HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Hanging a heavy cabinet
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 92 15:38:02 GMT

In article <3862@ecicrl.ocunix.on.ca> clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis) writes:

>Your five possibilities all strengthen the wall side, what you need to
>do is provide a strong support on the cabinet itself.
>
>One way is to fasten strips to the back of the cabinet.  Say, 1x3.  They
>should be screwed into whatever "real wood" they cross on the back
>of the cabinets - eg: the back edges of the sides, shelves (if they're
>permanently fastened to the cabinet).  The screws should be at least
>2 inches into the cabinet.....

<procedure deleted>

As Chris says, this results in the cabinet being set out from the wall.
If this is undesireable, see if you can attach a 1x3 or 1x2 to the inside
top of the back. If one will fit there, you can drill through the sides of
the cabinet into the 1x3 and glue in dowels, or secure it with large (12d
or bigger) finishing nails driven through the sides. Also apply wood
glue to the joint between this piece and the plywood back. Then hang it
the way Chris suggested.

If you look inside any overhead kitchen cabinet, you'll see a piece such
as I described. You want to do the same.

patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | "Under Consideration": We never heard of it.
George Patterson -  | "Under Active Consideration": We're searching the
                    |    files for it.
                    |         Kelvin Throop - The Management Dictionary
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: hester@hplvec.LVLD.HP.COM (Bob Hester)
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 16:34:16 GMT
Subject: Re: Playground rubber mat?
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Co., Loveland, CO
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house




> I am looking for soft and durable to put under
> my daughter's outdoor swing set.  I vaguely
> remember someone posting a question on getting
> the black rubber-like mats a while back but I
> don't recall seeing an answer.  Can someone
> please post the information again?
>
> I would be interested in other alternatives
> (we had already eliminate using pebbles and
> sand).


	I saw something different about a month ago. The grade school where
my boy attends did some changes to the playground. One thing they did was to 
add a large sand box type structure. They put some playground equipment to 
play in the box and then filled the box with a shreded rubber. It was a kick 
to play in (I'm still a kid at heart), the shread rubber was really 
spongie(sp). I don't know if the shredded rubber  was some type of recycled 
material, how much it cost, or where to get it.

Bob Hester


Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Tree Climbing
From: gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston)
Date: Wed, 07 Oct 92 19:40:29 CDT
Organization: Garys' Home for Obsolete Computers

gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston) writes:

> egreen@east.sun.com (Ed Green - Pixel Cruncher) writes:
> 
> > Where can I get those spikes you strap on your boots, to climb
> > telephone poles and pine trees?  Is there a mail-order supply for
> > lumberjack type stuff?  I haven't been able to find anything local, but
> > if somebody can point me to a place in the Raleigh/Durham area, I'd
> > appreciate it.
> 
> A major electrical or telephone supply house should have them, or
> be able to order them. Don't expect them to be cheap, though.

After reading the rest of m.c.h, it occurs to me that there's a 
cheap and easy-to-find solution to your need, which you may even
be able to borrow. Ever hear of a "self-climbing deer stand"? It's
a platform contraption used by deer hunters, which is designed 
to climb up and down trees, just like this. If you have to buy one,
it might cost $40, and should be available at places like Wal-Mart.
The whole idea for it is to avoid climbing and then pulling gear 
up; you just hang the thing on the tree, step on, and start going.

Be careful, anyway. We don't need to lose any regular posters....

Gary Heston, at home....
gary@cdthq.uucp
From: smb@ulysses.att.com (Steven Bellovin)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Surge Protectors no good if no ground?
Date: 16 Oct 92 01:28:17 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories

In article <1992Oct15.200051.10438@SSD.intel.com>, brad@ssd.intel.com (Brad Rullman) writes:
> Someone stated in another article that a surge suppressor won't work
> if the outlet it is plugged into is not grounded.  Is this true?
> 
> I use a surge protector on my stereo.  All of my stereo components
> have only a 2-prong plug.  They are all plugged into the surge protector,
> the 3-pronged plug of which is plugged into a "2-prong" outlet via an
> adapter plug.

