HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: dipace@bu.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Another meter question
Date: 23 Jul 92 19:07:38 GMT

In article <1992Jul22.151613.26671@informix.com> davek@informix.com (David
Kosenko) writes:
>Is there a limit (according to NEC) to the distance between the electic
>meter and the main breaker?
>
>I'm upgrading my service, and the elec. co. sited my meter at a spot that
>is a bit further away from the breaker box than ideal.  I'm rather constrained
>as to the location of the box.  Bringing the main line through the wall
>directly below the meter site puts it about 20 feet away from the box.  Is
>it allowed to run the line (either outside or inside, in counduit) that far
>before connecting to the main breaker?  Or would I be better off putting
>a main breaker box right at the entrance point, then running to the "real"
>box from there?  This is a 200amp service, by the way.
>
>Thanks for any advice.
>
>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
>
I had my service moved to the other end of the house(30 ft.), but left the
breaker panel where it was inside the house. I had to convince the electrician
that is was ok as long as an outside main breaker was added next to the meter.
He checked with the building inspector and Boston Edison and ended up doing as
I had said. The only surprise I had was that she took out the main breaker that
was originally on the breaker panel itself. I didn't think that was neccesary
but I guess it makes sense.

The 'new' main breaker is in the same box with the meter next to it. There is a
cover over it that can be locked. Note that access and locking are independant
of the meter itself.

I now have to go outside the house to kill the main breaker but I can work in
the breaker box with it 'completely' dead. Oh, I also lock the main breaker
when I have it off... just in case someone should decide it should be on!

Frank
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: ac@vlsi.ll.mit.edu (Andrew V. Curtis)
Subject: ADVICE WANTED:  Changing house outlets from 2 to 3 prongs
Organization: MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington MA
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 18:54:59 GMT



        I just bought a 45 year old house that is in outstanding condition
with one exception: it is equipped with only two-prong outlets throughout
the house.  So if possible I would like so ideas/advice about what I would 
need to do to convert the house to three-prong outlets.  I don't know if 
the third wire is already running through the house or not.  If you have 
any idea as to procedure/materials/cost/advice for the above I would greatly
appreciate it.

 Thank you in advance,
        Andy Curtis
From: theobald@ucunix.san.uc.edu (Allen M. Theobald)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Bathroom Trouble...
Date: 22 Jul 92 22:34:47 GMT
Article-I.D.: ucunix.1992Jul22.223447.23983
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Cincinnati


Hello,

I have a home fix-up question and solution i'd like to have comments
on.  My bathroom tile is pulling away from the dry wall in one big
slab.  The solution to fixing I outlined below.  Is there anything
i'm missing?


	1.  Use a strong utility knife to cut through the
	    grouting around the tile.

	2.  If necessary, use a putty knife to pry tile 
	    away from wall.

	3.  Soak tiles in water.  Make tile back as clean as
	    possible.

	4.  While #3 in process, check wall for water damage
	    and damage from tile removal.  If part of dry wall
	    came away with tile, spackle and paint to seal.
	    Let dry sufficiently.

	5.  Re-cement tiles.  May need two days to dry.

	6.  Re-grout tiles.  May take another two days to dry.

	7.  Seal with water sealer.


Some questions I have:

	1.  What if no dry-wall comes off with the tile, but
	    there is water damage?    	    

	2.  Should I paint the dry-wall underneath regardless
	    of what I find?

	3.  After soaking, how should I go about cleaning
	    adhesive and grout off the tile?

	4.  If there is damage underneath the tile how much
	    damage has to be done before I need to replace
    	    the dry wall?


I appreciate any and all comments.  You can e-mail me directly or post 
here.  I check both daily.



                                        Thanks in advance!

                                        Allen Theobald
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,misc.legal
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Burglars and dogs and snakes, oh my!
Reply-To: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 92 22:57:37 GMT

In article <MACRAKIS.92Jul30172324@next4.osf.org> macrakis@osf.org (Stavros Macrakis) writes:

>You apparently value your precious property rights more than human
>life.  No civilized state or country imposes capital punishment for
>burglary, yet you arrogate the right to yourself.

