HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: alanj@endeavor18.tek.com (Alan Jeddeloh)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Power and current
Keywords: Power and current
Date: 25 Jan 93 17:30:36 GMT
Organization: Tektronix, Inc.

In article <C1DAMI.2JF@math.okstate.edu> dunne@math.okstate.edu (Ed Dunne) writes:
>                                      ... I tried looking through my
>old physics books to find the critical formula.  There was lots on
>Maxwell's equations and other swell stuff, but not what I wanted. 

Power is the only thing I *can* remember! What I *can't* remember is Ohms Law
( V = I / R?.. or was the I = V / R? no.....)

But I *can* remember:  P = I^2 * R  and P = V * I

Thus, *every* time I need Ohm's law, I have to derive it in my head!
		I^2 * R = V * I ==> V = I * R

--
    Alan Jeddeloh      W:(503) 685-2991  H:(503) 292-9740
    Tektronix, Inc.; D/S 60-850; PO Box 1000; Wilsonville, OR 97070
    Alan.Jeddeloh@tek.com 
    You can put the children to bed, but you can't make them sleep!
From: tvervaek@col.hp.com (Tom Vervaeke)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Glass Block - Suggestions??
Date: 26 Jan 93 16:05:05 GMT
Article-I.D.: hp-col.1k3nfhINN2iq
Organization: HP Colorado Springs Division
NNTP-Posting-Host: itchub21.cs.itc.hp.com


We have two small 2' x 3' glass block enclosures in our bathroom in the
master bedroom. On either side of our large tub we inserted glass blocks
(4 tall, 3 wide) of 4" glass blocks. We ordered them locally and got
them within a few days. They cost about $3.75 each and were made in West
Germany. Very stylish. They have about 12 designs. That's not too
expensive. The labor to have them installed into the holes left by the
drywallers was about $50 bucks.

If interested, I can get the name of the dealer. Basically, it was a
place that sells to tile and interior commercial folks. The man who
installed our tile, carpet, and hardwood floors steered us there. Look
in the yellow pages under tiles, or glass blocks. 

Good Luck.


( ___ )------------------------------------------------------------( ___ )
 | / | Tom Vervaeke           Email:tom_vervaeke@hp0800.desk.hp.com | \ |
 | / | Technology Specialist  Snail: 1900 Garden of the Gods Rd.    | \ |
 | / | Hewlett Packard Co.           Colorado Springs, CO 80901     | \ |
 | / | Colorado Springs, CO   Voice    : 719-590-2133               | \ |
 | / | USA                    Fax      : 719-590-2117               | \ |
 | / |--------------------------------------------------------------| \ |
 | / | Quote of the week...                                         | \ |
 |___|           Quote deleted do to lack of creativity !!!         |___|
(_____)------------------------------------------------------------(_____)
   ^                                                                  ^
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: Dan.Ciarlette@anl.gov (Dan Ciarlette)
Subject: Re: The Dutch Challenge
Reply-To: djc@aps.anl.gov
Organization: Argonne National Lab -- APS
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 16:18:25 GMT

For water problems this severe during wet spells I've heard that people who build
in farm land can find that there are field tiles running though the property to drain
off low areas of farm land.  Where my father lives (near Joliet) the area our house 
was built on had field tiles running through it.  You may find that those tiles 
could be one of your problems.  Luckily those field tiles never caused him any 
problems (then again I think they helped some of his water problems).

What Chicago suburb are you from?


Dan Ciarlette



Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com (patterson,george r)
Subject: Re: Breaker won't reset
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 93 18:35:39 GMT

In article <C19ozw.4yr@srgenprp.sr.hp.com> brett@sr.hp.com () writes:
>
>The problem is that I can't get the breaker to reset.  The lever moves, but
>it won't 'click' off or back on.  It just stays in the tripped state.
>
>So, do I need to replace the breaker?  

Yep.

>Do they tend to die in this way (the house is about 10 years old)?  

Yep.

>Is there something else I can do or something
>simple (ie obvious) I missed?

Couple things to check.

