HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ayers@lobster.micro.umn.edu (Timothy R. Ayers)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Tiled sidewalk
Date: 15 Apr 92 17:56:32 GMT
Article-I.D.: news2.1992Apr15.175632.1853
Organization: University of Minnesota

Seeing the recent discussion of brick sidewalks prompted me to ask a question
about tiling over a concrete walk. We have seen walks with Saltillo tile and
think they would look great, but we wonder if it would withstand the severe
winters we get.

We recently had a house built and the sidewalk has not been poured yet
(it is still too cold here in Minnesnowta) so if there are some warnings or
preparations we should be aware of it still isn't too late. :-)

Thank you for your help and suggestions or alternatives.
Hope you have a very nice day, :-)
tim
From: stern@rsdps.gsfc.nasa.gov (Trash to Trash communication)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: mice
Date: 6 Apr 92 18:48:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: rsdps.6APR199213484169
Organization: School of hard knockers
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1

I've been doing battle with a family (or two or three...) of mice for some 
time now.  I've tried mouse traps (occassionally catch a few. Last night I 
caught a mouse PAW!) poison (No evidence that it's worked) and a cheap sonic 
device (well, perhaps it might keep them away from the traps but if they're 
already "anchored" to the house I'm guessing this may only make their lives 
somewhat uncomfortable).

The problem is that they're living in the walls and between the floor and 
ceiling (split level design) thus setting traps there is difficult even if 
they did work. Interestingly enough, they appear to stay away from our food, 
that is, they don't appear to be doing much damage.  I do hear them scratching 
at what sounds like the plumbing system on a daily/nightly basis. If they 
didn't do this and I was assured that no harm would come to my house and its 
mechanical systems I'd just leave them alone. Being a light sleeper, I'm 
looking for other options.  Any suggestions?

Dave Stern

################################################################################
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#
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# INTERNET- STERN@NSINIC.GSFC.NASA.GOV
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# SNAILmail-Code 930.4   Bldg 28 Rm W205J
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#           Greenbelt, MD 20771
# Audio-    301-286-6079
################################################################################
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: rookard@dewey.udel.edu (Cathy Rookard)
Subject: Re: How Can I Stop My Dog from Digging Holes in our yard ?
Organization: University of Delaware, Newark
Distribution: misc
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 19:16:33 GMT

In article <1992Apr8.200958.26798@infonode.ingr.com> tan@infonode.ingr.com (Maribel Tan) writes:
>
>Now he find
>a new form of recreation : Digging Holes. We have just tilled and seed our
>yard. My husband dragged him to the holes he digged and spanked him on 
>his nose. He seems to have a so short-term memory to remember what is 
>WRONG.

>My professor told me that their dog does the same, and it is part
>of a dog's job description other than watching the house.
>
>Thank you very much.
>Maribel 

A point well-taken by a previous poster was that a punishment not administered
at the time of the infraction would not be effective.  The dog can't make the
association desired by the human.  I have two suggestions.

1)  Put a few coins in a soda can.  Watch for the dog to commit the offense
and shake the can really hard up close to the dog.  My sister, a dog-trainer,
uses this technique when she kennels dogs for obedience training.  The 
important part here is that the "punishment" occurs when the offense occurs.
Yes, this method requires that you be present when the dog is digging, but it
worked so quickly and so effectively for my sister that in less than a week,
the digging behavior was extinguished.

2)  Post your article to rec.pets.dogs.  I'm sure you'll get lots of
alternative inputs, one or more of which could be effective for you.

--Cathy
-- 
Cathy J Rookard
Univ of DE / Applied Science & Engineering Center
Internet: rookard@udel.edu
Phone:    (302) 651-6848
Xref: sparky misc.consumers.house:6079 misc.rural:1073
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house




I had the same problem, it was a small plastic spoon stuck deep in the toilet.
I discovered the spoon by removing the toilet from the floor , turning
it over and reaching inside. What a mess. If you go this way, be sure to
buy a new wax ring before starting the job. Also, plan on getting water all
over the place. 

fs
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: babs@jfwhome.FUNHOUSE.COM (Babs Woods)
Subject: portable washer coverter hoses?
Summary: converter kits needed
Keywords: converter hoses
Organization: Our Lady of Perpetual Mirth (Pacifica)
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1992 18:09:28 GMT



	(I realize I set this to 'world', but if anyone is from this
area and lives off-planet who knows the answer it'll be worth it.)
	
