HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Aluminum wiring (was: Square-D electrical panel)
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 92 21:44:40 GMT
Keywords: Aluminum wiring

In article <1992Oct7.211745.18256@crd.ge.com> mallick@crd.ge.com writes:

>For what it's worth, most utility transmission lines are aluminum (actually,
>ACSR--Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced) and they seem to work OK.  The
>only problems
>with aluminum are in the connections, and those are made at the meter by the
>power
>company, who should know what they are doing. 

Perhaps this is true in your area, but in every service I've seen go in
these connections were made by the electrician. The power company does
the final connections between the drop from the pole and the service
cable itself (and in some cases they may simply inspect those made by
your electrician).

Also, there's no reason to assume that a power company employee knows
what they're doing any better than your electrician. That's not phrased
well - the point is that any electrician I hire had better be at least
as knowledgable as a power company employee! The ones I've known were.

patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | The human race likes to give itself airs.
George Patterson -  | One good volcano can produce more greenhouse gases
                    | in a year than the human race has in its entire
                    | history.                - Ray Bradbury
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: auidcc@ducvax.auburn.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: WANTED: Interior Latex Paint Recommendation
Date: 15 Oct 92 13:03:37 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Auburn University, AL

In article <heflin.719078812@pink1>, heflin@rtsg.mot.com (Suzanne Stratton Heflin) writes:
> tjs4525@hertz.njit.edu (Theodore Stites) writes:
> 
>>Hello,
> 
>>I am about to undertake a major repainting of most 
>>of the rooms in my house and would like some net style
>>advice on what is the best interior latex paint.
> 
>>Anyone have any good or bad experiences? 
> 
>>			Thanks in advance,
> 
> We've used Benjamin Moore, and think it's the best.
> 
>>				Ted Stites
>>				tstites@attmail.com
>>                                tjs4525@hertz.njit.edu

In the past, we have mainly used Pittsburgh and some Sherwin Williams.
For the project we are doing now, we are using Benjamin Moore, because
a friend said that it is much better.  While I can't say how it holds
up, washes, etc. over time, I am impressed with it so far.  BM goes on
much easier than the others.  It covers better and there is much less
problem with brush marks.

Steve
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: digdug@iastate.edu (Doug V Tran)
Subject: finishing basement
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames IA
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 14:43:08 GMT


Could anyone offer any help/advice/info on how to finish a basement?
Any good reading is also helpful

Thanks in advance.
later,
doug
From: winney@DAL.MOBIL.COM (Randy Winney)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: GFCI Powerstrip
Date: 14 Oct 92 13:32:21 GMT


Does anyone make a multiple outlet powerstrip with a GFCI built
into it? I've checked several home supply/hardware stores and
have seen many powerstrips with spike supressors, but none with
a GFCI.

--
Randy Winney      winney@dal.mobil.com
Mobil Exploration & Producing Technology Center
Dallas, Texas
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: mpalmer@encore.com (Mike Palmer)
Subject: Giving a house back to the bank!
Organization: Encore Computer Corporation
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 13:16:06 GMT

A friend of mine in Oklahoma has been trying to sell his house for a couple
of years with no luck.  The value is not much more than what he owes the bank 
on it.  What happens if he just stops paying the mortgage?  How does this
affect his credit rating etc.
From: smosher@big-bass.East.Sun.COM
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Problems with hot-water baseboard heat
Date: 7 Oct 1992 14:13:35 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc., Billerica, MA. 
Distribution: world
Reply-To: smosher@big-bass.East.Sun.COM
NNTP-Posting-Host: big-bass.east.sun.com

In article 34006@watson.ibm.com, vinod@fullwave.watson.ibm.com () writes:
>Problem:
>
>I have a oil-fired, baseboard, hot-water heating system with
>4 zones, and one of the zones do not work.
>
> - The zone valve is opening and closing whenever the thermostat
>   turns on 
>  So, it looks like there is air in the line. So, I tried to bleed
>  the zone, and discovered that after I bleed it, it is filling
>  very slowly, and does not have much pressure in the refilling.

its the zone valve, not opening all of the way, what's why the zone fills
slowly. If the expansion tank was defective the pressue valve would release the excessive pressue when the water is hot, and if it was the tank, it wouldn`t stop the water from circulating. What you see opening and closing is the solenoid. If I remember
correctly they are @ $ 40 at home depot. These are a high failure item and I suggest you put gate valves between the zone valves, when you replace them. This way you won't
have to drain the zone to replace the valve, and what air does get into the system,
just let the air scoop take care of it.


