HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Best Hardware Store
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 92 19:48:47 GMT

In article <2chn3fc.mccrate@netcom.com> mccrate@netcom.com (Joe McCrate) writes:

>People tend to assume that Home Depot is cheaper than local non-"discount"
>stores.
>
>It ain't necessarily so.  When I needed concrete stepping stones for a walk,
>I checked out Home Depot and a local lumber yard (Minton's in Mtn. View,
>Calif.)  Not only did Minton's have a much better selection, but they were
>considerably cheaper than Home Depot.

HD generally has cheaper prices on the brands that they sell. If they have
the brand you want, that's usually the place to go. However, the sort of
thing which Joe mentions is frequently true (my experience is that I can
almost always get what I want cheaper elsewhere). HD doesn't have sales
(just ask them). They also don't deal with the paperwork required to give
"factory rebates". If you find a sale or rebate elsewhere, you can usually
beat HD's price.

HD also makes a big deal out of the fact that they'll beat a competitor's
price if they're told about it. The one closest to me does this by simply
dropping the item from their store until the price comes up elsewhere,
though. This has caused me problems in the past when HD quit stocking
something I need for a half-completed job.

On the plus side, they have more stuff than anyone else at good or excellent
prices, and the quality is usually good too. If I need quite a few different
items, that's usually where I go. If I need one or two items, I usually save
either time or money (or both) heading elsewhere.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | [To a pilot], altitude is like money. It is
George Patterson -  | possible that having too much could be embarrasing,
                    | but having too little is always fatal.
                    |                           Commander Lamb,    RN
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: davel@booboo.SanDiego.NCR.COM (David Lord)
Subject: Re: Garden hose
Reply-To: davel@booboo.SanDiego.NCR.COM (David Lord)
Organization: NCR Corporation, Rancho Bernardo
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 16:36:47 GMT

>In article <laa0vfINNeg4@news.bbn.com>, lgoodman@BBN.COM (Laurie Goodman) writes:
>> What are opinions about rubber vs plastic garden hoses viz. durability,
>> weight and cost etc.?

I have several rubber-clad hoses that are still in good shape after
ten years in the direct sun. These are the tirecord reinforced vinyl
jobbies. I've previously used similar hoses without the rubber-clad
outside and found them to deteriorate faster in the sun. Avoid the
cheap solid plastic hoses with no reinforcement, they have a very
short lifespan. I've never tried the solid rubber jobs.
From: clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Major Problem with Frigidaire Washer/Dryer combination
Date: 26 Aug 92 05:20:27 GMT
Organization: Elegant Communications Inc., Ottawa, Canada

In article <sbarnhar-250892145335@morril6t-21.micro.umn.edu> sbarnhar@mailbox.mail.umn.edu (Dr. Barnhart) writes:

>I recently moved to an new apartment on the  upper  two  floors  of  a house.
>Included  as  part  of  the  apartment is a new (or new a year ago) Frigidaire
>washer/dryer combination (the kind with the washer on the bottom and the dryer
>on the top).  The washer part works great, the dryer sucks.

You have to remember that the dryer is probably a simple plug-in unit,
which limits its drying power to about 1500 watts (110V @ 15A).  Whereas
full-size electric dryers are 220V, and around 20-30A (typically 4500-6000W) -
ie: triple or quadruple the power of your unit.  So a fullsize will dry
faster, but at probably about the same electrical cost.  A gas unit
probably has several times more BTUs than a big electrical unit, so you
get what you got...

So 100 minutes for a smallish load may be reasonable.

Check the plate rating.  Or call a Frigidaire - they're a pretty good company -
and find out how long it's supposed to take.  The instruction manuals will often
tell you how long they should take, and you can usually get a copy for free
from the manufacturer.

>Now,  I  know that considering it's a) electric and b) the combination-type, I
>shouldn't expect wonderful drying performance, but  the  kind  of performance
>we're  getting  out  of  the  dryer  makes  it absurd to even call this barely
>functioning unit a dryer.  It can take the better part  of  a  DAY  to  dry a
>typical load of socks and underwear with the drying running constantly.