	We are currently in an apartment and have a clothes washer and 
a dish washer, both portable.  We would like to find converter kits for
these (because they both feed off the kitchen tap and it's adding a lot 
of wear and tear to the faucet, hooking them up and unhooking them every 
time we use them).  As our time is very limited these days, does anyone
have any advice as to where we should be able to find such kits?  Any
clues as to what to ask for by name, or is 'converter kits for portable
washer and dishwasher, models X and Y of [companies]' enough?

	Once we move to a house we'll buy non-portables, but that may be
some time, by the looks of things.

		thanks,

				-babs
-- 

"Excuse me, while I dance a little jig of despair."
	- hadley@ics.uci.edu (Tedd Hadley)
From: matth@progress.COM (Matthew J. Harper)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: how to remove wall paper glue
Date: 7 Apr 92 17:25:38 GMT
Article-I.D.: progress.1992Apr7.172538.23040
Organization: Progress Software Corp.


  I tried the usual methods:

  1) heat gun:  Yuck
  2) Rented a steam machine:  Again Yuck!
  3) Hot/warm water:  Yuck

  4) FAST wallpaper remover: YAAAAAAAAAYY!!!!!!!!!!!

  I found the above mentioned product (FAST) at Grossmans.  It's essentially
a wallpaper glue disolver.  You mix it with water and spray it on.  Let it sit a
few minutes and it comes right off.

  Everything but some of the glue, of course.  To get rid of this I put a
mixture of the FAST and water in one bucket, and an old towel and hot water in
another.  I then went through the process of using a stiff scrub brush to put
the stuff on and loosen the glue.  A few wipes with the towel (frequent rinses)
did the trick.


  Don't paint over the glue, whatever you do!  You'll most likely find that 
painted wallpaper glue has this amazing ability to refrain from *EVER* drying.
You can sand the glue off, but that's a bigger hassle than the stripper is.


  The stripper is, however, a toxic chemicle.  I haven't had any problems,  and
neither has anyone who has helped me.  However, you should be careful of the
fumes in tight places (like stairwells...).

  Without this stuff I may never finish stripping all the wallpaper the previous
owners put up in my house.

-Matth


  I don't own FAST.  I don't know anybody who works there.  I have no stock in
the company.  I will gain nothing from you buying or using the product.  I have
no responsibility to you if you buy it and misuse it...
--
          Matthew J. Harper ! Progress Software Corp. ! {disclaimer.i}         
   God created heaven and earth to grow barley and hops. Now he homebrews !-)
From: eric@milton.u.washington.edu (Eric Hirst)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Bustin' up concrete slabs
Date: 16 Apr 92 21:30:40 GMT
Organization: University of Washington

I'm planning to rent a jackhammer to take out about 300 square feet of
4" thick concrete slab in my girlfriend's backyard.  Since I won't be
taking everything out, I have started making cuts in the slabs (at the
future boundaries) with a circular saw and abrasive blades.  If anyone
has done this before, I have a few questions:

1.  How deep do I need to score the top of the slabs to get reasonably
clean breaks with the jackhammer?

2. If the slab turns out to be reinforced, will a small bolt cutter solve
the problem of separating the chunklets?

3. Any advice on disposing the chunklets and replacing with soil that I
won't get from a local sand & gravel & dirt company?

4. Are the hydraulic hammers better than the electric or pneumatic?

and, finally,

5. Is it better to start bustin' at around 5:30 AM on a Sunday morning,
or 11:30 PM on a Wednesday night?

Thanks in advance.