1) Breakers aren't switches. They are not made to be tripped or flipped on
   & off repeatedly. If you have one that trips repeatedly, you might as
   well buy a spare now; it won't last long. Better yet, shift some load
   off the circuit.
2) Water in a breaker will cause it to blow like this. If you have a
   leakage or condensation problem, fix it. The top and bottom breakers
   in each column will be the most often affected.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | Try to live your life so that you wouldn't be
George Patterson -  | afraid to sell the family parrot to the town
                    | gossip.
                    |                            Will Rogers
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: drand@spinner.osf.org (Douglas S. Rand)
Subject: Re: Replacing old wiring
Organization: Open Software Foundation
	<koch.727387872@navy22>
Distribution: usa
Date: 22 Jan 93 13:49:39

In article <koch.727387872@navy22> koch@rtsg.mot.com (Clifton Koch) writes:

   mcovingt@aisun3.ai.uga.edu (Michael Covington) writes:

   >The newest wiring in my house (done by a professional) has 12 gauge wire,
   >20-amp breakers, and 15-amp outlets.  Apparently this is normal practice.

     Someone correct me if I'm wrong (and I'm sure someone will :-), but I think
   the only difference between 15 and 20 amp outlets is the extra sideways slot
   in the 20 amp outlet.  I've looked at the internals of the outlets themselves
   before, and there appears to be no difference in contact area or conductor
   sizes between the two.  Has anyone ever seen a piece of equipment that uses
   a 20 amp plug?

Actually,  when there is an "extra" sideways slot it will take
both 15 and 20 amp plugs.  I've seen these in duplex outlets alot
in business (i.e. places I've worked, not worked on).

I would presume that there wasn't alot of difference,  but the 20 amp
outlet should be made of thicker metal and be able to disappate more
heat.

--
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
From: spikes@hpscit.sc.hp.com (Bill Spikes)
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 15:45:18 GMT
Subject: Re: Cat Repellant
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Santa Clara, CA
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Replacing old wiring
From: b12635@ged.gedlab.allied.com (Philip J. Tait)
Date: 21 Jan 93 16:14:06 -0700
Distribution: usa,na
Organization: AlliedSignal, Phoenix, Az
Nntp-Posting-User: b12635

In article <1993Jan19.173458.20699@cbnewsh.cb.att.com>, mcg@cbnewsh.cb.att.com (david.f.mcguigan) writes:
>With decreased resistance due to the twelve guage wiring, you should 
>see a nearly imperceptible INCREASE in your electric bills (for most 
>loads).  Your lights and appliances should operate slightly more 
>efficiently, however.

For certain appliances, greater efficiency means lower consumption.  If more of
the kWh going to your water heater are actually heating the water, rather than
warming the wiring, I would expect the thermostat to be spending less time in
the "on" position, hence lower bills.

--

Philip J. Tait                     AlliedSignal Propulsion Engines, Phoenix, Az
(602) 231-7104    Aeronet: GED::B12635             FQDN: tait@gedlab.allied.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: mcovingt@aisun3.ai.uga.edu (Michael Covington)
Subject: Wiring code question
Organization: AI Programs, University of Georgia, Athens
Date: Fri, 29 Jan 1993 04:47:41 GMT

Is it an NEC violation to attach an extension cord to the wall?

This is a situation where the extension cord goes to lights, and
is switched at or before the outlet.


-- 
:-  Michael A. Covington     internet mcovingt@uga.cc.uga.edu :    *****
:-  Artificial Intelligence Programs       phone 706 542-0358 :  *********
:-  The University of Georgia                fax 706 542-0349 :   *  *  *
:-  Athens, Georgia 30602-7415 U.S.A.     amateur radio N4TMI :  ** *** **
From: garyg@hpcss01.cup.hp.com (Gary Gitzen)
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 01:04:09 GMT
Subject: Re: Electric Dryer not drying properly - any clues?
Organization: Hewlett Packard, Cupertino
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house

Bryan Schumacher writes:

>when
>the dryer is running, the heating element comes on for about 20 seconds
>every 5 or so minutes, but the dryer is never as warm as I think it
>should be.

Sounds like your thermostat has failed. Probably a $10-15 part.

Gary
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: dunne@math.okstate.edu (Ed Dunne)
Subject: Another hardwood floors problem
Summary: Putting coats of 2 different finishes on a hardwood floor
Keywords: hardwood floors
Organization: Oklahoma State University, Math Department
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 16:28:25 GMT


I had the hardwood (oak) floors in our house redone last November.
Previous owners had already done at least one horrible job on the
floors and possibly two.  In several places, they had sanded (heavily)
perpendicular to the grain.  There were also some spots with water
stains that had developed since the last refinishing job.  

