HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: grande@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (brad.l.grande)
Subject: Re: Should I sand the deck?
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 18:41:47 GMT

In article <1992Aug21.171131.27830@cbnewsl.cb.att.com>, bkb@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (brian.bebeau) writes:
> 
> We have a three-year-old deck on the back of our four-year-old
> house (which we just bought last October). The kids and I have been
> getting splinters like crazy because the wood is getting very rough
> and worn. I don't think any protective coating was ever put on the
> deck. I had planned to go to a tool rental place and get one of those
> huge sanders and sand the whole deck down, then coat it with some
> Thompson's Water-seal semi-transparent stain (water-seal and stain

If you were to sand it down, you run the risk of sanding off any protective
coatings on the nails or screws holding the decking down.  The result would
be rusting nails, rust stains, then eventually the boards would start to
come up.

> in one). A friend in the construction business though, said not
> to bother, that sanding it wouldn't do much good. He told me to
> take the boards up and turn them over and re-nail them. After looking
> at my deck though, this seems impractical since about a third
> (maybe half) of the boards are cut at an angle due to the deck shape,
> and turning them over would make them be at the wrong angle.
> So what do I do? Would turning them over really make that much
> of a difference? Is sanding a Bad Idea? Or just useless? The 
> splinters are driving us crazy. Would just putting on the stain
> help much? This is the first time I've had a deck so I'm at a loss.
> Any recommendations would be gratefully received.

When you put the decking down, you are supposed to lay it with the bark side
up because the wood will curve the same way the rings run.  If the bark side
is down, the edges will raise and water will pool leading to an uneven surface
and accelerated deterioration.  In your case, turning the wood over may
violate this unless it is installed incorrectly now.

I don't think that there is much you can do to get rid of the splinters.  There
are services offered to renew the look of your wood deck.  They use some sort
of chemical cleaner/bleach.  These people may know how to address your problem.

Other than that I would reccommend that you institute the same rule we have
at our house "NO BARE FEET ON THE DECK!".  This has worked very well for us
and doesn't cost anything other than a little hot air from mom and dad.

Also, if bare feet are a requirement, you could replace the decking with
higher quality wood that is made for around pools and hot tubs.

> Brian Bebeau			Interactive Systems at AT&T-Columbus
> brian@cblph.att.com   or   bkb@cbnewsl.att.com


Brad Grande	WB0OYX
Another bike riding beer brewing kite flying amateur radio operator who
	still likes CD's!

AT&T Bell Labs
Naperville Illinausea
PLEASE SEND RESPONSES TO:	grande@iwtil.att.com
att!iwtil!grande
(708)-979-7853
From: tln@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (teresa.l.green)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: RE: more roofing questions
Date: 12 Aug 92 16:07:51 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: AT&T

Hello -
	I recently ask two experienced roofers the same question about
minimum roof pitch.  According to both roofers, 12-3 is a safe 
minimum pitch.  You could get by with less of a pitch if rain is your
only concern.  Snow becomes a problem with less than a 12-3 pitch.
Melting snow will back up under the shingles if your pitch is less than
12-3.  My guess is that snow load should be a consideration also.  
			
					Teresa
					teresa@ihlpm.ATT.COM
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: kent@lightnin.Columbia.NCR.COM (Kent Richardson)
Subject: Re: ULF Toilets
Organization: NCR Corp, E&M-Columbia, Columbia, SC
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 92 21:26:35 GMT


Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: mks@cbnewsm.cb.att.com (manishkumar.sharma)
Subject: How to get rid of lawn grubs?
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 16:07:50 GMT

While spot-weeding this past weekend, I noticed little grubs crawling
around just under the top layer of my lawn. This could be one reason why
my lawn seems to be dying in certain spots in spite of heavy rains recently.
What is an effective way to get rid of them? Pesticide spray?
Can I get something for this in Home Depot?
Thanks.

