HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: GA.MCL@forsythe.stanford.edu (Mark C. Lawrence)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Central Vacs
Date: 22 Nov 1992 21:12:19 -0800
Organization: Stanford University
Distribution: usa
NNTP-Posting-Host: morrow.stanford.edu

In article <445@vega.iii.com>,
danny@vega.iii.com (danny) writes:
>I just have an in house demo of the Tri-Star vacuum ( they don't call
>this a vacuum ).  Basically, they have me vacuum all I want and then
>he use the Tri-Star to pick up a lot of dirt. This demo show how
>in-effective my current vacuum is.

I'm not familiar with the Tri-Star but I do know that you can do this
demonstration with *any* vacuum cleaner.  Try it, clean your floor,
then put in the filter paper or whatever, and clean again with the
*same* vacuum cleaner.  You will get more dirt.

>I have to said I am impressed with this little thing (weight about 15 pound).
>The Tri-Star cost $2089 at full retail with a 25 year full replacment
>warranty and clean my house carpet 25 time within this period using some
>dry chem stuff.  He did come down to $1589 but we decided this is too
>steep for my blood.  If you consisder a good vacuum cost 200-300 dollar
>and a new one is in order every 5-10 years or so, $1589 is not much and also

A good vacuum at 200-300 dollars will last 25 years too.  If you pay
$2089 or even $1589 for a vacuum cleaner you are being robbed.  For
that kind of money you could hire someone to come and clean your
house with *their* vacuum cleaner for some number of years.  Or
vacation in Tahiti, you won't care if your floor is clean.

Mark C. Lawrence
Systems Programmer     Internet: M.Lawrence@Forsythe.Stanford.edu
Stanford Data Center     Bitnet: M.Lawrence@STANFORD
Stanford, CA 94305-4136     Tel: (415) 723-4976
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: mje@pookie.pass.wayne.edu (Michael Joseph Edelman)
Subject: Re: home warrantee
Reply-To: mje@pookie.pass.wayne.edu
Organization: Wayne State University
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 16:31:06 GMT

In article 14092@eagle.lerc.nasa.gov, smjeff@lerc05.lerc.nasa.gov (Jeff Miller) writes:
>In article <1egnrvINNfqo@newmdata.meaddata.com> davidm@meaddata.com (David Miller) writes:
>>I just want to plug AHS (American Home Shield).  The seller of my house
>>furnished the policy.  The water heater wasn't working quite right so I
>>check the elements, and sure enough, the lower element showed infinite
>>resistance.  So, instead of following directions from the net on how to
>>replace it, I called AHS.  They had a plumber out in 24 hours to fix it.
>>It was easy to get through to them, they were prompt, etc.  Couldn't ask
>>for more.  I paid only the $35 deductable to the plumber (I know, the element
>>was probably less but I didn't have to do anything this way).
>>
>>I figured the AHS policy would be pretty useless when I bought the house.  
>>I glad I was wrong.
>>
>>And I'm not connected to AHS in any way.
>>
>>Dave
            [...]
>I disagree.  In most cases the home warranty is not going to pay for 
>itself.  The warranty company is not going to replace something if they
>can patch it together so that it lasts until the warranty is over.
>
>Your warranty probably cost you around $250.  So far you have paid $285
>to have an old water heater patched together so that it lasts for a few more
>months.
>
>This is only my opinion.  In my case I did not get a home warranty and
>I don't regret it.  Are there any people out there who actually saved
>money by getting a home warranty?  I'm also curious to know if a home
>warranty company ever replaced something that broke (like a furnace) or
>do they just patch it back together so that it lasts for the duration
>of the warranty period.
>
            [...]
Friends of mine had a very good experience with a home warranty. Their gas
oven crapped out and they were able to replace it with a top-of-the-line
oven and range. They're very happy. But the real reason for buying a warranty
is to protect yourself against the real high-ticket items, like a septic
field that needs replacing, a foundation that has been eroded from underneath,
restless spirits rising from building the house over a cursed graveyard, vampires,
the curse of Tutankhamen, that sort of thing.
         --mike





Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: gse@gsbux1 (George Easton )
Subject: Security system info wanted
Reply-To: gse@gsbux1 (George Easton )
Organization: Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago
Distribution: usa
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1992 17:37:35 GMT


I recently purchased a house with a security system monitored by
Security Link. We had two additional motion detectors installed. The
price Security Link charged for installing these devices was
outrageous.  I was wondering if it is possible to purchase motion
detectors and other upgrades to the system and install them yourself. I
have looked in the local yellow pages for stores that sell security
system components and have found nothing that looks promising.

