HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jfarran@cuba.acs.uci.edu (Joseph Farran)
Subject: Re: Central Vacs
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Organization: University of California, Irvine
Date: 21 Nov 92 00:28:09 GMT
Distribution: na

In article <17685@bcars664.bnr.ca> Henry.Troup@BNR.CA writes:
>I've contemplated that central vaccuum would be a good thing for people
>with allergies - unlike a conventional vaccuum cleaner, the vent is
>outside, after all.  Any comments?

The Rainbow vacuum cleaner is an excellent choice for people who
suffer from allergies.

Email me if you want more info.


Joseph A. Farran
Office of Academic Computing
University of California, Irvine
714-856-5551



Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: stevep@lugh.se.hou.compaq.com (Steve Pinn)
Subject: Re: Where Can I Find Full Spectrum Lighting?
Organization: Compaq Computer Corporation
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 14:53:31 GMT

Fred Christiansen writes:
|> Can anyone give me source(s) for full spectrum lights, either
|> incandescent or fluorescent (preferably both)?  I had info on one
|> source about 3 years ago but I've lost it.  Sources - name,
|> address, phone - would be much appreciated.  Thx.
|> -- 

Fred:
The source (manufacturer) of full spectrum fluorescent bulbs is a company 
named DURO.  Their claim to fame was the development of a tube that
could be used in baby incubators to give the children full spectrum light.

If I remember correctly the tubes have an effective life of only 12-18 months
they will, off course, burn longer but the spectrum decays.

Hope this helps - Steve
From: isidro@BBN.COM (Isidro Castineyra)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Noise from Oil and Gas-Conversion Burners
Date: 17 Nov 1992 15:39:18 GMT
Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., Cambridge MA
Distribution: na
Reply-To: isidro@BBN.COM (Isidro Castineyra)
NNTP-Posting-Host: bbn.com

Does anybody know from personal experience how much quieter than an
oil burner is a gas-conversion burner?

Context: My house has an oil-fired burner that is very noisy.  When
visiting a friend's house, I noticed that his gas-fired boiler was
much quieter.  Both boilers are of about the same vintage. My plumber
says that if I convert the system to gas, by getting a gas-conversion
burner, it will be quieter, but not as quiet as a native gas burner.
One reason he gave is that the conversion-burner, just as the oil
burner, has a motor.


Thanks,
Isidro


Isidro Castineyra                                 (isidro@bbn.com)   
Bolt Beranek and Newman,  Incorporated		  (617) 873-6233
10 Moulton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138		  USA



Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: davel@booboo.SanDiego.NCR.COM (David Lord)
Subject: Re: Info on renting/buying
Reply-To: davel@booboo.SanDiego.NCR.COM (David Lord)
Organization: NCR Corporation, Rancho Bernardo
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 18:28:19 GMT

In article <1992Nov17.133812.28656@porthos.cc.bellcore.com> jadams@vixen.cc.bellcore.com (adams,john) writes:
>In article <1550@ncrclm.ClemsonSC.NCR.COM> lsnow@ncrclm.ClemsonSC.NCR.COM (Linda Snow) writes:
>>>don't worry too much about
>>>the rent money just going into someone else's pocket, for the first
>>>couple of years of owning a house you are only putting a few dollars
>>>a month towards equity anyway. 
>>
>>True. But the interest payments are tax-deductible. Rent isn't.
>
>Also, the opportunity for your down payment (equity) to appreciate (tax
>sheltered) doesn't exist with renting.  Well, maybe someday residential real
>estate will appreciate :^{!

We seem to have lost the gist of what I was trying to say, not to mention
the attribution.


Problem around here is that over the last few years prices have been
declining. Even if they hold steady you have to make or save enough
money to pay all the expenses of buying and selling, 2% loan points,
6% real estate commission, etc. If you bought a $185,000 dollar house
two years ago you'd be lucky to get $165,000 for it today if you had
to sell. So you loose $20,000 equity plus $15,000 in buying and selling
expenses. It takes alot of tax saving to make up for that. Hopefully
housing prices won't continue to decline but it is going to take
several years to make your investment worthwhile.

