HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: cornutt@lambda.msfc.nasa.gov (David Cornutt)
Subject: Re: "balancing" a power panel
Organization: NASA/MSFC
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 23:04:04 GMT

clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis) writes:

[quoting another article, which I've lost the attribution for]

>|In this area of the country, the total of each side's breakers cannot
>|exceed the size of the main breaker by law. Previous postings on this
>|subject indicate that this is not a universal code.

>In fact, previous postings show that your area is the exception.  Most
>places don't require this.  Must make wiring really wierd.  If you have
>more than a dryer, stove and kitchen, you'd have to have 300A or bigger
>services.  My house would need a 600A main...

I think (don't quote me on this) that the current NEC says that the sum
of the branch disconnects for each leg can be up to 150% of the main's
rating (for that leg).  This is based on the assumption that you won't
have everything on at once, which is pretty reasonable for a residence. 
There are lots of exceptions and caveats, though, for specific
situations... 

-- 
David Cornutt, New Technology Inc., Huntsville, AL  (205) 461-4517
(cornutt@lambda.msfc.nasa.gov; some insane route applies)
"The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of my employer,
not necessarily mine, and probably not necessary."
From: sweedler@cad659.intel.com (Jonathan Sweedler )
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Asbestos around heating ducts
Keywords: asbestos
Date: 7 Jan 93 21:38:23 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Intel Corporation,  Design Technology

In article <d2tK03X.c7Ii00@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com>, lmtra@uts.amdahl.com (Leon Traister) writes:
|> Our architect has further suggested that we may want to replace the
|> the ductwork in the walls going up to the second floor as well (there
|> are 2 runs to this floor).  

I had an asbestos problem in my house and did a lot of research into 
the subject.  The PROVEN problems with asbestos are really only in the
workplace when people are breathing in asbestos all of the time over
a long period of time.  If your asbestos is not friable (fraying or
becoming pulverized) then it is best to just leave it alone.  

I sent away to the government and did some research at the library and
everything basically said that if it is not currently a problem then
the best thing to do is not touch it.  Even if you get an asbestos
abatement company in, some of the asbestos will become friable and
will then become airborne.  Asbestos is only a problem when it is
airborne.

You should also definitely have some samples taken to a lab and
checked to make sure that they contain asbestos.  This is only
$40 or something like that.  

I did have the asbestos removed from my house because it was friable
and was becoming airborne.  If you would like the name of an asbestos
abatement company, I think "Homesmith" was the name of the company I
used.  They were quite good and I would recommend them highly (and I
have no relation with them other than I used them once).  

You can send away to the government for some free pamphlets that I
thought were useful.
-- 
===============================================================================
|Jonathan Sweedler          Microprocessor Design                  Intel Corp.|
|           {decwrl,hplabs,oliveb}!intelca!mipos3!mipos2!sweedler             |
|                  sweedler%mipos2.intel.com@relay.cs.net                     |
===============================================================================
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: macrakis@osf.org (Stavros Macrakis)
Subject: Re: When does it make sense to reduce the pricinple of your home loan?
Organization: OSF Research Institute
	<1993Jan7.165935.619@cbnewsj.cb.att.com>
Distribution: na
Date: 11 Jan 93 12:14:49

In article <1993Jan7.165935.619@cbnewsj.cb.att.com> btwomey@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (William J. Twomey) writes:

   The gain/loss from investing instead of paying down is a piddling
   amount for mortgages rates found today and investments returns that
   can reasonably be expected....

Basically, I agree.

   Meanwhile 10-20 years from now your salary and cost of living will
   have doubled, and your real estate taxes will end up being more
   than your mortgage payment!  (How many peoples' parents see this
   now?)

This of course has been true for the past 25 years or so.  However,
there is no guarantee of continued high inflation.  Doubling in 10
years corresponds to 7% inflation.

