HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: rickb@pail.rain.com (Rick Bensene)
Subject: Re: Home Ethernet
Organization: Rick's Home-Grown Un*x
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 23:50:56 GMT

keng@zcar.asd.sgi.com (Ken Greenebaum) writes:

>In <Brpw0q.4qv@world.std.com> edwards@world.std.com (Jonathan Edwards) writes:

>>A recent post in comp.dcom.telecom states that 10BASE-T (twisted pair)
>>Ethernet is not FCC Class B, and in fact generates lots of RFI, making it
>>unsuitable for home use. The poster ran a Thinnet cable loop throughout the
>>house instead.
>>Can anyone comment on this, or suggest alternatives for home LAN wiring?

>I bought a couple thousand feet of bulk beldon cable, and a couple dozen
>connectors...

>I just ran thinnet thru my new house.  It doesn't seem to interphere w/radio
>reception, and I don't watch television.


Just a reminder - many states and counties have codes which specify the
fire resistance of the materials used for wire insulation.  In some
areas, you MUST use CL-2 rated coax cable if you want to run Ethernet
around your house.  I learned the hard way when I got a 1000 foot box
of Carol 'black insulated' RG58 coax, strung it all through the house,
and was promptly ordered by the electrical inspector to rip it all out
as it didn't meet the local fire codes...even though it is low-voltage
stuff.  So, I had to rip all the old stuff out, spring for the (twice as
expensive) 'plenum-rated' Ethernet cable with the Teflon insulation,
and rewire.  It was a hassle, and ended up costing me more than I had
budgeted for the wiring project.

But, it works great.  I'm typing this posting in from an X-Terminal
in my family room (the computers are all upstairs).

Rick Bensene
From: moroney@ramblr.enet.dec.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: How to remove rust stain from cement deck?
Date: 28 Jul 92 05:13:03 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation

In article <5554@igor.Rational.COM>, rw@Rational.COM (Bob Weissman) writes...
>Can anyone recommend a product or method for removing the stain
>without damaging the deck?

Try some oxalic acid and water.  If you can't find it it's sometimes sold as
a wood bleach.  Remember, it's poisonous.

-Mike
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: lenny@bmerh174.BNR.CA (Len DePalma)
Subject: Re: Reseeding vs. resodding
Reply-To: lenny@x400gate.bnr.ca
Organization: BNR Ottawa, Fiber Systems Development
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 92 18:13:47 GMT


My wife and I just went through this while determining what to
cover the 7000 sq ft or so of dirt surrounding our new home, here's
what we discovered:
- soil preparation and fertilization cost/labour is the same for either
- seed requires more water (see note below)
- seed is much less labour intensive than sod 
- for materials alone, seed is about 1/6 the cost of sod ($200 vs $1200
  in our situation)

Finally, a friend gave us a great suggestion for helping seed along:
cover the area with chopped up hay or stray after rolling.  This acts
as a thatch replacement.  This, combined with seedings during the cooler
seasons (no, you won't have much luck seeding now!) greatly reduces the
amount of watering needed to get the seed started.

Our lawn went from a dirt patch to it's first mowing in three weeks, we
planted in early June (note: this has been the coolest and wettest
summer here in a long time... it helps to have Mother Nature on your
side too!).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERNET: lenny@bnr.ca                 Any opinions expressed are mine.

Kill a Union, save an Industry.
From: srivatsa@karna.Eng.Sun.COM (Chakra Srivatsa)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Can you get alarm system notices without the system?
Date: 31 Jul 1992 18:13:06 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems
Distribution: world
Reply-To: srivatsa@karna.Eng.Sun.COM
NNTP-Posting-Host: karna

You get generic stickers that say: "This premises is protected by an electronic
security system" or something to that effect.  You get them in places where you
can buy DIY systems, or electronic supply stores.  Radio Shack might even have
them.

IMO, generic stickers are better than advertising which system you have.

In article 92Jul30154652@marcellus.juliet.ll.mit.edu, timd@juliet.ll.mit.edu ( Tim Dasey ) writes:
> stuff deleted..

>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??