A day implies the dryer is broken.

The cardboard you found was your main problem.  The improper vent cap
(holes drilled through the wall) *may* be a contributing factor, because
it can clog so easily (and also present a fire hazard).  This should be
replaced immediately, but it's not likely to help things much w.r.t.
drying time.

The cardboard inside the unit may have also led to the dryer packing
itself up with lint and cardboard bits.  You should probably partially
disassemble the unit to make sure that the venting is clear.  And
double check the vent pipe tubing interior while you're at it.

God knows why somebody would *intentionally* block the venting, after
it becomes abundantly clear that it makes drying take forever...
(unless they were using it as a heat source ...)
-- 
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: richg@hatch.socal.com (Rich Greenberg)
Subject: Re: Pilot Light Goes Out...
Organization: Hatch Usenet and E-mail.  Playa del Rey, CA
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 18:59:16 GMT

In article <2342@unet.UUCP> kens@eugene.net.com (Ken Smith) writes:

>... The home I recently bought came with a gas range, which is 
>having difficulties in keeping its pilot lights for the cooktop
>lit. The brand is something like Gaffers and Sutherland (?), and 

Follow the small diameter tubing from the pilots back to a valve
(possibly common to both pilots, possibly 1 valve/pilot), and open this
valve a bit.  See if problem recurrs.
Someone in the past may have turned the lites lower as an economy
measure, and went a bit too far.

Alternately,  turn the pilot off completely and get a torch lighter
at a hardware store to light the burners.  (not reccomended)
-- 
                
Rich Greenberg - N6LRT - 310-649-0238 - richg@hatch.socal.com
From: psb@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Jr Phillip S Buckland)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Beware when prewiring for telephone
Date: 27 Aug 92 15:25:21 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Kansas State University
NNTP-Posting-Host: matt.ksu.ksu.edu

Here's my $0.02 worth ...

masticol@cadenza.rutgers.edu (Steve Masticola) writes:

>tslee@oracle.uucp (Terry Lee) writes:

>>I plan to
>>run new wire, and save the old for two circuits of rs232.  Hopefully, that 
>>wont crosstalk >8-(

>Don't bet on it... RS-232 is a pulsed format. As such, it will likely
>crosstalk worse than voice on the flat stranded wire.

	Not necessarily.  Alternating ground circuits or low speed circuits
	with the data interchange circuits will virtually eliminate cross-
	talk.  Of course, it leaves the problem of radiated RF ...

>If you're running the twisted pair for the phone anyway, run something
>for the computers at the same time, preferably in the same cable
>bundle. As a non-expert on networks, I'll leave the problem of which
>format to use (Ethernet, et. al.) to the other netters.

	In practice, I haven't found it necessary to run twisted pair
	for RS-232, even to lengths > 1000' (I ran a 4-wire, UNsheilded,
	UNtwisted cable through steam tunnels between buildings WITH
	SPLICES and it ran 4800 baud reliably with over 1000' between
	the respective computers).

>Actually, RS-232 isn't intended for a multiple-port network; you'd
>likely be better off ditching it and investigating real networking
>hardware.  If you _must_ use RS-232, I'd recommend shielded twisted
>pair, and you may have to be careful about terminating unused branches
>of the line.

	While it is true that RS-232 isn't made for multi-drop communica-
	tion, multiple listeners isn't much of a problem.  There are RS-232
	transmitter chips which can be selectively disabled (thus "dis-
	connecting" themselves from the line), but I don't know how preva-
	lent they are in commercial products.

	Using RS-422 or RS-423 is a natural for twisted pair and the 
	premium over RS-232 isn't very large.  These can be used for
	multi-drop communication also.