Because the previous sanding had left scratches that were quite deep,
the floor-man said, it would not be possible to get them all out
without sanding down to the tongue and groove joints.  After finishing
the floors, some of the scratch marks are still visible.  However,
this problem was something to be expected.

The real problem:   The new finish did not seem to take.  The floor-man
used Gray Seal `Gym Finish', which is an oil-based urethane.  Wherever
the grain was pronounced, the wood seemed to absorb much more of the
urethane than other areas.  Also, there were areas with a waffle
pattern of glossy and dull finish in about 1-inch squares.
Originally, the floor man put down two coats of the gym finish.
Because of the unevenness, he then put down a third, with only slight
improvements.

The original plans were to put down a different finish, an `epoxy
coat'(*).  However, the floor man said that because it was so cold, this
was unlikely to dry properly. (The problem here is that we couldn't
have the heat on because it would blow dust around which would then
settle in the drying urethane.  So,during the nights, I set the heat
up to about 80, then turned it off about an hour before the workers
arrived. 

The proposed solution:   The floor-man tried putting some of the epoxy
finish on a test patch where the first finish looked bad.  It looks
OK.  So we are thinking of putting a top-coat of this on the floors. 

The question:   Is it truly OK to put this new type of finish on top
of the old finish?  

Answers by e-mail to    dunne@math.okstate.edu   would be much
appreciated.


Edward Dunne




(*) I believe Epoxy Coat is a brand name.  I do not know whether this is
really epoxy-based.  No one in town carries the stuff; the floor man
orders it directly from a distributor.  So  I am unable to check it
out at the stores.
From: mcnally@wsl.dec.com (Mike McNally)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Hot water and kids
Date: 27 Jan 93 17:39:20 GMT
Article-I.D.: usenet.1k6hc8INNpdc
Distribution: world
Organization: DEC Western Software Lab
NNTP-Posting-Host: venice.pa.dec.com

Ok, look.  I'm not a parent, but I have a little bit of resentment
at the attitude of many (apparent) parents that I therefore cannot
imagine the intricacies of child behavior.  I've been exposed to
young children quite a lot since I was in my early teens; my mother
ran several day-care centers and I worked at them occasionally.
My wife is finishing her Masters in Early Childhood Education, and
she herself has been working in day-care for several years.

I am aware that a group of three-year-olds is capable of disassembling
or destroying virtually any man-made item.  I am aware of the fact
that a child is incapable of understanding (the way an adult would
understand, though sometimes I wonder) prohibitions against doing
certain things or touching certain things.

I also was a child once.  My parents, to my knowledge, didn't really
"child proof" our house in a serious way; I'm sure they kept
hazardous chemicals and stuff away from us.  (The only poisoning
incident in my family was the result of my mother mistaking a jar
of poison ivy lotion for a jar of cough syrup.  I know, I know;
strange but true...)

I think that the characterization of hot water faucets as "death
traps" and "as dangerous as a power saw" is a little extreme.  I'm
not suggesting forcing high-pressure steam through the hot water
pipes.  I'm simply stating that, according to several sources,
water cooler than 120 degrees tends to breed microorganisms.  To
those that haven't heard of microorganisms in water, I suggest you
get a cheap microscope and have a look.  In most parts of the
country, tap water is quite a zoo.

I think the major danger to children is the tub, and I suppose that
those blessed with very inquisitive and active children (my brother
and I were inquisitive and active, but we tended to not do stuff
we were told was dangerous; I've known plenty of kids that were
quite different!) should look for one of the temperature regulators
mentioned in other posts.  I think it's pretty unlikely that a
child would receive any really serious permanent damage from 140
degree water in a sink, unless the child is somehow disfunctional
and won't react normally by withdrawing his hand from the water.

--
==============y=o=u='=r=e===a=l=l===s=t=e=a=m=e=d===u=p===j=o=e================
   Mike +   Software +   Digital Equipment +   Western Software +      mcnally@
McNally +    Laborer +         Corporation +         Laboratory +   wsl.dec.com
===============================================================================
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: wwang@osf.org (Weidong Wang)
Subject: Septic tank bacteria additive, Saniflo product
Followup-To: wwang@osf.org
Organization: Open Software Foundation
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 21:35:10 GMT


This must have been discussed several times, but I did not catch any threads.

