HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: sullivan@alw.nih.gov (Jim Sullivan)
Subject: Re: Mice
Organization: National Inst. of Health, DCRT, CSL
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1992 19:05:02 GMT

|> 
|> >    We have a mouse problem in our house in Vermont. We've used 'DeCon' and
|> >found a few dead mice. Are we going to have to keep this up forever ?
|> >
|> >    This house is not occupied very often, so I was wondering if I could
|> >do something to discourage them from living in the house? The easiest
|> >is a very load alarm system which could go off a few times a day when
|> >we are not there. Would this do any good?

It might startle them.. and the neighbors... but they will eventually
ignore it or just hunker down until it's over.  Once in the house, it
is tough to get them to leave without killing them.
|> >
|> >    Poison seems a bit brutal and results in smelly bodies. Cats are
|> >not practical as we're not there enough.
|> >
|> >    Any 'natural' ideas would be appreciated.

We had a bunch of mice just appear this spring in our house.  I killed them
all off with traps.  It took a week and I caught seven.  I was wondering
how they appeared so fast since I was sure they were not there before.  I
carefully listened in the walls and found they were living ONLY on the
side of the house where the kitchen is.  I also began getting an influx
of earwigs (ugly annoying little gross brown bugs... uck!) and they were also 
comming in the house on the same side as the kitchen.  I assumed there must
be a few holes in the exterior of the house letting the bugs enter but when I
went out with a caulk gun in hand, I found big (1" or larger) holes which mice
could enter through.  I spent a weekend and 10 tubes of caulk filling up every
hole I could find.  Even the really small ones.  I now have NO bugs or mice 
(so far).  You might want to do the same.  Basically, tighten up the house
to make it difficult for the mice to enter.  Another idea would be to clear
away any brush from the house.  Mice hate to be out in the open (owls love 
to catch them) and any cover near your house means they can take their time
finding a way in.

Hope this helps...
-- 
Jim Sullivan 		[ The future ain't what it used to be ]
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD 20892
Phone: (301) 496-5362
FAX: (301) 402-2867
Internet: sullivan@alw.nih.gov
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: macrakis@osf.org (Stavros Macrakis)
Subject: Re: wood floor or carpet?
Organization: OSF Research Institute
Distribution: na
Date: 27 Aug 92 11:43:08

In article <696@aardvark.Rain.COM> shawn@Aardvark.Rain.COM (Shawn Allen) writes:

   ...carpet throughout the living space... but underneath...  is a
   hardwood floor (oak, maybe?)  ... do we remove the carpet and
   refinish the woodfloor OR do we replace the carpet?

The most important thing is to determine the quality and condition of
the wood floor.  Be sure it is really hardwood (softwood is often used
for floors that were originally intended to be carpeted).  Refinished
softwood can look good (although more rustic than hardwood), but won't
hold up as well over time.

Now check what the carpet installation did to the floor.  Wherever
there is a nail, there is a good chance you'll have a permanent black
stain, even after sanding.  If the carpet was glued down, check how
easy it is to remove the glue.

Now you need to decide whether you need to refinish the floor or not
(it may suffice just to clean and wax it).  If you do refinish it,
consider `screening' as opposed to `sanding'.  Screening is a very
light sanding which removes built-up crud and some irregularity, but
does NOT sand off the patina and the deeper damage.  I think it
actually looks better, if the floor is not in really poor condition.

It is of course perfectly possible to sand and refinish a floor
oneself.  However, doing a good job is a finicky operation.  First of
all, you have to avoid mishandling the drum sander (very easy to do)
and getting gouges in the floor.  Second, you have to do the edges and
corners meticulously.  Third, you have to get every bit of dust off
the floor and adjacent surfaces.  Finally, you have to apply the poly
(that's pretty easy).  Each of these steps is associated with both
know-how and capital equipment -- our floor refinisher even had a
special-purpose back-carried vacuum with very fine filtering.

So I'd go with the professional refinisher (get recommendations, don't
just go with the first one you find in the Yellow Pages).

