HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: "ron kulick" <ron.kulick@execnet.com>
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: heat pump vs. central
Date: 25 Jul 92 12:38:08 EST
Reply-To: "ron kulick" <ron.kulick@execnet.com>
Distribution: misc
Organization: Executive Networks Information

          In article <dumic-220792105618@condor.swarthmore.edu>
                         MARK J. DUMIC writes...

MJ>I'm considering buying a house without central air.  It uses hot
MJ>water baseboard heating with oil as the fuel source.

  Hot water heat is the best heat you can get. The usual baseboard is made
of copper pipe with aluminum fins. This type of baseboard, for lack of a
better word, "sucks". It can not hold the heat for any length of time.
Steel baseboard is better, but cast iron is the best you can get.

MJ>I could either put in a heat pump or the standard
MJ>central air compressor. In both cases I'd need to add the duct work.

  My brother had forced hot air heating installed when he built his house.
I told him to go with hot water, but he said it was cheaper. To this day
he regrets doing it. In some rooms he has to put a de-humidifier, in
others a humidifier.
  It's hard to *balance* a forced hot air system without the use of
thermostatically controlled registers.

MJ>If I put in a heat pump, the baseboard heat would be backup for cold
MJ>days - here in Philadelphia it would certainly get some use.

  You can always add the heat pump at a later date if the baseboard
doesn't do the proper heating for you.

            ==================================================
               Delivered by Electronic Sled dogs......WOOF!
                  USENET ADDRESS: ron.kulick@execnet.com
            ==================================================
--
Executive Network Information System  (914) 667-4567
International ILink Host
From: root@candle.uucp (Bruce Momjian)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Fixing wrought-iron furniture
Date: 20 Jul 92 23:59:54 GMT
Organization: a consultant's basement
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4

I have a sofa that is made of wrought iron with cushions.  Two of the
reinforcing bands under the cushions have disconnected from the frame. 
The bands are quite thin, like sheet metal, about an inch wide.

How would I reconnect those bands?  I assume I would use a torch and
some type of metal, but what kind?  I can see the metal left over from
the last connection. 

-- 
Bruce Momjian                      |  830 Blythe Avenue
root%candle.uucp@bts.com           |  Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania 19026 
                                   |  (215) 353-9879(w)  853-3000(h)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: ceiling replace
Reply-To: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 92 21:04:25 GMT

In article <1209@stake.DaytonOH.NCR.COM> emolinar@stake.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (Elizabeth Molinaro) writes:

>        CAN we use 1/4" drywall for the ceiling?  It's so much 
>        lighter!!!!  What are the drawbacks?  Why do people use the
>        thick stuff?

Check your local housing codes. Maybe you can. I wouldn't recommend it.

The reason people use thicker stuff is that it's stiff. Half inch rock
makes a nice *flat* surface. Three eighths is OK, especially if you're
putting it over an older layer.

Disadvantages to 1/4" (based on exactly one ceiling I hung this stuff on).

    1. It's hard to find. Usually local codes outlaw it, so noone sells
       it.
    2. It may be illegal. Check the codes FOR CEILINGS. Ceilings usually
       require at least 3/8" rock by law.
    3. It's VERY easy to put a screw or nail right through it.
    4. It's wavy. If the current ceiling isn't perfectly flat, don't use it.

The easiest way (without one of those special lifts) to hang rock on the
ceiling requires two ladders, two people, screwguns (or equivalent), and
a "deadman". Measure and mark the locations of the joists on the rock
before moving it. Then you'll know where to drive screws.

Both people take one sheet up the ladders and position it. One person slaps
in a screw or two to hold up that end, then runs down and gets the deadman
in position to take the load off the other person. Now both people can
screw the rock in place.

A deadman, by the way, is a 3' 2x4 nailed to a 7'11" 2x4 to form a "T".
The short arm is placed against the rock and the bottom of the T is kicked
to wedge it in place.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    |
George Patterson -  | If you maintain your motorcycle yourself,
                    | eventually you will have two of them.
                    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Xref: sparky misc.consumers.house:9921 misc.invest.real-estate:348
From: jxt@calmasd.Prime.COM (Jawahar Tembulkar)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,misc.invest.real-estate
Subject: Refinancing while trying to sell your house.....
Date: 28 Jul 92 23:05:21 GMT
Followup-To: misc.consumers.house,misc.invest.real-estate
Distribution: usa
Organization: Computervision, San Diego, CA

net.oracle,

Will lending institutions raise objections to funding a real
estate loan in case the owner ( and resident ) has put the
house on the market ?

