan)
Subject: Re: Installing garage door openers
Date: 11 Nov 92 16:31:31
Distribution: world,local
Reply-To: kan@dg-rtp.dg.com
Organization: Program Development Environments, Data General Corp., RTP, NC

>>>>> On 10 Nov 92 14:22:51 EST, Chad Miller <chad@lilly.com> said:

Chad> I'm trying (emphasize trying) to install a Genie 9550 1/2 hp
Chad> garage door opener.  I got to the part about mounting it at
Chad> least 2 1/2 inches higher than the top of the tracks the door
Chad> rolls on.  The spring for the door is about 2 1/2 inches higher
Chad> than the track and then there is about a 1/2 inch between the
Chad> top of the spring and the ceiling.  So, no room for the mounting
Chad> bracket or the screw housing.

Man, and I thought I had a hard time because my ceiling was too high
(requiring about 3' of steel railing for the mount)!

Chad> The manual explicitly says to place the thing at least 2 1/2
Chad> inches above the tracks.  What can I do?

As somone suggested, call Genie.

The only thing I can think of is to lower the tracks to your door
(assuming that's possible) and lower the roller on the top segment of
your door to give you some room for mounting the opener's track.  That
would probably leave the top segment of the door loose, so maybe some
brace could be attached to the now-lower roller.  I guess you'd have
about 6" to 1' to work with in moving the roller down.

--
| Victor Kan               | Internet: kan@dg-rtp.dg.com            |  ***
| Data General Corporation | Usenet:   ...!mcnc!rti!dg-rtp!kan      | ****
| 62 T.W. Alexander Drive  | Them: "It was delivered to Georgia."   | **** %%%%
| RTP, NC  27709           | Me:   "But the label said Arizona!"    |  *** %%%
From: bsmith@stake.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (ROBERT SMITH)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Cleaning Fireplace Insert
Date: 6 Nov 92 13:34:53 GMT
Reply-To: bsmith@stake.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (ROBERT SMITH)
Distribution: na
Organization: Stakeholder Relations, NCR Corp in Dayton,OH

Well the cold weather is here in Ohio, and this thread about cleaning
fireplaces reminded me to check the fireplace in the house we bought last
spring.  Actually, there is an insert in the fireplace -- Aurora brand -- that
looks like a wooden stove.  It has hollow, C-shaped tubes that recirculate hot
air back into the rec room.

Anyway, I had forgotten how dirty the fireplace was.  More than just ashes, it
has a lot of black soot on the inside.  Any suggestions on how to clean this? 
In particular, the glass door is so dirty that you can't see inside the
fireplace.  I'd like to be able to see the fire when we have one!  Thanks.
-- 
Bob Smith
E-mail => Robert.D.Smith@daytonoh.ncr.com
Organization: Computing Technology Services, Michigan Technological Univ.
Date: Thursday, 12 Nov 1992 16:48:49 EST
From: <JCLEWIN@MTUS5.BITNET>
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Propane vs. coals vs. electric BBQs
Distribution: usa

In article <27380@dog.ee.lbl.gov>, gelman@wallabee.lbl.gov (Frida Gelman) says:
>
>        Dear fellow netters!
>
>I hope this is the right group. We have a 4 year old BBQ which we use
>a great deal (about 2 times/ week average) however its a real pain to
>start coal every time, not to mention the extra time it takes for the
>coals to reach desired temperature. The BBQ is on the deck which
>also has running watter and a number of electrical outlets (even
>one 220 V). Question: how well do propane or electrical BBQs work?
>Do you get the same/similar flavor, consistency as with coal? What
>about cost efficiency (I assume propane will be the cheapest?)?
>What are the good brands/models and what should I try to avoid given
>your experience? Could the BBQ model you recomend be left outside
>during the mild winter we have here (Northern CA).
>
.... I assume you mean CHARcoal??