	-s
From: elkan@cs.ucsd.edu (Charles Elkan)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: legal and repair advice needed: new roof leaks
Keywords: roof, realtor, leak, water, insurance
Date: 9 Jan 93 19:38:55 GMT
Distribution: usa


During the recent heavy rains in California, the roof of the house I
bought two years ago here in San Diego has been leaking.  This roof
was installed new 2 1/2 years ago by the previous owners of the house.
When I bought the house, I made sure to get a copy of the receipt for
the roof, which stated that it has a five year transferable warranty.

However, the company that installed the roof has gone out of business.
I had two reputable roofing contractors come to inspect.  They both do
not advise making repairs, and say that the only reliable way of
solving the problem is to remove the old roof and install a new one.
One said that the current roof is of shockingly low quality, and the
other said that given the pattern of water leakage, there may well be
damage to the insulation under the roof, and possibly damage to roof
beams.

When I bought the house, I received standard California full-disclosure
reports from the previous owner, from both realtors involved, and I
paid for a report from a certified home inspector.  None pointed out
any roof problems.

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has been in a similar
situation.  In particular, I'm wondering about the following:

1) Do I have grounds to sue the previous owner, the realtors involved,
and/or the home inspector?

2) If so, how difficult and costly would this be?  The sums involved
are too high for the small-claims court.

3) Which damage caused by water leakage should standard homeowner's
insurance cover, if any?

If there is interest, I'll be happy to summarize replies to the net.

Charles Elkan
elkan@cs.ucsd.edu
From: cogen@ll.mit.edu (David Cogen)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: plaster walls
Date: 6 Jan 93 19:09:52 GMT
Organization: MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington MA
Originator: cogen@ll.mit.edu (David Cogen)


Speaking of plaster walls, my new (new to me; it's 100 years old) house has 
them. And they are not in very
good shape. Many spots are separating from the lath and crumbling. What are
the enemies of old paster? What makes this happen?

In many cases, a large portion of entire walls is of such loose consistency that I cannot scrape away at the edge of the holes to produce a firm edge so that 
I cannot patch these holes. Instead, I am replacing these particularly bad
spots with drywall. Does this seam a reasonable strategy? Will it be extremely
hard to produce a seamless match between the plaster and the drywall?
The plaster averages slightly less than 3/8 inch thick. So 1/4 drywall would
be too thin, and 3/8 would be too big. Would it be better to use the thin
and build it up with compound, or the thick, and taper the plaster edges up
to it?

And what about all the various types of patching compounds? What are the
merits of each? I have seen:

1) Patching plaster. I started using this for the large holes. Works well,
but it is inconvenient to mix it with water.

2) ?? Spackling compound. A little runny, it seems.

3) Vinyl spackling. I like this stuff.

4) Drywall joint compound. Have not used this yet, but probably will for
the drywall sections.

I am planning on preparing the walls, and covering with heavy duty blank 
wallpaper. This patternless paper is intended to produce a good surface on
"problem walls". It may then be painted or papered. I plan to paint. It is my
feeling that if I painted the existing plaster walls, I would always be pa
patching new cracks and holes as they develop.

david Cogen.
Xref: sparky misc.consumers.house:16258 rec.aquaria:9821 alt.aquaria:6408
From: Tom Haberlandt <haberlat@ccmail.dayton.saic.com>
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria
Subject: Re: "humid" environment materials?
Date: 4 Jan 1993 17:54:39 GMT
Organization: SAIC
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: haberlandt.dayton.saic.com
X-UserAgent: Nuntius v1.1.1d11
X-XXMessage-ID: <A76DE40F9A011AA1@haberlandt.dayton.saic.com>
X-XXDate: Mon, 4 Jan 93 16:54:39 GMT

Subject: "humid" environment materials?

I think that there is a somewhat moisture resistant drywall called
blueboard.  I've seen it used in a screened-in porch (a moist but not
wet environment).

I would recommend using 2x4 framing.  If you do decide to hang anything
heavy
(like cabinets, shelves, etc) I would feel safer sinking a wood screw in
a 2x4 than 
I would putting it into sheet metal. (I'm sure that there are ways to
attach these
things to metal studs - I just don't know what they are.) 