My questions are: 1) Are there mail order companies that sell security
system components? 2) What technical information is required to install
the devices properly and where can one get it?

Thanks.

George S. Easton
Graduate School of Business
University of Chicago

gse@gsbfac.uchiago.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: drand@spinner.osf.org (Douglas S. Rand)
Subject: Re: How to cut back my heat bill?
Organization: Open Software Foundation
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 17:55:35 GMT

In article <1992Nov20.171452.2840@cbfsb.cb.att.com>, disaacs@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (david.e.isaacs) 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.  This
|> >|> doesn't make sense to me for the following reason:
|> >
|> >
|> >A good compromise is to buy a programmable setback thermostat, such as a
|> >Hunter, and program the night temperature for 5-10 degrees lower, having it
|> >come back up just before you rise, go back down after you leave for work, and
|> >come back up before you get home.  You can get them for $40-60 depending on
|> >features, and they will save you that the first heating season.
|> >
|> 
|> I have heard that it's better to just set your thermostat to 68 (or whatever
|> temp you like) and leave it.  Someone told me that using daily setbacks is like
|> changing speeds in a car and is energy inefficient.  I have a programable 
|> thermostat but only set it back when we are going away for over a day.  Anyone
|> out there know the "emis" on this is ?
|> 

Although Stavros debunked this elsewhere in this thread,  I'll 
do it here.  The laws of thermodynamics says that the heat loss
is directly proportional to the temperature delta.  It is never
more expensive to let the house cool down and reheat.  It is not
like a car,  the furnace operates at essentially a constant efficiency.
In fact,  the furnace is probably a bit more efficient in the longer
runs for reheat,  but doesn't make a big difference.

-- 
Douglas S. Rand <drand@osf.org>		OSF/Motif Dev.
Snail:         11 Cambridge Center,  Cambridge,  MA  02142
Disclaimer:    I don't know if OSF agrees with me... let's vote on it.
Amateur Radio: KC1KJ
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: spencer@ocsmd.ocs.com (Spencer Hines)
Subject: Re: refinishing hardwood floors
Organization: Trilobyte McSystems Int'l.
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1992 01:28:59 GMT

Laura de Leon (deleon@hpl.hp.com) wrote:
: My husband and I recently bought a house with hardwood floors in need of
: refinishing, and we'd like to know what we'll need to do to refinish them.
: 
: We know we'll need to sand them down, and then put a layer of wax or
: references would be appreciated.
I would suggest that you consider not refinishing by sanding, but just
clean well, carefully stripping off all wax and then either just
wax or finish and wax.

My relatively extensive experience is that you don't need to sand off
the old varnish unless it is worn through AND WEATHERED GREY over lots
of it.

If your floor has black areas, particularly around the edges, that's
probably wax buildup.  Clean it with wax stripper.

The impact of sanding is tremendous and normally unnecessary.
Sanding is a last resort when the wood itself is bad through extensive
staining or weathering.

Good luck,

Spencer
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: shores@hiatt.unx.sas.com (Veronica Shores)
Subject: Re: Water in Crawlspace
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 16:12:05 GMT
Organization: SAS Institute Inc.
Keywords: information wanted: Wet crawlspace

In article <1edrq5INN2fs@bach.crhc.uiuc.edu> long@crhc.uiuc.edu (Junsheng Long) writes:
>Recently, I went to the construction site of our new house
>and found that there is a small pool of water in one corner
>of the crawl space (about 50 sqft and 0.5 ft deep).  The house
>is almost finished (the closing date is on Nov 30).  Since 
>the last rain was a week ago, this may be a problem of poor 
>drainage.  This is the first time we ever brought a house. 
>Should I be worry about this problem?  Will this water in
>crawl space weaken the foundation? What measure should the 
>builder take to correct this problem?  
>

Water in the crawlspace can definitely cause problems.  Among other things,
it can cause termite chemical barriers to break down sooner than they should 
and getting termites in your house is no fun at all! 