---
The one l lama, he's a priest. 		srivatsa@eng.sun.com
The two l llama, he's a beast.
And I will bet a silk pajama, 
there isn't a three l lllama!		says Ogden Nash
From: simnet@ssc-vax.boeing.com (Mark R Poulson)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Reseeding vs. resodding
Date: 22 Jul 92 20:21:44 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Boeing Defense and Space Group, Seattle WA

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! :) :) :)

Sorry, couldn't resist.
From: egreen@East.Sun.COM (Ed Green - Pixel Cruncher)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: What is tax-deductible in closing cost.
Date: 30 Jul 1992 13:54:20 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, RTP, NC
Distribution: world
Reply-To: egreen@East.Sun.COM
NNTP-Posting-Host: laser.east.sun.com

In article 9916@dvorak.amd.com, thang@electron.amd.com (Thang Tran) writes:
>Is there any part of closing cost tax-deductible?

Yes.

>If I pay some points to lower the interest rate, can the point-paid be
>deductible from income tax in the next year or amortize over the next
>30 years?

Discount points are tax deductable in (I think) the current year.  Most
other closing costs are not, particularly the loan origination fee
(typically 1%).  See if your lender will list that amount as a discount
point instead.  It's the same amount of money to them, but tax
deductable to you if the amount is listed under the proper column.

---
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: tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan)
Subject: On Buying a Trailer/Mobile Home
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 16:12:40 GMT

I'm looking for some general information on purchasing a trailer home.
Right now I live in an apartment, and am growing weary of a) throwing
money away on rent, b) having dorks who park their car half in their
space, half in mine as neighbors, c) having three screaming kids living
immediately downstairs, etc. etc.

Buying a regular home is out of the question at this point, so I'm
toying with the idea of a trailer. I'm very hesitant, however, in part
for the following impressions (in no particular order):

	Trailers have the reputation as being "tornado magnets." I live
in Illinois (a.k.a. Tornado Alley) and the news is often full of reports
on trailer parks being totally obliterated by tornadoes.

	Trailer parks tend to be "bad" neighborhoods, which naturally
attract criminals and other lowlife because they're so cheap. The
primary result of this being a higher local crime rate, inconsiderate
neighbors, etc.

	Unlike traditional homes, trailers have low resale value.

	Trailers are generally of shoddy/cheap construction, things
break down easily, walls are thin, etc.

My question is, how much of the above is true, and how much of it is
simply stereotype? What are the REAL advantages/disadvantages of living
in a trailer? Anyone who currently lives or has lived in a trailer home,
please contact me with your comments, good or bad. Thanks very much!
From: burnett@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Cathy Burnett)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Deer-resistant Foliage Recommendations Sought
Date: 24 Jul 92 18:36:24 GMT
Reply-To: burnett@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Cathy Burnett)
Organization: Carderock Division, NSWC, Bethesda, MD

I read (somewhere) that if you take an old nylon sock
and stuff it with human hair and tie it to a stick
near your plants, the deer will stay away.  I knew
someone who tried that and it worked!


CB
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I try to think, but nothing happens!"
				-Curly from the Three Stooges
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: stein@oxygen.aps1.anl.gov
Subject: Carpet / Tile interface
Organization: Argonne National Laboratory - Advanced Photon Source
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 13:19:46 GMT


Hows that for a subject? Jeez, what a geek!

Anyway, I've got a tile foyer inside the front door of our house, and the
living room carpet butts right up to the tile. The normal thing that is done at
these 'carpet/tile interfaces; is to put this metal strip down to keep the
carpet from pulling up. HOWEVER, the foyer is curved, and I'm told (by the
builder) that there is nothing they can do regarding this (lack of) metal strip
because of the curve. 

I'm sure some of you out there have curved foyers with the same type of
situation, and I'm wondering if there isn't something I can do? 


+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------+
!  __o             __o         /!   ! S. Joshua Stein             !
!  \<_       __e  -\<_        / !   ! Advanced Photon Source      !
! @/ O      -\<   O/ O        !     ! Argonne National Laboratory !
!           0/ 0              !     ! stein@oxygen.aps1.anl.gov   !
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------+
! "You meatheads are useless without some sauce."                 !
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
From: simnet@ssc-vax.boeing.com (Mark R Poulson)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Alarm sirens
Keywords: Inside, LOUD
Date: 23 Jul 92 21:19:12 GMT
Organization: Boeing Defense and Space Group, Seattle WA

Hello all,

I have an alarm system that has a siren just outside the garage. Its
fairly loud and the neighbors one house away can hear it, but I wonder
about how seriously people take sirens (unless they KNOW you're gone).