Thanks,


Jawa


-- 
* Statutory Disclaimer : These are merely my views.	*
* Jawahar M. Tembulkar, Computervision, R & D, 		*
* 9805 Scranton Road, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA.	*
* UUCP : uunet!calmasd!jxt	voice : (619) 587-3078	*
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: timd@juliet.ll.mit.edu ( Tim Dasey )
Subject: Can you get alarm system notices without the system?
Organization: M.I.T. Lincoln Lab - Group 43
Distribution: misc.consumers.house
Date: 30 Jul 92 15:46:52

This may be a dumb question, since I expect that the answer is no.

Anyway, my wife and I have a new home which we can't at this
point afford to finish off with an alarm system.  Since I 
believe most thieves are sufficiently deterred from breaking
in to your house if they think you have an alarm system, I 
was wondering if there is any way to post the stickers, or
other kinds of notices, saying that you have an alarm
system *without actually buying one*.  

I'm sure companies would not be too keen on giving you the
stickers without your purchase, but is any other way I can
get them?  Any liability??

-- Tim
--
- Tim Dasey                    | Internet:         timd@ll.mit.edu
  MIT Lincoln Laboratory       | Office:           (617) 981-5991
  Weather Sensing - Group 43   | 
  -------------------------------------------------------------------
    
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: marks@ssdevo.enet.dec.com (Randy Marks)
Subject: Re: "Smelly" ice cubes
Organization: Digital Equipment Corp. - Colorado Springs
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 17:20:18 GMT


In article <1992Jul21.134111.7840@sei.cmu.edu>, wml@sei.cmu.edu (Walter Lamia) writes...
> 
>I need some advice on what causes ice cubes in the freezer to pick up odors,
>and what do to about it.  This is a 1-yr old Amana refrigerator in a new
>house, but I have noticed the problem in other refrigerators.  The odor is
>vaguely like onion or garlic.  An open box of baking soda doesn't seem to
>help, either.
> 
>I presume this is caused by something else stored in the freezer, but
>everything is frozen hard, and wrapped in plastic.  Can anyone suggest what
>might be the exact culprit, and what I might try to eliminate the problem?

In my experience, odoriferous ice cubes is due to the water used to make
ice cubes.  You can easily test this theory by buying some distilled
water from the grocery store.  Make all your ice cubes with the distilled
water for a week or so and see if the odor persists.  If the odor
is eliminated, then you can conclude your tap water is the problem.

If the tap water is the problem, you can continue to use bottled water
for your ice, or you can install a water filter in your house.

	Randy Marks
(UUCP)	                {decvax,ucbvax,allegra}!decwrl!ssdevo.enet!marks
(INTERNET)              marks@ssdevo.enet.dec.com
(domain-based INTERNET) marks%ssdevo.enet@decwrl.dec.com
..........................................................................
	"No man's life, liberty, or property is safe
	while the legislature is in session."
..........................................................................
Xref: sparky misc.consumers.house:10061 misc.legal:15233
From: libes@cme.nist.gov (Don Libes)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,misc.legal
Subject: Re: What about alarm systems (was Burglars and dogs)
Date: 30 Jul 92 23:33:52 GMT
Followup-To: misc.consumers.house
Organization: National Institute of Standards and Technology

In article <1992Jul29.174742.24983@blaze.cs.jhu.edu> wilson@glitch.cs.jhu.edu (Dwight Wilson) writes:
>In article <l7dg7iINNlsu@roundup.crhc.uiuc.edu> mary@uicsl.csl.uiuc.edu (Mary E. Allison) writes:
}>     Well, I missed the start of the Burglars and dogs and snakes 
}>discussion so someone may have brought this up -- but why not get
}>burglar alarms?  How much do they cost, probably less than a dog and
}>dog food and vet bills and however much you'd end up getting sued by
}>the burglar after s/he is treated for the snake bites.
}
}What?  And have the burglar sue your for partial hearing loss?  