It all depends on whether or not the adapter is doing any good.  If the
outlet box is grounded, and the adapter is installed properly (i.e.,
with the screw attached), you're probably fine.  If the box isn't
grounded, it's probably not doing much good.  The easiest way to tell
is to buy a $5 outlet tester.  Or, if you know what you're doing, a VOM
will work, too.
From: ec@fc.hp.com (Edgar_Circenis)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Our house has a polterpuddle
Date: 13 Oct 92 17:31:04 GMT
Article-I.D.: fc.Bw2Lzs.CuF
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Fort Collins Site
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1.4 PL6]

Jonathan E. Quist (jeq@i88.isc.com) wrote:
> In article <1992Oct12.213919.846465@locus.com> aardvark@locus.com (Warren Usui) writes:
> >One bathroom in our recently purchased house (40 years old) has an
> >interesting phenomenon.  Every so often, a puddle mysteriously appears
> >in the middle of the floor.  There are no signs of leaking plumbing, no
> >signs of seepage, and no signs of water condensing off of anything.  We
> >would clean up the puddle and the floor will remain bone dry until the
> >puddle mysteriously appears days later.  Sometimes the puddle will happen
> >one hour after we last checked and found the spot to be dry.
> 
> Is it under an exhaust fan vent?  If so, does it happen mainly in cool
> weather, or year round?  (My parents have a serious condensation problem
> in their bathroom vent during cold weather, which is why I ask...)

I had this exact same problem in my house and it was directly under the
bathroom ventilation fan.  So, I climbed up into the attic and looked around.
It turned out that the vent pipe went up vertically from the fan, then
turned horizontal, started sloping downward, and once again turned upward
to exit through the roof.  In other words, it had a low spot.

In cold weather (espeically when running a humidifier), condensation would
collect in the low spot in the pipe until it ran into the ventilation fan
housing and dripped from the ceiling.

I "fixed" the problem by making sure the vent pipe didn't have a low spot
where water could collect.  Haven't had a problem since then.

Edgar
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Can't Stand the Heat in the Kitchen
From: gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston)
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 92 18:45:15 CDT
Organization: Garys' Home for Obsolete Computers

tedb@hpcvra.cv.hp.com (Ted Beers) writes:

>     In our house under construction, the heating people have placed the
>     combined exhaust ductwork for our 80% efficiency gas furnace and gas
>     water heater up through one corner of the pantry, like so:

Call the inspection department; I think you'll find that it's a code 
violation to combine exhaust ducts from different gas appliances.

Have it fixed, before things progress much further.

Gary Heston, at home....
gary@cdthq.uucp
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: ran@cbnews.cb.att.com (Robert A. Neinast)
Subject: Re: Mysterious Hole
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 11:58:33 GMT

In article <1992Oct12.223555.27263@porthos.cc.bellcore.com>, stacey@prefect.uucp (24462-lebitz) writes:
> I have recently discovered a large, 5'x5'x5' square hole that is lined with
> cinder blocks in my front lawn about 10' from my house 
> that apparantly has been covered by wood and grass.
> Recently, the wood and grass have failed leading to the discovery
> of said hole.  Obviously this is a person-made hole.

> We are wondering what this hole is for.

Sorry, neither of your theories is correct.  I used to live in
Middletown, NJ, and discovered the same problem you had, and my
neighbor, who had lived there for over 20 years, told me the history.

What you have there is a "dry well".  It is a remnant of the sewage
system your house had before it got hooked up to city (or township)
sewers.  The black water (from toilets and such) went to the leach
field, but gray water (especially the outfall from the clothes washer)
went to the dry well to be absorbed into the ground (that's why
the hole is so big--for the contents of a few loads of wash).

Ours was covered with the steel bars they use in reinforced concrete,
then dirt and grass.  When the bars finally rusted through, the
whole thing collapsed.  Fortunately for me, I was remodeling my
kitchen at the time, so I just threw everything in the hole
(yes, including the kitchen sink).  It also made a great place
to throw grass clippings.

Bob
-- 
                                                                  _
". . . and shun the frumious Bandersnatch."                 Nipetlahuini.
Robert Neinast (ran@cblpo.att.com)
AT&T-Bell Labs
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: gary@iphase.uucp (Gary Kidwell)
Subject: Re: Replacing bad heating element in hw heater
Organization: Interphase Corp.
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 23:43:40 GMT

In article <11007@sun13.scri.fsu.edu> nall@sun8.scri.fsu.edu (John Nall) writes:
>Do any of you do-it-yourselfers happen to know whether or not
>it is feasible to conemplate replacing a bad heating coil in a hot
>water heater?  (Feasible in the sense that the old one can be
>taken out, a replacement can easily be purchased, and this
>sort of thing occurs on a routine basis).
>
>As a "for example," replacing a bad heating element for an
>electric stove is a normal thing.  Is the same thing true for
>a hot water heater?