Actually, no, but I do regard my property rights as more important than
an animal's rights. And I do regard burglars as animals. They're certainly
sub-human.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    |
George Patterson -  | Americans are crazy. They drive on parkways
                    | and park in driveways.
                    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: jeff@claw.clearpoint.com (Jeffrey J. Griglack)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: need special glass
Date: 30 Jul 92 15:20:07 GMT
	<l7dkm8INNnk1@jethro.Corp.Sun.COM>
Reply-To: jeff@fang.clearpoint.com
Organization: /home/jeff/.organization


The spot on This Old House was showing an experimental house in
Pittsfield, Mass.  You could try contacting the house.  I think that
it was a jointly sponsored project by Mass. Electric (Westboro, MA)
and GE, but I am not sure.  I would be interested to find out what the
results of your search are.
--

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Jeff Griglack             |"Hey, you talking to me or are you just practicing|
|jeff@claw.clearpoint.com  | for one of those performances you do?"           |
|jeff@fang.clearpoint.com  |                          -- Lori Anderson        |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: hmoss@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com (Howard Moss)
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 23:51:49 GMT
Subject: Re: Humming Water Pipe
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Santa Rosa, CA
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house

just a thought... does the humming coincide with another major appliance
being turned on like a refrigerator? Any other sources of humming in the
house that might set up sympathetic vibrations?
From: naiming@eng.umd.edu (Naiming Shen)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: How to get rid of weeds when the grass is young?
Date: 24 Jul 92 20:05:54 GMT
Organization: Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland


My grass was seeded last month. Now the grass is little and in some area
there is no grass at all. But the weeds grow very fast. Some of them already
one foot long. I was told it was not good to use those 'weeds killer' since
the grass is young. Is there a good way to get rid of them besides pulling 
them out one by one? Thanks in advance.

Naiming,
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,misc.invest.real-estate
From: harrism@aquila.rtp.dg.com (Mike Harris)
Subject: Re: building a house
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 92 18:34:00 GMT
Distribution: usa
Reply-To: harrism@dg-rtp.dg.com
Organization: Data General Corp., Research Triangle Park, NC

In article <Bs5IqH.1GJ@hsi.com>, waligora@hsi.com (Robert Waligora) writes:
|> In article <1992Jul27.201412.28828@rtsg.mot.com> mehrpuya@rtsg.mot.com (Djamschid Mehrpuyan) writes:
|> >  <stuff deleted>
|> >  Here is what I know sofar:
|> >
|> >     1.  Buy some land
|> >     2.  Hire an architect who will design the house of your dreams
|> >     3.  Hire contractors (building contractors, electrician, etc)
|> 
|> If you plan to be the contractor, and hire all of the sub contractors
|> yourself, you will probably pay more. A contractor who works with the
|> same subcontractors gets a substantial discount, and better service
|> (since they know that if they screw up they will not get the next job).
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    Read as since they know how much they can get away with :=)

|> You won't be building another house next month, so you will be low on
|> the list of priorities for the people you hire.
|> 
|> Not only will you pay more for the subcontractors you hire, but you will
|> pay retail for lumber, cabinets, floor tiles, carpets, lights, sinks,
|> fridge, stove and anything else you can think of.

	Not necessarily. If you're willing to buy most of your supplies
	from a few dealers then you can get the break. Just tell them
	you're subbing the work yourself and you want the contractors
	discount. Most people just don't bother asking. If they balk make 
	sure they know you'll go elsewhere.

	(Note that this might not work in bendover states such as Jersey)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: jschafer@purch.Columbia.NCR.COM ()
Subject: need special glass
Originator: jschafer@purch
Organization: NCR Corp, E&M-Columbia, Columbia, SC
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 92 20:17:52 GMT



     Does anyone know of a glass manufacturer that sells a type of
     glass  which changes from clear to opaque when 110v power  is
     applied to it?  I know it exists.

     A company called Taliq, a subsidiary of Raychem, used to mar-
     ket   glass   called   "Varilite"   (sp?)   which   has    an
     electro-chromic LCD film sandwiched between layers of  glass. 
     It is wired to an ordinary 110v switched circuit.   When  you
     flip  the  switch,  it changes.  This product  is  no  longer
     available from Taliq.  

