HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: aardvark@locus.com (Warren Usui)
Subject: Our house has a polterpuddle
Organization: Locus Computing Corporation, Los Angeles, California
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 21:39:19 GMT

One bathroom in our recently purchased house (40 years old) has an
interesting phenomenon.  Every so often, a puddle mysteriously appears
in the middle of the floor.  There are no signs of leaking plumbing, no
signs of seepage, and no signs of water condensing off of anything.  We
would clean up the puddle and the floor will remain bone dry until the
puddle mysteriously appears days later.  Sometimes the puddle will happen
one hour after we last checked and found the spot to be dry.

We don't know of anything that can be causing this.  If we have a leak
somewhere, we would expect it to be slightly damp at some point.  I'm
not sure how much a plumber can help because most of the time, the
puddle is not there.

The best explaination I can come up with is that we have a polterpuddle.
Our phone book does not list anybody who specializes in plumbing and exorcisms.

-- 
Warren Usui
aardvark@locus.com
uunet!lcc!aardvark

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: daniels_d@apollo.HP.COM (Dave Daniels)
Subject: Running Coax and phone lines
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 20:28:25 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Chelmsford, MA

I am in the process of having a house built with the
second floor unfinished. I want to run coax cable and
a telephone line to the second floor, before the drywall
is installed. My question is, is it okay to run the cable
through the same holes as the wiring for the electricity
or is this against some kind of wiring spec. If I have to
drill new holes I will, I was just hoping I could use the 
existing holes.

Thanks for any help,
-Dave
-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dave Daniels                           | 
daniels_d@apollo.hp.com                | "Life is a highway, I wan't  
Hewlett Packard, Inc.                  |  to ride it all night long...."
(603) 772-1500
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: nbull@access.digex.com (Nicholas Bull)
Subject: Inspection report ==> $back?
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA
 
 
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 22:52:19 GMT

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Electric Drill Recommendation
From: gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston)
Date: Tue, 06 Oct 92 19:06:14 CDT
Organization: Garys' Home for Obsolete Computers

rrw@elden (Robert Wier) writes:

>  I go to auctions and estate sales pretty regularly.  One thing which 
>  works pretty well is to bid on Sear's hand tools.  Even if they had 
>  a wrench which had been left out in a field for 5 years and was so
>  rusty you'd never be able to clean it up, Sears is supposed to give
>  you a new one, no questions asked (although I havn't verified this
>  is the way it actually works, lately).  So, if you can pick up some
>  Craftsman hand tools for a nickle a wrench or so, you can exchange it
>  for a brand new one...

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

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

Me, I'll keep the older tools, every chance I get.

>  Just don't do it at an auction where *I* am bidding :-)

Careful, I tend to jump-bid; makes the other bidders nervous.
Just about every piece of furniture, pictures, rugs, and my
oil lamp collection came from auctions. Great place to pick
up decent furniture, if you know what to look for.

Gary Heston, at home....
gary@cdthq.uucp
From: moroney@ramblr.enet.dec.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: High Eff Furnace Question
Date: 16 Oct 92 22:31:01 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation

Question:  Most of the super efficient furnaces get the last bit of heat
by condensing the water from the flue gases.  Are there add-on gizmos that
do this with a normal furnace to increase their efficiency?

-Mike
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: kseshadr@oracle.uucp (Krishnan Seshadri)
Subject: Condo for rent/sale
Reply-To: kseshadr@oracle.uucp (Krishnan Seshadri)
Organization: Oracle Corporation (Federal Division), Bethesda, MD
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 19:01:26 GMT
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by an unauthenticated user
              at Oracle Corporation.  The opinions expressed are those
              of the user and not necessarily those of Oracle.




			Apartment for Rent/Sale


Apt. for rent with option to buy in Silver Spring, Maryland (12 mi. from D.C.).

- 3 Bedroom, 2 baths
- Sun room
- Washer/Dryer/Microwave/Dishwasher   
- Convenient to MetroBus, and access to Metrorail
- Pool, Tennis.