I was thinking about moving the siren so its inside the house (in
multiple protected locations) and each a hell of a lot louder. The idea
being to discourage anyone from being inside the house causing the burglar
to leave (or experience a lot of ear pain). I would rig it so that {false}
alarms give a soft warning beep for maybe 30 seconds, but after that its
full siren.

Has anyone tried this? Any ideas on its potential effectiveness or ways
of defeating it?

		    Thanks,
			Mark on
			simnet@ssc-bee.boeing.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Ants!
Reply-To: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: misc
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 92 02:43:37 GMT

In article <22031@venera.isi.edu> jas@ISI.EDU (Jeff Sullivan) writes:
>
>Ants keep making their way into my second-story condo, and I don't
>know from where.  We've cleaned out the cupboards twice and sprayed,
>but I'd like to try to find a more permanent and possibly less toxic
>(although that is secondary at this point) way fo stopping their
>incursion.

First off. Do you know how to tell carpenter ants from other varieties?
If not, I'd get an exterminator in to take care of things.

If you do, and they're not carpenter ants, I'd try some of those ant
traps. The ones I've had success with were round metal cans about 1/4"
high and a couple inches around. 

By the way, carpenter ants are not *all* real large, and they almost
never have wings. They are black and run between 1/8" and 3/8" long.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    |
George Patterson -  | He who is not a revolutionary at 16 has no heart.
                    | He who is a revolutionary at 60 has no head.
                    |                          Lord Chesterfield
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: erickson@atlas.cs.nps.navy.mil (David Erickson)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Crack resistant patio design
Keywords: cement
Date: 22 Jul 92 17:13:46 GMT
Reply-To: erickson@taurus.cs.nps.navy.mil (David Erickson)
Organization: Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey CA

In article <1992Jul22.002619.23215@porthos.cc.bellcore.com> patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com writes:
>In article <l6p7uhINN5u0@appserv.Eng.Sun.COM> gchin@ssf.Eng.Sun.COM writes:


>>Do you need sand or gravel under the cement?

>No, but don't pour concrete on bare ground. Level the ground and lay
>down a layer or two of heavy duty plastic. The thickness of concrete
>you'll need depends mainly on the coldest temperature. Three or four
>inches is usually good enough.

We poured about 2,000 sq. ft of slabs for our new house.  Some was for
a slab foundation, some for patios and walkways.  All of the concrete was
pump mix (i.e. fairly wet with small-size aggregate).  We used 2" of sand,
a layer of 6mil plastic, and 2" of sand then the slab for all of the
slab foundations.  No problems.  For the walks, we skipped the sand,just
poured on 6 mil plastic.  It took forever to set up, because the moisture
in the pump-mix concrete had nowhere to go.  I think we finished up at
about 7 that night, although the pour was early (8:30 or so).

Dave Erickson
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: skunks are digging up my lawn, help!
From: gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston)
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 92 19:29:46 CDT
Organization: Garys' Home for Obsolete Computers

btarbox@sw.stratus.com (Brian Tarbox) writes:

> Title says it all...how do I discourage these critters?

Trap and remove them; dust your yard thoroughly with Sevin or
something similar (kill the grubs they're feeding on); scatter
lots of mothballs around your yard; or shoot them. 

I don't know of any other options you might have, you might want
to try a combination of the first and second for long term discouragement.

Gary Heston, at home....        ...all the skunks are at work; they
gary@cdthq.uucp                   wander around the grounds at night....
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: shou@logos.asd.sgi.com (Tom Shou)
Subject: Termites: freezing or local treatment?
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc.
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 16:16:34 GMT

We had a termite inspection which turned up termites in several areas
of our house. Since we live in the house, we'd like to avoid tenting.
Has anyone had experience with freezing or local chemical treatments?
The exterminators we talked with said the main problem with freezing
or local is that it only gets what they can see and doesn't kill
termites in inaccessible areas. 


