HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: lazaro@pyuxf.uucp (25312-lazaro)
Subject: Re: Musty Air in Heating System
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 21:08:53 GMT

In article <1993Jan20.165409.23728@ncrcae.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM> moran@clodii.Columbia.NCR.COM (Dan Moran) writes:
>
>Does anyone know what causes the air coming out of my heating ducts
>to be musty smelling?  It's most noticable in the evenings and during
>the night.  Is this hard to get rid of?  Are there health hazards to
>this condition?  It is a air-to-air heat pump with ductwork in the
>crawlspace under the house.
>
>Please email your answers and experiences (I don't read this newsgroup
>often enough).
>
>Thanks,
>
>dan moran
>moran@clodii.columbiasc.ncr.com

I am also trying to solve this problem, so please email me any
answers also.  Thanks.

Matt

lazaro@cc.bellcore.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: saskaw@thelma.unx.sas.com (Kathryn Wisniewski)
Subject: Re: Hardwood Floor repair
Originator: saskaw@thelma.unx.sas.com
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 15:35:46 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: SAS Institute Inc.
Keywords: hardwood floors


In article <1993Jan21.215016.11711@acuson.com>, worth@acuson.com (Douglas Worth) writes:
>snip
>snip...

>- In the water damaged part one of the boards is split length wise
>for about 16". We put as much weight (I knew there was a reason to
>keep all of those text books) as we could on the other parts. We are
>expecting to replace some of the boards in this section. The floor is
>2" oak strip and I do not think that it is tongue and groove because
>there is lots of nails in it. Is it possible to do patch work like this
>or are we crazy? After we repair the damaged section we are planning to
>sand and refinish it. My boss recently did his so I do have someone with
>some experience who can help.
>
Here's a great tip I got out of a do-it-yourself magazine. If you need
to replace boards in a wooden floor, see if you can get it from one of 
the closets in your home. We did this when we made a repair like this
and it worked great. The advantages are that it allows you to get an
exact match with the existing floor and it doesn't cost anything. We
replaced the closet floor with some inexpensive cedar paneling and 
turned it into a 'feature' of the closet (Look! a cedar floor in the
closet to keep away moths).  The repaired section of the floor looked
great after we sanded and refinished the entire room.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: ejhupper@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Eric Huppertz)
Subject: SQUEEEEEKY floors!
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 07:49:00 GMT
Organization: Illinois State University


I live in an apartment.  I work late and get home around midnight.
My neigbors work early and are trying to sleep at midnight.  As the
subject line proclaims, my floors are very very noisy.  My neighbors
know they can't complain, but I find it extremely unnerving to walk
through my apartment at 2 a.m. with the floors squonking under every
step.

Directly below me is the basement, so the underside of the floor is
accessible (the neighbors, who can hear every step I take, live
next door).  Is it possible for this to be remedied, short of putting
in a new floor?  I don't think my landlord would go for that...  :-D

TIA,

-eric

-- 
-  ()()    ()()  ()  ()()()    Eric J. Huppertz             ejhupper@ilstu.edu
 ()()()  ()         ()         =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
()      ()     ()  ()          "Hey, these aren't my rules.  Come to think of
()()   ()     ()  ()()()        it, I don't HAVE any rules."  -Beetlejuice
From: doug@hpkslx.mayfield.HP.COM (Doug Levitt)
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 19:14:32 GMT
Subject: Replacement Windows: Vinyl versus Aluminum
Organization: HP Response Center Lab
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house

I am currently in the market for replacement windows for our 45+ year old
house.  Currently, the house has single-paned, wood double-hung windows.

Anyone have any recommendations for double-paned replacement windows.
We are basically interested in either vinyl or aluminum.  Are the superior
insulating properties of vinyl a sufficient reason to choose vinyl over
aluminum (I live in the San Francisco Bay Area climate) ?  Is one more
secure than another?

