HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: dedek@meaddata.com (Mike Dedek)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: curtains for sliding glass door
Date: 14 Dec 1992 16:18:56 GMT
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: moonlight.meaddata.com

In article <9212121859.AA03731@golf.visix.com>, 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.
|> 
|> I am under the impression that to cover an area that wide (72"), the draperies
|> come in 2 halves.  How does a one hang 2 independent pieces of material on a
|> rod which only draws from one end?  There is nothing to pull half the material.
|> 
|> Are these one-way draw traverse rods for vertical blinds?  Can I get standard
|> draperies which will cover 72" of window?  I think I would prefer having the
|> draperies split in the middle so that I can tie them back.  Do I want a
|> different traverse rod.  Should I convince myself that I really do like
|> vertical blinds?
|> 
|> Thanks for any insight.
|> 
|> - eric

Although George doesn't think Penney's is worth it, my mother-in-law swears
by Penney's curtains.  We got an 80x84 inch curtain for our sliding glass
door at Penney's - one piece.

You should be able to find 1-way draw traverse rods pretty easily.

-Mike Dedek

From: goris@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Andy Goris)
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 05:54:12 GMT
Subject: Re: Balancing a forced heat system
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house

We have the same problem, and I fixed it by closing some vents DOWNSTAIRS,
not upstairs.  Our cool room is the furthest from the furnace, in the far
corner, upstairs.  We have a brand new house, and all walls & ceiling, and
even most of the ductwork is insulated.  In feeling the air flow coming
out of various vents around the house, I noticed a huge air flow in our
family room, which is right above the furnace.  I closed these vents
completely.   I have not noticed any decrease in the family room temperature,
yet the far bedroom is completely toasty!  There's enough air just moving
around the house, and also leaking through the 'closed' vents that the
family room stays warm.

One thing my dad did on an old house of ours was to install a small booster
fan that went on when the heater fan was on.  It worked well for heating
an added-on family room that otherwise was freezing.  It seems like this
would be a lot more hassle, and a lot trickier than trying my previous
suggestion.

Andy Goris        goris@fc.hp.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: abbott@priory.enet.dec.com (Robert Abbott)
Subject: Re: Air valves for steam radiators
Organization: TP Performance
Distribution: usa
Date: 18 DEC 92 08:29:23    


In article <MACRAKIS.92Dec17190440@lakatos.osf.org>, macrakis@osf.org (Stavros Macrakis) writes...
>In article <1992Dec17.220450.25392@mlb.semi.harris.com> peters@rastaban.rtp.semi.harris.com (Steve Peters x678) writes:
> 
>   ...my house... has a single pipe low pressure steam system....
>   [which] seems to work pretty well.  The air-purge valves on the
>   radiators all look very old, and are not adjustable (at least not
>   in any obvious way).  How do these buggers work?  Where can I buy
>   replacements?  Many of them hiss long after the system has reached
>   operating temperature, and my guess is I'm loosing a good bit of
>   steam because of this.
> 
>Air valves let out air when the radiator is filling with steam.  They
>should not let steam out.  Water should never reach them; if it does,
>something is wrong with your system.  The hissing sound is normal.
> 
>If your valves let out steam or don't let out air at all, it is time
>to replace them; their normal lifetime is several (3-7?) years.  This

Often, an air valve will malfunction because of built up mineral 
deposits. Unscrew the valve and  soak it in a bowl of warm
vinegar for half an hour. This is a 10 cent solution to your problem.
Of course, if you want an adjustable valve you will have to buy
and replace.

> 
>I don't have an informed opinion on this, but I would say: if it ain't
>broke, don't fix it i.e. don't drain it.  Or at least space your
>draining intervals so the color of the water gets noticeably darker
>between drainings.

The color of your boiler water is not important.

The important reason for drawing off water is to keep the low-water
cutoff valve clear and functional. This mechanism detects when the
water in the boiler is dangerously low and shuts off the fuel. If
it malfunctions your boiler won't shut off until it's a heap of slag
on your basement floor.

My cut-off valve has a wide throat opening with a spring tensioned valve.
It has a tag on it that advises drawing a few cups of water once a
month during heating season. Both my home inspector and gas boiler
maintenance man suggested purging the valve once every two weeks.
It's best to develop a habit of doing this.