	-s
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Insulation Under Extension
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 92 20:12:56 GMT

In article <24342@oasys.dt.navy.mil> dresser@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Debra Dresser) writes:

>We have a basement under our house with a family room off the back that
>has a crawl space under it.  We bought the house new, with a HOW warranty.
>We've just noticed that there is no insulation under the floor in the
>room.  This might explain the chill in that room in the winter.
>
>My questions are these:
>     What kind, if any, insulation should we use in the crawl space?

The easiest thing to install is batt or roll insulation. My only experience
has been with fibreglass. This should be thin enough to fit up between the
joists. Six inches is sufficient. It can be held in place with any of a
variety of methods. For example, there are spring steel wires commercially
available that are the proper length to be wedged between normally spaced
joists. The insulation is held in place and these wires installed between
the joist to hold it up. 

Another method is to nail up chicken wire. The method I've used is to drive
tacks into the joists and run thin wire back and forth between them.

>     Does some sort of a barrier need to be put over the insulation
>to protect it?

Yes and no. You need a vapor barrier between the insulation and the floor
(this comes as part of roll insulation), but you don't need anything between
the insulation and the crawl space. My parents had FG installed in their
crawl space about 15 years ago, and so far there have been no problems.

>     Would something like this be covered under a warranty?  I would
>contact the builder, but he is bankrupt and out of business.

Probably not. Normally warranties cover only code violations or defective
work. I believe you'll find that insulation is not required by your local
code.

One suggestion. In many areas of the country the local utility company
either will install insulation cheaply or can refer you to a good installer.
TVA, for example, handles installation in Tennessee. PSE&G will provide
referals here. You can save a lot this way.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | [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: drmax@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Marianna Max)
Subject: Re: Possible gas leak?
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston Illinois.
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 20:17:38 GMT

In article <HOLLEN.92Sep1122908@peg.megatek.UUCP> hollen@megatek.UUCP (Dion Hollenbeck) writes:
>
>I don't know about where you live, but here, we are told to call the
>gas company.  If you call them about a gas leak they will be out
>within the hour and bring a sniffer.  They don't fool around about gas
>leaks.  If it is found that you do have a leak, they will shut off
>the gas and you will have to get a plumber to fix it, but they will
>diagnose for free, and they have the right sniffers to do it.
>
Gas company did this for free for me too and they put a temporary seal on
the offending joint so that my gas didn't have to be shut off at the time. 
They used a grey looking putty.My landlord fixed it at his convinience 
(and mine) by calling the gas company and having the gas shut off. 

My understanding is that natural gas has to be at the "right" mix with air
(I remember 15%) in order to ignite so a gas leak is not necessarily by itself
immediately dangerous but its certainly worth checking on.

Anyone know about the above statement for sure?
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: sunshine@convex.com (Roger Sunshine)
Subject: Re: carpenter ant
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 14:11:14 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Engineering, CONVEX Computer Corp., Richardson, Tx., USA
Keywords: Ant
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by a user at CONVEX Computer
              Corp. The opinions expressed are those of the user and
              not necessarily those of CONVEX.

In <1992Aug25.165614.2798@porthos.cc.bellcore.com> patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie) writes:

>In article <391@yak.COM> clg2521@yak.COM (Cindy Guo) writes:
>>Hi
>>
>>I am sorry to bring up this subject again. 
>>
>>What does carpenter ants look like ? Can I ignore them if they don't get to inside of the house ? How can I get rid of them ? Any information would be appreciated.

>Carpenter ants are black. They are most often seen in two sizes, one about
>1/8" long and the other about 1/4" long. Larger ones are sometimes seen.
>You cannot ignore them because they (like just about anything else) reproduce
>and multiply. When the colony gets too big, they send out scouts and some
>of the colony moves. Maybe into your house.

If they are indeed only black, does anyone know what these red and
black (black abdomen, read head and thorax) ants are that are living in
my kitchen wall?  They certainly seem to be some form of carpenter ant
as I see "sawdust" lying around on the window seal (not much, but enough
to be annoying).  I had one exterminator out previously and they implied
that they were carpenter ants.  Assuming they are, how much should a
treatment cost?