The builder can regrade parts of the lot to encourage water to flow away 
from the house and add a drainage basin of some type to the crawlspace so
that the water can get out instead of just sitting in the crawlspace.

I definitely recommend having an outside inspector (one who is not associated
with the builder, an independant inspector, not a county inspector) look
at the problem and recommend solutions.  It is really important that you
get something done before closing.  You also need to have the inspector
check out the work after its done BEFORE closing.

I had a similiar problem with my crawlspace and the builder said they would
fix it.  Well, I took their word for it and didn't have it inspected to
make sure it was done correctly. The end-result is that the work was not
done properly and I had standing water in my crawlspace for a few years
before I realized there was a problem!  My builder has agreed to fix all
the problems caused by the drainage including the termites I just found out
about, too!  However, in most cases you won't be so lucky.  It is really
better to get these kinds of problems resolved before closing. If you wait
until afterwards, you have to depend on the goodwill of your builder. Which
in many cases is non-existant as soon as they get your signature on the bill
of sale :-)
 
-- 
                     | "Let's outlive our usefulness, baby
Veronica L. Shores   |  Let's stay in our own skin too long"
(shores@unx.sas.com) |               --  John Hiatt
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: paul@tct.com (Paul Levin)
Subject: Help ! We've got Pharro Ants !!
Organization: TC Telemanagement, Clearwater, FL
Distribution: fl
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 20:51:02 GMT

The house I am renting seems to have been occupied by hundreds of thousands
(if not more) of pharro ants.  We have had Sears treating the problem for
the last 4 (or has it been 6) months.  They put this bait in a straw like
tube, and leave the tubes all over the house.  The ants come and get
the bait.  They should then take the bait back to the queen who eats it and 
should die.  Then the rest of the ants should eventually die, as they eat the
bait also.

We have found many dead ants, and certainly much fewer live ones, since
Sears started this treatment.

My questions is, why after 4-6 months, are we still doing this ?  Does 
Sears know what they are doing ?? Does it really take this long to kill
these creatures ?  What's your experience ?  We'ld like to know.
-- 
From:  Paul Levin   paul@count.tct.com   813-532-2239 (work, 9-5 EST)
    --> Jesus loves you, and died for you; thank Him today. <--
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: refrigerator in a garage?
From: gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston)
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 92 18:51:08 CST
Organization: Garys' Home for Obsolete Computers

lcw@cci632.cci.com (Lori Wershing) writes:

> 
> We have two refrigerators...one for the kitchen and one for ????.  In the pas
> we kept it in the basement, but in the new house it is actually more 
> convenient to have it in the garage.  Is there any reason not to put it
> there?  We live in Rochester, NY so it does get somewhat cold....will this
> damage the motor?
> 
> My father thinks that it should be adequately insulated to protect it from
> cold.....my husband is willing to move it if necessary......what do you folks
> think?

The problem with a refrigerator (or freezer) in an unheated space 
is that it may not run at all in cool or cold weather, allowing
what's inside to go bad. Besides, if you put a refrigerator in
an extremely cold environment, everything in the refrig compartment
might freeze. They have a temperature range that they're specified 
to work in, probably listed in the instructions (or, just call the
manufacturers' hotline).

Gary Heston, at home...
gary@cdthq.uucp
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: toddb@oakhill.sps.mot.com (Todd Bridges)
Subject: Re: home warrantee
Keywords: AHS
Organization: Motorola Inc., Austin, Texas
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 17:37:22 GMT

davidm@meaddata.com (David Miller) writes:

>I just want to plug AHS (American Home Shield).  The seller of my house
>furnished the policy.  The water heater wasn't working quite right so I
>check the elements, and sure enough, the lower element showed infinite
>resistance.  So, instead of following directions from the net on how to
>replace it, I called AHS.  They had a plumber out in 24 hours to fix it.