     Please  note....several companies supply photo-chromic  glass
     which  gets darker when exposed to light (commonly  available
     in eyeglasses).  This won't work in my situation.

     I  have  contacted every commercial  glass  representative  I
     could find with no luck.   Some companies,  such as PPG,  are
     trying to release such a product but it will not be available
     in the next 12 months.

     Any information would be appreciated.


     John Schafer         e-mail: jschafer@purch.Columbia.NCR.COM
     NCR Corporation       phone: 803-791-6833
     West Columbia SC        FAX:         6588

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Cleaning old water lines
Reply-To: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 92 14:53:16 GMT

In article <zwlmy-p@lynx.unm.edu> pkrause@triton.unm.edu (Paul Krause CIRT) writes:
>I own a house built in the late 50's with iron pipe and built over a 
>slab.  (typical for much of albuquerque).  I am beginning to get significant
>pressure loss inside the house.  When the front sprinklers run there is
>little pressure at the kitchen sink for example.  Any suggestions for 
>dealing with this short of digging under the house and replacing all the 
>pipe.  I guess I am hoping for something like Roto-rooter for water
>lines.

My parents had the same problem with their house in East Tennessee. The
water in the area is quite hard, so their pipes crudded up faster than
yours. The house went up in 1963 and by 1980 you dreaded taking a shower
if anybody else was in the house. In the mid 80s, the water heater died
and we had occasion to get a look at the inside of the piping. The iron
pipe coming up through the floor was so blocked with crud that you
couldn't slide a pencil in it, but the final connection was with 1/2"
copper. That was clean as a whistle.

Well, my father was the type to explore *every* alternative, and he hunted
long and hard for someone who could do what you're suggesting. He wound
up replacing the plumbing with new copper.

I wish you luck, but I think you'll have to bite the bullet.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | I had been told that the best defense is a good
George Patterson -  | offense, so I made up my mind early in life to
                    | become as offensive as possible.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: phil@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Phil Stone)
Subject: Drain vents might be clogged
Organization: NASA Ames Res. Ctr, Calif.
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 19:56:07 GMT

I suspect that the drain vent(s) in my house might be clogged
in some way.  All the sinks drain slowly, and after toilet flushes
or during prolonged draining (showers, etc.), a "snuffling" sound
can be heard from somewhere in the house.

How can I confirm this, and if the vents are clogged, how can
they be cleaned out?


Phil Stone		(phil@eos.arc.nasa.gov | ...ames!eos!phil)

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: jadams@vixen.uucp (26070-adams)
Subject: Re: To close or not to close on a new house with a leak!
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 92 14:45:06 GMT
Summary: You're in the driver's seat

In article <36494@uflorida.cis.ufl.edu>, mariou@astro.astro.ufl.edu (STG colleague) writes:
> Our new dream house is just about ready.  I say just about
> because there are many small details (or big details depending
> on the way one looks at them ..) to be ironed out.
> 
> (Lotsa stuff deleted)
> 
> Would you people out there close on the house (we had this house
> built hiring an architect etc.)?  My common sense tells me no
> 
	I'd go with your common sense.  Once you close, you basically
	throw in the towel.  We (See attic HVAC thread) got our new house
	built right only by delaying the closing until *I* was satisfied
	that *all* punch list items were corrected.  This took many walk
	throughs and delayed occupancy about 2 months, but it was well
	worth it.  It helps to have a savvy real estate lawyer on your
	side who will "hastle" the builder on your behalf.  The down side to 
	these tactics is that you must have "somewhere" to live in the 
	meantime *AND* you are not playing school year roulette with your 
	children!
>
From: jhp@sactoh0.sac.ca.us (Jim H. Puga)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Questions on remodeling ideas.
Date: 31 Jul 92 15:06:21 GMT
Reply-To: jhp@sactoh0.SAC.CA.US (Jim H. Puga)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Sacramento Public Access Unix, Sacramento, Ca.

I'm going to be doing some major remodeling to a house and have some
questions which I hope some people can help me with.  Below are the
questions.  Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

I want to upgrade the electrical panel to about 150 or 200 amps.
Does this present a problem for a DYI or should I leave this to an
electrician?