It seems as though there are a number of window manufacturers out there.
Can anyone recommend a good brand of vinyl or aluminum replacement windows?

thanks

-doug
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: abbott@priory.enet.dec.com (Robert Abbott)
Subject: Re: HELP! electrical problem
Organization: TP Performance
Distribution: misc.consumers.house
Date: 28 JAN 93 09:08:29    


In article <1993Jan26.213416.29127@sequent.com>, bobk@sequent.com (Bob Krull) writes...
>In article <1993Jan26.132203.22930@ryn.mro4.dec.com> abbott@priory.enet.dec.com (Robert Abbott) writes:
>>
>>I once had a similar problem. Turned out the neutral from the
>>street (the bare steel cable) was broken. This will lead to
>>voltage swings and some bizzare dimming of lights.
>>
> 
>Neutral from the street!!??  Where do you live that the power company runs
>a neutral line?  The only "bare steel cable" I am familiar with is purely
>for mechanical strength.
> 
There are three wires that provide the service to your house. Two
are insulated and have a potential difference of 220V. These two
connect to the two hot bars in your fuse box. The third wire,
the bare steel one, is used for mechanical support but also 
is the neutral. It connects to the neutral bus in your fuse box.
If you follow this wire back to the pole on the street you will
find that it is jumpered to a power company line.

Check this out for yourself and report back.

> 
------------------------
Robert K. Abbott
abbott@tps.enet.dec.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: How to keep throw rug corners from curling
From: michael@sunbeam.ksc.nasa.gov (Michael D. Myjak x7-3286)
Date: 21 Jan 93 11:29:37
Distribution: na
Organization: NASA, Kennedy Space Center, FL.
In-reply-to: rogerv@sco.COM's message of Wed, 20 Jan 1993 19:30:35 GMTLines: 26

In article <1993Jan20.193035.10478@sco.com> rogerv@sco.COM (Roger Vortman) writes:


   >>[...]  The corners and sometimes whole sides of the little rugs curl. 

   >Two-sided carpet tape.

   This sounds like it would be awfully messy [...]

Still, the idea seems sound. Here's an idea: don't use the tape to
stick the rug directly to the hardwood floor. Instead, go to your
local model hobby shop and by a small sheet of 1/16 inch thick 5-ply
bass plywood.  Cut the sheet into the shape of triangle, about 6" on a
side, one for each corner. Then use the tape to adheare the plywood to
the carpet. That should stiffen the corners nicely, and the bass ply
is soft enough not to mar your hardwood flooring.


--
- Michael D. Myjak			
  Senior Technical Specialist, Systems Analyst
  McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Company
  Kennedy Space Center, Fl., 32815
  MYJAK@TITAN.KSC.NASA.GOV

Gravity. It's not just a good idea. Its the LAW!
Xref: sparky misc.consumers.house:17181 misc.rural:2864
From: awang@sunpix.East.Sun.COM (Angus Wang - Sun NC Development Center)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,misc.rural
Subject: Septic System Issues???
Date: 21 Jan 1993 16:21:32 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc., Vienna, VA. 
Distribution: usa
NNTP-Posting-Host: firedragon.east.sun.com

I was born & raised on city water and have no idea about wells &
septic systems.  Waht are some good sources of information to
learn about issues concerning these?  Information such as exactly
what perc tested means/tells you, water sheds, run-off area, etc.
Practical information such as what actually goes into installing
a septic system entails would be useful.  I have heard that even
though a lot percs, that's just the beginning of things to consider.

Thanks,

-- 
North Carolina Development Center
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: kevin@.cray.com (Kevin Bluml)
Subject: Smoke Detector recall
Originator: kevin@snoid
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.
Distribution: usa
Date: 22 Jan 93 16:11:25 CST

From 'Workplace Alert'
(Industrial Fire & Emergency Management Training Association)

RECALL

Six Smoke Detector Brands Recalled: Washington (AP) -

Federal regulators announced that six brands of battery
operated smoke detectors are being recalled because they
may not sound an alarm during a fire. The Consumer Product
Safety Commision said anyone who purchased a smoke detector
after July 10, 1992 should check the unit immediately to see if
it is involved in the recall. The detectors were made by the 
Seatt Corp. Their brand names and model numbers are:

Black and Decker Slim Line, SMK100-200-300

Jameson Home Products Inc. Code 1 2000, Model A, C, and D.