Eric Hirst
eric@milton.u.washington.edu
From: spikes@hpscit.sc.hp.com (Bill Spikes)
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 16:43:28 GMT
Subject: Re: Kitchen Remodeling: Need Advice getting started
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Santa Clara, CA
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house

You might want to think about installing a deep sink in your garage or
basement and buying a propane camp stove BEFORE you start anything. Also
make sure there is a plug with a circuit somewhere that will handle your
uwave oven besides near the kitchen. That way, you, wifey, and more importantly,
the punkins won't be in bad moods when things don't quite happen on 
schedule. Washing dinnerwear, pots and pans, and kids at the same time
in the same bathroom can be a an experiance! Great water fights, though.

If you feel comfortable with doing parts of the job yourself and are 
confident you understand building codes, do it! If you feel
like you need some help with some of the jobs, have a pro do it and
WATCH and LEARN from him. Think of it as though you are paying for
classes that you don't have time to take. Home tutoring. (pun intended)

I'm sure others on the net will tell you of the pitfalls and what to 
watch out for when hiring the work out.


Happy remod'g,

Bill

From: krause@hpindda.cup.hp.com (Mike Krause)
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 14:03:30 GMT
Subject: Re: Heat pumps
Organization: HP Information Networks, Cupertino, CA
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house

For the most part, where ever you are in this country, once you go down about
6-8" the ground temperature is the same 62-65 degrees.  Only in areas where
the ground stays frozen for many years is it probably colder.  If you want
such a system, they are much more economical than burning fuels or electricity
and the overall cost is lower.  The one thing to remember is they can only
get your home up to the temperature of the ground - which is sufficient for
many people.  If you want it warmer, then you need an alternative system, but,
then again, you don't waste as much energy going from 65-75 as opposed to
30-75.  Also, a heat pump may have a compressor attached to turn it into a
AC unit during the hot months.  I believe these systems are worthwhile
investments for most people.  I know of one person who got a government
aid package to help finance the purchase and installation of such a system.
I do know if these programs are still in effect but you should check them
out.
From: chrz@tellabs.com (Peter Chrzanowski)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: hollow-core door questions
Date: 10 Apr 92 22:50:44 GMT
Organization: Tellabs, Inc.

In article <1992Apr9.172539.9903@oswego.Oswego.EDU>, ostroff@Oswego.EDU (Boyd Ostroff) writes:
> In article <1992Apr8.203042.19242@stsci.edu> mryan@stsci.edu (Mary Ryan) writes:
> >
> >All my interior doors are hollow-core.
> 
> >I would also like to put some coat hooks on the inside of a closet door,
> >and put a mirror on the outside of one.  What kind of fasteners should I
> >use?
> 
> They make expanding fasteners for use in drywall and hollow core doors.
> You should be able to find them at any hardware store.  You drill a hole
> and insert them like so:
> 
> 
> 
>                FASTENER
>                 =======
> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX| |XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX DOOR SURFACE
>                   | |
>                   | |
>                   +++
> 
> 
> Then you tighten down the bolt, which collapses the part inside the door like
> so:
> 
> 
>                 =======
> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX| |XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
>                   / \
>                   \ /
>                   +++
> 
> After they have collapesed they will not fit back through the hole and
> hold tight to the door.  They are fine as long as you don't put a lot
> of weight on them (I put up towel racks and hooks in my bathroom years
> ago and they have not been a problem).

I attached some full-length mirrors to our hollow-core doors.  The mirrors 
are attached with glass clips screwed into the solid portions of the door.

The mirrors weigh about 30 lbs.



> 
> ..............................................................................
> .....Boyd Ostroff / Technical Director / SUNY Oswego Department of Theatre....
> ................Voice: (315) 341-2987 /  Fax: (315) 341-3394..................
> ...............ostroff@oswego.oswego.edu / ostroff@cboard.UUCP................
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: mschrank@mitre.org (Mike Schrank)
Subject: REQUEST: Sources for Bulk Hardware (nuts, bolts, screws, etc.)
Organization: The MITRE Corporation
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 1992 18:45:02 GMT


Hello all,

I'm running quite low of essential hardware (nuts, bolts, screws, nails, 
etc.) in my workshop and I'm getting tired of buying them in pkgs of 6, 8, 
12, etc. at the local hardware stores.  I always seem to be buying them 
in emergencies and I also know I'm getting ripped off.

