HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ctdonath@mothra.syr.EDU (Carl T. Donath)
Subject: Re: anthology of home design software
In-reply-to: fredch@phx.mcd.mot.com's message of Fri, 11 Dec 1992 20:43:25 GMT
Organization: Syracuse University
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 92 17:36:22 EST


> $ 10 Expert Home Design         SoftSync

(Note: the following comments assume that this is the same program as the
one published by Expert Software - the name & price indicate that it is.)

Someone gave me a copy of this as a gift: at first use, I was embarrased 
that they had wasted a perfectly good $15 on such an amazingly crummy 
piece of software. I strongly suggest that, from the distribution of such
a low quality product, no one obtain software from this company.

This program is essentially a sub-minimal paint program. Walls cannot be
drawn diagonally, getting wall length right requires pixel accuracy with the
mouse, placing home objects (chairs, showers, etc) requires cutting & pasting
from another picture (clipping one object without getting part of another is
difficult), and is generally very frustrating to use. There are many other
negative points, but I can't remember them at the moment.

The mortgage computing portion is very inflexible - a spreadsheet + a book
on interest equations is much easier & more flexible.

It's been a year since I worked with it, and I clearly remember the feeling
of nausea after working very hard to do something remotely useful with it.

I am rarely this negative about any program. After 15 years of heavy computer 
use, programming, and support, this one surely takes a very moldy cake as the
worst commercial program I've come across.

--
  _____/ ctdonath@rodan.acs.syr.edu   Carl T Donath \_____
 / The second amendment is the only right that guarantees \
 \        the preservation of all other rights.           /
From: jennie+@cs.cmu.edu (Jennifer Kay)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Bread Makers
Date: 16 Dec 92 18:02:36 GMT
Article-I.D.: cs.BzD64L.DF5.1
Distribution: na
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon


I would recommend against buying a bread machine. We own one of the 
Welbuilt types, and it does an _OK_ job some of the time. I often do 
what one other poster does and just use it to prepare the dough, and
then transfer it to another pan. 

At this point I intend to buy a mixer with a dough hook so I can do
the same thing with stiffer doughs and larger quantities. I'd 
recommend that.

-- Jennie
From: stubbs@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Another dead clothes dryer
Date: 15 Dec 92 16:12:38 CST
Distribution: world
Organization: University of Kansas Academic Computing Services

     you need a new starter cap for the motoer!
writes:111you nw
w1.....
> TO: misc.consumer.house
> Reply-To: dan.stratton%phant@hpbs938.boi.hp.com
> 
> I have another dryer problem.  Ours won't start.  It buzzes and sits
> there.  After a while it just quits altogether.  A few hours later, it
> will buzz again.  I have found that if I try and start it with the door
> open, I can get it to go if I turn the drum inside while I puch the
> start button.  As this takes two people to accomplish, it makes life a
> little more difficult than I would like it to be.  Taking the clothes
> out of the drum seems to help to.
> 
> To me it sounds like the clutch or what ever it is in there that gets
> the drum rolling is going bad.  Is this a terminal illness, or is it
> fixable???  Thanks in advance.
> 
>  * OLX 2.1 TD * All hope abandon, ye who enter messages here.
>
From: jhagen@npri6.npri.com (Jarom Hagen)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Problem with electric water heater
Date: 14 Dec 92 17:19:14 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: NPRI, Alexandria VA

mr@delfin.com (Mark Rosenberg) writes:


>Is it possible to have a water heater produce only a partial tankfull of
>hot water?

Quite possible you have a partially heated tankfull.  When we first moved 
into our new house, we had a problem like this.  It turned out that 
one heating element was broken and the other was cracked.  We were 
lucky to get any hot water at all!

The plumber thought we were just going through lots of hot water until
I finally got him to look at the water heater.

Jarom
-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  *Not paid for and/or endorsed by NPRI.  602 Cameron St, Alexandria VA 22314
  (UUCP: ...uunet!uupsi!npri6!jhagen)       (Internet: jhagen@npri.com)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: smb@research.att.com (Steven Bellovin)
Subject: Re: Circuit Breaker Question
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 02:09:14 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories

> >BTW, the panel is a Federal Pacific, and simple 20A breakers for it cost $25!
> 
> Bizarre.  Up here, where everything costs 50% more than it does in the states,
> you can get single 15A and 20A FPE breakers for under $15.  Sometimes under $10.
> Even duals are usually around $15-16.
> 
> [Unless "Federal Pacific" != FPE - I thought FPE was "Federal Pioneer".
> Whatever.  Some people call them federal-noblows and other stronger names
> unsuitable for a public forum, but I've not had any trouble with them at all.]

