HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: rlp@drutx.ATT.COM (Bob Prehn (@ The Right Choice))
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Sears tools (was Electric Drill Recommendation)
Summary: I gave up on them.
Date: 6 Oct 92 15:16:15 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories - Denver

In article <1992Oct6.012310.26543@ulysses.att.com>, smb@ulysses.att.com (Steven Bellovin) writes:
> In article <91253@rphroy.ph.gmr.com>, rhaar@albert.cs.gmr.com (Bob Haar) writes:
> > You don't need to apologize for recommending Sears tools. The original
> > request was for a drill to be used by someone new to
> > do-it-yourself work.
> > 
<stuff deleted>
> 
> Umm -- I haven't participated in this round of Sears-bashing, but I
> do share the sentiments.  The feeling of many -- including me -- is that
> *recent* Sears tools just aren't as good as the ones they used to make.

I had two sears 3/8 inch variable speed reversing drills die after 1 1/2 to
2 years of home use.  Also a small rotary grinder (similar to Dremel type)
that died before two years of very infrequent use.
I Replaced the drill with a comparably priced Black & Decker that has been
working fine for about ten years. (I'm talking Sears "sale" prices here)
Because of Sears quality like this, I quit buying power tools from them.

I goofed & bought a garage door opener from them.  The cable is fraying
and they only sell it along with the chain for $50.  The light guards melted
with the 60 watt bulbs they recommended.  One of the 2 remotes also had
poor solder joints to the dip switch for code settings, causing intermittant
failure.

============================================================================

"They that can give up an essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety".
					      - Benjamin Franklin (1759)

 Robert Prehn
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,uiuc.general
From: tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan)
Subject: Re: This Old House
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 16:18:29 GMT

Speaking of This Old House, when is the new season going to start?

Or has it already begun airing, and our local PBS station is simply
retarding for some unknown reason?
From: exukev@exu.ericsson.se (Kevin Autrey)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Medeco deadbolts
Date: 5 Oct 92 17:29:52 GMT
Organization: Ericsson Network Systems
X-Disclaimer: This article was posted by a user at Ericsson in North America.
              The opinions expressed are strictly those of the user and
              not necessarily those of Ericsson.

I've gone around to a couple of locksmiths and they've all quoted me
around *** $170.00 *** for a double cylinder (key on each side) Medeco
deadbolt (I explained that I didn't want the GOLD PLATED model - just
the standard Bright Brass would do).  

In that $170 is an AWFUL lot to pay for a lock (apparently though, THE
deadbolt to have if you want secure deadbolts), I'm wondering are
Medeco locks available for retail sale through Home Depot's, Payless
Cashways or the like?  I've looked, but been unable to find anything
other than Weiserlocks and Kwiksets.

Any info would be appreciated.

Kevin
________ _________________________________________________________________
\      /                                       | Ericsson Network Systems
 \  Kevin Autrey                               | P.O. Box 833875 - MS L-04
  \  /            wk: exukev@exu.ericsson.se   | Richardson, TX 75083-3875
   \/             hm: kevin@batpc.lonestar.org | Phone: (214) 997-6865
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: mjoseph@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Mark Joseph)
Subject: Old Tile Adhesive (Tar) removal
Summary: How _should_ I get this stuff off?
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 19:54:35 GMT

At some point in the history of our house, there was tile on
an 8' square area of our concrete basement floor.  The tile
was removed by a previous owner, but the adhesive is still there.
It looks like the "tar" type of adhesive.  Should I remove this
with a solvent (and if so, which?) or with some type of abrasive
tool?

Email would be appreciated, although I'll try to keep up from
now on :-).

Mark
-- 
Mark Joseph             University of Illinois / Speech & Hearing Science
Technical Support Mgr.  901 S. Sixth St., Champaign, IL 61820
m-joseph@uiuc.edu       (217)244-2569   FAX:(217)244-2235
From: au363@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Ken Sussmann)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Square-D electrical panel
Date: 2 Oct 1992 18:12:14 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: au363@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Ken Sussmann)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, edwards@world.std.com (Jonathan Edwards) says:

>Following advice here and elsewhere, I have asked the electrician on my
>new house construction to use a Square-D power panel instead of the cheapo
>GE unit the builder usually uses. And also to use all copper wire (they would
>use aluminium for the main feed and oven). The price for both of these
>upgrades is $960! Is this a reasonable price, and is it worth it???
>-- 
>Jonathan Edwards				edwards@intranet.com
>IntraNet, Inc					617-527-7020
>

I recently upgraded my service from 100 Amps to 200 Amps. The Square-D
panel (40 spaces) was about $180. 2/0 copper cable (200 amp capacity)
was $1.35/foot. I ran mine in conduit. For an upgrade, $960 seems way
out of line unless you have extremely long runs of wire. I should also
note that breakers are about $6 for single pole and $12 for double pole.


