HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Wiring house for Sound
From: michael@sunbeam.ksc.nasa.gov (Michael D. Myjak x7-3286)
Date: 6 Jan 93 12:39:35
Followup-To: misc.consumers.house
Organization: NASA, Kennedy Space Center, FL.
In-reply-to: doucas@cerberus.bhpese.oz.au's message of Wed, 6 Jan 1993 01:06:13 GMTLines: 36


doucas@cerberus.bhpese.oz.au wrote:

   I've started building my house(sigh) and am planning my wiring needs with
   regard to Stereo/sound. [...] $$$ is a major factor here.

This question seems to come up here at least once a month; This should
be a FAQ by now.  The short of it is that there are several vendors
that make multi-room A/V equipment. Some of it is rather inexpensive
like Carver or Pioneer.  Unfortunately, other then these simple
pre-amp driven types, the devices you'll find on the consumer market
are neither cheap nor easy to retrofit into exhisting construction.

For example, Niles Audio (of Miami Fla.) sells an IR distribution
system which is composed of an IR transceiver, up to 6 IR sensors, and
up to 3 IR flashers. It is used in conjunction with your equipments
existing IR sensors and allows you to remotely control your system.

I've been designing these "Home Theater" systems for several years
now... and would be happy to consult with you on your project... and
the best advice I can give you is to think carefully and clearly about
what kind of system you want (Dolby Pro-Logic; multi-room
functionallity; interconnectivity; etc) and design for that system
accordingly. IMHO, don't bother to "plan/expand for the future" as
these plans often times change long before the implementation is
ready so don't waste your money there. 


--
- Michael D. Myjak			
  Senior Technical Specialist, Systems Analyst
  McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Company
  Kennedy Space Center, Fl., 32815
  MYJAK@TITAN.KSC.NASA.GOV

Gravity. It's not just a good idea. Its the LAW!
From: egreen@east.sun.com (Ed Green - Pixel Cruncher)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: When does it make sense to reduce the
Date: 6 Jan 1993 14:02:17 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, RTP, NC
Distribution: world
Reply-To: egreen@east.sun.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: laser.east.sun.com

In article 2Ir@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu, prange@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Henry Prange) writes:
>I have been advised on more than one occasion to stay mortgaged to the limit
>I can afford. The agrument being: pay off the principle in "cheap" dollars
>i.e., deflated value per dollar due to inflation, later rather than to use
>your expensive dollars now. The principle will only become relatively cheaper
>with time and the deduction for the interest is a bigger benefit. 

Lemme get this straight:

Pay off the principle with deflated dollars later, and pay interest
with inflated dollars now, AND pay interest with deflated dollars
later, and you save money?!?

The point of prepaying a mortgage is to reduce interest payments.  The
relative value of your principle dollars is a secondary consideration.

---
Ed Green, former Ninjaite |I was drinking last night with a biker,
  Ed.Green@East.Sun.COM   |and I showed him a picture of you.  I said,
DoD #0111  (919)460-8302  |"Go on, get to know her, you'll like her!"
 (The Grateful Dead) -->  |It seemed like the least I could do...

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,sci.electronics
From: jshelton@cbnewsk.cb.att.com (james.a.shelton)
Subject: RCA TV Picture Problems (RCA F2730ES)
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 21:05:56 GMT
Followup-To: poster
Keywords: TUBE,TV,PICTURE,RCA, F2730ES,Video

Last Friday I purchased a new 27" Stereo from the wiz.  While watching
Deep space 9,  I discovered that when a dark image was being displayed,
the top 2" of the screen was brighter than the rest of the screen.
The brightness looked sort of like a faint white aurora borealis at the
top of the screen. I Used a stereo VCR along with a prerecorded tape 
to try and isolate the problem.  The brightness was still there. The
brightness and contrast controls help to minimze the problem, but I
can not adjust the set to give a good picture and elimiate the faint
glow at the top of the machine.  

Assuming that this a calibration problem, I exchanged the set for a new
one.  The new set had exactly the same problem.  

Does anyone out there have any ideas on what might be causing this problem?
Has anyone else had quality problems with RCA video equipment?
This set was best rated in its class by consumer reports (march 1992).  
RCA claims that they have not had any problems with the set and that I
probably just got two problem sets and should trade it in for another.
This person was non technical.