Other things to consider:

         use a vapor barrier
         water resistant paint

__________________________________________________
Tom Haberlandt	| haberlat@ccmail.dayton.saic.com
SAIC		|
Dayton Ohio	| #include <standard-disclaimer.h>
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: marcher@kean.ucs.mun.ca
Subject: Re: Mind in the gutter
Organization: Memorial University. St.John's Nfld, Canada
Distribution: misc
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 20:29:45 GMT

In article <9301111258.PN16426@LL.MIT.EDU>, khamsi@ll.mit.edu
 (Sarir Khamsi) writes:
> Yo,
> 
> A friend told me that her brother said, "If leaves are left in roof
> gutters, your house will explode!" (Drama added to keep up with
> contemporary world events.) Just how bad are leaves in gutters and
> what are the potential dangers? Thanks in advance.
> 
First of all, I love your sense of humor!

I recall seeing a house, the gutters of which had apparently not been 
cleaned out for some time - I was somewhat surprised to see small 
trees growing from it - it looked rather odd at that height.  In fact, 
the trees in the gutter looked better than the trees on the ground!  I 
suppose if allowed to grow unchecked, the trees would have eventually 
caused the gutters to explode.......I don't know about the house.....  
I guess the thing to remember is that leaves aren't the only thing 
that wind up in gutters (lots of bad jokes can be made at this point, 
but I'll desist).

Cheers!
Mary Elizabeth
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: gagen@andy.bgsu.edu (kathleen gagen)
Subject: Re: refinishing tile
Organization: Bowling Green State University B.G., Oh.
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 20:54:22 GMT

vvdmtp@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov (Donna Pavlik (Sverdrup)) writes:
> 
> Recently I bought a house in which the previous owners
> painted over the tiles around the sink and stove in the
> kitchen.  It's painted an awful mustard color and in
> some places it's beginning to peel (aqua underneath).
> Short of ripping it all out and replacing it, is there
> anything I can do to refinish it?
> 
My parents in law recently had their bathroom tile refinished using the
same process used to refinish bathtubs and sinks.  It looks OK now.  I
do not know how long it will last.  The one thing that I dislike is that
the grout lines are also refinished, resulting in an artifickal appearance.

Best of luck.
Kathi

gagen@andy.bgsu.edu


:wq
*
-- 
 Kathleen Pausic Gagen                              ...!osu-cis!bgsuvax!gagen
 Dept. of Biological Sciences                        gagen@research1.bgsu.edu
 Bowling Green State University             gagen%bgsu.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa
 Bowling Green Ohio 43403               gagen%andy.bgsu.edu@csnet-relay.csnet
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: breland@cobweb.mcc.com.mcc (Mark A. Breland)
Subject: Re: Home alarms hooked to police?
Reply-To: breland@cobweb.mcc.com.mcc
Organization: MCC
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 21:13:15 GMT

In article 26405@nntpd.lkg.dec.com, bruno@allof.enet.dec.com (Greg Bruno) writes:
>
>     There are some businesses hooked directly to the police in our town, but
>the number is small, because false alarms have a costly penalty.  After
>a certain number of false alarms, they will disconnect you.  I believe there
>is a steep cost for just setting up the connection.
>
>     It is more efficient to have a local security company monitor the alarms
>and send out their own people to investigate alarms.

Ah, but what happens is most cities require security company alarm monitoring,
with local police making the actual response to the premises.  In my city, they
allow up to six "responded to false alarms" per year.  A fee (read fine) is then
charged by the city to you for each additional "responded to false alarm."