-Manish Sharma
..attbl!trumpet!mks
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: kai1@dasher.uucp (Kai Chiu)
Subject: Re: Killing Burglars
Reply-To: kai1@dasher.UUCP (Kai Chiu)
Organization: Bellcore, Piscataway, NJ
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 92 17:49:09 GMT

In article <BsIrII.Bou@news.cso.uiuc.edu> tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan) writes:
>
>
>The only way to avoid that is to "shoot to kill." If he is unarmed, it's
>best to arm him immediately after his passing, maybe even help "him" to
>inflict some sort of wound upon your person to bolster your case. I'd rather
>suffer with the guilt resulting from this sort of action than the
>incredible injustice of being sued penniless by some drug-crazed punk who
>broke into my home.
>

   Maybe it's better to shoot outside the house - otherwise 
   an incident like this will significantly reduce the value 
   of the house when you sell it. But you may have more 
   problems when explaining this to the police..

>Our criminal justice system: it's the justice system that's criminal. :-(
>
>[Anticipating lots of interesting replies to this one.]
>


Kai Chiu
kai1@dasher.cc.bellcore.com
Bell Communications Research, Inc.              
Tel: (908) 699-7338
From: mcnamara@vixvax.mgi.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Adding electric range service
Date: 21 Aug 92 14:22:22 CDT
Organization: Management Graphics, Inc.

	What is involved in adding service for an electric stove and range?
I assume they need 50 amp, 220 volt feeds.  How do I find out if my
imcoming service has this capability?

						Curt

****************************************************************************
Curt McNamara	(mcnamara@mgi.com)	|"If the human brain were so 
Mgmt. Graphics, Inc.			|simple that we could understand
1401 E. 79th St.			|it, we would be so simple that we
Mpls., MN    55425			|could not."  W.A. Clouston
****************************************************************************
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Does an office next door increase property value?
From: asylvain@felix.filenet.com (The Chipmunk)
Date: 13 Aug 92 03:00:56 GMT
Reply-To: asylvain@fritz.filenet.com (The Chipmunk)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Foundation for the Increased Wealth of Chipmunks

Written in article <JEW.92Aug10091519@rt.rt.sunquest.com>
 by jew@rt.sunquest.com (/87336):

: My neighbor is trying to rezone his property as light office.  Will
: this increase or decrease the value of my property?

There's only one real answer to this question.  "It depends."

What's the value of commerical property in your area compared to
residential?  Is the area mostly commercial now, or mostly residential
now?  If it's mostly commercial, how easy/hard would it be to convert
your property?  If it's mostly residential, how much traffic will his
property generate?

What direction is the neighborhood heading?  Is it slowly converting to
commercial, or the other way?  Is it on a street with more traffice now
than what you usually find in a residential area?

There's lots of questions to answer, I'm sure I've only skimmed the
surface.

: jew@sunquest.com

: Due to lack of interest, today has been cancelled.

Good idea.  Let's do tomorrow today.  Then we can do today a week from 
now saturday, next tuesday a week from now saturday, and next tuesday
tomorrow.  Now, have we all got that straight?

-- 
The Chipmunk.
Opinions are mine, batteries not included, void where prohibited.
All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy.
From: ptrei@bistromath.mitre.org (Peter Trei)
Subject: Re: Mice
Organization: The MITRE Corporation
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 13:05:58 GMT

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?

     Block holes, and don't leave food where they can reach it. If
that is not an option (i.e., they can still get into your cabinets)
lethal methods are the only alternative.

     Mousetraps work nicely. Bait them with peanut butter and/or
chocolate (I use mushed Reece's Peanut Butter Cups), and put them down
in areas the mouse is likely to run.

     If the ideal spots are in high traffic areas, only put them down
overnight, or during the day when everyone is out.

     In my opinion, glue traps are cruel, and poison is not only
cruel, but the mouse may die in a place where you can smell but not
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 (besides,
the cat's food often ATTRACTS mice).  I've used mousetraps many times,
and only once has it failed to give a quick, clean kill, snapping the
mouses neck.  They're cheap enough that I don't reuse them - simply
toss out the dead mouse with the attached trap.