Thanks, Roger
--
----------------
Internet:   sunshine@convex.com
UUCP:       ...!uunet!convex!sunshine
ATTNET:     (214)497-4779
From: shawn@Aardvark.Rain.COM (Shawn Allen)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: wood floor or carpet?
Date: 26 Aug 92 20:11:57 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Steve's UNIX System, Portland, Oregon


Hello fellow netters, 

I/we have a dillema, we are buying a house that presently has a carpet
throughout the living space. (LR, MBR, 2BR, hall.) but underneath the
carpet is a hardwood floor (oak, maybe?)  The question we have is do we
remove the carpet and refinish the woodfloor OR do we replace the
carpet? I understand that this is more of a subjective problem, but it
would help to refer to someone who has had this type of experience
before. What are the chances of the woodfloor being trashed? How do you
find out (any easy tricks?) How much should it cost to have the floor
refinished? HOw hard is it to refinish it yourself? Do the marks from
the carpet strips show very much and what is the best way to deal with
them?


8-)

Any help/advise/experiences would be helpful.

T. I. A.

shawn

-- 
shawn@aardvark.rain.com                     |"The number of UNIX
"I'm with the government, I'm here to help!"|machines has grown to 10
"The God I believe in                       |with more expected." 
isn't short of cash, MISTER!!" -Bono        | -The UNIX manual, *1972*
From: pstryjew@Central.Sun.COM (Pete Stryjewski)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Vertical Blinds won't turn
Date: 3 Sep 92 15:09:50 GMT
Reply-To: pstryjew@Central.Sun.COM


We have just purchased a new (to us) house.  There are vertical blinds in
several rooms.  In one room the blinds will open/close along the width
of the window, but the "slats" will only turn about 15degrees from being 
closed.  Since this is my first experience with vertical blinds, I may be
missing something obvious (especially since both sets that wont work are
in the same room.


Any Ideas?

Pete Stryjewski
pstryjew@colsun.Central.Sun.COM
From: greg@netcom.com (Greg Bullough)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Eletric dryer - running but not drying
Date: 1 Sep 92 17:08:11 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest)

In article <1992Aug31.225525.9895@desktalk.desktalk.com> eric@desktalk.com writes:
>In article 24358@oasys.dt.navy.mil, diprosp@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Michael DiProspero) writes:
>>I recently purchased a home in which the washer/dryer combo was included
>>by the previous homeowner.  Everything was fine for about a month -
>>but a couple of days ago when I tried to dry a load of clothes the
>>dryer kept on running and running, but never got hot.  The dryer is
>>a Kenmore and electric (I forget the model number).  Does anyone have
>>any ideas what might be causing this?  Thanks.
>>
>>Mike
>
>
>The heat element/coil has probaly burnt out.

Many 220 volt dryers use a 110 motor, which only uses one side of the
two lines. If one of the circuit breakers pops, and the other doesn't
(quite possible with dual breakers) you can get this symptom.
 
If it's not that, there are two sensors in the back of the dryer. One
is the over-temp sensor, which if it pops, will cut out the heating
element for good. Another is one which controls when the dryer thinks
it's done. If the dryer just keeps running, the over-temp sensor may
have gone south. Reasons for that could be a dead heating element (shorted),
or some defect in the venting system which is causing an obstruction.
This electrical layout applies to MOST Kenmore dryers, and some other 
brands. 
 
Or the element may be dead.
 
If you're good with a VOM, you can figure it out. If not, call an appliance
guy.
 
Greg
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: sasbge@ant.unx.sas.com (Gantt Edmiston)
Subject: ??'s on Electric Water Heater Thermostat Settings
Originator: sasbge@ant.unx.sas.com
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 17:19:49 GMT
Reply-To: sasbge@ant.unx.sas.com
Organization: SAS Institute Inc.