Around here (Washington DC), the trend is to rob people on the street,
rather than homes.  Most homes are well defended - what with alarms
and dogs (and snakes).  Most people, on the other hand, put up no
struggle whatsoever quickly handing over their money (and car).
From: sasefj@junebug.unx.sas.com (Edie Jeffreys)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Painting Baseboards
Date: 24 Jul 92 20:00:20 GMT
Organization: SAS Institute Inc.
Originator: sasefj@junebug.unx.sas.com


i use packing tape.  i just put 3 foot strips down at a time and try
to wedge it in between the carpet and the baseboard.  an advantage
is that i can wait for the paint to dry before removing the tape.  it
decreases the chance that i might touch things with the device i used
to protect the carpet while it has wet paint on it. 

 
-- 
Edie Jeffreys            The fact is, no matter how closely I study it
SAS Institute, Inc.      No matter how I take it apart
SAS Circle, Cary, NC     No matter how i break it down
(919)677-8000 x6946      It remains consistent.  -- Belew
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: irwin@uvmark.uucp (Frank Irwin)
Subject: Re: Reseeding vs. resodding
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 92 16:49:59 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Vmark Software, Inc.

In article <5413@ssc-bee.ssc-vax.boeing.com> simnet@ssc-vax.boeing.com (Mark R Poulson) writes:
>In article <10002@vice.ICO.TEK.COM>, steveh@vice.ICO.TEK.COM (Stephen Hume) writes:
>> In article <92203.070530KHAAV@ASUACAD.BITNET> KHAAV@ASUACAD.BITNET (Bob Kaneshige) writes:
>> >Theres also another alternative; stolens.  It cost me $28 to cover 800 sq'
>>                                   ^^^^^^^
>> What are stolens???
>
>Simple, you go and steal someone else's lawn. When you put their lawn onto
>your dirt it becomes stolen! :) :) :)

You may laugh, but this is how I created my mother's yard when she moved
into a new house years ago.  This was back in Texas, where St. Augustine
grass thrives.  After thoroughly weeding the front yard, I went over to
my aunt's and harvested a trash bag full of St. Augusting runners, then
planted them in my mother's yard.

It's one of the nicer yards in the neighborhood.

-- 
 ============================================================================
 Frank Irwin                   | My nomination for rec.gambling motto:
 Vmark Software, Inc.          |  "WTH?  HODYGTV, A?  AIR?
 irwin%uvmark@merk.com         |     - Timothy Whalen (twhalen@nunki.usc.edu)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,sci.energy
From: wreck@fmsrl7.srl.ford.com (R. Cage)
Subject: Re: Spraying water on AC coils (was Ground source heat pump)
Summary: It works, regardless.
Organization: Ford Motor Company Scientific Research Labs, Dearborn, MI
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 17:14:19 GMT

In article <1992Jul30.171109.15525@dg-rtp.dg.com> eliot@dg-rtp.dg.com writes:
>I saw just such a setup being sold at a homeowners show in Austin, TX some
>years ago....
>Such a setup cost something like $500 installed, which struck me as a lot for
>what you got -- a timer, a solenoid valve, some tubing and some valves.
>
>I would do it here but the air coming into the coils is already at 100% 
>humidity anyway :-(

Doesn't matter, Eliot.  As the temperature of the air
increases, so does its ability to hold water.  (Think
of the difference between absolute and relative humidity.)
If I had steam tables handy I could tell you how much
water you could evaporate into 90 F, 100% RH air with
various temperature rises, but I don't, so I can't.

Trust me that the amount of heat you can move is large,
even if your outside air is already saturated.  The only
thing you can't do in your situation is cool the condenser
below ambient.  Why quibble about size of gains, if you
can get enough?
-- 
Russ Cage   wreck@fmsrl7.srl.ford.com  russ%rsi.uucp@destroyer.rs.itd.umich.edu
  *  When Ford pays me for my opinions, THEN they can call them theirs. *

                           _Bad_ cop.  No donut.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Newbie question: How to stay abreast
Reply-To: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 92 15:33:17 GMT

In article <92212.205321JGROVER@MAINE.MAINE.EDU> JGROVER@MAINE.MAINE.EDU (John Grover) writes:

>..like to stay more or less abreast of the new technology in the field.
>Not only what's there, but an idea of its cost and efficacy. I find
>this kind of info keeps the sales sharks at bay (at least a bit) and I
>end up with what *I* want, and not what they want me to want.
>
>My question then is how to stay abreast? This group obviously :-)
>Are there any good trade rags? Are trade shows a waste of time?
>How do you folks stay current?