We read the world wrong		| Phil Buckland
and say that it deceives us.	| psb@eece.ksu.edu
Tagore, from Stray Birds	| psb@matt.ksu.ksu.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: hale@btree.uucp (Bob Hale)
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 92 19:59:49 GMT
Organization: Brooktree Corporation
Subject: Re: followup--attic fans, counterpoint
Summary: 
Followup-To: 
Distribution: world
Organization: Brooktree Corporation, San Diego
Keywords: attic fan fire

In article <1992Aug20.162752.23024@ddsw1.mcs.com> tcubed@ddsw1.mcs.com (James Hanlon) writes:

[ discussion about electric ventilators deleted ]

>  If you
>really want to vent your attic, get one of those wind turbines that rotate
>in the wind--they look funny, but they don't fail catastrophically. Me,
>I added mucho insulation to my attic; it's not as effective, but it is
>completely passive and foolproof; and I sleep nights (and on vacation, etc).

We had a bad experience with a turbine ventilator, not in terms
of house damage but in terms of radio interference!

We installed a turbine ventilator near some transmitting antennas
and found that it was making radio frequency hash as it spun when
the transmitter was on.  The resulting hash caused wide-band
interference to a bunch of nearby receivers.  We eventually
concluded that the rubbing contact at the bearing in the unit
was the problem.

Moral: get a ventilator with a grounding brush on its shaft.
I don't know where you will find one; you may have to fabricate
your own.

Bob Hale                                      ...!ucsd!btree!hale
...!btree!hale@ucsd.edu                       ...!ucsd!btree!hale@uunet.uu.net
From: lynne@pacersoft.com (Lynne Chantler)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: 1st Time Buyer Advise
Date: 31 Aug 92 22:35:34 GMT
X-UserAgent: Nuntius v1.1.1d7
X-XXDate: Mon, 31 Aug 92 23:41:30 GMT

Hello,

This looks like the right place to post this request!

I am new to the net and looking forward to being a home owner soon.  I am
considering buying a two-family.  I am a single mom and I don't have a
huge income, and rather than buy a townhouse of condo, I would prefer to
own my home and I think I can do this if I have part of the house giving
me a rental income.

I also understand that there are several programs for first time home
buyers, but really don't know where to start researching this.

I would really appreciate any advise regarding owner/occupied rental
property, both pros and cons.  I would also appreciate any information
you can give to help me start looking for financing.

Thanks in advance.

Lynne

Please e-mail your responses to lynne@pacersoft.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: dedek@meaddata.com (Mike Dedek)
Subject: Re: Is homesteading still possible?
Keywords: homestead
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 13:50:07 GMT

In article <1992Sep2.132011.6408@sunova.ssc.gov>, butteris@dingus.ssc.gov writes:
|> 
|> Hi, 
|> 
|> I was wondering if any countries, including the USA, still homestead. If  
|> so, which ones and how do I get more information about them? 
|> 
|> :+]
|> Jamey B @ SSC

I've heard that Hawaii, USA does this but I believe only native Hawaiians are
eligible.  Alaska may also do it.  I don't think any other states in USA 
have homesteading.

-Mike
From: barbaras@tekig1.PEN.TEK.COM (Barbara Ann Siefken)
Newsgroups: tek.general,misc.consumers.house
Subject: Any recommendations/warnings about AAA Heating & Cooling?
Date: 1 Sep 92 00:20:30 GMT
Article-I.D.: tekig7.6806
Followup-To: poster
Distribution: or

Anyone out there have any experience with AAA Heating and Cooling in Portland?
We need to have our Lennox central air conditioning unit fixed and
have had them come out and estimate the job. They seemed competant
and friendly, but I always like to hear about actual experiences.

Anyone have any?



			barbaras@tekig1.PEN.TEK.COM 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: mguyott@eriador.prime.com (M. Guyott)
Subject: Re: It looks like carpenter ants...
Organization: /etc/organization
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 19:53:43 GMT

In article <1992Aug28.170332.4229@ucunix.san.uc.edu> peterson@ucunix.san.uc.edu (John M. Peterson) writes:
>
>One thing that has been missing from this carpenter ant
>thread:  you also have a moisture problem!  Carpenter
>ants use wood that has been softened by damp rot.

stuff deleted

>the ants will be eliminated if the
>moisture problems, and the damaged wood, are corrected.
>They don't like to chue on unsoftened wood.