							Peter Trei
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: phil@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Phil Stone)
Subject: Elevating water heaters for safety
Organization: NASA Ames Res. Ctr, Calif.
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 19:34:58 GMT

Here in San Francisco, we are encouraged (it may be code now, for all
I know) to elevate our (gas only?) water heaters a foot or two above
the floor if installed in a garage.  I understand that this is done
to prevent fuel leakages from motor vehicles leading to explosions
ignited by the heater.

First, does anybody know what the code is on this, specifically, and
is this the actual reason for it?

Second, and the main reason I've posted...why is the water heater
singled out, when there's a large flame source (the furnace) sitting
right on the floor next to it?

If someone can point out the logic behind this, I'll consider raising
my water heater, since I'm particularly concerned about my motorcycle
being knocked over in an earthquake and spilling fuel.

		Phil Stone  (phil@eos.arc.nasa.gov | ...ames!eos!phil)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: drmax@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Marianna Max)
Subject: Re: Mice
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston Illinois.
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 16:23:29 GMT

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.  A couple of weeks ago, we started
>finding mouse droppings in one room.  After a couple of days we found
>the hole where the mouse (or mice) was getting in and plugged it with
>steel wool.  That solved that problem but now at the other end of the
>house we are hearing scratching behind one wall (which is brick on the
>outside, drywall inside) as if there is some animal (I'm guessing a
>mouse) trying to get through.
>
>Does anyone have any ideas as to how to discourage this sort of
>behavior?  We have this feeling if we do something at this location,
>the mouse will just move elsewhere.
>
>Evelyn C. Leeper  |  +1 908 957 2070  |  att!mtgzy!ecl or  ecl@mtgzy.att.com
>--
>The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new
>discoveries, is not "Eureka!" (I found it!) but "That's funny ..."
>					 -- Isaac Asimov (1920-1992)


Get a pet ferret
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: harrism@aquila.rtp.dg.com (Mike Harris)
Subject: Re: Installing hardwood floors
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 92 19:15:28 GMT
Reply-To: harrism@dg-rtp.dg.com
Organization: Data General Corp., Research Triangle Park, NC

In article <1992Aug12.235841.23841@porthos.cc.bellcore.com>, patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie) writes:
|> In article <1992Aug12.132844.2103@vixvax.mgi.com> mcnamara@vixvax.mgi.com writes:
|> 
|> >	Due to the allergies of my infant daughter (eczema and asthma) I
|> >am planning to have hardwood floors installed in my house.  Since the
|> >existing carpeting is laid over a plywood base, I assume that the installers
|> >will have to alter that base (secure, level, etc.).
|> 
|> The plywood *should* be secure and level already. You should be able to
|> pull up the carpet and pad, remove the carpet hold down strips, and put
|> down hardwood. The installers will, of course, verify this, but it won't
|> be normal for them to have to do anything more than drive in a nail or
|> two if the floor squeaks anywhere. Don't give them ideas on how to pad
|> the bill!

	I'd recommend having them *screw* down the flooring so you
	don't have problems with squeaks later. Remember - you don't
	have easy access that often, and with hardwood you can't
	hide the occasional screw that easily. Do it now.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: berger@atropa (Mike Berger)
Subject: Re: Which garage door opener to use?
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1992 23:57:00 GMT

mguyott@eriador.prime.com (M. Guyott) writes:
>I am getting ready to purchase two garage door openers.  So far the
>"Genie" garage door openers seem to be the best/most popular.  I would
>be interested in hearing about other people's experiences with garage
>door openers and which brands of openers they would recommend.
*----
My parents bought a second-hand ARC garage door opener in 1964.  It
dates from 1935.  I've replaced the tube-type radio controls, 
burnished a few relay contacts, and glued together a broken microswitch.
It's extremely reliable, and hasn't had any catastrophic failures in
28 years.  I wonder if they're still in business?
--
	Mike Berger
	Department of Statistics, University of Illinois
	AT&TNET     217-244-6067
	Internet    berger@atropa.stat.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: kls4344@ritvax.isc.rit.edu (Person in flux)
Subject: Re: Sheet flooring
Reply-To: kls4344@ritvax.isc.rit.edu
Organization: Rochester Institute of Technology
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 14:48:13 GMT