Thanks for your input,

Jim Shelton
jas@hover.att.com
 
Xref: sparky misc.consumers.house:16244 rec.aquaria:9813 alt.aquaria:6399
From: oleg@netcom.com (Oleg Kiselev)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria
Subject: "humid" environment materials?
Date: 4 Jan 93 07:25:52 GMT
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)

I am planning to build a "fish room" to house a large number of
aquariums in the (uninsulated) garage of our house.  The fish room will
have to be insulated and the materials, obviously, able to resist high
humidity levels.  Ideally the structure will also be cheap and easy to
build and easy to remove.  Some sound insulation would be desirable, too.

The insulation does not need to be extremely good: the temperatures here 
rarely fall below freezing and I am prepared to heat the fish room.

From the reading I have done, it seems that the simplest approach would be
to use metal framing (like the stuff used for office wall construction in
modern office buildings), with drywall on either side of for the frame,
fiberglass insulation between the drywall layers and plastic film glued 
to the exterior surfaces of the inner shell to keep the humid air away from
the dry wall.  I planning to anchor the framing to the exposed 2x4 
framing of the garage walls.  The fish room walls will not be used to
support much weight -- the fish tanks will be placed on free-standing shelving
units.

Any suggestions?  Is there a better, more reliable or easier way to
water-proof drywall?  Are there simpler to use or cheaper materials
available?  Would 2x4 framing be easier or cheaper or much safer to
use?  Would it be possible to anchor the shelving to the metal framing
to prevent it from rocking during minor earthquakes?
-- 
Oleg Kiselev at home			...use the header to find the path
From: byerly@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Michael Byerly)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: VACUUMING AIR DUCT LINES-ANY BENEFIT FROM?
Date: 11 Jan 93 18:54:00 GMT
Reply-To: byerly@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Michael Byerly)
Organization: Carderock Division, NSWC, Bethesda, MD


    Has anyone ever had the air ducts in their forced air heating/cooling
system vacuumed out?  Was any benefit derived from it?  My house is
always dusty; I know there's substantial dust buildup in the system.
Why doesn't the filter trap the loose dust?  Do electrostatic filters
help?  Can this be done with a powerful shop vac?
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: thomasb@ucs.indiana.edu (Barry Thomas)
Subject: Electric heat replacement
Organization: Indiana University
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 16:09:50 GMT

We have a weekend home with electric baseboard heat (installed around 
1960).  The house is located in the country, so no access to natural gas.  
We are considering remodeling and would like to consider our heating 
options.  The house is a small ranch, but we are considering a second story.

The simplest solution would be to do nothing or to replace the current 
baseboard units.  Would we gain anything with new units?  Has there been a "
new generation" of electric heaters?

The house has no duct work, but part of the remodeling would include new 
wood floors (replacing carpet).  Should we consider installing duct work and 
a heat pump?  

Any suggestions/comments would be greatly appreicated.

Barry Thomas
thomasb@ucs.indiana.edu
Indiana University
comments are my own, not IU's....
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: karen@synopsys.com (Karen Vahtra)
Subject: Re: Advice on re-finishing wood floors
Keywords: n
Organization: Synopsys, Inc.
Distribution: misc
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 19:41:23 GMT

:I am moving onto a house that has hard wood floors and would like to
:know how much work it may be for a first-time kind of guy (me) to sand
:and coat the wood floors. Is it worth doing yourself, having some
:experience wood-working? Thanks in advance.

I did this for the first time over the Holidays to great success!  It was probably
the most rewarding home improvement job so far.  Rent the floor sander and edger
thang from the home rental.  Also, I had a VHS tape from hometime that I watched
to get a good idea what to do.  I would recommend buying / renting that tape.
I got my from Home Depot.  It really helps to have a visual thing to watch
before attempting the job.

Two things wrong with the tape however.  There is no such thing as a trim screw
that I could find for repairing squeaks.  I tried the method of putting a screw
through the floor, but it didn't stop my squeak.  Also, you need to apply wood
dough filler before the medium sanding.  It won't work if you wait till the
final sanding.

Also, if you have water stains or gauges like I did, you will need to get
the coarsest sandpaper available.