Ken
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: pngai@adobe.com (Phil Ngai)
Subject: Re: IN-LINE WATER HEATERS
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 20:32:08 GMT

In article <2995@contex.contex.com> frank@marvin.contex.com (Frank Perdicaro) writes:
>I love my in line heater.  I have a Weil Mclain steam heat boiler with
>a 3/4" pipe internal hot water coil.  Always works great, I have HOT
>water and never any doubt about running out.  

That's nice, but this is not the kind of device most people are
talking about. Of course you don't have problems with temperature
variations. On the other hand, neither do you have the so-called
advantages of the in-line types which can be mounted near the
point of use to reduce wasted hot water (and wasted water).

-- 
My opinions are my own.
Happy owner of a new Mitsubishi Expo.

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: nguyen@mr.med.ge.com (Dominic Nguyen 4-6604 MRCE)
Subject: Furnace recommended!
Keywords: Furnace
Organization: GE Medical Systems, Magnetic Resonance
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 92 20:03:13 GMT

We bought a house a year ago and we're thinking replace the existing
furnace with a higher efficiency.  Our current furnace is about 15
years old and probably at 70% efficiency (our estimate).

We're looking for some recommendation in what brand names unit to
buy that can give us above 90% efficiency (the higer the better).
Thanks for your help!
dominic

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: More on Vynil Siding
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 92 18:34:03 GMT

In article <1992Oct1.175327.16309@infonode.ingr.com> lester@naomi.b23b.ingr.com writes:

>We got hit with a major hail storm here about 1.5 years ago.  The masonite
>siding on my house took no damage.  A whole condo complex about a half mile
>away had severe damage to the vinyl siding - it looked like someone had
>just finished up with some war games.

The same sort of damage occurs here. We don't get lots of hail, but we
do get high ( > 50 mph) winds several times a year. I saw one subdivision
in Piscataway in which every single house lost siding to one storm. One
of the houses lost all the siding and some of the insulated sheathing from
the upwind wall. These buildings were less than a year old, so there wasn't
anything solid under the stuff either. The way vinyl interlocks, if a wind
manages to get under one piece, it'll take off most of the siding on the
wall.

That was a bad year. One of the houses in the same subdivision later
collapsed entirely when a spin-off from a hurricane (Gloria?) hit it.
These houses weren't particularly poorly constructed; such damage was
widespread in this area that year.

patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    |
George Patterson -  | Of course truth is stranger than fiction; after
                    | all, good fiction must make sense.
                    |                        Samuel Clemens
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: mjensen@BBN.COM (Martin Jensen)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Square-D electrical panel
Date: 5 Oct 92 21:17:57 GMT
Reply-To: mjensen@BBN.COM (Martin Jensen)
NNTP-Posting-Host: reliant.bbn.com

edwards@world.std.com (Jonathan Edwards) writes:

>Following advice here and elsewhere, I have asked the electrician on my
>new house construction to use a Square-D power panel instead of the cheapo
>GE unit the builder usually uses. And also to use all copper wire (they would
>use aluminium for the main feed and oven). The price for both of these
>upgrades is $960! Is this a reasonable price, and is it worth it???
>-- 

I've been looking into a service upgrade on my home (in the Boston area,
changing a 100 amp fuse panel over to a 200 amp circuit breaker panel)
and the prices I've been quoted range from $750-$850 for 200 amp service,
all copper wire, 40 circuit panel (no brand specified).  With the additional
copper for the range, I would think that $960 is probably a little high,
but not outrageous ... for an upgrade in an existing home.

You say this is for new construction.  Is this the difference between the
standard materials and the upgrade??  If so, you're getting soaked!!  I can
see a couple of hundred for the materials ... but your labor doesn't change.