I have a propane grill... Works great.  Turn it on, push an electric start
button (just a sparker) and I'm off and running.  My mom had an electric grill
and HATED it.  She once tried to cook a small turkey - several hours latter it
had barely started to cook.  She dumped it and bought a propane grill.  With
that in mind, I bought one my self.  It has two burners for lots of variability
and a side burner for boiling water, using my wok, etc.  As for leaving it outs
ide, my friend just covers his with a grill cover.  I have mine in a garage and
have been known to grill brats on a January day.  MMMmmmm....   Check out your
local hardware and discount stores for sizes, prices, and options.  (BTW, I
got mine from Kmart, they wanted 30 bucks to put it together, it took me and my
girlfriend about 6 hours to put the bloody thing together, so the extra
price may be worth it to you.

Jeff Lewin, Houghton, MI.  And the snow begins, and snows, and snows....

JCLEWIN.MTUS5.BITNET
>  ____
>  l  l      __
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: jdouglas@MITRE.org (Jason Douglas)
Subject: Re: Propane vs. coals vs. electric BBQs
Organization: The MITRE Corporation
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 16:51:53 GMT

In article <92317.164849JCLEWIN@MTUS5.BITNET> <JCLEWIN@MTUS5.BITNET> 
writes:
>  Question: how well do propane or electrical BBQs work?
> >Do you get the same/similar flavor, consistency as with coal? What
> >about cost efficiency (I assume propane will be the cheapest?)?
> >What are the good brands/models and what should I try to avoid given
> >your experience?

I have an older Weber charcoal kettle grill and a Thermos brand LP grill.  Food cooked on the Weber generally tastes better, although there are a few 
tricks one can use with the gas grill (I've used a *couple* of charcoal 
briquets (not recommended by manuf.).  Wet hickory would also work well.  
The other trick is marinate).  Despite the generally superior result with 
the Weber, we use the gas grill for all but special occasions.  It heats 
faster, is easier to control, and is certainly cleaner and more reliable.  I suspect the propane is somewhat cheaper to operate too.

The bottom line is, get the gas grill but keep your charcoal one too.

As for brands, the Thermos rated second only to the Weber gas grills.  The Thermos is also partially assembled -- mine went together in under an hour. A 
decent thermos grill is around $200, while the Weber is over $400.


Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: anthony@lpi.liant.com (Anthony Beissner)
Subject: Re: cleaning up fire place
Organization: Liant Software Corp.,  Austin TX
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 15:50:03 GMT

In article <1992Nov3.150524.5430@mcc.com> breland@bedrock.mcc.com (Mark Breland) writes:
>In article <1992Nov3.045242.21413@porthos.cc.bellcore.com> patter@dasher.uucp (24224-patterson) writes:
>>In article <Bx3uB8.MJ0@news.cso.uiuc.edu> acheng@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Albert Cheng) writes:
>>>
>>>Some of you must have done this.  How do I remove the ashes in the fire
>>>place after the wood has burned?  Sweeping would make a big mess (I
>>
>>ashes. The technique my family used was to shovel all the ashes into a
>>grocery bag and immediately trash can the bag.
>>
>>Oh - almost forgot - do this the day *after* you have the fire. You'd
>>be surprised how long some of those coals can stay live!
>>
>>patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com
>
>DO NOT PUT ANY ASHES DIRECTLY FROM A FIREPLACE INTO A FLAMMABLE CONTAINER!...Not even
>the day *after* the fire, if you used very hard wood and lots of it those coals could
>last for days.  Buy a 2 gallon *metal* bucket (preferably galvanized), shovel the ashes
>into it, set it outside to cool a few days, *then* bag it and toss it.  Unless you're
>really into clean, you probably won't need to vacuum the fireplace until next spring.
>That's a good idea, tho', to neaten things up during the warm months.  :)
>
>
>Mark A. Breland
>breland@mcc.com  "...speaking only for myself, no others and vice versa etc..."