Karen
From: songshi@prism.CS.ORST.EDU (Songshi Peng)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: books on interior decoration
Date: 10 Jan 93 16:38:33 GMT
Organization: CS Dept, Oregon State University
NNTP-Posting-Host: prism.cs.orst.edu

Hi, there. We just bought a house recently and we need some
ideas about interior decoration. Could anyone out there
recommend a book or magzine or things like that. An e-mail 
reply is prefered. Thanks in advance. Steven.
From: mday@pollock.mmwb.ucsf.edu (Mark Day)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Asbestos around heating ducts
Keywords: asbestos
Date: 6 Jan 93 22:58:58 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: UCSF Computer Graphics Lab

lmtra@uts.amdahl.com (Leon Traister) writes:
>One of the contractors doubted that the ducts in the wall were
>asbestos-clad and proceded to check by removing a second floor
>register.  The results were inconclusive.  Though the duct at the
>second floor register was not covered with the same thick grey
>material as the registers on the first floor, it did have some kind of
>thin cardboard-like wrapper.  He couldn't say whether it was asbestos
>or not.

>So we are looking for advice on the subject and are fearful of hiring
>an asbestos abatement firm as consultants in that they would not
>necessarily be making judgements without a vested interest in doing a
>lot of major work.

There are asbestos testing companies around that only do the sample analysis.
This would avoid the conflict of interest inherent in having an abatement firm
do the testing for  you.  I had a sample from our furnace analyzed, and it was
only $30.  

As far as the abatement itself goes...
The health risk from well compartmentalized asbestos (such as inside of a wall)
is negligible compared to other risks we encounter, such as driving a car, or
wearing a Dodgers cap to Candlestick park :-).  In fact, if the removal isn't
done properly, the exposure from the removal process itself if much riskier
than living with well contained asbestos.  If the incremental cost to remove
the additional asbestos from the wall ducts is not that significant, then by
all means go ahead and have it done. My guess though, is that this will cost
at least several thousand of dollars.

Considering the fact that most other houses in the City of the same age will
likely also contain asbestos, I doubt that it's presence will scare off many
rational future buyers.  If they're truly interested in an older home, they're
going to have to accept the fact that asbestos is part of the package.

Earthquakes strong enough to create an exposure pathway from the interior of
a wall just aren't that common. My guess is that if such damage does occur,
asbestos will be among the least of your concerns.  In any case, it might
be the best time to perform the abatement.  The only disadvantage is the
exposure you incur between the time of the earthquake and the completion of
the abatement.  I doubt that the house would be habitable so any exposure
would be minimal.


--
Mark Day
Dept. of Pharmaceutical Chemistry		mday@picasso.mmwb.ucsf.edu
University of California, San Francisco		..ucbvax!ucsfcgl!mday
Voice: (415) 476-5326	FAX: (415) 476-0688
From: dbj+@cs.cmu.edu (Dave Johnson)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Questions about Genie garage door opener
Date: 10 Jan 93 21:27:20 GMT
Article-I.D.: cs.C0nq9K.Cx3.2
Distribution: usa
Organization: Carnegie Mellon University, School of Computer Science

In article <1993Jan08.183656.27892@eng.umd.edu> naiming@eng.umd.edu (Naiming Shen) writes:
>
>My garage has two doors, which means I need to install two openers.
>I went the Home Depot yesterday and saw a Genie opener GXL9500. That
>one has two 3-function transmitters, sell for $169. Does anyone have
>experience about this model? Can the 3-function transmitter be configured
>to control both garage door openers (like the one in Sears)? Is the price
>right for this kind of model made by Genie? I live in Washingtion-Baltimore
>area. Thanks in advance for the help.
>
>Naiming Shen


Yes, you can configure the switches so that this works.  The transmitter
has only one set of switches, with the last two bits of the code being
determined by which of the three buttons on the transmitter you push
(one of the four combinations of these two bits is not used).  You can
then set the switches on the two receivers to match the codes sent by
the two buttons you want to use.  All but the last two bits of the codes
for the two receivers must be the same.  The two openers must also use
the same frequency.  I'm not sure if that's a problem since they're both
the same model, but in any case, the frequency is marked on the back of
the transmitter and may also be marked on the outside of the box.

I think $169 is probably a reasonable price for the 9500.  That's about
what I payed for mine at Builder's Square a few months ago.