If the service has already been installed, I don't think $960 is worth it
to upgrade from "good" to "better".  While a GE panel and aluminum service
wire may not be top of the line, they are certainly acceptable.  There are
thousands of homes with aluminum service entry wire that have not had any
problems ... I wouldn't have a hard time living with it if that's what is
already in place.  Besides, I can think of a lot of other places to spend
$900 ... especially in a new home!

---   Martin Jensen     \   BBN Communications     \  #include          ---
 ---   mjensen@bbn.com   \   150 CambridgePark Dr.  \  <std.disclaimer>  ---
  ---   (617) 873-4859    \   Cambridge, MA   02140  \                    ---
From: epresley@brazilian.leper.colony
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: insulation question
Keywords: hideout, not-dead, UFO, lepers
Date: 6 Oct 92 20:08:29 GMT
Reply-To: epresley@brazilian.leper.colony
Distribution: usa
Organization: WallyWorld USA


My house has an addition off the kitchen (4'x8') that does not
seem to be insulated enough underneath the floor (between the 
2x10 stringers/joists).  I am thinking of putting insulation under 
the floor boards (in between the 2x10's).  

 Questions:
   1) Do I really need insulation under the floor boards given the
      situation below?
   2) If so, should I use reflective backing insulation?  There is a   
      tiled kitchen floor above it and I heard reflective backing would 
      reflect heat back up)
   3) should I use a vapor barrier ?

My Situation:
  The addition was built on cinder blocks that jut out from and connect to
  the foundation.  There is a cellar door (1" plywood) leading to 
  the outside which is not insulated either.   There is no insulation under 
  the floor of this addition and I think it would cause some heat loss.

Diagrams:

 crude ascii foundation level diagram: 
             ----------------


                          cellar
                     ---..door..----
                     |             |
  cinder blocks      |             | <--= kitchen addition
     \               |             |   
      \              |    interior |
  -----------------------.. door..-|
  |                                |
  |                                |
  |                                |
  |                                |  <--= house 
 

 
 first floor diagram:
 ------------
                           (evening sun)
                           /////||||\\\\\
                          
                          window
                     ...========....
                     |             .
             back door             | window
                     |             |   
                     .             .
  ----------------....             .
  |               .                |          <--= kitchen addition
  |               .                |
  |               .                | window
  |               .   t i l e d    |
  |               .                .
  |               . f l o o r      .
  |               .                .
  |                   k i t c h e n.
  |                                .
  |                  ...............
  |                                |
  |                                |
  |                                |
From: staffan@ca.serum.kodak.com (Kenneth Staffan (x37507))
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Refi required SURVEY?
Date: 2 Oct 92 12:47:37 GMT
Organization: Clinical Products Division, Eastman Kodak Company

In article <122210031@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM> sjb@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Stuart Bobb) writes:
>
>>    ...I had a survey done 6 years ago for the first loan, and the refi
>>    is with the same company... a re-survey would be required if that
>>    was necessary by state law to obtain a clear title.... I can't see
>>    why a survey is necessary since if I'd sold/bought any of the
>>    property in the last 6 years presumably it would turn up in the
>>    title search.  If they purpose is to verify that the property is
>>    there, that's already been done by the appraiser...
>
>I doubt that you will be able to avoid it.  We refinanced on a loan that was
>less than two years old.  A survey (only $75 in our case) was still required
>by our lender.

Don't know who makes the rule - the state, the bank, etc., but 3 years 
was the magic number in our case - if the survey was older than 3 years,
a new one was needed.  Seemed to be semi-flexible, though, because ours
was 3 years 2 months and they waived the requirement...

Ken
From: tanner@bcsaic.boeing.com (Jim Tanner)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: elec. question: 2 wires per screw terminal allowed?
Date: 30 Sep 92 05:53:56 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Boeing Computer Services AI Center, Seattle

In article <6432@atlas.cs.nps.navy.mil> erickson@taurus.cs.nps.navy.mil (David Erickson) writes:
>In article <1992Sep25.173731.10810@eagle.lerc.nasa.gov> smjeff@lerc05.lerc.nasa.gov (Jeff Miller) writes:
>>
>>I just put in a new main panel and the city inspector said I was not
>>allowed to have 2 wires in 1 screw terminal hole on the ground/neutral
>>strip.  I thought that 2 wires was okay.
>
>No, the code says 1.