------------------------
Robert K. Abbott
abbott@tps.enet.dec.com
From: floom@cco.caltech.edu (Laura E. Floom)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: ANTS! Helllllllllllllllp!!!
Date: 18 Dec 1992 18:16:01 GMT
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Distribution: usa
NNTP-Posting-Host: punisher.caltech.edu

tomj@monster.apd.saic.com (Tom Johnson) writes:

>mks@cbnewsm.cb.att.com (manishkumar.sharma) writes:

>>We have recently noticed ants in several rooms of our house. THese are the
>>black variety about 1/8" in length. We sprayed an ant&roach killer which
>>keeps them out for a couple of days, but they return, especially at night,
>>so that we see several of them crawling around in the morning. Our
>>kitchen is usually spotless, so there is no food remnants for them and so
>>is our carpet.

>>Is there a DIY way of getting rid of them permanently?
>>Will 20-Mule Borax work on them (it works on fleas)?

>>Thanks for any suggestions.

>>-Manish Sharma
>>...att!trumpet!mks

>We used a pack of "ant hotels".  I'm not sure what the real
>name is, but they're little grey plastic disks that you place in areas
>where the ants party.  They're supposed to snack on the poison, and then
>take some back with them to their families at home, where the whole
>brood gets the Big Kabosh.

>After we used them, we saw no more ants.  Coincidence?  Hmmmm....

I did the same thing, with the same results. I was pretty surprised. I
didnt want to do anything stronger, because I am pregnant, and also have
a toddler at home (the disks were left where he couldnt get to them). One
thing is that several companies make these disks, and they all have different
ingredient lists. I bought them all, just to make sure!

We also bought some ant power, which we were going to sprinkle under the
house, but we never got around to using it.





Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,rec.food.cooking
From: philip@mentorg.com (Philip Peake)
Subject: Re: Is a convection oven worth the cost ??
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 19:19:44 GMT
Organization: Mentor Graphics
Keywords: 
Followup-To: 

In article <1992Dec16.160553.8802@pwa-b.uucp>, miorelli@pwa-b.uucp (BoB Miorelli) writes:
|> Hi --
|> 
|> My wife and I are building a house and are currently on the search
|> for kitchen appliances.  We've pretty much decided upon a Jennair (sp)
|> cooktop with the built-in grill and various other modules.  Jennair
|> also sells a combination bake/convection oven.  I know what a regular
|> bake oven is, I know all about microwave ovens, but I'm not really
|> up on the pros/cons of a convection oven.  My limited understanding is that
|> they circulate the heat and cook MUCH faster than a regular oven.  Anyone
|> shed some light on the advantages/disadvantages of a convection oven?
|> Also, any opinions on any of the Jennair line would certainly be welcome.

A convection oven is just a normal oven - the heated air is distributed
simply by convection.

Higher price ovens are "fan assisted" - as the name suggests, they have an
electric fan to circulate the hot air. They heat up marginaly faster, but their
main benefit is that you have an even temperature - good if you want to bake
large batches of something. With a convection oven, the temperature will be
higher at the top, and lower at the bottom - so batch baking is not easy.
A fan assisted oven maintains an even temperature, and so even cooking
throughout the oven.

Paying the extra for a fan oven is only worth it if you are going to do
large batch baking.

More important is the cleaning method - there are three:

	- Manual cleaning. The inside is just enamel, and you use nasty
	  caustic things to get the muck off.

	- Catalytic cleaning. The inside of the oven is coated with a special
	  compound which "flakes" when heated. Cleaning involves heating
	  the oven, and muck on the walls will just flake off as the correct
	  temperature is reached. The walls usually have liners, which need to
	  be replaced every few years, as the material on them is used up.

	- Pyrolitic cleaning. The inside is enamel. The oven is capable of
	  being heated well beyond normal cooking temperatures, and just reduces
	  any muck to ashes, which you just scoop out of the oven.
	  You can tell pyrolitic cleaning ovens by their having two things:
		- A "cleaning lock"
		- An asbestos (or other material) seal around the door.

Personally, I would go for pyrolitic cleaning every time, even though
these ovens are more expensive.

Philip
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: peters@rastaban.rtp.semi.harris.com (Steve Peters x678)
Subject: Re: Air valves for steam radiators
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 22:04:50 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Harris Semiconductor, Research Triangle Park, NC

Excuse me for butting in to this discussion at the end of the
thread, but I seek info from steam heat "experts". 