Yup, FPE==Federal Pacific.  I pay ~$20 for a single breaker.  They're
out of business, so around here, at least, I'm dealing with comparatively
low-volume clone-makers.  When I asked about a double-pole GFCI breaker
for the panel, the folks at the local electrical supply store suggested
that a new main panel would probably be cheaper.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: nastasi@cbnewsk.cb.att.com (joseph.l.nastasi)
Subject: Dishwasher's Busted!
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 20:33:58 GMT

Hi all,

I have a cheap dishwasher that's 6 years old.  It's a Tappen
I think.  Anyway, the last time I tried to wash dishes, it wen
through it's cycles, but nothing got cleaned.  And there is a 
small lake in the bottom of the machine.  Any ideas on what
I could try or look for before I call a repairperson or buy
a new one????  I'm pretty handy with tools, but I don't enjoy
it! :-)

Thanks,
Joe Nastasi
AT&T, Middletown, NJ
(908) 957-6365 7am-4pm EST M-F

PS: please reply email and I'll post a summary!!!
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: ken@wybbs.mi.org (Ken Jongsma)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Problem with electric water heater
Date: 15 Dec 92 15:56:56 GMT
Reply-To: jongsma@benzie.si.com
Organization: Smiths Industries

mr@delfin.com (Mark Rosenberg) writes:

>My wife claims that our electric water heater does not produce as much
>hot water as before. She complains of hot water running-out mid-shower
>despite the fact that no hot water has been used for hours. I contend that
>either the water heater heats water or it doesn't. If it works at all,
>it necessarily heats the entire 50 gallon tankfull.

>Is it possible to have a water heater produce only a partial tankfull of
>hot water?

Absolutely. Electric heaters have two heating elements. It sounds like
the lower one is burned out in your heater. Look for two access doors
on the side of the heater. Make sure the breaker is off before you
open them...

Oh. You owe your wife a nice dinner out.

-- 
Ken Jongsma                                     jongsma@benzie.si.com
Smiths Industries                                    ken@wybbs.mi.org 
Grand Rapids, Michigan                      73115.1041@compuserve.com 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: cornutt@lambda.msfc.nasa.gov (David Cornutt)
Subject: Re: curtains for sliding glass door
Organization: NASA/MSFC
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 18:49:31 GMT

eric@golf (Eric Wiseblatt) writes:

>I just bought a house with a pair of sliding glass doors and would like to put
>up curtains (or draperies?).  There is an existing traverse rod on each
>which draws from one end toward the other.
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Most of the ones that I've seen can be configured to draw from the 
middle or either end.  The trick is to look at how the rope is fastened
to the two sliders.  One one, the rope is tied, but on the other, the
rope just passes over a tang where it is held by friction.  If you
undo the loop of rope from the tang, this slider moves freely on the
rod.  Then, using the ropes, you can pull the tied-on slider to
wherever you want the rod to draw from, slide the free slider to
that position, and then reattach the rope on the free slider.

BTW: If you actually use the door a lot: unless the rod is a good deal
longer than the width of the door, you may find this inconvenient. 
The curtain panel on the side where the door opens will always be
in the way of anyone going in or out.  Sliding glass doors suck
anyway; I'd like to replace mine with a set of nice French doors.
-- 
David Cornutt, New Technology Inc., Huntsville, AL  (205) 461-4517
(cornutt@lambda.msfc.nasa.gov; some insane route applies)
"The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of my employer,
not necessarily mine, and probably not necessary."
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Attic Insulation addenum
From: gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston)
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 92 16:26:42 CST
Organization: Garys' Home for Obsolete Computers

Robert Chambers <RMCCU@CUNYVM.BITNET> writes:

> Sorry to confuse, but it appears I used the wrong word in my previous
> post.  I have received some really useful info for the ceiling insulation
> (which I will be doing as well).  My question (in my mind anyway) was
> not the top of the ceilings but directly under the roof-timber which
> is directly under the roof shingles.  My house is a cape style so the
> rooms upstairs are technically in the attic.  The place I need to
> insulate is the underside of the roof (the pitched part). The roof boards are
> supported by 2" by 6".  This is where I'm worried about moisture buildup.