I didn't mean to imply you shouldn't
buy, I just bought a new house myself, just that you better plan to
stick around for a few years if you want to make it worthwhile. The
poster I was answering sounded like he wasn't ready to commit to
a particular location yet.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: pjh@mccc.edu (Pete Holsberg)
Subject: Re: How to tell a REAL buyer's agent
Organization: The College On The Other Side Of Route One
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 01:30:07 GMT

In article <1edvtiINN8l1@sixgun.East.Sun.COM> egreen@east.sun.com writes:
=I'm not hostile, I just think RE is a fundamentally a dishonest
=business, it's full of incompetents, and they are grossly overpaid.

You could have fooled me!

It's not dishonest. In this litigious society, realtors would be
getting nailed to the wall with law suits if there were a *hint* of
dishonesty, and there are very few suits, indeed.

True that there are a lot of beginners and that most brokers do not
invest much effort in training realtors. All that means is that the
person who looks for a realtor should demand to know that person's
training background.

Grossly overpaid! That's a joke!! The average realtor makes under
$20,000 and that's before expenses. Real estate is one of the most
poorly paid of all sales jobs. You must think that because an agent gets
1.5% of the selling price of a house that they have done no work for it.
Follow my wife around for a week -- your tongue would be hanging out!
From: pcohen@cseic.saic.com ( Peter M. Cohen)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: New House Walk-Through
Date: 17 Nov 92 20:18:54 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Science Applications International Corporation


Hi all !

In two days I am going on the "buyers walk-through" on a new townhouse
my wife and I just purchased.  What are some of the MAJOR items I
should look for as I inspect the house.  Since this is my first home
purchase I am very interested in your replies.  I checked out the
builder (PULTE HOMES) and while some of the other residents had
problems Pulte was very responsive in correcting them.

Thanks !


-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|              Science Applications International Corporation                 |
|                       8619 Westwood Center Drive                            |
|                         Vienna, Virginia  22102                             |
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
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 17:55:29 GMT

In article <4Rm6TB4w164w@carrera.wvus.org> pete@carrera.wvus.org (Pete Gregory) writes:
>jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist) writes:
>
>> 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).
>
>given how brief the defrost cycles are, i'm wondering just how much the
>temperature of the food changes in a freezer.  anyone put a recording
>thermometer in their deep freeze?

In the upright freezers I've seen, the evaporator coils are built into
the shelves, which means that the food is in direct contact with them.
To raise the coil temperature enough to defrost, the food would also have
to be warmed.  Add to that the thermal mass of the food in a fully loaded
freezer, and I suspect the defrost cycles would be longer than you'd expect.
-- 
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.
From: jhart@qa1.WichitaKS.NCR.COM (Jim Hart)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: HELP: My refer. won't refe!
Date: 17 Nov 92 13:25:07 GMT
Reply-To: jhart@qa1.WichitaKS.NCR.COM (Jim Hart)
Organization: NCR Corporation, Wichita KS

In article <BxMLB2.7F5@vcd.hp.com> scottb@vcd.hp.com writes:
>I have an eight year old refridgerator/freezer (bottom freezer) that is not
>The freezer, however, was just fine.  I pulled the rear panel off of the 
>freezer compartment exposing the coils.  The coils were caked with ice, which
>
>Is there something else I should be doing or looking at (like a new unit!)?
>Scott Bigelow

This is exactly what happens when the blower fan quits.  The freezer/
compressor is still ok but the cold air can't circulate to the refer
part - thus the "freeze up" in the freezer and no cold elsewhere.  Find
the fan and replace it - could be somewhat non-obvious in its location, 
but usually it's to the rear and between the freezer compartment and
the other compartment.  You'll probably have to take off a couple of
panels or covers and their mode of fastening it part of the not-so-
obvious.
Good luck.
-- 
 Jim Hart NCR Wichita   | "If the day ever comes when I judge the success of
 (316)636-8434          |  a fishing trip by the weight of the creel at the
                        |  end of the day, I hope that I shall have sense
                        |  enough to quit fishing."    {Harold Hollis, 1945}
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: macrakis@osf.org (Stavros Macrakis)
Subject: Re: need advice on cooking range purchase
Followup-To: misc.consumers.house
Organization: OSF Research Institute
Distribution: usa
Date: 18 Nov 92 12:59:56

In article <40527@unix.SRI.COM> cole@unix.SRI.COM (Susan Cole) writes:

   2) Are there any hidden problems related to installing, using, or maintaining
   a range that uses downdraft ventilation?