Walter Kidde Portable Equipment Inc. Kidde Smoke and Fire Alarm, KSA700

Safety First, Baby's Room Smoke & Fire Alarm, 244

Funtech, Safety's Sake, Model A

Maple Chase, Firex, Model A and B

Owners of the Black & Decker units should call (800) 952-1331 or return
the smoke detector to a Black & Decker service center.

Owners of the other brands should call (800) 492-4949.


-- 
 From:      Kevin V. Bluml  - Cray Research Inc. 612-683-3036   
 USmail -   655 - Lone Oak Drive, Eagan, MN 55121 
 Internet - kevin.bluml@cray.com  UUCP - uunet!cray!kevin
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: jgd@dixie.com (John De Armond)
Subject: Re: No Hot Water!
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 93 22:21:51 GMT
Organization: Dixie Communications Public Access.  The Mouth of the South.
Distribution: na

pjh@mccc.edu (Pete Holsberg) writes:

>>a 60 gallon.  Or you could do like I did and install a tankless heater.  This 
>things heat water in real-time, on demand so there is no limit to the amount of
>>water you can use.  I love those long, steamy 100 gallon showers so this
>>thing is a Godsend for my house.  The only downside is the cost - about 
>>$500-700.

>That sounds interesting. Where is it installed? How does it work?

The tankless heaters simply heat the water in real time using a LARGE
burner and a heat exchanger.  The one I used, the Paloma, has a 
90,000 btu input burner and a small heat exchange above it that looks
like the heater core out of a car.  There is a proportioning valve
that meters gas according to the water flow and temperature in order
to maintain the setpoint temperature.  There are also a couple of
safety systems that turn the gas off if water pressure is low or
the flue gets too hot.

I used to own a welding supply company where we also sold propane and
gas powered appliances.  I looked around and determined that the 
Paloma was the best heater and thus that was the one we sold.  It is
a small package, about the size of a 2 year old kid :-)  It bolts to
the wall at a convenient place.  It connects just like a regular
heater except it needs a larger gas line and flue.  I used an old
wood stove flue in my fireplace.  In my cabin I installed a thru-wall
vent that vents horizontally.  The flue remains cool enough to rest
your hand on.  

These things are rated in terms of how much water can be heated
to what degree of temperature rise.  Mine is rated at about 3.5 gpm
at 100 degree rise.  The next larger one is about 120,000 btu
input and can do about 5 gpm at 100 degree rise as I recall.

If I had it to do over, I'd install the 120,000 btu.  When the inlet
water temperature is near freezing in the winter and so not much
cold is used to dilute it in the shower, the flow is marginal for 
my large shower head.  If you used a low flow head, you could run
two showers or a shower and the washer at the same time on the larger
heater.

John
-- 
John De Armond, WD4OQC               |Interested in high performance mobility?  
Performance Engineering Magazine(TM) | Interested in high tech and computers? 
Marietta, Ga                         | Send ur snail-mail address to 
jgd@dixie.com                        | perform@dixie.com for a free sample mag
Need Usenet public Access in Atlanta?  Write Me for info on Dixie.com.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: hubcap@hubcap.clemson.edu (System Janitor)
Subject: Re: Cat Repellant
Organization: Clemson University
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 17:56:10 GMT


So, just to make sure I understand...

My cat comes over to your house and walks on your car or poops in your
begonias... do you shoot him before or after you see if I can/will keep
him away?

-Mike
From: hester@hplvec.LVLD.HP.COM (Bob Hester)
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 17:09:33 GMT
Subject: Thanks for the water savings
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Co., Loveland, CO
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house


        I thought I would thank everybody on the net, for thier input,
on water conservation over the last 9 months. Two months ago I finished
building in my basement. One of the last things I wanted to do is put in
fixtures in the whole house which would help conserve water.

        In my opinion, Here in Loveland, Colorado we have not done much to
conserve water.  I know in other parts of the country, there is strict
govermental enforcement to conserve water. So I thought maybe we (my family)
could do alittle to conserve here, even though we are not forced.

        I put in water saving shower heads, faucets, and toilets. These
changes to the household reduces our water consumption by 2,000 gallons
a month. I figure the return on investment to be about 2 years, at the
price reduction we have seen and will see in the water, and sewer bills.