--
David B. Johnson                    School of Computer Science
E-mail: dbj@cs.cmu.edu              Carnegie Mellon University
Phone: (412) 268-7399               5000 Forbes Avenue
Fax: (412) 681-5739                 Pittsburgh, PA  15213-3891
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,misc.legal
From: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com (patterson,george r)
Subject: Re: Zoning Question
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 93 16:53:00 GMT

In article <mr.726552682@ogre> mr@ogre.cica.indiana.edu (Michael Regoli) writes:

>I recieved a certified letter today from our realtor (who is the
>seller's agent for the subdivision) letting us know that he is
>requesting an amendment to the zoning maps to rezone from agriculture
>to residential the entire subdivision 
>Can our taxes increase due to a reclassification in zoning?  

You're going to get a lot of "it depends" answers to most of this, but
this one is almost certainly universal. In every location in which
I've lived, taxes on residential property were higher than lots zoned
agricultural. Similarly, taxes on property zoned commercial were higher
than residential. This was true regardless of the actual usage of the
property. I think you should meander down to the local zoning board.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.
George Patterson -  | Teach a man to fish and you get rid of him 
                    |    on weekends.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: markwh@dvorak.amd.com (Mark Hasseman)
Subject: Re: Refrigerator Ice ... yeech!
Organization: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.; Austin, Texas
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 93 19:01:07 GMT

In article <1ii7a7INNfpp@tamsun.tamu.edu> henrik@stat.tamu.edu (Henrik Schmiediche) writes:
>In article <1ifcheINNml9@agate.berkeley.edu> cnrdean@toxic (Sam Scalise) writes:
>>
>>PLEEEEZ let me know if you find a solution.  I have had two different
>>icemakers in two different fridges in two different houses.  Same lousy
>>tasting ice.
>

You might try rinsing your ice before using it, I've found this can
really help the taste by removing the outer layer.


-- 
Mark W. Hasseman                       Email: markh@cayman.amd.com
Advanced Micro Devices                 Direct:        512/462-4785
5204 E. Ben White Blvd., MS-561        Wats:   800/538-8450 x54785
Austin, TX  78741                      Fax:   512/462-5051 & -4756
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: macrakis@osf.org (Stavros Macrakis)
Subject: Re: Refrigerators
Organization: OSF Research Institute
	<1993Jan6.163513.27144@medicus.com>
Date: 11 Jan 93 18:08:20

In article <1993Jan6.163513.27144@medicus.com> sjackson@medicus.com (Steve Jackson) writes:

   We like our Amana very, very much.  Not a single problem, no complaints.  (Well,
   actually a design suggestion...

We got the 25 ft^2 Amana, also.  It's OK.  We would have gotten a
bottom-freezer model, but the narrower doors of the side-by-side work
better in our space.  Bottom-freezer is easier on the back (we use few
frozen goods) and gives an easier-to-use space.

It's not perfect.  It does vibrate some.  The drawers don't slide very
easily.  The door shelving is not very flexible (it has this silly
unit for holding cheese, etc.).  But the other brands we looked at
were worse.

	-s
From: lmtra@uts.amdahl.com (Leon Traister)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Asbestos around heating ducts
Keywords: asbestos
Date: 6 Jan 93 21:38:29 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

We are soon to begin a major remodelling job which will include the
replacement of an old gravity type furnace with a more current type.
The architect and contractors who are bidding agree that the ductwork
under the first floor will all need to be replaced and this ductwork is
clearly asbestos clad.

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).  In this way, he said, we would be totally
free of the stuff, less worried about the consequences of an
earthquake (we live in San Francisco), and it would make a future
house sale easier.  Fair enough.

One of the contractors doubted that the ducts in the wall were
asbestos-clad and proceded to check by removing a second floor
register.  The results were inconclusive.  Though the duct at the
second floor register was not covered with the same thick grey
material as the registers on the first floor, it did have some kind of
thin cardboard-like wrapper.  He couldn't say whether it was asbestos
or not.

So we are looking for advice on the subject and are fearful of hiring
an asbestos abatement firm as consultants in that they would not
necessarily be making judgements without a vested interest in doing a
lot of major work.

Any suggestions out there?