Rent (w/ option to buy) - $850/month


Please call Krishnan at 301-913-5017        
Internet kseshadr@us.oracle.com
======================================================================
kseshadr@us.oracle.com     
(301) 913-5017
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: eliot@chutney.rtp.dg.com (Topher Eliot)
Subject: Re: why don't we live in prefab concrete houses?
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 92 22:54:43 GMT
Reply-To: eliot@dg-rtp.dg.com
Organization: Data General Corporation, Research Triangle Park, NC

In article <1992Oct12.160415.29420@Happy-Man.com>, josh@Happy-Man.com (Joshua_Putnam) writes:
|> 
|> This is expensive, but the original poster's suggestion of
|> *prefab* concrete makes it much simpler.  Factory-produced
|> concrete components allow better quality control and easier
|> testing, just as lumber can be graded and tested before it
|> is sent to the jobsite.  Then the jobsite inspections could
|> be limited to proper assembly techniques.
This, of course, would be key.  Remember all those people who died in that
earthquake in Lithuania or some such place because prefab concrete buildings
came down like houses of cards.

-- 
Topher Eliot             Data General DG/UX Systems Administration Development
(919) 248-6371                                             eliot@dg-rtp.dg.com
Obviously, I speak for myself, not for DG.
misc.consumers.house archivist.  Send mail to house-archive@dg-rtp.dg.com
"Daddy, does Mount Mitchell have a name?" -- Tommy, age 4.
From: brian@cbmvax.commodore.com (Brian Fennimore)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Ceiling ducts in basement?
Date: 9 Oct 92 17:13:48 GMT
Reply-To: brian@cbmvax.commodore.com (Brian Fennimore)
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA

In article <IeotBiO00WB8EJu2sm@andrew.cmu.edu> plucas+@andrew.cmu.edu (Peter Lucas) writes:
>As the stud walls go up in my basement project, I am starting to contemplate
>the mechanicals:  Today's question:
>There are existing HVAC ducts in the ceiling at several points around the
>soon-to-be-finished space. I may have to add one or two as I divide the space
>but they are basically adequate.  I intend to add returns to each room
>near the floor.  The question is, should I go to the trouble to extend
>the existing ducts down the walls so that the registers are near the
>floor, or will the ceiling registers be ok?  Extending them would be some
>work and would introduce longer runs and more bends, is it worth it?
>                -pete (lucas@maya.com)

I was recently watching The Renovation Zone show on The Learning Channel
and they did exactly what you described. The claim is that it will keep 
the colder air off the floor area (near your feet where it becomes quite
evident in the winter).

Now when I finished my basement, I did not do the duct extensions, and 
I do tend to have cold floors in the winter even though it is
nicely carpeted. It does feel great in the summer, though!

I'd go for the extra effort.

-Brian
From: mukul@ssdc.honeywell.com (Mukul Agrawal)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Failing GFCI outlet question
Date: 11 Oct 92 16:36:21 GMT
Organization: Honeywell Inc.
X-Xxmessage-Id: <A6FDC33D8A015236@mac82-54.ssdc.honeywell.com>
X-Xxdate: Sun, 11 Oct 92 11: 40:45 GMT
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.1.1d11

Netters,

My GFCI outlet keeps failing. Almost once every month, the GFCI outlet in 
the kitchen will stop tripping when the "test" button is pressed. When I 
change the outlet, everything seems fine for about a month, and then it
will 
die again.

There is no equipment connected to the GFCI outlet itself.  There are two
sets 
of plug-points downstream from the GFCI outlet. They have a
cassette-player 
and a toast-r-oven connected to them. When the GFCI fails, all the
outlets 
(including the GFCI plug-point) still work.

Any pointers? Is the toast-r-oven causing too much load? Should it even
die 
with 1500 Watts? Any pointers will be greatly appreciated.

-- Mukul

=============================================================
===========
Mukul Agrawal
Sensor & System Development Center                         (612)951-7469
Honeywell Inc., MN65-2300                             FAX: (612)951-7438
3660 Technology Drive                           mukul@ssdc.honeywell.com
Minneapolis, MN 55418                   Agrawal_Mukul@ssdc.honeywell.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: kenk@sdc.com (Ken Konecki)
Subject: Re: High Eff Furnace Question
Organization: Systems Development Corporation
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 13:51:51 GMT

In article <BvvEB0.284@visix.com> ken@visix.com writes:
>What effect does efficiency have on operation and purchase costs.