They move several times more air than do hoods, so the fans are much
much noisier (unless they're in the basement or on the outside wall,
but even then they're not quiet).

They interfere with gas flames.

Running the vent pipes may be easier or harder-- depends on the
situation.

   3) Does a black range tend to "show the dirt" more than a white one?

White shows more dirt than almost anything else.  On the other hand,
in my opinion, "avocado" looks dirty from the start...  I think black
is a good choice.  It is the color of burnt-on grease....

   Cost is not a huge consideration but on the other hand I don't want
   to go overboard....The stove costs $1400 and installation would be
   $200 to $300.

$1400 for a home range is a lot.

   ...with cars, black ones show dirt the most and white ones the
   least...

Road dirt is mostly light grey.  Depends on the region.  I find that a
dirty ochre color hides dirt well on cars.

	-s
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: macrakis@osf.org (Stavros Macrakis)
Subject: Re: Comments on hand blenders?
Organization: OSF Research Institute
Distribution: usa
Date: 18 Nov 92 12:53:46

In article <1e787cINN49a@agate.berkeley.edu> stanton@haas.berkeley.edu (Richard Stanton) writes:

   I'm considering buying a hand blender, basically a plastic covered motor with
   a blade at the end, which is supposed to be able to chop/puree/blend etc.
   with much less cleanup required than a regular blender or food processor (the
   main reason I almost never use them)

   Does anyone have any comments about these? In particular, how useful are they
   for whisking? How do they compare with portable whisks (with 2 balloon whisk
   attachments)? Are they worth buying, and if so, what's a good brand/price.

The hand blenders are excellent for mixing liquids, pureeing thin
mixtures (like soup), making mayonnaise and bearnaise sauce.  With the
mixer attachment, they're OK at whipping cream or egg whites.

Other appliances do a better job on many things:

Full-size mixer:
  Does thick mixtures (cake, bread, hard sauce).
  Whips cream and egg whites better.

Portable mixer:
  Whips cream and egg whites better.

Food processor:
  Chops dry things like vegetables, meat, etc.

Blender:
  Grinds spices.

Whisk:
  Whips cream and egg whites better, but tires your arm if you're not
  used to it.

By the way, what is a non-portable whisk?  Does it have lead in the
handle?  Is it chained to the wall?

	-s

From: jefftb@hpmwtd.sr.hp.com (Jeff Brown)
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 19:15:07 GMT
Subject: Re: DIY blown-in insulation
Organization: HP Santa Rosa Site (SRSD MWTD)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house

 Before you do it yourself get a bid (or 3) from insulation contractors.
 You might also check w/PG&E and see if there are any rebates. I have 
 found that contractors can do insulation installed for what you can buy
 the stuff for. Also if there are rebate from Pg&e they probably won't 
 honor them for doityourself.
  This is my expirirence with contrating a new home. Retrofitting an existing 
  one may be different.
  Just my 2 cen  Just my 2 cen
  ts
  Jeff
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: brian@cbmvax.commodore.com (Brian Fennimore)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: New House Walk-Through
Date: 18 Nov 92 18:28:35 GMT
Reply-To: brian@cbmvax.commodore.com (Brian Fennimore)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA

In article pcohen@cseic.saic.com ( Peter M. Cohen) writes:
>
>Hi all !
>
>In two days I am going on the "buyers walk-through" on a new townhouse
>my wife and I just purchased.  What are some of the MAJOR items I
>should look for as I inspect the house.  Since this is my first home
>purchase I am very interested in your replies.  I checked out the
>builder (PULTE HOMES) and while some of the other residents had
>problems Pulte was very responsive in correcting them.
>
>Thanks !
>

Speaking from experience, check *EVERYTHING*. I had some problems with
my new townhouse 4 years ago, such as urine smells eminating from 
vents (lazy carpenter?), shoddy concrete work on the front steps,
a "hilly" area in the living room from a warped floor joist, more.