Hi, I need some net-wisdom.  I've got a (brand new) water heater
with dual electric elements.  One's in the top third of the tank and the
other's in the bottom third of the tank.  The problem I have is trying
to properly set the temperature of each element.  The main reason I am
messing with this at all, is that the water was coming out
at about 150 degrees F.  Dangerous, especially for my 3 1/2 year old
who loves to draw his own bath water.  I have turned both elements
down to 120 degrees and the output *is* much better.

The question is this:  Should I set both elements to the same (acceptable)
temperature?  Or should there be some differential of some small amount
to compensate for the position of each element in the tank.  Since hot
water rises to the top of the tank, I thought that I would raise the upper
element to about 125 and thus make it run a bit longer to assist the 
lower element in getting the cooler water in the bottom up to the 
correct temp.

What am I missing here (in this logic)?  Any plumbers out there?

Thanks for the consideration.


-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gantt Edmiston - SysAdmin       |If you always do what you have always done, 
SAS Institute Inc.              |you'll always get what you've always gotten!
Quality Assurance - V416        +--------------------------------------------
Cary NC 27513 919-677-8000 x6091|          sasbge@ant.unx.sas.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: walker@eplrx7.es.duPont.com (Scott Walker)
Subject: New Construction Thievery
Organization: DuPont Central Research & Development
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 14:00:06 GMT

We are about to settle on a new construction townhome, and on Monday
night, someone came in and stole our stove.  It had to be an inside job,
as there were no signs of forced entry, and there are only 2 doors wide
enough to take out the stove.  I was wondering if any of you out there
have experienced similar incidents.  From what I understand, this is a
very common thing among new construction sites.  Contractors are given
keys which can open up most, if not all, of the houses in the development,
so the access is easy.  I don't know what precautions can be taken before
settlement, but if this was something that would have pushed back 
settlement, I would be very upset with the builder for not taking more
secure measures.


******************************************************
Scott C. Walker
walkersc@esvax.dnet.dupont.com

+++The few opinions I express are not the opinions of my employer.
"What's settled down?  Settled down is you get married and then you buy a
house.  You can get a wood house, a plaster house or a stucco house.  
Oh, how you can get stucco!"  - David Lee Roth, on Rockline, stolen
from Groucho Marx.
******************************************************
From: hmoss@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com (Howard Moss)
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1992 00:06:19 GMT
Subject: new house thermostat needed
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Santa Rosa, CA
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house

It looks like I better replace my automatic thermostat in my house.
This is the kind that lets you set a lower temperature for a set amount
of hours (by turning a dial that has hour increments written on it) and
then goes to the warmer temperature after that time. The dial keeps 
sticking and not moving (the ticking stops). Anybody with strong
likes/dislikes for the ones on the market these days?

Thanks,
Howard Moss
hmoss@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: sbarnhar@mailbox.mail.umn.edu (Dr. Barnhart)
Subject: Re: suggested weapons (was: Killing burglars.)
Followup-To: misc.consumers.house
Organization: U of Mn Propoganda Ministry
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 14:01:01 GMT

In article <mjc.714864001@NL.CS.CMU.EDU>, mjc+@cs.cmu.edu (Monica Cellio)
wrote:
> 
> >1. shoot to kill to avoid lawsuits.
> >2. use a calibre large enough to take out a big hunk of meat, but not too
> >   large that a missed shot will pentrate walls and kill neighbors.
> >3. keep club soda handy to clean up spilled blood and circumvent stains.
> 
> So, what specific weapons and ammo do you folks recommend for home 
> protection?  Assume it's for an adult with no previous firearms experience
> (bows and crossbows aside) and a willingness to learn.  (Of course, no weapon
> gets into my house under *my* power before I've been properly trained with 
> it.)  Goals are to maximize effectiveness (shooting to wound is stupid) while 
> minimizing both risk to others (pass-through on walls) and property damage.
> 
> I would have sent email, but I suspect there are others who would like to
> know.  I am not being sarcastic.

I've had this conversation with some police officers I know, and they have
been fairly unanimous in recommending a 12 guage shotgun with the shortest
legal barrel length, no choke, and loaded with #4 magnums.  (One of the
officers jokingly recommended loading with a light charge and some rock
salt, then finishing with a baseball bat.  Your personal level of sadism
may vary.)