This is to do with whether a spetic tank ever needs pumping, and whether one
should add any additive to it.

I know there are several sayings. One saying is that a septic tank should never
need pumping, nor any additive. Natural bacteria should do the job. Another 
saying is that one should not add any additive, but one needs to have the tank 
pumped every 2 or 3 years. Still some say that if you ever had your septic tank
pumped, it is an indication that it is not working well, that there is not 
enough bacteria there.

I suppose that by letting detergent, bleaches, soaps. clearners, etc go to the
septic tank, certain amount of bacteria in the tank will be killed. That means 
that for a long period of time, the septic tank may work less efficiently. So, 
is this a good reason to add bactieria additive to increase the batecria amount?

I just saw an ad for a product called Saniflo, "the natural bacteria additive".
It claims to be better than other additive on the market, and is USDA approved,
and can even eliminate any clog in the leaching field (pipes). Has anyone heard 
od this product and/or used? Waht is your opinion? They sell a 6 yr supply for
$154.00.


-- 
    +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
    |  Weidong Wang                   |  Open Software Foundation        |
    |  wwang@osf.org                  |  11 Cambridge Center             |
    |  (617) 621-7272                 |  Cambridge, MA 02142             |
    +--------------------------------------------------------------------+


Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: smb@research.att.com (Steven Bellovin)
Subject: Re: Kids and hazards (was Re: No Hot Water!)
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 16:49:32 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories

In article <a4-sm2b@dixie.com>, jgd@dixie.com (John De Armond) writes:
> If I did have a kid, I'd deal with minimal risk hazards like hot tap
> water by letting the kid touch it and get a little burn while under
> supervision.  Same way I learned about such stuff.  Other than when
> supervised, he'd be trained to stay away from the bathroom until I
> judged him capable of handling the risks.  About Jr High or so :-)

For the most part, the issue isn't what kids know not to do.  Daniel
knows perfectly well that outlets are dangerous, and doesn't, and won't,
touch them.  But he never realized that wires plugged into those
outlets are also dangerous, until he picked up some pliers I'd put down
for a second (I was doing phone wiring), and used them to cut through
a power cord...  Yes, he now knows that wires are dangerous, objects,
and why.  The issue wasn't discipline; it was a desire to experiment
with tools.

Now -- he wasn't unsupervised; there was another adult present besides
me.  But anyone can let their attention wander for a few seconds -- to
deal with another kid, for example -- and kids can get into trouble
remarkably fast.

It's easy to warn kids against known hazards, like outlets and loaded
guns.  The trick is to guard against things you haven't thought of.
Tell me -- what did your mother do when it was time to cook lunch,
when you and your brother were both very young?  (I'll take some risk
and assume that she was generally home during the day, and your father
was not.)  Assume, say, age 3.5, when a kid can still cause lots of
inadvertent trouble, but is too old to be kept in a playpen.

There's currently a thread going on on misc.kids about stuff we all
pulled when we should have known better.  I haven't posted my own
exploits there yet, though I'll note for the record that they generally
involved electricity and/or chemistry.  The problem wasn't that I
didn't know anything; the problem was that I didn't know enough,
and wasn't aware of what I didn't know.  So, too, with hot water and
young kids.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: rogerv@sco.COM (Roger Vortman)
Subject: Re: Kids and hazards (was Re: No Hot Water!)
Organization: The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 19:51:59 GMT


>An hour or two dose of 
>rug rats at a time is all I can stand.  Now I know I'm treading on 
>sacred ground where it is asserted that no kid-less person could possibly
>know how to manage a kid.

If you can imagine loving someone (other than yourself) unconditionally,
then you might start to understand how people feel about their children.

>I believe 
>young children should obey without question and be seen and not heard.
>That was the way I was raised and I think it worked quite well.
>My parents DID watch us all the time.  That was possible because 
>even at the earliest age, we were trained (with whippings when we 
>disobeyed) to obey.  Part of that obeying was staying where we were 
>instructed.  My parents did not and did not need to kidproof the
>house.  Indeed, my father kept loaded firearms in plain view.  We
>never touched them.  We knew better.  My mother did not allow kids in the 
>house except in the playroom and then only under her continuous supervision.