This is the first year i've lived in my house, which has a single
pipe low pressure steam system.  I've had the steam pipes re-
insulated (the asbestos was stripped prior to closing), and
have installed a programable thermostat.  All in all, the system
seems to work pretty well.  The air-purge valves on the radiators
all look very old, and are not adjustable (at least not in any
obvious way).  How do these buggers work?  Where can I buy replace-
ments?  Many of them hiss long after the system has reached 
operating temperature, and my guess is I'm loosing a good bit
of steam because of this.

One more thing..  As I began using the system I began draining
a small bucket of water from the boiler daily.  I have been 
amazed at the amount of rust in the drained water.  After a few
weeks it seems better, but how much is normal?  How often should
the rust be drained from the bottom of the boiler?  My fear is
that I perpetuate the situation by introducing fresh oxygenated
water when I replace the purged water.

Please post or send responses to peters@rtp.semi.harris.com

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,misc.consumers,misc.misc
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: TV Antenna Advice NEEDED
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Distribution: usa
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 11:52:05 GMT

Michael.Bohl@launchpad.unc.edu (Michael Bohl) writes:
: 	We recently moved to an area with poor TV reception.  I really
: hate to call the cable company and subscribe, it slays me to pay $18-$24 a
: month for TV, and do not want to subscribe.  
: 
: 	We only have 'rabbit ears' and they are not doing the trick.  I
: need some suggestions.  Are those devices that 'turn your wiring' into an
: antenna worth the expense?  Do the fancier versions of rabbit ears work. 

No - in both cases. Don't waste the money. If you cannot put up a good
antenna, then you are stuck with subscribing to cable.

It is possible that you can purchase a small outdoor antenna, and hang
it indoors - pointing in the direction of the stations you wish to receive,
assuming that they are all in one direction.

: We live in Durham NC so we do have transmitting towers within a reasonable
: distance, although we live in a ground floor apartment.  

If you have transmitters within 5 - 10 miles, then the rabbit ears should
work fine.  Make sure they are connected up right at the back of the set.

Bill
From: teds@symbiosis.ahp.com (Ted Slack)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Dish washers available that run on 120Volts????
Date: 13 Dec 1992 10:23:06 -0500
Organization: Symbiosis Corporation, Miami, Florida  (305) 597-4000
Distribution: usa
Reply-To: teds@symbiosis.ahp.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: symbi1.symbiosis.ahp.com

alanj@endeavor18.tek.com (Alan Jeddeloh) writes:
>I've never heard of a consumer dishwasher requiring 220 volts.

WARNING WARNING
I unscrewed the fuse to work on the dishwasher. (this was a few years ago)
When I reached in under the machine I got the  %|#*&^<@  shocked out of me!
After bouncing off the walls for a few minutes, I found a second fuse
marked DISHWASHER. The machine was a HOBART Kitchenaid.  You bet your buns
there are 220V dishwashers. :-)
-- 
ted slack                 MIS Director               symbiosis corporation
(305) 597-4111            fax (305) 597-4002         miami, florida 33166-6202
teds@symbiosis.ahp.com    uunet!symbi1!teds
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: eric@golf (Eric Wiseblatt)
Subject: curtains for sliding glass door
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 18:59:35 GMT
Organization: Visix Software, Reston, Virginia


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.

I am under the impression that to cover an area that wide (72"), the draperies
come in 2 halves.  How does a one hang 2 independent pieces of material on a
rod which only draws from one end?  There is nothing to pull half the material.

Are these one-way draw traverse rods for vertical blinds?  Can I get standard
draperies which will cover 72" of window?  I think I would prefer having the
draperies split in the middle so that I can tie them back.  Do I want a
different traverse rod.  Should I convince myself that I really do like
vertical blinds?

Thanks for any insight.

- eric
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: dhancock@UPEI.CA (David Hancock)
Subject: OILFIRED HOT WATER HEATER
Summary: SAFETY OF HOT WATER ON COMBUSTABLE FLOOR
Keywords: WATER HEATER, FURNACE SAFETY
Organization: University of Prince Edward Island, CANADA
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 18:03:48 GMT



I purchased an older house 6 months ago. In order to get House Insurance
a safety inspector was dispatched check out my dwelling. His report has 
indicated that my John Wood oil fired hot water heater has been installed 
on a wooden plywood floor. This is new hot water system less than 3 yrs.
It uses a circulator to circulate the hot water through the base boards.
The heater is located on the main floor in a closet in my mud room (porch).
This unit has legs approx 1 1/4''. It says right on the darn thing not to 
be installed on a combustable floor. I had an estimate of $300 to have it 
raised on blocks. The same person also told me to just put fiberglass 
insulation under it. Another told me to put asbestos under it, another to 
concrete under it. By putting my hand under the heater the floor is barely 
warm because of the air circulation under it. 