Hmmm...  I've seen panel markings that allow multiple wires per screw
terminal.  The neutral bus bar had holes of various sizes and the
larger ones allowed 2 or 3 12/14 gauge wires.  I also had an
electrician replace my service panel during a service upgrade - he
wired it with multiple wires per screw terminal and the electrical
inspector bought it off.  Possibly local code variations?  Anyone
know what the NEC says (actual citation, not "I remember reading...")?
From: langston@langston.cs.utk.edu (Mike Langston)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: siding options?
Date: 29 Sep 92 23:19:25 GMT
Article-I.D.: utkcs2.lchp3tINNr29
Reply-To: langston@langston.cs.utk.edu (Mike Langston)
Distribution: world
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Tennessee
NNTP-Posting-Host: langston.cs.utk.edu

george patterson repeats:

   <discussion deleted>
> I could go on for quite some time, but I shall simply repeat at this
> point that anything's better than vinyl siding!

perhaps you've simply had a bad experience -- mileage varies
with manufacturer and installer

i had the same feeling about brick once after i hired a mason 
who was either cockeyed or drunk most of the time :)

-- 
mike langston <langston@cs.utk.edu>
department of computer science, university of tennessee
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,misc.invest.real-estate
From: sbender@navajo.dsd.es.com (Steve Bender)
Subject: Re: reducing the agents fees
Organization: Evans & Sutherland
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 92 16:29:55 GMT

In article <20296@fritz.filenet.com>, asylvain@felix.filenet.com (The Chipmunk) writes:
|> Written in article <xn-p8z=@lynx.unm.edu>
|>  by pkrause@triton.unm.edu (Paul Krause CIRT):
|> 
|> : In article <1992Sep30.122528.11170@ncrcae.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM> 
|> :    shawn@grok90.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM (Shawn Shealy) writes:
|> :> I have heard that sometimes the real estate agents involved in the
|> :> sale/purchase of a house are willing to accept reduced fees (i.e.
|> :> less than their 3% of list or whatever) to have the transaction
|> :> complete.  Is this true?  How typical is it?  What are the regulations
|> :
|> : For the agent I usually work with, any changes come out of his side of the
|> : commission.  For example, if he normally keeps 75% of the 3% that his side
|> : of the transaction generates (6% total commission), he can do whatever deal
|> : he wants, but his broker still expects to get 25% of 3%.  If you negotiate
|> : the commission to 5% on a $100,000 house the agent's net drops from $2,250
|> : to 1,250.  Not exactly an incentive to do a great job for you.
|> 
|> All things are negotiable, including the split between broker and agent.
|> If you want to keep total commission to, say, 3%, meaning that selling
|> side gets 1.5% and buying side gets 1.5%, and this means your agent gets
|> 0% (because the broker MUST get 50% of 3%), then some re-negotiation and/
|> or shopping is called for.

In buying my current home, The seller and I could not come together on the
price to the tune of $3000...  The agents, seeing that the opportunity would
be lost, promptly made up the difference.

-- 
Steve Bender
Evans & Sutherland
(801) 582-5847
Salt Lake City, UT 84108

sbender@dsd.es.com

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: chrism@haida.mentorg.com (Chris McCabe)
Subject: Re: Taking off old plaster
Originator: chrism@haida
Date: Thu, 01 Oct 1992 20:04:36 GMT
Organization: Mentor Graphics 
Keywords: 
Followup-To: 


  I removed the plaster off of all the walls on the first floor of my house.
It is an extremely messy (dusty) job.  I don't think there is a lot you can
do to make it better, except to try to peel the plaster off in the biggest
chunks you can and put them into a container that can be closed to keep the
dust down.  Wear a dust mask and put something over the doorways if you don't
want the dust floating around your house.  The plaster falls right off the
walls once you get it started, so that should not be a problem.

  -Chris
-- 
Chris McCabe        chris_mccabe@mentorg.com | Opinions expressed here may not
Mentor Graphics Corporation   (503) 685-7000 | be those of Mentor Graphics and
Member of Technical Staff - Core Engineering | probably not those of the Pope.
From: clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Another dryer venting question
Date: 28 Sep 92 23:59:30 GMT
Organization: Elegant Communications Inc., Ottawa, Canada

In article <28SEP199207010913@amarna.gsfc.nasa.gov> packer@amarna.gsfc.nasa.gov (Charles Packer) writes:
>Is there any reason not to vent a dryer into the furnace flue,
>that is, the chimney?

Yup.  That is, if there's a furnace there too.