        I encourage anybody even concidering to buy water saving devices,
to do it.  I have not noticed any degredation of quality of life style
since the changes. The Telidine shower head I got is tons better than the
old plain water gusler. The Kolher 1.6 gallon flush tiolet operates better
and quieter than the old 7 gallon tanker.

I'm very happy with the changes we have made, again thanks to all the netters
for thier inputs,

Bob Hester
Hewlett Packard
hester@hpsmpa.lvld.hp.com
From: dolson@crl.ucsd.edu (Mark Dolson)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: What's That White Stuff in Our Garage???
Date: 27 Jan 1993 14:51:49 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu


We are new to this news group, but it seems like the perfect place
to pose a question that's been bugging us for some time now.  Our
home (a typical Southern California single-story suburban model)
was built in 1977 (on a previously undeveloped ridge) and purchased
by us in 1988.  After about two years, we began to notice irregularly
shaped rings of a white, feathery, somewhat crystalline substance
gradually building up on the floor of our (indoor) garage.  The
consistency of this stuff was such that it would cake together
to an extent, but could be easily swept away as a white powder.
Over the past two years, this phenomena has intensified dramatically
and spread to the front sidewalk and driveway as well (appearing here
as long strips).  It's now at the point where there are piles a
half inch high only four days after a thorough sweeping of the entire
garage.  Also, it appears that the concrete is becoming severely
eroded in similarly-shaped patterns.

At first, our impression was that this is something which is leaching
up either from or through the concrete, presumably being carried by
water.  (The stuff appears to be largely water-soluble, but it may just
be well-suspended in water.)   However, this stuff seems to build up
rain or shine, and we've also noticed that it mostly seems to appear
only on parts of the garage which are exposed to the air.  Could this
be some sort of a fungus?

Anyway, the obvious questions at this point are:  (1) How can we figure
out what this is? and (2) What should we do about it?   All suggestions
will be most welcome!

--Mark and Laura
From: tvervaek@col.hp.com (Tom Vervaeke)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Buying a FSO?
Date: 26 Jan 93 16:14:25 GMT
Article-I.D.: hp-col.1k3o11INN2nb
Organization: HP Colorado Springs Division
NNTP-Posting-Host: itchub21.cs.itc.hp.com

>  
> >Make sure the sales contract allows you to have the home inspected by a
> >professional inspector, and that the sellers must fix all items.
> 
> I disagree here-this assumes the sellers would do a good job. Get an inspector
> to tell you what needs fixing and then if it's major, get an estimate for
> how much it would take to fix it for the long term (as you are going to
> have to live with the repair), reduce the offer price by the repair cost.  Or
> since many homeowners don't want the sale price to go down, get them to give
> you cash back from the sale.

  I guess I should have been more explicit, I didn't mean for the
  sellers to actually fix the items. I meant for them to have the items
  fixed and the house then reinspected by either your or the
  professional again.

  Regards.


( ___ )------------------------------------------------------------( ___ )
 | / | Tom Vervaeke           Email:tom_vervaeke@hp0800.desk.hp.com | \ |
 | / | Technology Specialist  Snail: 1900 Garden of the Gods Rd.    | \ |
 | / | Hewlett Packard Co.           Colorado Springs, CO 80901     | \ |
 | / | Colorado Springs, CO   Voice    : 719-590-2133               | \ |
 | / | USA                    Fax      : 719-590-2117               | \ |
 | / |--------------------------------------------------------------| \ |
 | / | Quote of the week...                                         | \ |
 |___|           Quote deleted do to lack of creativity !!!         |___|
(_____)------------------------------------------------------------(_____)
   ^                                                                  ^
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: garyp@rmtc.paramax.com (Gary Palangian [RMTC/ISP])
Subject: Re: Dispute with Home Owners Assn - Advice Sought
Organization: Paramax Systems
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 23:47:18 GMT