My father subscribed to Mechanix Illustrated when I was younger. Pick
up a copy and check it out. I think you'll find it's just what you're
looking for.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    |
George Patterson -  | If train stations are where trains stop, 
                    | what are work stations?
                    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: kale@m.cs.uiuc.edu (L. V. Kale')
Subject: Re: Applying for 2 mortgages
Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 17:47:56 GMT

 I am in the middle of doing this, at the moment, for the new house
we are building. I applied to two banks with the idea that it gives
me some negotiating leverage. I locked in with one of them last week,
when I sort of panicked when I heard that the German interest rates
were raised.. I mentioned the competetion to both of them, and managed
to get a 1/8th percentage reduction in the interest rate.
There was a "commitment" sent to me by both, but it appeared to be a
committment on there part to grant me the loan at the rate
to be decided later. I read the fine print, but could not find
any penmalty for walking away, and so I signed it.
I still have some trepidation about the whole affair, but I think
I should come out of this safely.

Now, if the rates suddenly drop, I don't know whether I can go
with the second bank without losing something with the first.
Will cross that bridge if and when I come to it.



-- 

kale@cs.uiuc.edu
L.V. Kale
Dept. of Computer Science
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: mguyott@eriador.prime.com (M. Guyott)
Subject: Is Muralo a good interior paint?
Organization: Prime Computer R&D
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 13:53:06 GMT


I was just talking to a professional house painter yesterday and he was
telling me that Muralo makes the best interior house paint on the market
today.  He was only preping my house for paint (my wife and I are going to
do the actual painting) and does not sell paint so he did not seem to have
anything to gain from getting us to switch from Benjamin Moore to Muralo.

He said that Benjamin Moore has gone rapidly down hill lately.  He said that
the biggest reason was that when the VOC (Volitile Organic Chemical) laws
changed Benjamin Moore had to reformulate all of their paints while Muralo
did not.

Anyone know anything about this?

Anyone used Muralo and liked it?

Anyone had any problems with Benjamin Moore paints lately?

Marc
----
Two of the worst things we teach our children are that a knowledge of science
is nice but not necessary, and a knowledge of sex is necessary but not nice.

Marc Guyott              Constellation Software, Inc.          (508) 620-2800
                         Framingham, Mass. 01701 USA                Ext. 3135
mguyott@primerd.prime.com       ...!{uunet, decwrl}!primerd.prime.com!mguyott
mguyott@eriador.prime.com       ...!{uunet, decwrl}!eriador.prime.com!mguyott
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: cab@col.hp.com (Chris Best)
Subject: Re: Moving a power panel
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 20:30:14 GMT
Organization: your service

Only one thought - why can't you put the meter where the line goes underground
(i.e. at the street)?  Then could you leave the entrance panel where it is?
From: egreen@East.Sun.COM (Ed Green - Pixel Cruncher)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Raccoons - how can I convince them to leave?
Date: 29 Jul 1992 14:15:03 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, RTP, NC
Distribution: world
Reply-To: egreen@East.Sun.COM
NNTP-Posting-Host: laser.east.sun.com

In article 10552@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu, dab@brunnhilde.chm.msu.edu (David A. Bennett) writes:
>There's a raccoon in the crawl space under my porch.  What can I do to
>non-violently evict it?

Ultrasonics.  It induces fear in him.  :^)

Seriously, I have heard of gophers and moles evicted this way.  Your
dog and cat won't like it.  Women and young children are also more
susceptable.  I'm not sure where you can buy them, I can send you plans
to build one from Radio Shack parts, if you like (kinda hard to test,
though, if you turn it on and you don't hear anything, maybe it's
because it works!)

Or, you could just hook a dog whistle to a garden hose, duct tape a
large funnel in the other end, and tape that to the face of an electric
fan.  :^)

---
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...

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: jmiller@brew.asteroids (Jeff J. Miller)
Subject: Re: Carpenter ants 
Reply-To: jmiller@network.com
Organization: Network Systems Corporation
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 92 18:09:13 GMT

In article 17935@calvin.edu,  () writes:
We have been (mis)treated by Orkin for the past year for carpenter ants.  
The cost was over $600 for the year.  Can I do the squirting of chemicals
myself?  Do I really need to worry much about carpenter ant damage?  I did
discover a nest myself which precipitated my inquiries.  I read that these ants
don't eat wood, but just tunnel in it (contrary to what the Orkin guy said).
I would appreciate any advice on this problem.