Sure, the element is at the bottom of the tank. You can even replace it
without draining the water first. How? First turn off the power to the
heater at the box. Then open the valve at the top
of the tank and close it again. Then replace your element. Only a small
amount of water will come out. It's like a straw with water in it and
your finger on top. 

Electric elements in water heaters go out quite often. You can extend
the life by draining your tank once a year, which drains out the sediments
that shorten the life of the element.


gary@iphase.com
-- 
Gary Kidwell
gary@iphase.com
From: cnorman@weber.ucsd.edu (Cyndi Norman)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Hanging a heavy cabinet
Date: 7 Oct 1992 22:54:04 GMT
Organization: U.C.S.D. Department of Communication
NNTP-Posting-Host: weber.ucsd.edu

In article <3862@ecicrl.ocunix.on.ca> clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris
Lewis) writes:

Thank you for your suggestions.

>You don't mention how thick the plywood back is or how it's connected to the
>rest of the cabinet.  It's often only 1/4" thick, and you can't trust it
>at all to bear weight.  Especially if tacked on with 3/4" finishing nails.

You are correct...I forgot.  The plywood is 1/4" and seems to be tacked on
with finishing nails (length unknown) every 4" on all four sides.  It seems
strong though...

Someone else has recommended (by email) using L-shaped brackets on top and
bottom in addition to securing the plywood to the wall.  I will also keep
your suggestions in mind.

Thanks,
-- 
__________________________________________________________________________
"There's nothing wrong with me.  Maybe there's                Cyndi Norman
something wrong with the universe." (ST:TNG)         cnorman@ucsd (bitnet)
______________________________________________ cnorman@ucsd.edu (internet)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: urquhart@mprgate.mpr.ca (Gord Urquhart)
Subject: Re: Tree Climbing: SUMMARY
Organization: MPR Teltech Ltd., Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 92 23:46:40 GMT

In article <1betv5INNs4c@sixgun.East.Sun.COM>, egreen@east.sun.com (Ed Green - Pixel Cruncher) writes:
|> >Dear tree hugger, 
|> 
|> Ouch!  I've certainly never been called THAT before!  :^)
|> 
|> >I recall watching the lumberjacks topping trees using
|> >your technique and I always wondered what would happen if the tree split,
|> >rather than broke, while they were hugging (and belted to) the piece below
|> >the cut. 
|> 
|> I've never seen a tree split from a chainsaw cut.  
|> 

 I think "widow makers" is the term fallers use for trees that split as they are 
 being cut. It does'nt happen often that a tree splits as it is cut with a chainsaw
 but it does happen. What makes the splitting dangerous is the tree tends to split 
 from the cut up which results in a new pivot point for the tree to twist from resulting
 in the tree falling in unpredictable and uncontrollable ways.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: davel@booboo.SanDiego.NCR.COM (David Lord)
Subject: Re: Inspection report ==> how many $ back?
Reply-To: davel@booboo.SanDiego.NCR.COM (David Lord)
Organization: NCR Corporation, Rancho Bernardo
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 22:47:34 GMT

OK, I've received a little heat on my response on this subject
in which I stated that people like the original poster disgusted
me. Yes, as some people point out, I'm quite easily disgusted,
however because of the harsh tone of my article a number of people,
who responded so politely themselves :-), really didn't pay attention
to what I was pointing out. Also it was obvious that some hadn't
read the original article I was responding to. So here's my point,
if you disagree, so be it, Actually it's easiest just to quote
my reply to one especially obnoxious individual who will go unnamed here:

> I'm not sure why I am taking the time to reply to this, since it
> is so full of unreasoned baloney.  Did you just sell a house and
> feel that the buyer ripped you off or something?  Anyway...

(Author goes on to describe in great detail his experience of
buying a house in which the inspection found serious faults and
misrepresentations by the seller. Author also goes on to insult
me frequently and liberally).