In article <1993Jan21.200204.11629@netcom.com>, bsardis@netcom.com (Barry Sardis) writes:
|> I own a condo. I engaged a mangement company to locate a tenant.
|> This is the same company that manages the complex for the HOA. The
|> tenants have a dog and they keep it chained on the patio.
|> 
|> Some residents complained about the dog. The HOA CC&Rs do not allow
|> pets in the complex. There are lots of cats in the complex, roaming
|> free.
|> 
|> I have had conversations with the management company on the situation.
|> There have been some discussions and compromises. The management
|> company sends threatening letters and fines my account. I wrote a
|> letter asking for a dialog, but the next letter was more of the same
|> without even an acknowledgement of my letter.
|> 
|> I intend to speak directly to the board. There are numerous other
|> violations of the CC&Rs evident in the complex. I am not normally
|> one who makes waves.                                                     
|> 
|> What I want to know is do I have any legal recourse to get them to 
|> stop the harrassment? Can I take them to small claims court?
|> 
|> -- 
|> Barry Sardis		| Home:   (408) 448-1589
|> 1241 Laurie Avenue	| Office: (408) 448-7404
|> San Jose, CA 95125	| Fax:    (408) 448-7404
|> Email: bsardis@netcom.COM or 70105.1210@compuserve.COM

This is sickening...

You hire them to find a tenant.  They find a tenant who is
breaking the rules, and YOUR responsible?  I don't know about
the law, but I can't image a jury who would go against you.
I would seriously consider a civil proceeding.


Party On...


Gary P.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Hot water too hot
From: gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston)
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 93 19:47:54 CST
Organization: Garys' Home for Obsolete Computers

lowry@watson.ibm.com (Andy Lowry) writes:

> I live in a cooperative apartment building, and the hot water from the
> faucet is scaldingly hot.  This concerns me because I fear my 16
> month-old daughter will soon be able to reach and operate some
  [ ... ]
> I'm wondering whether anybody knows of any gizmo or technique that I
> could use to locally reduce the temperature of the water coming out of
> my faucets.  Of course we'll try to teach my daughter to understand

What you want is an "anti-scald faucet", which any worthwhile 
(i.e., real) plumbing supply house should be able to provide
you. It probably won't be cheap, but neither is a trip to the
emergency room with a scalded child. 

You might be able to swing a quantity deal with the rest of
the residents, getting a price break and perhaps installation
help. Worth asking, at least.

Gary Heston, at home....
gary@cdthq.uucp
From: fichtenbaum@desire.wright.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: condensation on windows
Date: 22 Jan 93 11:36:51 EST
Organization:  Wright State University 

We have a house that is about thirteen years old.  It has double hung
Andersen windows.  This year for the first time we are noticing significant
amounts of condensation on the windows each morning.  Although the
window frames are coated with a plastic covering I am afraid that eventually
they will be damaged by the condensation.  What is causing the condensation?
Does anyone have suggestions to reduce the condensation, short of replacing
the windows which is definitely out of the question.
From: jjj@mits.mdata.fi (Joni Jarvenkyla)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Address of Kohler (ltd? inc? who knows)?
Date: 27 Jan 93 18:43:15 GMT
Organization: Microdata Oy, Helsinki, Finland


Would somebody have the address of Kohler, the maker of bathtubs etc
accessories?

--
jjj@mits.mdata.fi | PGP 2.0 key available | PGP 2.0 avain saatavilla
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: james@wrs.com (James Moore)
Subject: Re: No Hot Water!
Reply-To: james@wrs.com
Organization: Wind River Systems
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 23:13:34 GMT

srsmart@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (susan r. smart) writes:

>How helpful would it be to insulate the hot water heater?  I've been
>considering this for my heater which is in my basement where I have the
>heating vents closed.

>Susan Smart srsmart@silver.ucs.indiana.edu

I'd make sure it's not already insulated, first.  Most (all?) modern hot
water heaters have insulation built into them.

If yours doesn't, I'd go ahead and do it.  How much can the insulating blanket
cost?  $20?  Seems like if there's even a small amount of heat loss you'll
get your money back pretty quickly in your utility bill.

-- 
James Moore                            /|\                        james@wrs.com
Wind River Systems                     \|/                  Alameda, California
	 "Half of what he said meant something else, and the other half
			  didn't mean anything at all"