Does this mean that the only damage they will cause is to wood that is
already water damaged?  If this is the case then in some respects the
urgency of getting rid of the ants is lessend for me.  I will need to
replace the water damaged wood anyway.  But if the ants are going to
start eating into adjacent "good" (ie unwater damaged) wood then I want
to get rid of them pronto!

It seems to me that they would have to damage "good" wood as well as
water damaged wood for them to be as bad as termites?  Opinions?

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
Subject: Re: It looks like carpenter ants...
From: peterson@ucunix.san.uc.edu (John M. Peterson)
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 92 13:35:24 GMT
Organization: University of Cincinnati


>> Does this mean that the only damage they will cause is to wood that is
>> already water damaged?
>
>No, 'fraid not.  For example, in our previous house we had a nest
>of them inside a closet door.  *Not* a place likely to be wet....

Almost all woods are subject to carpenter ant attack, that said,
some further comments are worthy of note:
--Physically hard woods like close-grained yellow pine or oak are
  seldom attacked.
--Physically soft woods like redwood or white pine are more prone
  to attack.

--Both of the above are vary rare if the wood is sound, protected,
  keeped dry, and access is difficult.
--The presence of carpenter ants nearly alway indicates the presence
  of water damaged wood (exception noted), to the extent that careful
  inspection is ALWAYS the wisest course.



+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|  peterson@headcheese.daa.uc.edu      	 In real life: John M. Peterson  |
|                                                                        |
|  College of Design Architecture Art & Planning                         |
|  University of Cincinnati           45221-0016           513-556-1207  |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: mguyott@eriador.prime.com (M. Guyott)
Subject: Possible gas leak?
Organization: Prime Computer R&D
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 14:48:55 GMT


My wife and I have been living in our home for all of three weeks now.  We
had not previously noticed any natural gas odors in the basement.  This past
weekend we went away for the weekend.  This is the first time we have left
our house closed up for a couple of days.  When we got back we thought we
could faintly smell natural gas (I know it's not acutally natural gas but
the odor that the gas company put in with the natural gas) in the basement.

I talked with our gas man/plumber and he said that it might be some of the
aluminum tubing in the furnace leaking or that the pilot on the furnace may
have gone out and then come back on or that there might have been a pressure
bubble in the gas main that caused a little gas to seep into the basement
via some release vent on our gas main junction box.  He said that if we had
a gas leak we should smell it all of the time.

I do trust this plumber/gas man but I am still very nervous about natural
gas.  Any suggestions on things that I can do to detect if there really is
a leak somewhere?  Should I have the plumber test for a leak?  He said he
could do this if I wanted him to.  Any thoughts or suggestions would be
appreciated.

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: rim@csadfa.cs.adfa.oz.au (Bob McKay)
Subject: Re: Credit report
Organization: Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra, Australia
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 23:59:01 GMT

egreen@east.sun.com (Ed Green - Pixel Cruncher) writes:

>In article 87647@netnews.upenn.edu, kaplan@sol1.lrsm.upenn.edu (Peter Kaplan -Yodh) writes:
>>
>If the source of inaccurate information maintains that it is indeed
>accurate, that is exactly your responsibility.  TRW is under no legal
>obligation to you (how could they be, you don't pay them anything! :^)

Is this entirely true? I would have thought (at least in common law
jurisdictions) that a suit for slander would be available, and given the
cost that a bad credit report can impose, that significant damages could
be assessed.
-- 
Bob McKay		   	Phone:	+61 6 268 8169	    fax: +61 6 268 8581
Dept. Computer Science		Internet:	rim@csadfa.cs.adfa.oz.au
ADFA, Northcott Dve 		UUCP:...!uunet!munnari!csadfa.cs.adfa.oz.au!rim
Campbell ACT 2600 AUSTRALIA	ARPA:	rim%csadfa.cs.adfa.oz.au@uunet.uu.net
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: rdb1@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (ronald.j.deblock..jr)
Subject: Mortgage Refinancing: one more thing to consider
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 15:36:44 GMT


This is an idea that came from my brother-in-law.  When deciding if 
refinancing is a good idea, consider one more option:  Apply the money
that would have covered the up-front costs of refinancing to the principal
of the existing mortgage.