Put in 4" insulation with a vapor barrier on the room side of the
insulation, and install ridge and soffit vents to eliminate any
moisture and keep the roof cooler in the summer. Using 4" insulation
will allow a 2" air gap, which will keep your roof from overheating.

Gary Heston, at home....
gary@cdthq.uucp
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com (patterson,george r)
Subject: Basement Water-proofing System
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: us
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 92 02:56:16 GMT

A while ago I saw a blurb in a magazine for a water-proofing system that
consists of hollow baseboard-style panels which are to be glued to the
bottom of a basement wall to guide water to a sump pump. This system
was later mentioned here on the net, and one poster said that she had
used it. Well, I could have sworn that I saved that posting, but it seems
to have disappeared, and now I need to know the name of the manufacturer.

I do mean *need* the name, too. My basement sprung a few more leaks this
morning and I just spent the last 12 hours dashing downstairs every few
minutes to run the shop vac. Please reply before the next rain!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    |
George Patterson -  | I'd rather fight an entire army than battle an
                    | idle rumor.
                    |              Major General Smedley Butler
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: mje@pookie.pass.wayne.edu (Michael J. Edelman)
Subject: Circuit Breaker Question
Reply-To: mje@pookie.pass.wayne.edu
Organization: Wayne State University
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 13:27:24 GMT


My panel is divided into two sections. The bus is interrupted halfway down, with 
the lower half fed off a 60/60 breaker on the upper half.

The upper half also has 220 breakers for the garage (where there's a small
sub panel), oven, and a no-longer used 220 outlet that a previous owner used
for a kiln, All the 110 outlets are on the lower half of the panel. Thus, the
60/60 breaker feeding the lower half also funtions as a disconnect for the 
lower half.

I'd like to add a pair of new 20 amp circuits, but the lower half is already
at the 60/amp per side limit of the breaker feeding it. There would be plenty of
room on the upper half if I removed the unused kiln breaker. 

Is there anything in the code preventing me from doing this? 

BTW, the panel is a Federal Pacific, and simple 20A breakers for it cost $25!
I'm contemplating finishing off the attic, at which point I suppose I'll just 
have to replace the whole panel, but that's a couple of years off.

       --mike


Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patti@hosehead.hf.intel.com (Patti Beadles)
Subject: Cleaning Blinds?
Originator: patti@hosehead
Reply-To: patti@hosehead.hf.intel.com
Organization: Intel Corporation, Hillsboro, OR
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 00:05:09 GMT

One of the things the old owners of my condo left behind for me was
a miniblind cleaner ... you know, one of those things with half a
dozen fuzzy fingers.  It was brand new.

The blinds, however, appear to have been put up when the place was
built, and never cleaned.  I'm sure that they were white in a previous
life, but it's hard to tell.  I tried cleaning them with the cleaner
gizmo, but no such luck.

All of the blinds are off the windows right now, so I was thinking
about trying to hose the dirt off.  I don't know, though, if I'd wind
up rusting them.  Any suggestions?
-- 
Patti Beadles  503/696-4358 | I don't speak for Intel, nor vice-versa.
   patti@hosehead.intel.com |
   75555.767@compuserve.com | If it wasn't for the last minute,
or just yell, "Hey, Patti!" |             I'd never get anything done!
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: abbott@priory.enet.dec.com (Robert Abbott)
Subject: Re: Building a new house
Organization: TP Performance
Distribution: usa
Date: 18 DEC 92 14:48:00    


In article <MICHAEL.92Dec18132217@sunbeam.ksc.nasa.gov>, 
michael@sunbeam.ksc.nasa.gov (Operator) writes...

A very fine article on overseeing contractors and buried in
the middle is a comment that I have read for the second time
now in one week:

>Their specification list
>called out for them to remove all hardware (they didn't) sand between
>coats (they didn't do that either)

This sanding between coats, are you talking about walls, trim or
both? I can see understand trim, but sanding walls? If so, is it
only for new wallboard?

My paint jobs are pretty meticulous but sanding walls between
coats is too much for me. Besides, it would create a lot of dust
that would have to be cleaned up before I put the next coat on.