Steve
From: jeff@claw.clearpoint.com (Jeffrey J. Griglack)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: This Old House
Date: 9 Oct 92 14:35:30 GMT
	<kalagher-081092081927@m04474-mac.mitre.org>
	<1992Oct9.103430.28831@cbnews.cb.att.com>
Reply-To: jeff@claw.clearpoint.com
Distribution: na
Organization: Clearpoint Research, Hopkinton, MA

On 9 Oct 92 10:34:30 GMT, trb@cbnews.cb.att.com (tom.balent) said:

tom> I just saw it last night...I could not beleive my ears when the owner
tom> said he has had a number of reators look at the house and appraise it
tom> at $250,000!!!!!  Are prices that high in the Boston area?  

I saw it too.  I wish I had paid attention to what town they were in.
I was a little suprised to hear that appraisal, but it could be that
there is a larger lot there or something like that.  Prices could
easily have been that 4 or 5 years ago (when I bougth my house :( ),
but prices in this area have dropped such that I would find it hard to
beleive that this was a $250,000 house.  He did say that there were
much nicer houses in the area

I think that I will try to catch it again on the New Hampshire PBS
station to see what the town was.  If the location (one of the 3 rules
of realestate) is right, maybe they could get that.  Also, maybe the
realtors are inflating the appraisals to get more people to list.
Would you list if you thought that your house was worth a lot less?
--

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Jeff Griglack             |"To mess about with typewriters and latch keys    |
|jeff@claw.clearpoint.com  | and call it work!"                               |
|jeff@fang.clearpoint.com  |                          -- E.M. Forster         |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: chrism@haida.mentorg.com (Chris McCabe)
Subject: Re: The programmable thermostat jungle...
Originator: chrism@haida
Date: Thu, 08 Oct 1992 15:02:45 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Mentor Graphics 
Keywords: 
Followup-To: 


In article <1992Oct2.180903.869@beaver.cs.washington.edu>, pauld@cs.washington.edu (Paul Barton-Davis) writes: 
|> The one thing that's a pain with the MagicStat is to update all the
|> daily high or low temp. settings. Because each day is independent (or
|> at least, it probably will be, since otherwise, you can't
|> differentiate weekends from weekdays), you have to reset each temp.
|> change individually. For us, that means 42 different things (2 down, 2
|> up, per day) to potentially reprogram (which we tend do a few times a
|> year). It would be great if it had a "global search and replace" ...
|> 
  I have a MagicStat 3100 which might work the same as the one you mention.
If you set the first program BEFORE you set the clock, it will set that
program to all 7 days.  Then you set the clock and then you can go back and
selectively delete or add programs for each individual day.  Most people
only need a couple of days different from the rest, so it works better than
having to program every day.

  I would also like to mention that the temporary override feature returns
to the program after about 3 hours regardless of whether there is a program
change during that time, unless you set it to manual in which case it never
returns until you take it off manual.

  When I bought this thermostat, I bought it because it was the cheapest
setback thermostat they had (around $30).  There was another Honeywell
thermostat at the store that was over $100, but I didn't see what it could
do that this one can't.  The 3100 is square with rounded corners and the
more expensive one was rectangular with sharp corners.  Anyone know the
difference?