My reply:

   I would say the same for your response. The items found in your
   inspection were of a totally different order than those that the
   original poster was complaining about. He was complaining because
   his inspection found out that the house, the roof, and the appliances
   were "old". Everything was in perfect working order but the inspector
   said that they might fail in a couple of years. Well if you haven't
   noticed, new houses command higher prices than old houses. Why?
   Because they are new, the roof is new, the paint is new, the
   appliances are new. The way I interpret the original poster's
   posting is that he wants to walk on on a deal because his inspector
   told him that this 40 year old house isn't in "like new" condition.
   I am disgusted because he outbid a competing buyer, who's probably
   already bought another house, and now he wants to back out or lower
   his price based on the fact that the house is old, something he
   damn well should have known to start with. If on the other hand
   the inspection had shown that the roof leaked, the septic system
   didn't work, the plumbing was shot, or any other serious conditions
   then he should definitely have nogotiated repairs.


So I come from a background where I expect people to negotiate deals
honestly and in good faith. OK I recognize that not everbody deals
that way and that is part of what the inspection is to find out. For
all you people who feel that it should be a negotiating tool to
help you lower the contracted price even when no real problems are
found, well just remember, "What goes around, comes around."
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Uh-Oh! My Formica is De-laminating! What Can I Do?
Date: 10 Oct 92 14:50:01 GMT
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ

In article <1992Oct10.142458.17379@cbfsb.cb.att.com> sbrenner@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (scott.d.brenner) writes:
>Last week, I inadvertently left something on my kitchen counter
>that caused a puddle of water to form and sit all day long.  When
>I got home, I saw the spill and wiped it up.  Several days later,
>I discovered that about 10 inches of the Formica started to delaminate 
>at the edge.  It didn't separate completely, but the top surface 
>looks like it pulled away from the base just enough (maybe a few
>millimeters) for me to see the glue that's holding everything together.
>
>Is there anything I can do to get the Formica back to the way it was
>short of ripping of the whole top piece and redoing the surface?
>I don't know if there's perhaps a solvent I could squirt under the top
>surface to dissolve it, and then squirt some new glue in.

Normally plastic laminate is installed with contact cement, but contact
cement isn't water soluble. Sounds like the three stooges may have done
your kitchen. If the glue is water soluble, then you might try steaming
the edge. If the work was properly done in the first place, lacquer
thinner disolves contact cement.

Before you do anything else, though, try this. Set your clothes iron on
medium or higher heat, place a paper towel or a piece of thin cotton 
on the countertop, and try to reactivate the glue. Keep the iron moving
in small circles, working from the sound section of plastic out. Work
each section (the area you cover with one of your circles) for about
ten or fifteen seconds. If this does the trick, be careful of hot items
on this thing.

patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | Try to live your life so that you wouldn't be
George Patterson -  | afraid to sell the family parrot to the town
                    | gossip.
                    |                            Will Rogers
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: tjs4525@hertz.njit.edu (Theodore Stites)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: WANTED: Interior Latex Paint Recommendation
Date: 12 Oct 92 18:36:38 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, N.J.
Originator: tjs4525@hertz.njit.edu

Hello,

I am about to undertake a major repainting of most 
of the rooms in my house and would like some net style
advice on what is the best interior latex paint.

Anyone have any good or bad experiences? 

			Thanks in advance,

				Ted Stites
				tstites@attmail.com
                                tjs4525@hertz.njit.edu
From: johne@PROBLEM_WITH_INEWS_GATEWAY_FILE (John Eaton)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Our house has a polterpuddle
Date: 14 Oct 92 02:02:05 GMT
Article-I.D.: vcd.Bw39nH.CDG
Organization: Hewlett-Packard VCD
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5

Warren Usui (aardvark@locus.com) wrote:
: The best explaination I can come up with is that we have a polterpuddle.
: Our phone book does not list anybody who specializes in plumbing and 
: exorcisms.
:
-------------------
One trick that works is to place a large sheet of alumimum foil over the
suspected area. If moisture shows up on top you have a leak/condenstion/
humidity problem. If moisture shows up on the bottom then you have a 
seepage problem.

John Eaton
!hp-vcd!johne
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: kendell@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (daniel.w.kendell)
Subject: programmable thermostats
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 20:28:42 GMT
Keywords: bad feature?