Thanks
Leon Traister (lmtra@uts.amdahl.com)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: fredch@phx.mcd.mot.com (Fred Christiansen)
Subject: Re: Vinyl vs. Aluminum vs. other siding
Organization: Motorola Computer Group, RT Software
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 17:39:58 GMT

In article <SCHULTZ.93Jan6220540@halley.est.3m.com> schultz@halley.est.3m.com (John C. Schultz) writes:
>	stucco - most expensive - can't change color (they mix the
>		stucco with the color). Tends to collect dirt IMHO.

Traditionally, the third coat of stucco was the color coat.  However,
that method is definitely passe' in the southwest (elsewhere?).  The new
method is with two coats over foam (1/2" to 2" of polystyrene or blue board or
polyisocyanurate, your choice), chicken wire being stapled thru the foam
to the sheathing/studs.  You then apply (masonry) paint over the stucco,
with higher-end paint being elastomeric.  This newer method goes by the
names of PowerWall and NuWall.
-- 
Fred Christiansen, Motorola, 2900 S Diablo Way, Tempe, AZ 85282  "Canajun, eh?"
fredch@phx.mcd.mot.com  ||  uunet!phx.mcd.mot.com!fredch  ||  +1 602-438-3464
  ".. I have set before you Life and Death, blessing and cursing;  therefore
      choose Life, that both you and your children may live"  Deut 30:19
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,misc.legal
From: owen@lloyd.Camex.COM (Owen Hartnett)
Subject: Re: Zoning Question
Organization: Camex Inc., Boston MA
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 15:18:46 EST

In most municipalities, property taxes are determined by the fair market
value of the property at a particular point in time.  This point in time
could be changed at intervals of anywhere from 1 to infinity years.

Thus, if your property is rezoned to be residential rather than agricultural,
if the fair market value of your property changes as a result of this
rezoning, then your taxes will be changed at the next point in time as
delineated above.  Whether the change increases or decreases depends on
what the zoning change did to affect the value (actually, not just the
zoning, but any other factor which would affect the value of your property,
like building a new porch).  You usually do not get the benefit of
agricultural classified assessment unless you specifically file and meet
the qualifications to do so.  Thus, your property is assessed for the
fair market value now, and will be done so after the zoning change.  It's
the change in your property's worth which affects your taxes, not specifically
the zoning change.

On the flip side, if your taxes do go up as a result of the zoning change,
than it has the other side effect of making your property worth more.

-Owen


Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: paul@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu (Paul Pomes - UofIllinois CSO)
Subject: Re: Need help removing old plaster and lath walls
Reply-To: Paul-Pomes@uiuc.edu
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 05:00:06 GMT

clos@TrentU.CA writes:

>What is the best way to take out old plaster and lath??  I am told this is
>a very dusty job.   Is there a better way than using a sledge and crowbar??

Bingo on the dusty part.  Wear a close fitting respirator mask if you have 
any regard for your lungs.  An exhaust fan in the window helps too.

A great deal depends on whether you want to remove the plaster on both sides
of the wall.  If yes, then have at it with sledge, prybar, and sawzall.
HOWEVER, make sure any services inside the wall are disabled before going
ahead.  It's not good for the heart to cut through a live piece of Romex or,
moving up on the scale of fun, a still pressurized gas line.

If only one side is to come down, the job is just longer and more tedious
as you can't go overboard in applying force.  Doing so inevitably cracks 
the other wall.

I'm in the middle of ripping out a perverted closet (20" door in the center
of the wall opening into a space 18" wide by 48" deep on each side).  The
first wall was messy but fun.  I'm now taking it down to the studs on the
back wall of the closet in preparation for building in cabinets and book
shelves.  This is much less fun and just as messy.

/pbp
-- 
Freedom is a family value.  Ski Colorado.	--Paul Pomes (1992)
From: bryant@mpr.ca (Nick Bryant)
Subject: Re: Heating a house
Summary:  Hot Water Heat: References?
Organization: MPR Teltech Ltd., Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 93 21:53:33 GMT

Its been a while since my eng. undergrad thermodynamics course, and
trying to establish the dynamics of a recirculating heat transfer system
from first principles is a pain anyway.  I've tried comparing flow rates
by measuring delta T across a measured length of rad in both good and
bad heat zones, but I'm not sure what the data is telling me.

A book on hydronic design, or articles, rules-of-thumb, etc. would be
very helpful.

Thanks,

N. Bryant, Member of Technical Staff
MPR Teltech Ltd., Burnaby, B.C. Canada
bryant@mpr.ca, 604-293-5319 

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house