  -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. 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: tpehrson@javelin.sim.es.com (tim clinkenpeel)
Subject: how to adjust bathtub drain vent?
Reply-To: tpehrson@javelin.sim.es.com
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 01:52:08 GMT

i've decided i'm sick of taking showers wallowing ankle-deep in my own smeg.
my bathtub drain out is too slow for my shower head in.  i checked the drain,
i checked the trap -- no obstructions.  the drain width and subsequent pipe
width is more than adequate.  so, i dissambled the vent (or 'stop' if you
prefer) and took a peek inside.  i noted that if the stopper in the vent were
to raise a mere quarter inch (1cm) higher, that the draining is significantly
expedited.  so i tried to pull it out to toy with it, especially since i
noticed the dangling strip which holds the stop was numbered (for various
settings?) and figured i could adjust it, but, alas, it would not come out so
easily.  i decided it best not to force it any damage anything, plus i wasn't
sure if i'd be able to get it back in.  

is it 'safe' to give it a good hard tug?  is it easy to reinstall?  is it
easily adjustable?  adjustable at all?  possibly defective?

i'd really appreciate a response from someone more enlightened than i in the
plumbing arena.  post, mail me, i don't care.  i just want to stand on solid
earth while the cleansing waters cascade about my mortal coil.

-- 
	       there is no religion when a man has  good curry
				       -
      tim clinkenpeel: aberrant analytical skeptical agnostic idealist.
		     -- i exclusively represent myself --
From: scooter@hirgon.hw.stratus.com (Scott Jeffrey)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Short Payback?
Summary: To fish, or cut bait...
Keywords: help, sinking
Date: 7 Oct 92 18:09:42 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc.


	Because my condo is quickly becoming too small for my family, we've
decided to put it on the market.  We are fully aware that we won't get back
what we paid for it six years ago, but we feel we should cut bait anyways.
Now, times being what they are, we will not be able to assume the difference
between what we paid and what we get for it, on top of a new mortgage.  An
aquaintence mentioned something called "Short Payback", where the mortgage 
company will swallow the balance of the loan, as it is better to get _some_ 
of it back as opposed to foreclosing.  Has anyone heard of this type of plan?
Better yet, does anyone have any experience instituting this plan?  I'll
summarize.  Thanks in advance.

keysho,
scott



--
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
+  scooter@hirgon.hw.stratus.com                  Flat Flip Flies Straight  +
+                      "Go to the forest and move."                         +
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
From: sturges@master.lds-az.loral.com (Jim Sturges)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Electricity Time of Use Meters
Date: 9 Oct 92 17:25:38 GMT
Followup-To: misc.consumers.house
Organization: Loral Defense Systems - Arizona

In article <22813@galaxy.ucr.edu>, judson@watnxt2.ucr.edu (Michael Judson)
wrote:
> 
> Does anyone have one of these?  I am considering using a Time of Use Meter
> but I wanted to know if anyone has any experience and if so how much of a
> savings you've been getting over non-timed use.

Check the complete tariff. In Phoenix, you can get straight Time of Use
(TOU) service or a  "Combined Advantage" rate. I have the latter, AND a
load controller. Under straight TOU, you pay more for 9am-9pm than 9pm-9am
and
9p Friday to 9a Monday. Under Combined Advantage, you pay $13/ per peak Kw
and significantly less on either time-scale. I pay .055/KwH on peak and .03
off peak. Kinda like free electricity at night. With a 3155 sqft house, I
have set peak on-peak at 5.0Kw and peak off-peak at 10.0Kw. Always
comfortable, even in the desert. My wife doesn't understand how the load
controller works, which is OK, but she is comfortable and enjoys the lower
electric bill. She doesn't like it when she has decided to run all four
burners on high plus the oven and the microwave and the Load Controller
Alarm goes off, but she will then turn enough stuff off to make the alarm
quit. [didn't tell her how to silence the alarm...]

If you get just the TOU, you can save some money, especially if you're not
home during the day. If one of you is home during the day, I recommend
getting the load controller in addition.