When we got a programmable thermostat, we thought it was pretty 
straight forward and just picked one.  The one I picked(I don't 
remember what it was - a couple of years ago) had a terrible side
affect.  When you turned it off(the position between heat & cool)
it was totally off - dead, powered down, you lost the program 
you'd put in it.  When you turned it back on you had to reprogram 
it.  It must have been from some big HVAC company, used to 
hermetically sealed buildings; we like to turn off the air/heat 
whenever we can and open the house.  We ended up with a Hunter 
which works fine when we use it.

I have the same problem with "set-the-temprature-once-let-the-
heating-and-AC-take-over" cars, don't people ever want to feel 
the wind in thier hair anymore?  You also can't get fresh air
unles you have the fan running - sorry wrong news group.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: DEHP@calvin.edu (Phil de Haan)
Subject: Re: High Efficient Furnace Question
Organization: Calvin College
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 19:14:08 GMT

In article <1992Oct8.201120.9237@dg-rtp.dg.com> eliot@chutney.rtp.dg.com (Topher Eliot) writes:
>|> I have a new Lennnox Pulse (93%).  It's great except for two things:

>|> 2. Condensation- You need a way to get rid of the condensation from
>|> the combusion chamber.
>I think it's pretty safe to say that the difference between 80% and 90% is
>that condensation of the vapor produced during combustion.  However, even
>my old 80% got some condensation in the 'chimney' (a 3" plastic pipe) that
>of course drained back towards the furnace and had to be disposed of.  In
>my case I just had a tube running to a drain, so it wasn't a problem.
>Bottom line:  condensation is not exclusive to Lennox.  You'll have it for
>sure in any 90% furnace, and quite likely in any 80%.

>-- 
>Topher Eliot             Data General DG/UX Systems Administration Development
>(919) 248-6371                                             eliot@dg-rtp.dg.com
>Obviously, I speak for myself, not for DG.
>misc.consumers.house archivist.  Send mail to house-archive@dg-rtp.dg.com
>"To arms, to arms!  The redcoats are coming!
>One arm, one arm, the fatcoats are coming!"    -- Tommy, age 4.

I just bought a 92% Payne furnace and it's true, high-efficiency furnaces do 
produce more vapor condensation.  But . . . whoever does the installation 
for you also should put in a condensation drain pump which will (as the name 
suggests) take the condensed vapor away from your furnace to either a floor 
drain or the outside of your house.  Every estimate we had for a 90% or 
higher furnace included this pump, which should take care of all your 
worries.

Ask about it.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Phil de Haan (DoD #0578)            +     We find comfort among those who
Calvin College:  Home of the 1992   +       agree with us -- growth among
NCAA III men's hoops champions      +    those who don't.  Frank A. Clark
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: hwt@bcarh11a.BNR.CA (Henry Troup)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Installing deadbolts in steel doors
Date: 9 Oct 92 12:53:16 GMT
Reply-To: Henry.Troup@BNR.CA
Distribution: world
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd., Ottawa, Canada

In article <ZTPZRB1w161w@cdthq.UUCP>, gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston) writes:
|>Ah yes, deadbolts. Just installed four of them (two houses) a month
|>or so ago. Slow going; took about 2.5 hours per lock. Most of the

Which is why I used vertical travel deadbolts.  These mount on the
inside with much less mortising.  They're arguably less secure because
of that, but still pretty solid.
                                               
Henry Troup - H.Troup@BNR.CA (Canada) - BNR owns but does not share my opinions
From: uxgisd@ritvax.isc.rit.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: water stains in cieling
Date: 14 Oct 92 20:51:58 GMT
Article-I.D.: ultb.1992Oct14.205158.9383
Reply-To: uxgisd@ritvax.isc.rit.edu
Organization: Rochester Institute of Technology

I saw this mentioned not to long ago, but didnt save it ;-).
Our toilet is leaking (oh no!)  I figure we will get that taken care of 
shortly, (very shortly).  Meanwhile, our living room cieling ( that we just
painted) has water stains!  I know that regular paint will not cover the 
water stains.  Can someone please tell me the name of a product that will
cover water stains?  Is there a paint that can do this, or do you have to
make this a 2 step process?

Thanks,
Ursula
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house