Any other ideas on a safe and economical way to solve this problem.
and save a few of those Santa Clause $$. 

Also any comments on this type of heating system. It uses the same water 
for my heat and domestic hot water. Is it efficient, or just cheaper than a 
furnace system.

*****Merry Christmas to you all out there in netland*****

Dave Hancock

===============================================================================
David Hancock                           InterNet:  DHANCOCK@UPEI.CA
BioMedTech                              Phone:     (902) 566-0876
Atlantic Veterinary College             FAX:       (902) 566-0958
University of Prince Edward Island
550 University Avenue
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
C1A 4P3
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com (patterson,george r)
Subject: Re: HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE SUMMARY?
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 92 22:26:42 GMT

In article <Bz2xor.Cor@chinet.chi.il.us> roper@chinet.chi.il.us (Bill Roper) writes:
>I had a $2000 claim with Farmers last year and they haven't dropped
>me yet.  On the other hand, I also have my auto insurance with them
>and a pretty clean record there.

I had a burglary to the tune of about $600 and Prudential cancelled (I'm
still in the one month grace period). I also have my auto insurance with
them, but that didn't matter to them.  What they seem to go on is how
long you've had the house insured with them before you take a loss (and
how long a period there is between losses). Your mileage, etc.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | I was told that the best defense is a good
George Patterson -  | offense, so I made up my mind early in life
                    | to be as offensive as possible.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: fish@chips.EBay.Sun.COM (David Fishman)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: H.I. Show Times?
Date: 16 Dec 1992 16:36:42 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems
Distribution: ba
Reply-To: fish@chips.EBay.Sun.COM
NNTP-Posting-Host: chips.ebay.sun.com


Can someone please send me a schedule of times/channesl for all the home 
improvement shows are on in the SF bay area?  I can't seem to find them in 
the paper.

- Yankee Workshop
- This Old House
- Hometime
- Woodwright
- etc

Thanks in Advance!

fish
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: jtaylor@dseg.ti.com (Jeff Taylor)
Subject: Maybe you can get FREE gas logs!
Organization: Texas Instruments, Incorporated
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 15:50:50 GMT

Hi folks,

	We just built a house in Plane, TX and have found out (round about, 
6 months after we moved in, that our gas company (Lone Star Gas) and builder
(Goodman Homes) have a deal where the buyer can get free gas logs from the 
gas company for the fireplace. Installation is also free! After asking 
around, I've found other buyers who have also received the deal with other 
builders.

	So, FYI, check into it if you're interested.

	Later,  jtaylor@lobby.ti.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: bryant@mpr.ca (Nick Bryant)
Subject: Re: Water Pressure Regulators
Summary: 50 lbs. is about right. 
Organization: MPR Teltech Ltd., Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 92 03:04:07 GMT

I recently installed a new regulator, to cure a 120 lb. pressure
problem.  The device came pre-set at 50 lbs, and plumbing books
I have consulted indicate that this is a good pressure.

Apparently, anywhere around 35 - 60 is ok.
From: clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Circuit info: was->Dish washers available that run on 120Volts
Date: 16 Dec 92 04:40:35 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Elegant Communications Inc., Ottawa, Canada

In article <1992Dec10.211316.20399@cbfsb.cb.att.com> dwb@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (david.boyle) writes:

>I have a dishwasher wired with 12/3 on a 20amp circuit.  Is 12/3 necessary 

I think you mean 12/2 plus ground.  12/3 has three insulated wires plus usually
a ground.  [Thank ghod CSA *requires* ground wires in all residential cable,
so xx/2 always has three wires, and xx/3 always has four.]

>instead of 14/3? (I realize that a 20amp breaker requires 12ga and a 15amp
>breaker calls for at least 14ga) Is a dedicated circuit required? 
>If a dedicated circuit is required, does it need to be a gfci breaker?
>Thanks......Dave

I think you answered your own question - if it's got a 20A breaker, it's
gotta have 12ga.