Somewhat confused...
------------------------
Robert K. Abbott
abbott@tps.enet.dec.com          
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: mohr@rtsg.mot.com (Wilson Mohr)
Subject: Re: Tapping a 220V line for lights
Organization: Motorola Inc., Cellular Infrastructure Group
Distribution: pdx
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 22:22:55 GMT

casey@asi.com (Casey Bahr) writes:

>I have a well house that has a single 220V circuit (on 10-3 wire,
>30 amp breakers) that runs a 1/2 HP pump, solely.  I'd like to add
>some lights to the well house, one heat lamp + one light lamp
>inside and a flood light outside, say ~500 watts, tops.  
>What is the best way to tap into this 220V line for this purpose?

Well, IMHO, you should at least drop in a junction box. A small 4 ckt
box should do ya. Two ckts for the pump (220 ya know) and one for lights.
I should explain, when I say junction box I mean a breaker panel.
about $40 for the panel and $24 for the breakers around here. Add $10 for
misc. wire nuts and connectors. BE SURE that the circuit control for the 
pump is AFTER the panel. In all likelyhood, it is not. The box is usually
located near the captive air tank. In this case you will probably need to run
a separate ckt from the house for your lights. Most (modern) pumps are
capactive start motors. Since the capacitor is the device most likely to
break, they put it in a control box in the house (rather than down the well
on the pump) for easier replacement. I highly recommend that you do not
tap into the pump ckt if this is the case. It is much easier to run a new line
than replace pumps.
Just my OPINION . . . . (Ya know what they say . . . . everyone has one!)
-- 
Wilson Mohr         "Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the
mohr@rtsg.mot.com    time, he will pick himself up and continue on" - W. Churchill
From: sandberg@yvax.byu.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: house for sale SLC,UT
Date: 11 Dec 92 20:01:38 -0700
Organization: Brigham Young University

HOUSE FOR SALE IN 

SALT LAKE CITY , UTAH
MORE DETAILS AVAILABLE THROUGH EMAIL

--SANDBERG@BYU.EDU
thanks
.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: tomj@monster.apd.saic.com (Tom Johnson)
Subject: Re: Frosted Heat Pump
Organization: SAIC, Reston, VA
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 13:41:51 GMT

bsmith@stake.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (ROBERT SMITH) writes:

>I was working in the back yard this weekend when I noticed that the heat pump
>was completely frozen -- it had a thick layer of frost, like an old freezer,
>inside and out.  I turned on the emergency heat, which shuts down the heat
>pump, and I'm waiting for it to thaw out.  I then plan to turn it on again to
>see if the problem recurs.

>Anyway, what could have caused this?  Any ideas on how much it might cost to
>have repaired?  I have an American Home Shield warranty with a $95 deductible.
> If I call them, it virtually guarantees that I pay $95 (from experience, I
>learned that, by an amazing coincidence, the bill exceeds $95.)  If I call a
>service guy, it's $35 plus ~$40/hour plus parts.

This happened on ours when the defrost-cycle relay failed.  The defrost
cycle, I think, just turns on the A/C for a while, which warms up the
heat exchanger and melts the ice.  

You can do it manually, if you want, by turning on the A/C for a while until
the ice melts.  Depending on what's broken, this might or might not work.

-- tomj

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: chris@lightnin.Columbia.NCR.COM ()
Subject: Question on Gutters
Originator: chris@lightnin
Organization: NCR Corp, E&M-Columbia, Columbia, SC
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 92 18:08:33 GMT

   During Christmas vacation I am planning to install rain gutters
on my house.  I am planning on using vinyl gutters and I have priced
out all the materials needed.  I cannot find 45 degree corners... do
they exist?  If not, I would appreciate any tips on how to cut/bond
two pieces to make this angle.

I'd appreciate any info!

Happy Holidays

                


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Chris Landi                               
 Surface Mount Operations Center                 NCR MCPD -- Columbia
 phone: (803) 739-7364                           Operations & Distribution
   fax: (803) 739-7362                           3325 Platt Springs Road
 email: chris.landi@ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM           West Columbia, SC 29170

Thoughts expressed here are my own and not representative of NCR
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: ags@seaman.cc.purdue.edu (Dave Seaman)
Subject: Re: Frosted Heat Pump
Organization: Purdue University
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 20:58:04 GMT

In article <1730@stake.DaytonOH.NCR.COM> bsmith@stake.DaytonOH.NCR.COM  
(ROBERT SMITH) writes:
> I was working in the back yard this weekend when I noticed that the heat  
pump
> was completely frozen -- it had a thick layer of frost, like an old  
freezer,
> inside and out.