There are even buckets made for this purpose.  I have one that has a lid and
has insulation in the bottom.  I beleive the manufacturer is Cricket.
-- 
===============================================================================
Just say no to .signature files.        |             anthony@rmc.liant.com
===============================================================================
From: adb@herboid.uucp (Anthony DeBoer)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Central Vacuum Systems
Date: 6 Nov 92 02:32:55 GMT
Organization: Linda's Dragon Memorial Society

egreen@east.sun.com writes:
>In article 17169@borg.cs.unc.edu, jge@ceti.cs.unc.edu (John Eyles) writes:
>>
>>>note: HP Vacu-Flo is *not* related to Hewlett-Packard
>>
>>But they seem to have the same sort of commitment to quality.
>
>An observation on how they both suck would be inappropriate here, so I
>won't make it.
>
>:^)

No, no, no, no, no.  The appropriate, authentic marketing slogan in this
regard is "Nothing Sucks Like a VAX", as reported seen in advertising in
the UK, where it's a brand of vacuum cleaner (as well as being a computer).

Now if only somebody with a scanner could snag a copy of the advert and
post it to alt.binaries.pictures.misc...
-- 
Anthony DeBoer                       | Why watch TV, when Netnews provides
adb@herboid.uucp | adb@geac.com      | 100% of your daily requirement for
uunet!geac!herboid!adb               | trivia and meaningless entertainment?
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Subject: Re: Recomendation for an upright freezer
Organization: INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation, Naperville, IL
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 19:34:09 GMT

In article <BxK89n.M67@constellation.ecn.uoknor.edu> richman@reepicheep.gcn.uoknor.edu (Mike Richman) writes:
>We are looking for an extra freezer, an upright (non-chest) unit which
>had automatic defrost.  Any suggestions for which brands to consider,
>and which to avoid?  Features worth paying extra for?  Thanks.

Avoid freezers with automatic defrost.  Seriously.  That defeats the
whole point of having a deep freeze, namely storing food at low temperatures.
Typical recommendations are to keep the freezer at 0F.  Because of the
way they are set up, defrosting a deep freeze requires warming all the
contents up (the cooling coils are built into the shelves, and they are
what frosts up first).  Your best bet is to just plan on letting the
freezer become relatively empty once a year, pack the contents into
insulated chests with ice, and defrost manually.  Aside from being
cheaper, a manual defrost freezer is also much simpler - i.e., less
things to go wrong.

For items you need (more or less) constant access to, keep them in
the fridge/freezer.  Plan on limited access to the deep freeze - the
less the door is open, the less humidity (and heat) get inside, and
you won't have to defrost very often.  We went 18 months without needing
to defrost ours; after a recent food delivery, the delivery man packed
the freezer such that the door didn't fully close along the bottom.
The slight crack in the door seal had the coils frosted up within 2 days.
(Since we weren't about to defrost in the summer with $600 in frozen foods,
we just waited it out.  The compressor ran extra duty for a couple of weeks,
but eventually much of the frost sublimed, and it's now mostly normal.
First hard freeze, and all the meat's going on the back porch for a few
hours, though!)

-- 
Jonathan E. Quist                              INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation
jeq@i88.isc.com  '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep", DoD #094        Naperville, IL
        There are many things a person should experience in a lifetime.
       Among them are an infant's first cry, and an infant's first laugh.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: jonesey@crystal.uswest.com ( Doug Jones)
Subject: escrow accounts
Originator: jonesey@crystal
Organization: U S WEST Advanced Technologies
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 22:25:46 GMT

i am currently in the process of applying for a mortgage, for which i am
making a 30% downpayment, and do not want an escrow account.

during the first round of talks with the mortgage banker, i was told
that the lender (i think chemical bank) requires escrow accounts because
it is then easier for them to turn around and sell the mortgage on the
open market.

question is, how hard and fast is this rule about a 20 % downpayment
and no escrow account?  i can always go back to the banker and pound
on the table, but does the banker need to give in?  or should i be in
the market for another lender?

doug jones

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house