You were without hot water for 24 hours? I wouldn't consider that
especially prompt. Don't get me started on the bozo they sent to "fix"
my air-conditioner!

>It was easy to get through to them, they were prompt, etc.  Couldn't ask
>for more.  I paid only the $35 deductable to the plumber (I know, the element
>was probably less but I didn't have to do anything this way).

Sure, if it costs them little enough they will fix it. That's the
point of the 'deductible'. It nearly covers the cost of this repair.
You paid the seller about $350 (in the price of the house) for the
policy, so AHS still makes a healthy profit.  Knock the price of the
policy off the cost of the house and insure yourself. You'll save
money.

>I figured the AHS policy would be pretty useless when I bought the house.  
>I glad I was wrong.

Mine was useless when I asked them to fix my air-conditioner
compressor. The contract says they are not liable for "manufacturing
defects or improper installation or repair." That just about covers
it, doesn't it?

>And I'm not connected to AHS in any way.

Neither am I, any more. The funny thing is that they keep sending me
reply cards asking if I want to sign up for their "service". Most of
them have a special bullet pointing out the air-conditioner coverage!

My advice is to stay away from AHS. (This discussion went around when
I had my problems with them, and four of five responses I got were
negative, for what that's worth.)

Todd Bridges, M88000 Development (512) 891-3227 Fax (512) 891-3818 
uunet!oakhill.sps.mot.com!toddb (second choice: cs.utexas.edu!oakhill!toddb)
Motorola, Inc. TX30/OE215, 6501 William Cannon Dr. W, Austin, TX 78735-8598
My comments do not represent official Motorola dogma. Especially regarding
repugnant immoral un-American invasions of privacy.

-- 
Todd Bridges, M88000 Development (512) 891-3227 Fax (512) 891-3818 
uunet!oakhill.sps.mot.com!toddb (second choice: cs.utexas.edu!oakhill!toddb)
Motorola, Inc. TX30/OE215, 6501 William Cannon Dr. W, Austin, TX 78735-8598
My comments do not represent official Motorola dogma. Especially regarding
From: rstarr@pollux.svale.hp.com (Rob Starr)
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 16:23:17 GMT
Subject: Re: HVLP - Airless - Air?
Organization: Hewlett Packard CPCD, Sunnyvale CA
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house

In short, no, a compressor driven spray gun cannot be used to paint a house.
There will be too much overspray and it will be too slow.  To paint a house
you will need an "airless" sprayer which is a high pressure pump (2500 psi)
and pumps the paint (usually without thinning) through the gun.  The airless
sprayer will produce much less overspray and has enough pressure to 
get the paint driven into the surface for better adhesion.  I recently
painted a 1400 sq. foot building with a small airless unit easily in
one weekend (included a prime & finish coat).

I also have an air compressor & they are indispensable.  They are really
two different tools for different jobs.

PS:  If you can find a good salesperson at a good paint store, they will
     often spend some "quality" time with you & give you the whole story
     on paint sprayers, compressors, airless, etc.

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: fvaughn@stpaul.ncr.com (Frank Vaughn)
Subject: Help! ink on olefin carpet
Organization: NCR Network Products Division
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 14:22:10 GMT

One of my dogs recently chewed up an ink pen, promptly dumping the ink over 
a 4" x 4" area of the carpet. Carpet is olefin berber, and has been 
excellent for stain removal. I have tried 2 things, and they indeed do 
loosen the ink up, but when trying to blot it up w/ a rag, it seems to 
spread. Any suggestions would be more then welcome.....

TIA 

Frank
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frank Vaughn            frank.vaughn@stpaul.ncr.com

(612)6382756
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Subject: Re: Plumbing - what sort of connector do I need?
Organization: INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation, Naperville, IL
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 23:29:35 GMT

In article <1992Nov18.192157.1935@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov> pjs@euclid.jpl.nasa.gov writes:
>There are no threads on the Moen drain body.  It looks as though it
>is supposed to seal with putty in an opening of equal size, but the opening
>I have is too big.  This is my first adventure in plumbing, what should
>I do?  I talked to Moen but they just mumbled something about finding a
>connector, or replace the trap as well.  I'd rather not go that far.