Jim Sturges                             MS 8612
602 925-7204                            Loral Defense Systems -- Arizona
602 925-6988 Fax                        P.O. Box 85
sturges@master.lds-az.loral.com         1300 S. Litchfield Rd.
CIS: 72470,3117                         Goodyear-Avondale, AZ  85338
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: seeking copy of NEC..
Keywords: NEC
From: gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston)
Date: Fri, 09 Oct 92 21:05:42 CDT
Organization: Garys' Home for Obsolete Computers

toml@wal.hp.com (Tom Luteran) writes:

>   I'm trying to buy a copy of the National Electric Code (NEC) book.  Can
>   someone tell me if this should be available at electric supply houses or
>   do I have to order it by mail from some organization?  Not an item they
>   stock at Home Depot, at least ;-).
> 
>   Thanks!

Try checking your local technical bookstore (I've seen it at the 
same place I buy most of my computer books). Shouldn't be too 
hard to find.

Gary Heston, at home....
gary@cdthq.uucp
From: frank@marvin.contex.com (Frank Perdicaro)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Steam pipes
Date: 14 Oct 92 21:23:53 GMT
Organization: Xyvision Design Systems

In article <1992Oct12.135831.7985@osf.org> sgrainge@memo.osf.org (Steven Grainger) writes:
>Recently, I had the asbestos removed from my pipes in the
>basement. Well, now that I've had all this wretched stuff removed
>I have lots of uninsulated steam pipes. Any suggestions on what I
>can use for insulation?

Steve

You are close to the cheapest and best place in all New England for
steam pipe insulation.  Off Fresh Pond, near the hospital is street
that has a White Hen Pantry.  Next to it is an industrial building,
the company is something like "Northeast Refractory".  Go in and ask
for Frank.  They take checks, and cash, and thats it.
They have train-car-loads of all types of pipe insulation.  If they do
not have it, they can get it.

If you do not want the best selection and prices, you could go down to
Summerville Lumber in Summerville.  Better yet, as you will spend at
least $300, go to the one in Pelham, NH and do not pay sales tax.

-- 
	 Frank E Perdicaro, Systems Admin, etc.		Xyvision Color Systems
      Legalize guns, drugs and cash...today.		101 Edgewater Drive
   inhouse: frank@marvin, x5572				Wakefield MA
outhouse: frank@contex.com, 617-245-4100x5572		018801285
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: IANR009@UNLVM.UNL.EDU (D. Kirk Darnell)
Subject: Attic Insulation ??'s
Organization: University of Nebraska
Date: Thu, 08 Oct 92 10:11:11 CST

The local recommendations seem to be 12" of attic insulation.  I've got only
6-8" of blown in insulation.  Is the dimension the same regardless of the
type?  If I need more should I stick with this type or go with the roles?
Any suggestions or brand recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks...
 
 
 
 
**********************************************************************
*D. KIRK DARNELL, COMPUTER SYSTEMS ANALYST                           *
*AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS                                              *
*UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA                                              *
*IANR009@UNLVM.UNL.EDU                                               *
*                                                                    *
* "YOUR ARE THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD THAT CAN USE YOUR POTENTIAL!"  *
*                            -ZIG ZIGLAR-                            *
**********************************************************************
From: nall@sun8.scri.fsu.edu (John Nall)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Kindling
Date: 15 Oct 92 18:09:41 GMT
Reply-To: nall@sun8.scri.fsu.edu (John Nall)
Organization: SCRI, Florida State University

In article <1992Oct15.144343.28536@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> psv2b@poe.acc.Virginia.EDU (Peter S. Vines) writes:
>In article <ldqtg7INN5bu@news.bbn.com> jdelsign@BBN.COM (John Delsignore) writes:

 (...responding to query as to how to start fire... )
>>
>A little bit of newspaper and lots of very dry small pieces of wood, with
>a couple of small logs on top.  Construction sites are good sources of 
>kindling, all of the cut off pieces of 2X4s etc...
>All of the above should be positioned on a grate, allowing air to 
>circulate freely underneath.