Been there, done that....

I bought into the Orkin bit and paid them many thousands of dollars to correct
my ant situation.  They even gave me a nice "guarantee" which I thought was a
money back; in reality they simply agreed to come back and treat the house again.
If you found a nest after they treated you should call them back and have them
get rid of it; you already paid them to do it.

It took me many years before I got smart and started to do it myself.  Funny
thing is that now that I do it myself I see much better results then I did when 
I had "the professionals" do it.

Go to a drug store and get some powdered boric acid (its sold as a foot bath).
Also get a bottle to squirt the boric acid into those nice holes you paid orkin
so much for.  You could probably even use a honey bear for that part.  Then simply
fill the holes once or twice a month.  You should also go to a garden store or
building center and get some ant death in liquid form to squirt around the outside
of your hose in the summer.

--
Jeff Miller                 Network Systems Corporation
Internetwork Group          7600 Boone Avenue North
jmiller@network.com         Minneapolis MN 55428   (612)424-4888

Xref: sparky misc.consumers.house:9951 misc.legal:15070
From: ostroff@Oswego.EDU (Boyd Ostroff)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,misc.legal
Subject: Re: Burglars and dogs and snakes, oh my!
Date: 29 Jul 92 13:50:35 GMT
Reply-To: ostroff@oswego.Oswego.EDU (Boyd Ostroff)
Organization: Instructional Computing Center, SUNY at Oswego, Oswego, NY

In article <154c0lINNh6@sixgun.East.Sun.COM> egreen@East.Sun.COM writes:
>In article X005CB@tamvm1.tamu.edu, X005CB@tamvm1.tamu.edu (Chris Barnes) writes:
>
>>3)  Unless they are cornered, the snake will attempt to get away from
>>    the intruder, not attack him (95% of the time).
>
>True.  Good, even, it cuts down on liability.

I'm not a lawyer (and don't even play one on TV), but as I understand it
having any kind of viscious animal on your property could become a
big liability problem.  The fact that someone is guilty of burglary does
not justify a dog/snake attacking them according to stories I've heard.
Evidently there was a case where a theif hid in a department store after
closing time and was attacked by guard dogs.  Even though he was convicted
of burglary he won a case against the store for injuries he received.

I'm cross-posting this to misc.legal since I'd be curious to know what
other people have to say about such a situation.  I'd think this might
also be a problem with your insurance carrier unless they were notified
you had some kind of guard animal.

.............................................................................
....Boyd Ostroff / Technical Director / SUNY Oswego Department of Theatre....
...............Voice: (315) 341-2987 /  Fax: (315) 341-3394..................
..............ostroff@oswego.oswego.edu / ostroff@cboard.UUCP................
From: rw@Rational.COM (Bob Weissman)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: How to remove rust stain from cement deck?
Date: 27 Jul 92 19:42:07 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Rational, Santa Clara, CA

I had a hammock on a 2nd-floor cement deck.  The hammock stand
rusted nicely, leaving stains on the deck.

Can anyone recommend a product or method for removing the stain
without damaging the deck?

Thanks!

--
-- Bob Weissman
-- Internet: rw@rational.com
-- UUCP:     uunet!igor!rw
--
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: mks@cbnewsm.cb.att.com (manishkumar.sharma)
Subject: How to revive "burnt" grass?
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 17:41:43 GMT

While fertilizing my lawn last week, I miscalculated the spreader setting.
This resulted in the fertilizer being dropped in excess on certain spots
on the lawn. Two days ago, I noticed that the grass in these spots was
"burnt" (apparently by too much fertilizer). My question is, is the grass
*dead* so that I'll need to reseed these spots in the fall? What can I do
to revive it?
Thanks.

-Manish Sharma
...attbl!trumpet!mks
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: shengru@cs.uno.edu (Shengru Tu)
Subject: Re: Broken sewer - More explained
Organization: University of New Orleans
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 16:55:39 GMT


I agree that the previous message was not clear.  What my mowing machine cut
was about a quarter of the spigot (stopper) of the pipe coming out of the 
house (along with a piece of the pipe).  I replaced the spigot.  But there
is a hole left because of the missing piece of the pipe.  Will this be a 
serious problem to the house and to the people?  

Charles let me know that the untreated sewage may spread out.  But up to now, 
this has not happened.

Dion, thank you for your care.  And look forward for your suggestion if any.

-shengru


Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house