I've not been able to find specific (Canadian) code for dishwashers, except
if it (or any other appliance) draws > 1500W, then it does need a dedicated
circuit.  You can put other things on it, provided that there are interlocks
to prevent the breaker going off.

HOWEVER, My experience has been that our inspectors prefer that dishwashers
be on dedicated 12ga circuits.  Breakered at 15A if the dishwasher is
rated less than around 1200W, and 20A if bigger.  This may be in a bulletin
rather than code, but I've not seen it.
-- 
Chris Lewis; clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca; Phone: Canada 613 832-0541
Psroff 3.0 info: psroff-request@ferret.ocunix.on.ca
Ferret list: ferret-request@ferret.ocunix.on.ca
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: mr@delfin.com (Mark Rosenberg)
Subject: Propane Electric Generators?
Reply-To: mark@delfin.com
Organization: Delfin Systems, Sunnyvale CA
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 17:36:29 GMT

Slowly but surely, my home is being converted from electric to propane.
Its rather frustrating when there is an electric power outage and despite
the fact that the primary energy source for the water heater and central
furnace is propane, these appliances still need some electricity to operate.

I'm wondering if there are electric generators that run on propane. At the
least, I'd want to be able to heat water, run the furnace, and power the
well pump. Anyone know of such a generator, or have experience with one?
- 
Mark Rosenberg
internet:mark@delfin.com
phone: (408) 562-1126	fax: (408) 748-1140
snail: Delfin Systems, 3000 Patrick Henry Drive, Santa Clara, CA 95054-1814
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: perley@cabot.balltown.cma.com (Don Perley)
Subject: Re: forced-hot-air vs baseboard heating: is it really "drier" heat?
Organization: New York State Institute for Sebastian Cabot Studies
	<1992Dec7.195517.2315@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu>
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 11:49:19 GMT

In article <1992Dec7.195517.2315@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> pb@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu (PB Schechter) writes:

   The reason for the qualification "well designed" in my first sentence
   is that not all forced air systems get combustion air from outside.  In
   one that does *not*, inside--relatively humid--air will end up in the
   furnace's combustion chanber, and outside--relatively dry--air will be
   drawn into the house via whatever leaks there are in the house, to replace
   the inside air that goes up the chimney.

   So, it seems to me that it makes sense for forced air heat to be drier
   than radiant heat if the former gets its combustion air from inside, but
   I don't see why it should be if it uses outside combustion air.


So you don't think that the boiler for the hot water heat uses air for
combustion?  NOT

-don perley
perley@balltown.cma.com


--
perley@trub.crd.ge.com
From: das@voodoo.boeing.com (Deb Schwartz)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: T1-11  What is it?
Date: 18 Dec 92 00:26:57 GMT
Organization: Yet Another Graphics Project, Bellevue, WA

In article <1992Dec16.220408.14158@phx.mcd.mot.com> fredch@phx.mcd.mot.com (Fred Christiansen) writes:
>
>It's plywood constructed to look like siding.  It works.  It's considered
>a little tacky on a home by realtors.  Smurfit, L-P, G-P and others
>make pressboard stuff that looks the same (sometimes called Masonite
>siding).  T1-11 is unprimed, the other sidings come primed.
>-- 

When I bought my house, the inspector I hired told me the addition in the
back was sided with T1-11.  He told me that while it wasn't the best thing
in the world, as long as I kept it painted it should last just fine.
------
Debbie Schwartz // das@voodoo.ca.boeing.com  // ....uw-beaver!bcsaic!voodoo!das
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Bulging Basement Wall
Keywords: basement, water
From: hiroki@limerick.cbs.umn.edu (Hiroki Morizono)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Reverse Osmosis FAQ?
Date: 18 Dec 92 22:32:20 GMT
Reply-To: hiroki@limerick.cbs.umn.edu
Organization: University of Minnesota
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5

I checked the house archives already, and didn't see anything listed for
water filters (not softners)

Anyone out there have any preferences or violent dislikes? Are there nice 
and not so nice features, things like that?

Also any information on estimated costs of repair or replacement of parts
would be very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Hiroki Morizono

email preferred,
I'll be happy to summarize and post.
hiroki@limerick.cbs.umn.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house