When I say everything, I mean this:

	1) open and close every window, try out the tilt-in feature
	   if it exists
	2) try every water faucet
	3) try the shower and tub spigots 
	4) turn on the heat and air conditioning, then check
           every room for odors and air flow
	5) inspect the flooring for fit and blemishes
	6) open all doors and cabinets and drawers to verify 
	   smooth operation
	7) try all possible lighting fixtures
	8) inspect the walls for nicks, marks, nail pops
	9) check the roof and siding treatment for obvious defects
	10) fill in the ________________
	11) WRITE DOWN *ANY PROBLEM*

Now, because I was persistent and had a written record, I eventually had
all my problems resolved. I would advise the same.

Brian
From: smp@myamiga.mixcom.com (Steve Palm)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Distribution: world
Subject: Re: apartment lease problem
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Organization: Proud Linux Site, Milwaukee WI
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 92 18:16:45 +0100

johnwu@netcom.com (John M. Wu) writes:
: 
: I have an apartment lease with 3 roomates.  My parents will be responsible
: for the entire rent if any of us can't cough up the whole rent.  I have

 Perhaps a bad move on their part.   It would be different if it would have
 been just you, but they probably shouldn't have become indebted for the
 other two roomates.

: a roomate that I don't trust 100% to pay the rent knowing that not paying
: on time won't be a problem.  This is the part of the lease I don't think
: I can change and I don't like it but moving out is expensive and
: more troublesome.

 Well, the unfortunate problem is that it would be cheaper for you to pay
 the rent if they are unable, and then have them leave and get a new roomate
 than it would be to initiate any other sort of legal action.
 
 I wouldn't put myself in that situation unless I had absolutely NO other
 choice, and there are usually plenty.

: How can I discourage my other two roomates from not paying the rent on time
: if money for them gets tight.  Here is what I've contemplated so far:

 I would say that it's up to them.  If you aren't willing to live with the
 uncertainty, you should probably locate other living arrangements or other
 roomates.

: - John Wu
: - johnwu@netcom.com
: - jmw@ocf.berkeley.edu

--
Steven M. Palm
smp@myamiga.mixcom.com (LINUX SITE)
Milwaukee, WI
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: bparrish@rose.hp.com (Bill Parrish)
Subject: Dual-colored miniblinds
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 19:33:03 GMT
Organization: HP - Systems Technology Division
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1.8 PL6]

Recently I heard about some miniblinds which were white (or light colored)
on one side, and black on the other.  The idea was to put the white side
out during the summer to reflect the light and heat... and to put the
black side out during the winter to ABSORB the heat.  

Does anyone know anything about such a product... or has anyone tried
to make something like this themselves (like with a can of spray paint)?

Bill Parrish (bparrish@rose.hp.com)
From: dh0a@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (DONALD L. HARDY)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Power paint rollers
Date: 16 Nov 92 22:07:36 GMT
Organization: Lehigh University

After Christmas I will be repainting my entire house (inside).  Anybody have
any input on those power paint rollers, with the hollow handles that just keep
on feeding?  I don't feel  up to spraying, and don't want to bend and stand,
bend and stand.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Donald
-- 

******************************************************************************

Donald L. Hardy                                    Office of Physical Planning
Project Planner                                    Lehigh University
dh0a@lehigh.edu                                    (215) 758 5110
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Questions about EMF studies.
From: vraniak@joiner.com
Date: 17 Nov 92 08:34:13 -0600
Organization: Joiner Software, Inc.

I need some help/advise.  My local utility company is planning on building a 4
acre sub-station in my neighborhood.  We don't disagree with the utility about
the need for the substation but rather where in the neighborhood they want to
place it (in the middle of a residential area rather than 1/2 mile down the
road by a black-top processing plant).  Our concerns include the recent studies
about the dangers of EMF.  Does anyone have information (good and bad) about
EMF.  We need detailed information (dates, authors, name of reports, results)
about the studies.