Furnace efficiency strictly adheres to the law of diminishing returns.
We are in the process of replacing our furnace with an 80% efficiency
model.  The time to recoup the price of a more efficient furnace would be
about the expected lifespan of the furnace.

>What brands should I be looking at. (Which ones should I avoid.)

Brands to avoid are those that use very specific parts for their furnaces
and then discontinue manufacturing the furnace and its parts.  You don't
want to wind up replacing a furnace simply because you can't find
parts.  A friend of ours (who owns his own HVAC company) is currently in
this situation; he has a 10 year old Bryant (or maybe Lennox, I can't remember)
for which he can no longer find parts.  He swears he'll never install
that brand in his own house again.

Cheers,
    -Ken K
-- 
Ken Konecki
e-mail:kenk@sdc.com    -or-    ...!uunet!tellab5!sdc!kenk
"I just found out that the brain is like a computer.  If that's true,
then there really aren't any stupid people.  Just people running DOS."
From: chrisw@hpscit.sc.hp.com (Chris Wiles)
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 14:23:25 GMT
Subject: Re: Prices on those bathroom jobs?
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Santa Clara, CA
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house


	I just finished the bath in my house here is the basic
breakdown of the cost.

	new tub- $300
	new tile on tub wall $850
	new tile on floor $300
	new window $100
	new vanity $100
	new sink $60
	new toilit $150
	misc acc. $100

	that's about $2,000
	I had the tile prof. done everything else i did myself.
	good luck

	chris wiles
From: bagwill@swe.ncsl.nist.gov (Bob Bagwill)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Our house has a polterpuddle
Date: 13 Oct 92 16:23:41 GMT
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]

Warren Usui (aardvark@locus.com) wrote:
: One bathroom in our recently purchased house (40 years old) has an
: interesting phenomenon.  Every so often, a puddle mysteriously appears
: in the middle of the floor.

We've had the same thing.  I suspect ours are caused by water vapor
condensing in the ceiling exhaust fan ducts and dripping back on to the
floor.

--
Bob Bagwill
bagwill@swe.ncsl.nist.gov
From: greg@netcom.com (Greg Bullough)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: WANTED: Interior Latex Paint Recommendation
Date: 15 Oct 92 18:28:37 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest)

In article <1992Oct15.080337.1@ducvax.auburn.edu> auidcc@ducvax.auburn.edu writes:
>
>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.
 
I've been using Glidden Spred Satin for a long time, and find that it
rolls on really well. It's very thick, and can be relied upon to cover
in one heavy coat (but don't scrimp). Also, it's available at K-Mart
so the discounts are very good on sale.

>                                      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.  
 
Um, some things shouldn't be made into acronyms... :-)
 
Greg
From: thompson@forsyth.wsnc.org
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re:    FREE REFINANCING
Date: 7 Oct 92 15:22:18 GMT
Organization: Forsyth County, Winston-Salem  NC

In article <1992Oct6.200916.27098@porthos.cc.bellcore.com>, patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie) writes:
> In article <1asnr8INNpc9@sixgun.East.Sun.COM> egreen@east.sun.com writes:
>>In article 111851VANCE@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU, Valery Nesterov <VANCE@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU> () writes:
>>>
>>>We have loans at NO COST at all to you!!
>>>We'll come to your home to fill the application.
>>
>>How about tomorrow night?  I live in Cary, North Carolina.  Say, 5:30?
> 
> I'm interested too! How 'bout this evening around 8:00? I live in Somerset,
> New Jersey (just down the road from Ed).
> 

How about stopping by my place in Winston-Salem, NC too? 
____________________________________________________________________________
Robert Bruce Thompson                thompson@ledger.forsyth.wsnc.org
Forsyth County MIS Department        (919) 727-2597 x3012
Winston-Salem, North Carolina USA    (919) 727-2020 (FAX)
From: spikes@hpscit.sc.hp.com (Bill Spikes)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: how to adjust bathtub drain vent?
Date: 16 Oct 92 19:11:49 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Santa Clara, CA

Take your mortal coil over to a honey-do store and look at the exact
same manufacturer and model of drain/control assy. They usually have
a display out in the tub and shower floor section. There you can play with
the thing and see what is involved in disassembly. You might even find a 
part, which will save you another trip to the store, that should be replaced
when you take it apart. "O" ring, seal, etc.