In article <1992Aug11.194550.22275@meaddata.com>, dedek@meaddata.com (Mike 
Dedek) writes:

>We're going to get a linoleum-type floor.  Please, no suggestions that we
>should get ceramic tile or wood, I've read that thread :)  I'm wondering
>if anyone has experience with Armstrong, Congoleum, and Mannington, any
>comments, top of the line vs. medium, etc. 

I also plan to put in a new floor in my kitchen, but I'm interested in the
net's experience with really good vinyl tiles, like Kentile.  My understanding
is that these tiles withstand abuse much better than even the highest grade
linoleum (they're used in office building foyers) and are easily repaired
because they are tile rather than sheet.  The wear-and-tear factor is very
important to me because my kitchen is the highest traffic room in my house;
people and dogs walk in and through it manymanymany times a day.  

Katie
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: dalessio@rtsg.mot.com (Mario D'Alessio)
Subject: Re: Masking tape residue
Organization: Motorola Inc., Cellular Infrastructure Group
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 02:31:21 GMT

davek@informix.com (David Kosenko) writes:

>Ok, so paint me foolish.  When redoing my living room, I covered the
>floor with pastic tarp and used masking tape to tape it to the hardwood
>floor.  The redo took longer than originally anticipated (so what else
>is new ;-).  When I finally finished and pulled up the plastic, the masking
>tape stuck to the floor, and left a lot of sticky residue.

>My question is: is there anything short of tons of elbow grease and soapy
>water that can get this gunk off without destroying the floor's finish?
>The floor is stained oak with a light poly coat.

Try WD-40. I don't know if it will ruin your floor,
but it should be better than paint thinner.

Mario


************************************************************
* ******************************************************** *
* *  __________________           __                     * *
* *  \_________________|)____.---'--`---.____            * *
* *                ||    \----.________.----/            * *
* *  __/\__      __||____/ /_    `--'                    * *
* *  \RUSH/     |___         \   Mario D'Alessio         * *
* *   |/\|          `--------'   dalessio@rtsg.mot.com   * *
* *                                                      * *
* *    Work: (708) 632-2323  9am to 6pm Central Time     * *
* ******************************************************** *
************************************************************
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: choong@ra.csc.ti.com (Yong Choong)
Subject: PMI
Organization: Texas Instruments
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 20:53:08 GMT

I have a question regarding P(?) Mortgage Insurance.

If one pay off the load earlier, that is, before maturity, does one
receive a refund of the PMI? If yes, from who, the lender, inusrance
co. or the FHA?

Thanks

-- 
Yong Choong                  
Email choong@csc.ti.com
Ring (214)995-5956
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Mice
Reply-To: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 92 18:37:34 GMT

In article <1992Aug13.175723.14794@oracle.pnl.gov> d3a132@pnl.gov writes:

>The mice that our terrier has gotten (she's gotten several),
>have been intact, and look like they've drowned/been smooshed.
>No blood, no parts, no problem.
>
>Must depend on the dog.

Sure does. My Scottie eats them if they put up a good fight, leaves them
intact (dead, but intact) if they don't. He really prefers a good rat to
a mouse, but I'd rather he not find either!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | 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: macrakis@osf.org (Stavros Macrakis)
Subject: Re: Flourescent bulbs in standard fixtures
Organization: OSF Research Institute
	<1992Aug19.014606.19019@adobe.com>
Date: 19 Aug 92 12:16:40

In article <4100744@hpcc01.corp.hp.com> brooksp@hpcc01.corp.hp.com (Peter Brooks) writes:

   >...You should not turn [CFs] on and off quickly, so they aren't
   >ideal for a closet that gets used for seconds.