That explains a lot about your attitudes toward the world.  Thanks for the
posting.

-Roger
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: wpns@miki.pictel.com (Willie Smith)
Subject: Re: Dispute with Home Owners Assn - Advice Sought
Organization: PictureTel Corporation
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 17:46:01 GMT

In article <1993Jan21.200204.11629@netcom.com> bsardis@netcom.com (Barry Sardis) writes:
>I own a condo. I engaged a mangement company to locate a tenant.
>This is the same company that manages the complex for the HOA. The
>tenants have a dog and they keep it chained on the patio.
>
>Some residents complained about the dog. The HOA CC&Rs do not allow
>pets in the complex. There are lots of cats in the complex, roaming
>free.

I'm told that if you can show that a specific covenant (ie. "No Pets")
has been flagrantly violated for a long period of time and the HOA
hasn't done anything about it that it can be considered cancelled by
default or something like that.  However, this probably gets into
lawyers and court and all, and there goes all your money. :+{ You
might want to chat briefly with a lawyer to get the details and
present the HOA with a clear statement of where you feel they stand
legally (and maybe they'll back off), but the opera's not over till
everyone's happy.

Don't talk to me about responsibility when renting condos!

Willie Smith
wpns@pictel.com

-- 
Willie Smith    wpns@pictel.com    N1JBJ@amsat.org     "I'll make
Beelyuns and Beelyuns from the book contract and the TV show with
government funding for looking for the nothing in the void where The
Bang caused the hole in the middle of it all" Frank Hayes - Cosmos.
From: lusol@Lehigh.EDU (Stephen O. Lidie)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Cat Repellant
Date: 21 Jan 93 13:28:51 GMT
Organization: Lehigh University, Bethlehem PA

In article <P7BPXB1w161w@cdthq.UUCP> gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston) writes:
>brad@ssd.intel.com (Brad Rullman) writes:
>
>> 
>> I have a problem:  a neighborhood cat likes to hang around under the 
>> cover of a cedar tree near my bird feeder, and pounce on unsuspecting
>> birds that fly to the ground below to pick up dropped seeds.
>> 
>> Is there some kind of repellant I can use on the ground under the
>> cedar tree to discourage this kind of anti-social activity?  
>
>Yes. A dog on a leash tied to the base of the cedar tree should be
>quite effective.
>
>A second possibility would be to use chicken wire to enclose the area
>under the tree, so the cat isn't able to pounce out. All this would 
>take is a ring the same radius as the branches (or perhaps a little
>less) about a foot high. If kitty has to stop and climb a small fence,
>the birds will have lots of time to get away.
>
>If all else fails, a live trap and trip to the local animal pound
>will solve the problem.
>
>Gary Heston, at home....
>gary@cdthq.uucp
>

Geez..... if you know the owners talk to them about the problem..... sending
the cat to the pound to be put to sleep is the usual short-sighted solution..

SOL
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: breland@cobweb.mcc.com (Mark A. Breland)
Subject: Re: when does it make sense to reduce the
Reply-To: breland@cobweb.mcc.com
Organization: MCC
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 14:42:08 GMT

In article 28817@erg.sri.com, rat@erg.sri.com (Ray Trent) writes:
>In the referenced article, psb@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Jr Phillip S Buckland) writes:

[lots of good buttals, rebuttals, and counterrebuttals deleted}

Whichever direction a person decides to go (mortgage buydown vs. credit card
payoff), it basically boils down to who they want to give their money to.
Buying down a mortgage is great, but they still pay all the credit card
interest PLUS their tax deductible mortgage interest is reduced.  Going
the other way, they reduce their giveaways in the form of non-tax deductible
interest to the credit card issuers and retain a higher level of tax
deductible mortgage interest, but they remain in debt for a longer period
of time.  Either way, you pay...it's just a matter of how much or less
either approach steals from you.  Run your own numbers and make your own
choice.

My particularly painful problem is that I have no consumer debt to worry
about, but my recent refinance and accelerated principal buydown strategy
really hurts because the amount of tax deductible mortgage interest has
sharply declined.  Where are the tax shelters when you need them?

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

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house