For the price of replacing the trap, you could probably jury-rig something
to go from the sink tailpiece to the existing trap.

Why bother?

The tailpiece you described is designed to fit into a trap with a compression
fitting - i.e., it's a sliding fit.  This allows adjustment at assembly
time.  The trap will no doubt be the same way.  Unless this is a free-standing
sink, where the trap, etc., is visible, you can get a plastic trapf
for around $5.  Otherwise, a chrome-plated trap is probably around $8.
Both are cheaper than replacing rotted flooring after an improvised seal
fails.

Do yourself a favor, and replace the trap, or replace the tailpiece
with one that fits the existing trap.  I've learned the hard way
that any less-than-adequate plumbing fixes will come back to haunt you,
most frequently when you're already in your tux ready to go, and your
wife is getting ready.  That's when the dirty water backs up
on the bathroom floor.  It's a basic law of nature.

Also, I highly recommend any homeowner to get a copy of any number of
basic plumbing books from your local home center or hardware store.
I personally don't like the Time-Life books, but there are plenty
others to choose from.
-- 
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: jeep@tc.fluke.COM (Dale A. Chaudiere)
Subject: Re: DIY blown-in insulation
Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 15:19:04 GMT

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

>However, as I've not seen any consumer-level-rentable equipment for
>installing loose-fill rockwool, I guess you got me.... ;-)

>[To be precise, I've not seen loose-fill rockwool available, so
>installation consists of running rockwool batts thru a shredder
>then a blower.  The equipment that did our previous house's
>attic was mounted in a 14' truck.]

I rented a shredder/blower to do the attic over a bedroom I finished.  It
was portable enough for me to carry up the stairs.  It consisted of a hopper
with shredder bars and blower fan and 110V motor.  The hose was about 30'
long and could be detached.
-- 
jeep@tc.fluke.COM           Dale Chaudiere                (206) 356-5894
         .                  John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.
        /|_\_.              P.O. Box 9090, M/S 239E
       'o~~~o`              Everett, WA 98206 USA 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: stevee@oakhill.sps.mot.com (Stephen Elmendorf)
Subject: Re: Basketball Goal
Organization: Motorola Inc., Austin Tx.
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 16:47:16 GMT

In article <1992Nov16.202037.28150@porthos.cc.bellcore.com> jadams@vixen.cc.bellcore.com (adams,john) writes:
>In article <BxtM9x.CAx@unx.sas.com> sasjtf@scorpion.unx.sas.com (Judy K. Heffner) writes:
>>
>>
>>My son has requested a basketball goal for Christmas.  We are
>>considering mounting the goal above our two-car garage.  
>>Any suggestions?  recommendations? 
>
>I am putting one in myself this Christmas and will set the post in concrete at the
>OPPOSITE side of the driveway.  At our last home, I mounted one above the garage
>doors...The noise inside the house drove anyone NOT playing outside nuts! 

I also would like to put up a goal (on a post). My concern is that we don't
plan on living here more than 4-5 years at most. How much of a negative is it
to have a goal in front of the house when it comes time to sell? It seems that
removing it might be difficult, since it is sunk into a block of concrete. 
Unless the prospective buyers had kids, or liked to play, I would think it 
might turn them away. Any comments?
-- 
|        __/__ ___     ____________     Stephen Elmendorf		|
|   /\    /   /    |  /  /    /		Motorola, Inc. - Oak Hill	|
|  /  \  /   /--   | /  /--  /--	Austin, TX (512) 891-2955	|
| /___/_/___/______|/  /___ /____	"These opinions be mine!"	|
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: cchao@cello.hpl.hp.com (Chia Chao)
Subject: Source for nice plumbing fixtures
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 15:25:35 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories

We are looking for a some bathroom faucets. We went to a specialty
shop and saw many very nice ones---but the price! Is there any way to
get nice fixtures at good price?  Perhaps mail-order house or
distributor sale to end-user? Any othe ideas are also welcome.

Chia Chao
cchao@hpl.hp.com


Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house