In his case, this was the best plan.  Your mileage may vary, depending
on the costs, the difference in interest rates, your loan balance, length
of stay, etc, etc.  I don't know the details of my brother-in-law's 
mortgage, so don't ask.

-- 
Ron DeBlock  rdb1@cbnewsj.att.com  (that's a number 1 in rdb1, not letter l)
AT&T Bell Labs   Somerset, NJ  USA
From: soberg@think.com (Stephanie Oberg)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Polyurethane finish for hardwood floors
Date: 26 Aug 1992 17:10:12 GMT
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: quicksilver.think.com



We have about 525 square feet of 65 year old hardwood (white oak??) that
was finished with oil-based polyurethane about 4 years ago.  Because of
excessive scratching due to poor maintenance, plus about 25 big dents due
to a sloppy electrician**, plus some of the floor never having been finished,
we're going to redo it all.  So we've been getting bids over the phone and
have been hearing different stories about the various types of polyure-
thane:  oil-based, water-based, alcohol-based, and moisture cure.  Every
floor person has a different preference.  These are our goals, in order
of priority:

	1)  durable finish (most important by far)
	2)  preserve current honey color
	3)  low toxicity
	4)  low cost

Does anyone have experience with these floor finishes, as professionally
applied?  Can you rate them as far as the above factors go?  How could we
achieve a honey color with water-based polyurethane, giving that staining
an old floor is likely to point up any defects in the wood?  (Other than
scratches and dents as mentioned above, the floor is in quite good
condition.)  Any opinions on the following bids (all include sanding)?

	oil-based, 3 coats	$0.65 / sq ft
	oil-based, 4 coats	$156 - $275 hand applied to flight of
					stairs
	water-based, 4 coats	$1.15 / sq ft
	1 coat oil-based + 2 coats water-based (to give color of oil-based)
				$0.95 / sq ft
	      
And...does anyone who has had their floors done have any specific tips on
how to evaluate bids and make sure that a quality job is done?

Thanks, Net!

Stephanie
Massachusetts

====
** Details on sloppy electrician available on request.
-- 

sojourner
From: macrakis@osf.org (Stavros Macrakis)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Dryer ventillation problem
Date: 31 Aug 92 15:29:43 GMT
Organization: OSF Research Institute

In article <KOSOWSKY.92Aug28113630@zener.harvard.edu> kosowsky@zener.harvard.edu (Jeffrey J. Kosowsky) writes:

   ...Is it possible to install some type of one way trap or valve in
   our vent to prevent the back-venting of the dryer exhaust into our
   appartment....

Yes, this is called a (automatic) damper.  You should be able to get
one at any heating and ventilation supply house.  Measure the ducting
accurately first.  It's cheap.

	-s
From: markh@cayman.amd.com (Mark Hasseman)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Quadra-Fire wood stoves, comments?
Date: 25 Aug 92 21:19:20 GMT
Organization: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Austin, Texas

Does anybody have any experience with the Quadra Fire 3100 wood stove
from Aladdin Steel Products?

This is a low emission [2.1 g/hour] stove that doesn't use a catalytic
converter.  At around $1000, it seems like a good value, but I would
like to hear anyones experience with wood stoves before I make a final
purchase decision.

If you send email, I will summarize for the net.

Thanks,
Mark

Mark W. Hasseman                       Email: markh@cayman.amd.com
Advanced Micro Devics                  Direct:        512/462-4785
5204 E. Ben White Blvd., MS-561        Wats:   800/538-8450 x54785
Austin, TX  78741                      Fax:   512/462-5051 & -4756