They may even have rebuilding kits for the exact model!


Bill
Amateur Homeowner
From: abbott@priory.enet.dec.com (Robert Abbott)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: This Old House
Date: 9 Oct 92 17:53:07 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: TP Performance


In article <JEFF.92Oct9093530@claw.clearpoint.com>, jeff@claw.clearpoint.com (Jeffrey J. Griglack) writes...
>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

The town is Lexington, which is one of the more expensive and desirable
suburbs west of Boston. You'd be hardpressed to buy any kind of house
for less than 200K in this town.

------------------------
Robert K. Abbott
abbott@tps.enet.dec.com          
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: josh@Happy-Man.com (Joshua_Putnam)
Subject: Re: why don't we live in prefab concrete houses?
Reply-To: Joshua_Putnam@happy-man.com
Organization: Happy Man Corp., Vashon Island, WA 98070-7399
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 16:04:15 GMT

In <1992Oct9.234749.3518@data-io.com> brunson@davinci.Data-IO.COM (Kaye Brunson) writes:

>My father is building a custom concrete house.  He's using techniques that are
>commonly used in industrial buildings.  He is making the exterior walls from cast
>concrete, and the interior rooms will be framed with steel "2x4s".  

>In my opinion, this has turned out to be a much more expensive project than it
>needs to be because it is not standard for residential construction.  
[....]
>The building inspector makes him have every batch of
>concrete tested.  

From what I've seen, this is a common requirement when
concrete is used in poured walls.  It is very easy to mess
up a batch of concrete -- too much water, too little water,
bad aggregate mix, too long between mixing and pouring, etc.
A lot of this can be detected on the job site by seeing how
quickly a cone of wet concrete slumps, but the definitive
answer is destructive testing of samples after they set up.

Of course, building inspectors are always interested in
overtesting and overinspecting everything, since testing
costs them nothing but letting something defective slip by
can open them up to liability.  (Want to bet inspectors are
included in the lawsuits over defective construction
practices in Florida?)

This is expensive, but the original poster's suggestion of
*prefab* concrete makes it much simpler.  Factory-produced
concrete components allow better quality control and easier
testing, just as lumber can be graded and tested before it
is sent to the jobsite.  Then the jobsite inspections could
be limited to proper assembly techniques.
-- 
 Joshua_Putnam@happy-man.com    Happy Man Corp.  206/463-9399 x102
 4410 SW Pt. Robinson Rd., Vashon Island, WA  98070-7399  fax x108
 We publish SOLID VALUE for the intelligent investor.  NextMail OK
Info free; sample $20: Send POSTAL addr: Solid-Value@happy-man.com
From: rbaist@cbnewsi.cb.att.com (robert.t.baist)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Building near property line
Date: 7 Oct 92 15:20:31 GMT
Article-I.D.: cbnewsi.1992Oct7.152031.16828
Distribution: usa
Organization: AT&T

In article <39100@sdcc12.ucsd.edu> wade@hobbes.ucsd.edu (Wade Blomgren) writes:
>
>Typically (or 'in your area', or under whatever criteria you care to
>lay out), how close can one build structures such as car ports and
>hot-tub (jacuzzi) gazebos to a property line?  I ask because our next
>door neighbor (in a suburban tract home area with lots of about 6K sq ft),
>having built a hot tub deck right up against the property line aligned
>with our bedroom window, is now installing a car port, consuming more of
>the frontier between the (small) lots.

Typically, you can't build within 6' of the property line. Call the building 
inspector and ask him. Did your neighbor get a building permit? It doesn't 
sound like he did. If so, the biulding inspector can make your neighbor's 
life miserable..... to the point of making him tear everything down and move 
it back from the property line.
Be prepared, this could get nasty.