The additional venting can force carbon monoxide into the house,
blow out pilot lights, clog filters, jam burners, and (remotely)
result in gas explosions.  Not to mention the promotion of rust in
the flue or the furnace.

Dryers MUST be vented separately from furnaces.  And water heaters.
And v-v.

This is no joke.  My mother was on a coroner's jury investigating
the death of a woman caused by venting problems leading to carbon monoxide
buildup.
-- 
Chris Lewis; clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca; Phone: Canada 613 832-0541
Psroff 3.0 info: psroff-request@ferret.ocunix.on.ca
Ferret list: ferret-request@ferret.ocunix.on.ca
From: sasgrw@cumorah.unx.sas.com (Glen R. Walker)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re:    FREE REFINANCING
Date: 6 Oct 92 22:23:02 GMT
Organization: SAS Institute Inc.
Originator: sasgrw@cumorah.unx.sas.com


In article <1992Oct6.200916.27098@porthos.cc.bellcore.com>, patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie) writes:
|> In article <1asnr8INNpc9@sixgun.East.Sun.COM> egreen@east.sun.com writes:
|> >In article 111851VANCE@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU, Valery Nesterov <VANCE@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU> () writes:
|> >>
|> >>We have loans at NO COST at all to you!!
|> >>We'll come to your home to fill the application.
|> >
|> >How about tomorrow night?  I live in Cary, North Carolina.  Say, 5:30?
|>
|> I'm interested too! How 'bout this evening around 8:00? I live in Somerset,
|> New Jersey (just down the road from Ed).
|>

      Yeah, then zip on back down to Cary later that evening.
      I'm interested.

      Yeah, that's the ticket.


 +---------------------------------------+---------------------------+
 | Glen R. Walker                        |                           |
 | (sasgrw@cumorah.unx.sas.com)          | SAS Institute, Inc.       |
 |                                   |\  | SAS Campus Drive          |
 |         ttt        _/|    |\     o    | Cary, NC 27513-2414       |
 | }----------------=I_ |   o   |\    |\ | (919) 677-8000 ext. 6869  |
 |    (____|||_____)   \|      o     o   |                           |
 |                                       |                           |
 +---------------------------------------+---------------------------+
 | ...and hid up in the hill Cumorah all the records which had been  |
 | entrusted to me...                                                |
 +-------------------------------------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: andre@king.slc.mentorg.com (Andre' Hut)
Subject: Re: The programmable thermostat jungle...
Organization: /net/king/usr1/andre/.organization
Distribution: na
Date: 2 Oct 92 14:47:03

In article <84212@bcsaic.boeing.com> tanner@bcsaic.boeing.com (Jim Tanner) writes:
   In article <1992Sep30.182523.12312@clpd.kodak.com> staffan@ca.serum.kodak.com (Kenneth Staffan (x37507)) writes:

   >Honeywell MagicStat/30, aka MS 3000.  6 time/temperature settings per
   >day, each day of week completely independent (42 settings/week).
   >Temporary override until next scheduled setting.  Manual override until
   >manually canceled.  I had one for 5 years in my old house, bought
   >another one last year for my new house.
   >>

I saw this model at HomeBase (warehouse hardware store in the West).  I
couldn't tell if this unit has a clock, or anyway to set it if there is.  Jim, can
you tell us how it is programmed, and if it has a clock?  
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------
My opinions are solely my own, and do not necessarily reflect those
of my employer.

Andre' Hut       andre@slc.mentorg.com  or  utah-cs!caeco!andre
Mentor Graphics, Suite 300, 5295 South 300 West, Murray, Utah 84107
-------------------------------------------------------------------
From: staffan@ca.serum.kodak.com (Kenneth Staffan (x37507))
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Electric Drill Recommendation
Date: 2 Oct 92 12:39:52 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Clinical Products Division, Eastman Kodak Company

> Cordless drill technology has come a long way in the past few years. The only
> reasons I can see for *not* getting a cordless drill are:
>
> 1) Price - they cost more
> 2) You need more than 1300 rpm (why?)

3) You don't use it frequently enough.  If it spends most of its time on 
   a shelf, the battery will never be fully charged when you need it, and
   charging it on demand (as opposed to letting it discharge and then 
   recharging it) will cause the battery to hold its charge for shorter and
   shorter times.

Ken
---
staffan@serum.kodak.com