Can the sheetrock on the ceiling be butted against each other or should
the panels be zig-zagged(I know there's a word for this but it escapes
me at the moment)?

I would like to replace the windows but am not sure how I can do it
without destroying the outer walls.  Is there a way to replace the
windows and leave the outer walls intact?

I plan on installing speakers in almost every room, embedded in the
walls(for now, some will just have the wires).  It appears the best place
for the speakers are the exterior walls.  My main concern is that when
I have the speakers going, can the neighbors hear what I am playing or
is there a way to prevent the sound from getting through to the outside?
Will the sound get through at all? Is regular speaker wire ok or should
I use something better?

I've been told to put twisted pair wire into the walls in case I ever
need it.  What would I need this for?

What kind of wire would be run if I wanted to hook up a computer in one
room to a machine in another(I would think serial but what type)?
What can be done running wire like this?  I would like to get some ideas.


That's about all I can think of for now.  Thanks again for the help.



-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------
- jhp@sactoh0.SAC.CA.US    What else can I say?             -
-------------------------------------------------------------
From: plumpe@oasys.dt.navy.mil (David Plumpe)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Mildew on bathroom walls
Date: 21 Jul 92 18:19:00 GMT
Reply-To: plumpe@oasys.dt.navy.mil (David Plumpe)
Organization: Carderock Division, NSWC, Bethesda, MD

In misc.consumers.house, gabe@angus.mi.org (B. Gabriel Helou) writes:
>hmoss@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com (Howard Moss) writes:
>
>> I've had good luck with K-14 (or something like that). It completely got
>> rid of the mildew.
>
>X-14.  It comes in two flavors:  one for removing mildew and another for
>removing soap film/encrustations/scum.  We just moved out of a place
>last weekend and used both X-14 products to great effect.
>
    X-14 does work great for removing mildew from bathroom walls.  It
has a strong chlorine odor, so when I ran out I noted that the first
ingredient listed on the box was sodium hypochlorite - the same as the
active ingredient listed on a bottle of Clorox bleach.  Now I refill
the X-14 bottle with Clorox and water, about 1:2.  That works just as
well as X-14 mildew remover!

DaveP
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: mmeyer@m2.dseg.ti.com (Mark Meyer)
Subject: Re: How do I get rid of Box Elder Beatles?
Organization: Texas Instruments Inc. - Plano TX
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 17:11:57 GMT

In article <JEFF.92Jul20142824@claw.clearpoint.com> jeff@claw.clearpoint.com (Jeffrey J. Griglack) writes:
> For the past two years my neighbors and I have been having problems
> with Box Elder Beatles (also called Strawberry Beatles).

	That damn music has been keeping them up all night. :-)

-- 
Mark Meyer                                               | mmeyer@dseg.ti.com |
Texas Instruments, Inc.                                  +--------------------+
Every day, Jerry Junkins is grateful that I don't speak for TI.
                                       The more you know, the less you believe.
From: peterson@CS.ColoState.EDU (james peterson)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: First time home buyer tax credit?
Keywords: alive again?
Date: 30 Jul 92 16:20:07 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Colorado State University, Computer Science Department

In article <l7g00kINNn77@yoakum.cs.utexas.edu> cmkuo@cs.utexas.edu (Chin-Ming Kuo) writes:
>From today's paper, the finance committee passed the tax package which
>includes, among others, the $2,500 tax credit for first time home
>buyer.
>So is it alive again? Why is it $2,500 instead of the proposed $5,000?
>
>

I read the same thing.  It was added that the president intended to sign
the bill. If true, does anyone know the details?  Will it be retroactive?

james sends

-- 
james lee peterson				peterson@CS.ColoState.edu
dept. of computer science                       
colorado state university		"Some ignorance is invincible."
ft. collins, colorado  (voice:303/491-7137; fax:303/491-6639)
Xref: sparky misc.consumers.house:10111 sci.energy:3823
From: rhoward@matd.gatech.edu (Robert L. Howard)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,sci.energy
Subject: Re: Spraying water on AC coils (was Ground source heat pump)
Date: 31 Jul 92 19:08:44 GMT
Followup-To: misc.consumers.house
Distribution: usa
Organization: Georgia Tech Research Institute

wreck@fmsrl7.srl.ford.com (R. Cage) writes:

>>I would do it here but the air coming into the coils is already at 100% 
>>humidity anyway :-(

>Doesn't matter, Eliot.  As the temperature of the air
>increases, so does its ability to hold water.  (Think
>of the difference between absolute and relative humidity.)
:
>Trust me that the amount of heat you can move is large,
>even if your outside air is already saturated.  The only
>thing you can't do in your situation is cool the condenser
>below ambient.  Why quibble about size of gains, if you
>can get enough?

Well, what if the gain in cooling effeciency was less than the
amortized cost of the equipment plus the monthly cost of the
water out of the tap?  (It could happen).

Robert
--
| Robert L. Howard              |   Georgia Tech Research Institute     |
| robert.howard@matd.gatech.edu |   MATD Laboratory                     |
| (404) 528-7165                |   Atlanta, Georgia  30332             |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| "See, when the GOVERNMENT spends money, it creates jobs; whereas when |
| the money is left in the hands of TAXPAYERS, God only knows what they |
| do with it.  Bake it into pies, probably.  Anything to avoid creating |
| jobs." -- Dave Barry                                                  |
From: gchin@ssf.Eng.Sun.COM (Gary Chin)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Requesting Comments on Daly City or Freemont area
Date: 22 Jul 1992 23:24:48 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems
Distribution: world
Reply-To: gchin@ssf.Eng.Sun.COM
NNTP-Posting-Host: ssf

condition		Fremont		Daly City
---------		-------		---------
climate			mostly warm	mostly foggy
age of homes		many new homes	mostly > 15yrs. old
BART to Oak.		-		through S.F. and tube
drive to Stanford	over Dumbarton	on 280 or 101


You could reduce the problem by transfering to Berkeley.
Hope this helps.

Gary


In article 7254@leland.Stanford.EDU, conru@leland.Stanford.EDU (Andrew Conru) writes:
>
>Hello,
>
>I have a question about the Bay area that perhaps you can answer:
>
>My fiance will be moving to the bay area next year to work in Oakland. 
>Im a grad student at Stanford.  We are debating living near the Daly City
>or Freemont area (so my fiance can ride the bart to work).  Any comments
>or preferences as to the safety of the areas, commuting to Stanford &
>Oakland during rush hour, and life there in general would be appreciated.
>
>
>Thanks,
>
>
>Andy Conru
From: tim@intrepid.gsfc.nasa.gov (Tim Seiss)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: 1/2" drill reccommendations
Date: 30 Jul 92 17:01:08 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Goddard Space Flight Center

>> Hi all! My husband finally killed our 3/8" drill (a fiery death, at
>> that!), and he is using our neighbor's 1/2" drill right now. He
>> wants to buy a new 1/2" drill, so I was wondering if anyone has
>> any opinions about which brand is better - or are they all pretty
>> much the same? Thanks for any help or ideas!

parnass@cbnewse.cb.att.com (Bob Parnass, AJ9S) replies:

>Many would argue that Milwaukee makes the best electric drills.
>They are made in USA, expensive, but ultra rugged,
>and you'll find them popular with contractors and industry.
>   .
>   .
>   . 
>I sold my 1/2" Milwaukee (0234-1) Magnum recently to replace it with a
>Milwaukee (5371-1) Magnum hammer drill.  The hammer drill can act
>as a normal drill or combine the rotary action with a slight
>hammering (percussion) action so drilling through stone or
>cement is much faster.
>

  Just wanted to say that I also have the Milwaukee 5371-1 1/2" hammer
drill and would recommend it to anyone.  The plumber's and electricians
I had to contract out for my kitchen addition also had this model. Though
Milwaukee makes other 1/2" drills (bigger motors, right angles, Hole Hawg)
I would recommend the 5371-1 for around-the-house use if someone were
only going to buy 1 drill.  Home Depot around my area carries it for
$179, I think.  Makita and other manufacturers also make a similar drill.

Tim Seiss