  Yes, absolutely true and works well.  One little point however, and
  that is to be careful about the preservatives in wood scraps from
  construction sites.  They can create some nasty gases when the wood
  is burned indoors.  (This is in no way a disagreement with the above
  advice - merely an observation).

John


--
John W. Nall              | Supercomputer Computations Research Institute
nall@mailer.scri.fsu.edu  | Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
   "America was largely populated by early ethnic cleansing movements
            in Europe, with England leading the way."
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: fsf@hpic006.mentorg.com (Rick Farnbach)
Subject: Re: Electric Drill Recommendation
Date: 7 Oct 92 13:49:02
Organization: Mentor Graphics Corp. Wilsonville, OR

>>>>> On Tue, 06 Oct 92 19:06:14 CDT, gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston) said:

	Gary> Not quite, I'm afraid. The criteria is "if it breaks". So, buy all
	Gary> the old wrenches, the ones that are not usable (some of those older
	Gary> tools are not only usable, but frequently better made), clamp in a
	Gary> large vise, stick pipe over the end, and break it in half.

	Gary> I've heard one story of a fellow taking a box-open wrench that he'd
	Gary> bent sideways back, and being refused an exchange. He reportedly
	Gary> took it outside, snagged it under a steel railing, and jumped on
	Gary> it a few times until it broke in half--whereupon he carried the
	Gary> pieces in, and got a new wrench.

Apparently, it differs from place to place.  My father-in-law found an old
Craftsman screwdriver in the forest one day.  It was pretty badly rusted, but
with a little stretch of the imagination, was still usable.  He just took it
into Sears and they gave him a new one, no questions asked.

What I was wondering was whether they'd take a tool back that you had ground
or otherwise deliberately altered to fit a tight space.

Rick
Xref: sparky misc.consumers.house:13513 rec.woodworking:7052
From: gppeter@sdrc.sdrc.com (Peter Bennett)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,rec.woodworking
Subject: heater for garage/workshop
Keywords: heater, kerosene
Date: 15 Oct 92 02:29:42 GMT
Followup-To: poster

I;m considering a heater to use in my garage/woodworking shop this winter.

There are two possibilities: 1) Kerosene mantle type heater,
2) kerosene/fuel oil 'jet engine' forced convection heater.
(electric is too expensive, too small)

What danger is there form the sawdust in the air and the heaters , and 
how are these things with fumes?  The garage is not real tight, so there
is plenty of inflow of fresh air.  I've seen both types, in the 20K to 30K
Btu range, for about $125.

Hints anyone?

-Peter D. Bennett
From: jefftb@hpmwtd.sr.hp.com (Jeff Brown)
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 19:03:19 GMT
Subject: Re: Oversize prefab shower floors
Organization: HP Santa Rosa Site (SRSD MWTD)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house

   Have you looked into a hot mop job and tile bottom? It is probally cheaper
   but you need the correct drain w/ weep holes.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: rgh@camo (Richard G. Hash)
Subject: Re: Sears tools (was Electric Drill Recommendation)
Organization: Shell Oil
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 92 21:15:13 GMT

>IMHO (OK, I'll use it), the people who bad mouth Sears tools are either
>buying a $29 tool and expecting it to perform like a $200 professional
>model, or don't check into what the warrantee says before buying. My
>own impression is that you get the about the same value at Sears that
>you would in any of the do-it-yourself level of tools in any
>of the big names like Black & Decker or Skil.

I'll second this one. I've gone thru several Sears tools, but they
were cheap ones, and I got more than my moneys worth.

An interesting side-note - I have a Sears router from 1958-1959 (I'm
the 3rd owner) whose trigger switch just broke - so I called the
Customer-Response folks, who dug up the microfiche on it, found the
part ($5.someoddcents) and mailed it to me within 5 days. Complain
about that - five whole days downtime in 35 years.. Whata crummy tool..

Caveat emptor.
-- 
Richard G. Hash
Shell Bellaire Research Center, Houston TX
email: rgh@shell.com    ph: (713) 245-7311