In article <1992Aug19.014606.19019@adobe.com> pngai@adobe.com (Phil Ngai) writes:

   I don't know if this is really that big a problem. I suspect that you
   might reduce the life from 10,000 hours to 8,000 hours (or so) if you
   short cycle the unit but in the meantime you'd still save a lot of
   electricity. The lamp costs much less than the energy.

Calculating backwards from figures provided by manufacturers, I get
about 1-3 hours' life lost per start of fluorescent.  The nominal
lifetime figures are calculated based on 8-hour duty cycle.

So CFs make sense where the light is left on a lot of the time.  After
all, if the duty cycle is 1 hour/day, a 15W CF is only saving you
about $1.60 a year compared to a 60W incandescent.  On the other hand,
if you have a dark back hall where you leave the light on during
waking hours or a security light which you leave on from twilight to
dawn, you save as much as $10/year.

The other reason to use fluorescent in (e.g.) closets is that they put
out more heat, and so won't burn clothes.  I believe fluorescents are
allowed by code in certain locations, notably closets near clothes,
where incandescents are not.

	-s
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston)
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 92 20:07:31 CDT
Organization: Garys' Home for Obsolete Computers

dwb@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (david.boyle) writes:

> In article <1992Aug13.152612.11962@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov>, sns@bondi.jpl.nasa.go
> > patio stuff deleted
> > 
> > I plan to make a wall around the base of the tree and put a planter around 
> > tree, but I'm not sure how far from the tree the wall should be.  I know no
> > change the ground level of the tree, so this planter would probably either 
> > place to put pots of flowers or I'd construct a planter box which was suppo
> > 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'll probably kill the tree. Their roots spread out at that point
for a reason; the type of bark changes as it exits the soil, and 
affects insect resistance among other things.

A big problem with maples is having been planted too deeply; they
get diseased if they don't develop a good root crown around the 
ground. The difference between planted and wild trees is very
noticable, and this has caused plant suppliers to quit telling 
people to put the crown 6"-12" below the surface. Incidentally,
it takes 20-30 years for the problem to show up; the trees will
grow pretty well, then die off.

Build a platform, and put planters on it; your tree will be healthier
that way. It'll also get watered more....

Gary Heston, at home....
gary@cdthq.uucp
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Vehicle proximity censors in driveway
Reply-To: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 92 15:06:50 GMT

In article <7gmePB1w161w@cdthq.UUCP> gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston) writes:

>The ones you see in the airports use the persons' motion through
>the field to help detect metal objects; this would be another problem
>to overcome.
>
>I suppose you could have a hoop that rose around them when they 
>stepped on the mat....

That would certainly generate some motion on *my* part!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | I pity the man who don't drink, 'cause when he
George Patterson -  | gets up in the morning, that's as good as he's
                    | going to feel the whole day.
                    |                             Joe E. Brown
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: rro@cs.ColoState.EDU (Rod Oldehoeft)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Address of IKEA
Date: 12 Aug 92 14:11:03 GMT
Reply-To: rro@cs.ColoState.EDU
Distribution: usa
Organization: Colorado State University

In article <1992Aug12.041342.21565@porthos.cc.bellcore.com>, patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie) writes:
|> 
|> I just happened to get a catalogue day before yesterday. There are seven in
|> the US.
|> 

Many of us would appreciate you, or someone, posting a telephone
number we could call to get on the catalog mailing list.

-- 
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Rod Oldehoeft                    Email: rro@cs.colostate.edu |
| Computer Science Department      Voice: 303/491-5792         |
| Colorado State University        Fax:   303/491-6639         |
| Fort Collins, CO  80523                                      |
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
| Three outstanding attitudes---obliviousness to the growing   |
| disaffection of constituents, primacy of self-aggrandizement,|
| and the illusion of invulnerable status---are persistent     |
| aspects of folly.   ---Barbara Tuchman, "The March of Folly" |
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house