Most heat pumps have an adjustable defrost cycle. Mine operates normally  
for XX minutes (where XX may be set to 20, 40, or 80) and then defrosts  
for 10 minutes (but only if sensors detect that frost is present). When  
the unit was first installed, it was set for the long cycle (80 minutes),  
and during the first snowstorm it froze solid. I asked the installer to  
change the setting to 40 minutes, and it has worked fine since then.

For emergency defrosting, you can just connect a hose and run water on it  
to melt the ice.

--
Dave Seaman
ags@seaman.cc.purdue.edu
From: cc100aa@xray.gatech.edu (Ray Spalding)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Seeking advice to get rid of fleas
Date: 17 Dec 92 22:23:05 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

Does anyone know of an effective way to get rid of fleas living in
furniture and carpet?

I've tried an "Enforcer" spray, and fumigating the whole house with
a "Raid" product.  These cut them down for a few days, but then
they're back.

I have no pets (now), other than an aquarium.  Interestingly, I
had no major problem with fleas until my cat died recently.  Perhaps
the fleas are attacking me now because the cat's gone!
-- 
Ray Spalding, Office of Information Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332-0715
Internet: ray.spalding@oit.gatech.edu (NeXT Mail accepted)
From: PHA146@UKCC.UKY.EDU
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Re: Attic Insulation (Dow/Owens-Corning)
Date: 17 Dec 92 19:42:50 GMT
    <1992Dec17.060708.23176@porthos.cc.bellcore.com> 
    <1992Dec17.173951.16956@phx.mcd.mot.com>
Organization: University of Kentucky

In article <1992Dec17.173951.16956@phx.mcd.mot.com>
fredch@phx.mcd.mot.com (Fred Christiansen) writes:
 
>
>Does Dow own Owens-Corning (of "Pink Panther" insulation)?
      ^^^
 
 You may be confusing Owens-Corning with Dow-Corning (I believe the
 latter is a joint venture of Dow Chemical (MI) and Corning Glass (NY).
 Among other things, Dow-Corning makes silicone oils.
 
 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: nancy@hayduke (Nancy Feagans)
Subject: Re: Gas Dryer is not that hot
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA)
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 00:25:49 GMT

In article <1992Dec16.192345.23735@oswego.Oswego.EDU> vermilye@oswego.Oswego.EDU (Jon R. Vermilye) writes:
>In article <1992Dec14.215939.9281@novell.com> bradley@novell.com (Brad Soe) writes:
>>
>>I have a gas dryer that has to be 18 years old or so. It was working fine
>>until recently. The dryer does not heat up that much and takes a long time
>>for close to dry. After about 60 min of drying, the dryer is not very hot, 
>>and I noticed that there is some condensation on the door which drips on to 
>>the floor. It takes a while, but eventually I can get the clothes to dry
>>after over 2 hours of drying time.
>
>
My 14+ year old gas dryer did the very same thing a few months ago.
We checked everything we could think of, but it still took almost 2
hours to dry a normal load of clothes.  I found the problem purely
by accident.  I had removed the filter to pull out the layer of lint
that always accumulates, removed the lint, then as I was sliding the
filter back into the dryer I noticed that the screen appeared sort of
gray.  I held it up to the light, and lo and behold, the vast majority
of the tiny holes in the screen were plugged with extremely fine dust!

So, I shook it and then took it to the sink and washed it off with a
strong spray of water.  It was amazing how much fine dust was trapped
in the holes!  Once I was satisfied that the screen was as clean as
I could get it, I replaced it in the dryer and guess what?  Within 35
minutes the buzzer sounded, and I had a nice, dry load of clean clothes.
Maybe I was fortunate this was such a simple fix, but who knows?  I was
just amazed it took that many years to get clogged up enough to make
such a noticeable difference in drying time.
 
Now I check the filter each time I use it, making sure to not only
remove the obvious lint, but also shake it and make sure the fine
dust isn't accumulating.
 
Good luck!


-- 

Nancy J. Feagans     (818) 306-6423
Jet Propulsion Lab   nancy@jpl-devvax.Jpl.Nasa.Gov
"Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious."
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house