---
Mark A. Breland - Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC)
Ada Fault Tolerance                               | voice:    (512) 338-3509
3500 West Balcones Center Drive                   | FAX:      (512) 338-3900
Austin, Texas 78759-6509   USA                    | internet: breland@mcc.com

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com (patterson,george r)
Subject: Re: CREDIT REPORTS: They don't know the diff. between Jr. and Sr.?
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 93 23:43:59 GMT

In article <1993Jan12.135320.1@hmcvax.claremont.edu> dhosek@hmcvax.claremont.edu writes:
>In article <barrett.726759980@cc.gatech.edu>, barrett@forge.gatech.edu (James Barrett) writes:
>> ..............................................  It seems to me that 
>> SSN should be enough to index.
>
>Problem is, if memory serves and the person who told me this knew
>what they were talking about, it's illegal to use the SSN for
>anything other than tax purposes. Which leaves one wondering
>about various universities, Checkfree Corporation and many others
>who do use it as an ID number for other things...

It is indeed illegal to use a SS number for anything else, but it's
not illegal at all to ask someone what their SS number is and assign
them a driver's license number (for example) that happens to be identical
to the SS number, as long as they don't *call* it a Social Security
number. Both Georgia and Tennessee did this. Change the name, and it's
not a SS number anymore. Examples and variations abound.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | 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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: faunt@netcom.Netcom.COM (Doug Faunt N6TQS 510-655-8604)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Tying 2 Switches to Common Load?
Date: 7 Jan 93 18:10:29 GMT
	<1993Jan5.230331.8188@porthos.cc.bellcore.com>
	<1993Jan6.175650.24515@donner.SanDiego.NCR.COM>
	<FAUNT.93Jan6122734@netcom.Netcom.COM>
	<DRAND.93Jan7111847@spinner.osf.org>
Distribution: na
Organization: at home, in Oakland

You have a point about following the code, and what the inspector
says, but inspectors are not infallible, and no one has come up with
references to the code that say that this is prohibited.

The inspectors that I've had have ranged from quite knowledgeable to
totally clueless.  The cluless know what's in the rules and nothing
else.  They default to "no, you can't do it".  The knowledgeable ones
tend to say "if it's not prohibited, and I don't know any reaon to not
do it, go ahead".  I've also had two different inspectors say
different things about the same situation (the one I would normally
get was sick, so after the second one rejected something the first
said was OK, I got another inspection, from the first inspector, who
passed what I'd done).

I couldn't locate anything that says that this is against the code.
although I don't know the code that well.  Next time I get a chance,
I'll ask an electrician.  

doug
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: jjd@cray.com (Jeff Drummond)
Subject: Re: Funny Feeling From Heater
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.
Date: 12 Jan 93 14:23:56 CST

In article <C0r33E.33G@well.sf.ca.us> lp@well.sf.ca.us (Lily Pond) writes:
>
>Ihave two electric ignition furnaces in my basement (this used to be a
>duplex). They've been checked by PG&E (our gas and electric co.) and found
>to be ok. But it seems to me when they are on I feel a little woozy
>sometimes. I don't smell gas, except for a teeny puff just before they
>light (I guess they take a little too long to light - can that be
>adjusted?), but don't know if that would really be enough to make me feel
>odd - do you think?
>
>Others have suggested something about vent gasses and cracks in something as
>possible causes and I'm trying to understand that, but don't really. I don't
>really smell anything, any more than nitrous oxide at the dentist's office
>really has a smell, but it makes you feel something anyway.
>
>Anybody got any possible explanation? Thanks. Or something specific I can
>either check for myself or have checked for - and then real specifics,
>please. Thanks again.

It could be carbon monoxide (CO) gas produced by incomplete combustion in
the furnace.  CO is odorless and can be deadly.  Our local utility company
(NSP) supplies CO detectors cheap ($1.00 each).  Your utility company may
also sell them; or at least tell you where to get them.

-Jeff    jjd@cray.com
--
The generation of random numbers is too important to be left to chance.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com (patterson,george r)
Subject: Re: Insulation over and under?
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 93 04:59:50 GMT

In article <1isnauINNeaf@usenet.pa.dec.com> skk@harold.dec.COM (Stuart Kreitman) writes:

>The installation is slightly incorrect because the facing/vapor
>barrier lies on top of the cellulose.