Please send comments!


Thanks,


Tom

-- 


===========================================================================

        Tom Shou			Silicon Graphics
	shou@asd.sgi.com		2011 N. Shoreline Blvd. 
	415-390-5362			MS 8U-815 
	415-962-0494 (fax)		Mountain View, CA 94043

===========================================================================

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: scholl@uvmark.uucp (Kathryn Scholl)
Subject: Harwood floor DUST issue
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 92 17:40:10 GMT
Organization: Vmark Software, Inc.


Well, the time has come to install my hardwood floors....an I'd like
some first-hand experiences with the dust.  (I live on the fifth/top
floor of a walk up, if that makes any difference...)

I'm going back and forth between choosing pre-fab and the 'real' stuff.
Both are 3/4" thick, and my greatest concern is the dust problem when 
I install the real stuff.  I have a large exposed brick wall and don't
want the dust to 'seep in' to the wall and ruin it.

Obviously I'll be moving everything else into another room and I
will also be taping up plastic sheets--over the doors to other rooms
and over the whole brick wall if I can.

My question...since the cost of the pre-fab over the non-fabbed stuff
is not too different, are there any 'musts' to choose one over the
other?  I know that pre-fab will show more lines and the non-fab
will be one big smooth look, and in this case, both can be sanded
the same number of times (well, like once or twice max.)

Is this dust issue something to worry about or am I just getting
overly-excited about the complaints people always have about it?

Thanks,
Kathryn
-- 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 Kathryn Scholl  ** Above text reflects opinions of the author, not VMark **
 Vmark Software, Inc., 30 Speen Street, Framingham, MA  01701, USA
 Internet: uvmark!scholl@merk.com, UUCP: uunet!merk.com!uvmark!scholl
From: freds@hpcc01.corp.hp.com (Fred Saavedra)
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 23:24:35 GMT
Subject: Re: Crack resistant patio design
Organization: the HP Corporate notes server
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house




     Try ordering your cement with fiber reenforcement.
     It is available almost anywhere you can get premixed cement.

     The steel mesh is designed to hold everthing together not 
     to stop cracks.

     I would use both, since once the slab cracks the fibers
     will do little to keep things from moving. The fibers 
     will stop most cracking.


Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: nuge@newport.med.ge.com (James A. Nugent)
Subject: Re: ADVICE WANTED:  Changing house outlets from 2 to 3 prongs
Organization: GE Medical Systems, Milwaukee, WI
	<NUGE.92Jul29095030@newport.med.ge.com> <Bs6nAv.720@hatch.socal.com>
Distribution: usa
Date: 30 Jul 92 16:58:24 GMT

In article <Bs6nAv.720@hatch.socal.com> richg@hatch.socal.com (Rich
Greenberg) writes:

> In article <NUGE.92Jul29095030@newport.med.ge.com> nuge@newport.med.ge.com (James A. Nugent) writes:

> >	What kinds of ckt testers are available to test the efficacy
> >of a ground?

> What I use (and all the electricians I have had do work for me use the
> same thing) is to get a "pigtail" light socket, fasten 2 1 ft lengths
> of #14 solid wire to it, and strip back about 1/2" on the ends away from the
> socket.  Make sure that any exposed metal on the socket end is taped over.
> Use a 100w bulb in the socket.  Touch one wire to the hot side and the
> other to the (box, bx, whatever you are testing) and if the bulb lights
> to normal brightness with no flickering, you have a good ground.
> No light == no ground.  Dim or flickering light == poor ground.

        I have such a thing (except using a 15W bulb) and have used
it, among other things (makes a handy if crude GFI checker),
occasionally to test grounds. What scares me about is that a high
resistance (or unexpected) ground path will induce heat, and wierd
voltages heaven knows where. Am I being too paranoid?
--
Jim Nugent

nuge@med.ge.com

nugentj@med.ge.com
From: hmoss@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com (Howard Moss)
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 23:24:10 GMT
Subject: painting tips?
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Santa Rosa, CA
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house

Hi,
  
Here's a simple question that has always bugged me: How do you set up
your wood when your painting? I'm always painting shelves or cabinets and
I still don't have a good system to use. Is there something I'm missing or
does everyone just wing it? Usually, its an old cardboard box opened up
on the ground with 1x2 or 2x2 studs supporting the wood in 2 places. Of course,
I have to wait for the 1st side to dry before I can do the other side. Do any
of you try to paint both sides at one sitting?