Thanks,

Mike Vraniak
===============================================================================
Wingra Technologies Inc.
450 Science Drive, Madison WI  53705-0630  U.S.A.
Telephone +1 (608) 238-4454		BITNET    vraniak@WINGRA
Facsimile +1 (608) 238-8986		Internet  vraniak@WINGRA.COM
From: rstarr@pollux.svale.hp.com (Rob Starr)
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 23:52:16 GMT
Subject: Re: Termite Extermination
Organization: Hewlett Packard CPCD, Sunnyvale CA
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house

I would recommend a bag job (i.e., tenting) if you have not yet moved into
the house.  You will be certain that all infestations (including those which
haven't been found yet) are dead.  I moved into a home in Willow Glen about
1.5 years ago and found several areas of infestation which the "professional"
inspectors missed.  Without a doubt, these were active at time of inspection
but were missed.  Here in termite country, there are two type of homes;
those that have termites, and those that haven't yet discoverd them.

In fairness to the termite company, ABLE Exterminators, they did come out
many times after we moved in, reinspected, and treated several infestations
at no charge.  Again, be aware that they will catch only the obvious
infestations.  Since you have some known colonies, there are probably others
which have not yet shown up yet.

Talk to some real estate agents for additional recommendations as they
constantly work with these folks during the course of closing deals.

Good luck from a self taught termite finder.
From: mwilson@ncratl.AtlantaGA.NCR.COM (Mark Wilson)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: How to cut back my heat bill?
Date: 23 Nov 92 20:22:54 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: NCR Engineering and Manufacturing Atlanta -- Atlanta, GA

In <92328.110753F0O@psuvm.psu.edu> F0O@psuvm.psu.edu writes:


|>   I wanted to thank everyone for all the responses.  This has certainly
|>shown that the gas guy didn't know what he was talking about.
|>   On another note, I have an anticipator in my thermostat.  I had heard
|>from someone else that the correct range for it was .7, which is what mine
|>was set at when I moved in.  But the gas guy checked the current going
|>through the furnace, and said the anticipator should be set to .4.  After
|>he left, the furnace was coming on more often then when it was set at .7.
|>  It would stay on for less periods of time, but come on more often.  I
|>didn't think the additional start-ups were good, so I set it back to .7.
|>   My question is, what does the anticipator actually do, and is there
|>an optimum setting?  And if there is, does this setting save you on your
|>heat bill, compared to non-optimum settings?

The anticipator tries to compensate for the thermal lag of the thermostat 
and the wall that it is attached to.  It does this by running a current 
through a small heating element built into the thermastat.  A lower number
allows more current to flow and the thermastat will heat up faster.

The whole idea is for the thermastat to heat up at the same rate as the
air in your house, that is not undershoot nor overshoot.

If the heater is cycling often as you describe, then the anticipator is
set too low.

There is no one correct setting for the anticipator, since this value
depends on several factors that will change with each installation.

-- 
Mob rule doesn't become any prettier, just because the mob start to call itself
a government.
It ain't charity if you are using someone else's money.
Mark.Wilson@AtlantaGA.NCR.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: bullock@watson.bms.com (JOAN BULLOCK)
Subject: Re: How to cut back my heat bill?
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1  
Organization: Bristol Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 21:30:00 GMT

In article <92325.085334F0O@psuvm.psu.edu>, <F0O@psuvm.psu.edu> writes...
>   My question is, will turning my thermostat back to 60 and keeping
>it there save me more money then if I would keep it at 72?  I would think
>it would, but the person from the gas company said it wouldn't.  

You are correct.  To a point.  Interior walls and objects in your home do 
have a latent heat capacity which must be overcome when you cycle the 
temperature.  Denser objects generally have a higher heat capacity (i.e. it 
takes more energy to raise them X deg F).  When you increase the temperature 
of your thermostat, your furnace will run until _all_ of the interior 
(walls, possessions as well air) has risen to the desired temperature.  
Because it takes longer to heat up most of the interior of your home than it 
does to heat up low heat capacity air, you probably _feel_ warm before your 
heating plant settles into temerature maintenance mode.  (I hope the 
preceeding makes sense.)  

Anyway the trade-off between not heating when you are not present and 
re-heating when you _are_ comes at a delta of 10 - 15 deg F for 8 hour cycles 
(when at work or asleep).  Of course for longer cycles (vacation) your delta 
can be much higher.  But keep in mind that for temps below 50 deg F you get
to worry about pipes freezing.  

Do monkey with your thermostat.  What you propose sounds reasonable to me.  
Shame on your gas company for spreading mis-information.