The facing peels off very easily. If you want to turn this stuff into
unfaced batts, go for it. I'd use something like a cookie sheet (wide
metal sheet) as a separation tool.

>........... As the facing is flammable, you don't want to leave it facing out,
>exposing it to air. Why do they make facing out of paper anyway? It has
>potential to
>burn no matter how you install it.

No, you don't want to leave it facing out. As to it's burning potential,
it's supposed to be installed against a non-flammable surface (such as
sheet rock). When properly installed, it won't burn any more readily than
the sheet rock will.

As an example you can try at home. The outlaw bikers have a bar trick they
pull on the uninformed. They pull out a $20 bill and place it on someone's
arm and offer to let them have it if they'll keep it there until it chars.
They then place a lit cigarette on it. Hell will freeze before that bill
chars; the arm absorbs the heat. Similarly, that facing won't burn until
everything touching it is over 400 degrees - if it's installed properly.

>Now the next question: The room's still cold. What to do next? 
>The house is single story, U-shaped. My bedroom is on the end of the U and is
>the coldest room in the house. A FOAF recommended
>insulating the floor before doing the walls, on the argument that the floor
>is cooled strongly by ventilation under the foundation. (My "california
>basement"
>has a 30" ceiling). While far cheaper than doing the walls, the
>effectiveness is
>doubtfull to me.

Basically you need to insulate the floor and the walls. If you leave 
either uninsulated, the heat will go out that way. It's not exactly a
waste of money to do just one, but you won't be satisfied. The old school
of thought was that you do the ceiling, walls, and floor in that order
because heat rises.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | "Under Consideration": We never heard of it.
George Patterson -  | "Under Active Consideration": We're searching the
                    |    files for it.
                    |         Kelvin Throop - The Management Dictionary
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: sheriffp@Software.Mitel.COM (Peter Sheriff)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Should I install a gas furnace?
Date: 6 Jan 93 18:29:42 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Mitel. Kanata (Ontario). Canada.


    Holy smoke. You guys must pay through the nose for energy. My gas bill
for last year was $734 Cdn. I have forced air gas heating and no other gas
appliances. With the electricity for the fan and air conditioning I am
probably around the $1000 mark for a full years climate control.
    We are talking about the great white north up here. My house started with
R20 in the ceilings which I upgraded to about R32 and I sealed every seam
and hole I could find in the walls and ceiling but other than that it is a
normal 4 level split. The furnace is the original oil furnace with a gas
conversion burner so it is low to medium efficiency. I keep the temperature
set at 20 deg C for most of the day and set it back to 17 deg C at night.
    One of our neighbors has the same house style and still have oil heat
and their fuel bill is about twice ours. I am not sure if they have done 
any insulating and caulking so it may not be a completely fair comparison
but there is still a great difference between the heating costs up here.

                               Pete
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: smb@research.att.com (Steven Bellovin)
Subject: Re: Honeywell Electronic Thermostat
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 15:25:55 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories

In article <C0C1B3.3uI@boi.hp.com>, dougl@mail.boi.hp.com (Doug Leno) writes:
> Interesting that you persuaded a wholesale distributor to sell you one.
> The local distributor here wouldn't hear of it, although they were 
> more knowledgeable than the heating contractors and were more than willing
> to supply information to help me decide which model to choose.  

Not a wholesaler -- a plumbing supply store.  The one I use, for folks
in this area, is ``Community Plumbing'', on Rt 22 in Springfield.  They
have a big sign saying ``Serving the Homeowner for ?? Years''.  Other
folks I know have bought similar thermostats at other plumbing supply
stores.  Again, no persuasion was needed -- just walk in, ask for it,
and pay your money.

The big difference is that I was *not* dealing with your average home
center or hardware store.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: dambra@ll.mit.edu (Robert Dambra)
Subject: Wanted: Info on moving companys
Organization: MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 93 20:21:43 GMT

I'm looking for the pros, cons and expense of using a moving company. 

Bob D'Ambra
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house