Howard 
'real amateur dyi'er'

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: sgs8r@kelvin.seas.Virginia.EDU (Steve Strickland, sgs8r@virginia.edu)
Subject:  Re: To close or not to close on a new house with a leak! 
Organization: Dept. of Systems Eng., U.Va.
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 22:10:24 GMT

In article <1992Jul23.161735.21376@newsgate.sps.mot.com> r1156c@sps.mot/com (Michael R. Dow) writes:
>..leaky contractor stuff deleted....
>
>
>Do not... DO NOT! close until the contractor can deliver a house to YOUR	
>SPECIFICATIONS.  You'll never see the guy again if you give him his money.
>
>Michael R. Dow

I agree in the strongest possible terms. If you think you've had problems
getting him to fix the leak so far, they are nothing like what you'll have if
you pay him off.  Roof leaks are among the hardest to diagnose. You'll be
living with this forever if you don't get it done NOW. Your builder is probably
at work on one or more other projects and your problem is nothing but a pain in
the neck to him. The fact that several fixes have failed is not a good sign.
Note that even getting an apparent fix is barely satisfactory since the problem
can easily return in a few years as the roofing cement they'll pour everywhere
dries out. DON'T let the desire to move in and enjoy your house tempt you
to give in and close. 

-Steve Strickland
 sgs8r@virginia.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,misc.invest,misc.taxes
From: ajg@controls.ccd.harris.com (Arnold Goldberg)
Subject: Re: Question on reinvesting money from sale of a home
Organization: Harris Controls and Compositions
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 15:05:35 GMT

>>>>> On 22 Jul 92 13:25:46 GMT, mindy@data.rain.com (Mindy Beseler) said:
Mindy> finding another house in the new area.  We are wondering how long we have
Mindy> to reinvest the money from the sale of our house before we have to pay


You can do a 1034 exchange w/in two years of selling your previous house.

The restrictions are:
1) primary residence
2) new house is worth more then old one

this is effectively a swap where you don't have to pay taxes on any gain 
you incurred while selling the old one.

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arnold Goldberg                            Email:  ajg@ccd.harris.com
Phone: (407)242-5051                       Snail:  Harris Corporation
Fax  : (407)242-4262                               407 John Rodes Blvd.
                                                   Melbourne, FL 32905

The opinions expressed are my own and do not in any way represent Harris 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: cooper@endeavor.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM (Bob Cooper x7429)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Painting Baseboards
Date: 24 Jul 92 14:01:57 GMT
Organization: Your Organization Here

Well I'm getting ready to do my first painting this weekend and I'm not sure 
how to attack the baseboard's.  

Problem:  How do you paint the baseboards without getting paint on the carpet? 
          Assume here that you have fairly plush (3/4") carpet that pushes against
	  the baseboards.  

Do you pull the carpet back 1 foot or so away from the wall and then hire
someone to re-install it once the painting is done?


Next question - Do you normally paint the baseboard's first and then the wall?



-- 

        -Bob Cooper 
	 Systems Architecture
	 Bob.Cooper@ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM
	 (803) 796-9250
From: swisher@cs.utexas.edu (Janet M. Swisher)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: cleaning (not stripping) hardwood floors
Date: 30 Jul 1992 13:11:07 -0500
Organization: CS Dept, University of Texas at Austin
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: boogie.cs.utexas.edu


Next week we move into our "new" (43-year old) house.  I want to give
the place a thorough cleaning first -- the previous owner wins no
awards for housekeeping.  The house has hardwood floors in several
rooms, and while I don't want to go to the effort of stripping and
rewaxing them (I'll have too much else to do), I would like to get
them good and clean.  Now, when I last lived in a house with hardwood
floors, my mom would do all the cleaning and I'd duck out to the mall.
So I don't have much experience on this front.

What are recommended techniques and materials for cleaning hardwood
floors? A mop and bucket, I assume, and Mop&Glo? Spic&Span?  What?

If anyone has other tips for "spring cleaning", I'd love to hear about
them.