Bob B.        Everything is disclaimed
.............................................................................
Reality - a concept created by the majority
...............................................................................
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: drand@spinner.osf.org (Douglas S. Rand)
Subject: Re: Dealing with ungrounded outlets
Organization: Open Software Foundation
	<1992Oct14.183011.4407@ulysses.att.com>
Date: 16 Oct 92 17:15:26

In article <1992Oct14.183011.4407@ulysses.att.com> smb@ulysses.att.com (Steven Bellovin) writes:

   In article <DRAND.92Oct12111042@spinner.osf.org>, drand@spinner.osf.org (Douglas S. Rand) writes:
   >    The other area of concern is bedroom where we
   >    want to put a computer.  It has 2 prong
   >    outlets.  Will replacing these with GFIs be
   >    sufficient?
   > 
   > Yes.  Find the first outlet on the branch (usually tracing the wiring 
   > in the basement is easiest) and replace it with the GFCI outlet.

   Umm...  I'm not certain I agree with that.  A GFCI will certainly provide
   protection for *you*.  It won't provide a good solid ground for the
   electronics in the computer, nor for any surge suppressors.

Right.  I wasn't reading this part carefully.  He'll want a ground
for the surge suppressors.  If he's very concerned he might
want an isolated ground.  

No comment on the other folks with the argument on GFCI's working
on ungrounded lines :) :) :) :) ... I've been too busy for several
days and the backlog is facinating.
--

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Douglas S. Rand <drand@osf.org>		OSF/Motif Dev.
Snail:         11 Cambridge Center,  Cambridge,  MA  02142
Disclaimer:    I don't know if OSF agrees with me... let's vote on it.
Amateur Radio: KC1KJ
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: doshay@ursa.arc.nasa.gov (David Doshay)
Subject: Re: RODENT FROM HELL !!!!!!
Organization: NASA-Ames Biocomputation Center
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 00:07:52 GMT

The chewing you describe makes it sound like it is a rat.
A big rat trap covered with chunky style peanut butter for the bait
has always worked for me.

David		doshay@soma.arc.nasa.gov

The thought police insist I tell you:
my thoughts, not NASA's
From: egreen@east.sun.com (Ed Green - Pixel Cruncher)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: RODENT FROM HELL !!!!!!
Date: 7 Oct 92 19:21:38 GMT
Reply-To: egreen@east.sun.com
Organization: Sun Microsystems, RTP, NC
NNTP-Posting-Host: laser.east.sun.com

In response to a gopher (?) invasion earlier this year, I mentioned an
ultrasonic device that I had do-it-yourself plans for.  Several people
e-mailed asking for a copy.  I was moving at the time, and have only
recently gotten around to unpacking boxes of books.

Anyway, the device seems to be optimized for rats and bats.  I presume
it would be effective on squirrels (essentially large rats with fuzzy
tails, right?)

From the book:
This product is presently licensed to several manufacturers and is
being marketed under the names of Rodent Guard, MSA, Sound COntrol
Systems and also under the name of Resista-Rodent by Sona-Ray...

It has been found by experimenting that a frequency of approximately 23
KHz creates an annoying, intolerable sound to most of the rodent
family.  When this sound is momentarily stopped and started the effect
on these animals is startling.  The author has actually seen certain
animals jump into the air at a rate equal to the on/off transitions of
this generating device...


From reading it, I would say this is a moderately complex electronic
assembly project, probably not the best thing for a beginner.  I am
willing to fax you a description if you are interested.  Complete
plans, and, optionally, a PC board, are available from

Information Unlimited
PO Box 716
Amherst NH  03031
(603) 673-4730

I have no affiliation with this organization, and they may not even
still be around.  I got their catalog and a book (a collection of their
DIY plans) about 10 years ago.  They sell plans for making really neat
stuff like lasers, tesla coils, ion ray guns, ultrasonic phasor and
shock wave guns, various wireless transmitting projects (ie, bugs),
etc.

---
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...