They recommend this over a handgun because it is terribly lethal at any
in-house range; the shot won't pass between walls with enough power to
seriously hurt strangers/loved ones in the next room/apartment; you just
won't miss.

Not missing is *critically* important.  Many people spend plenty of time on
the range with their handguns, but it'd be nice if defending your home at 3
AM was as easy as hitting a transitional taget down a well-lit shooting
lane with all the time in the world.  Your house is dark/poorly lit, you've
just woken up and aren't even sure that the sounds you're hearing are a
prowler.  Could be the cat, your kid going to the bathroom, the wind, or
your imagination.

By the time you finally realize there's a prowler in the house, your heart
is racing so fast you can hear it pounding in your ears and there's a cold
sweat breaking out.  Now tell me how well you can aim stumbling around the
corner in your underwear to hit a moving and likely armed target with a
handgun?

With a shotgun, even a novice shooter can quickly learn to hit a 6" clay
target flying through the air much faster than even Carl Lewis can run, and
at ranges much farther than any open area in a house.  This means that it's
highly likely that you'll hit & kill the scumbag in your house, even though
the light's dim, you're scared out of your wits, and the guy's running for
it.  Which is the idea in the first place, right?

Shawn Barnhart ! sbarnhar@mailbox.mail.umn.edu
I'm not selling out, I'm buying in.
From: coop@sybase.com (John Cooper)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: How do I get rid of ants that avoid traps?
Date: 25 Aug 92 05:05:00 GMT
Reply-To: coop@sybase.com (John Cooper)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Sybase, Inc.

We have little black ants in our house that seem oblivious to the ant traps
we bought in the supermarket.  Since the ants won't go in the traps, I'd like
some advice on an alternative way to get rid of them.  I am not a regular
reader of this news group, so please e-mail responses.

Thanks,
--
John Cooper                               | My opinions, may not be employer's.
Sybase, Inc.                              |
                                          | "If you don't like the news go out
sybase!coop@sun.com                       | and make some of your own."
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: drand@spinner.osf.org (Douglas Rand)
Subject: Re: Possible gas leak?
Organization: Open Software Foundation
Date: 1 Sep 92 13:19:19

In article <1992Sep1.144855.2685@primerd.prime.com> mguyott@eriador.prime.com (M. Guyott) writes:

   ...
   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.

Call the gas company.  They should be very willing to investigate
it.  They are definitely not in favor of explosions.  

--
Douglas S. Rand <drand@osf.org>		OSF/Motif Dev.
Snail:         11 Cambridge Center,  Cambridge,  MA  02142
Disclaimer:    I don't know if OSF agrees with me... let's vote on it.
Amateur Radio: KC1KJ
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: richg@hatch.socal.com (Rich Greenberg)
Subject: Re: Telephone Outlets
Organization: Hatch Usenet and E-mail.  Playa del Rey, CA
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 04:14:21 GMT

In article <1992Aug26.131409.9708@uoft02.utoledo.edu> cscon0151@uoft02.utoledo.edu writes:

[Discussion of cordless phone scrambling]

>Could any person with knowledge about 'frequency inversion' or 'spread
>spectrum technology' explain these 'scrambling' techniques to me via Email?

Frequency inversion:  _Simplified_
A fairly simple modulation-dmodulation technique converts each audio
frequency to a different one.  For example, 3000Hz is converted to 100Hz,
and 100Hz is converted to 300Hz.  2000Hz -> 1100Hz, 1000Hz -> 2100Hz etc
The algorith is fo = 3100-fi.
At the far end, this processed is reversed.

Spread Spectrum  _Very Simplified_:
At intervals, the radio transmitter stops transmitting at f(n) and
starts transmitting at f(n+1).  The frequencies are selected by a
psuedo-random function, with both the transmitter and the receiver
using the same pseudo-random series.  The frequencies are shifted
several times per second.  (Not sure, but many (or very many) times
a second may be a better wording.)
-- 
                
Rich Greenberg - N6LRT - 310-649-0238 - richg@hatch.socal.com