I need some "good" (meaning reasonable cost and high quality) sources for 
buying hardware and fasteners in bulk quantities.  I'm hoping there are 
some mail order houses who provide such items.  Or if someone knows of 
sources local to the Washington, DC metro area (DC, Maryland, or northern 
Virginia) that I could go to in person.

Send any information via e-mail to: mschrank@mitre.org

Thanks for your help,

Mike Schrank
e-mail: mschrank@mitre.org
From: perley@trub.crd.ge.com (Donald P Perley)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Heat pumps
Date: 13 Apr 92 15:07:30 GMT
	<35960094@hpindda.cup.hp.com>
Organization: GE Corp. R & D, Schenectady, NY 12345

In article <35960094@hpindda.cup.hp.com> krause@hpindda.cup.hp.com (Mike Krause) writes:

MK= For the most part, where ever you are in this country, once you go
MK= down about 6-8" the ground temperature is the same 62-65 degrees.
MK= Only in areas where the ground stays frozen for many years is it
MK= probably colder.  If you want

Wrong. Where I am (near the intersection of NY, VT, and MA), the
ground freezes to 3 feet deep.  If you go down far enough (say, 8 feet)
then the temperature is about 55.  Neglecting volcanic effects,
the temperature will be roughly the average of the surface temperature
taken over a whole year, which will obviously vary a lot from one part
of the country to another.  

Another consideration is that if you are pumping 100 million BTU out
of a section of ground over the course of a winter, it will tend to 
run a bit colder than it would otherwise.

None the less, if the system is big enough, it will run cheaper than
an air to air heat pump.  As Chris Lewis pointed out, it would't be 
too good to drive a steam system with a heat pump because you lose
some efficiency with every degree of temperature difference.  You would
also lose the cooling capability.

-don perley
--
perley@trub.crd.ge.com
From: davidbu@loowit.wr.tek.com (David E. Buxton)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Septic system blues...
Keywords: septic new house
Date: 13 Apr 92 17:45:15 GMT
Distribution: usa

> He also said if this doesn't work (!), the 'fix' is to dig up the whole
> system and cart it to NY (with all the contaminated soil) and the build a
> new system from scratch.  Do to ledge rock in the backyard it would have to
> go into the side yard and possibly into the front yard...  This, he said,
> could be $20,000.

I don't know about old codes, but when we put in our drain field we had
to submit to the county a plan that showed where the drain field would
go and where the alternate would be in the event the primary plugged up
at some future date.  If you have a feasible alternative location, I'd
think that would save the cost of carting off the old leach field.

Dave
Xref: sparky misc.consumers.house:6177 misc.consumers:10293
From: rogerv@sco.COM (Roger Vortman)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Improvement Value Adds?
Date: Thu, 09 Apr 92 18:50:04 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.



>	We are trying to decide how to divvy out our home improvement 
>	budget. The current status is:

The magazine "Practical Homeowner" does an annual rundown of what specific
improvements cost versus their returns in specific parts of the country.
Most public libraries (that I know of) get this magazine.

What sticks in my mind is that energy upgrades and a general face-lift
for the interior of the house do well nearly always, everywhere.  The
other thing is that if you can do all or part of the labor, you can make
the return on most things be reasonable relative to the investment.

But do get their latest annual review of home improvements, it is 
always interesting.  And some things will show up that are counter to
your intuition, but do make sense when explained.

-Roger
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: jack@au-bon-pain.lcs.mit.edu (Jack Costanza)
Subject: Dumping a broker Success!!!!
Organization: MIT Lab for Computer Science, Cambridge, Mass.
Distribution: misc
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 20:15:43 GMT


First, thanks to everyone who replied. After sending a letter to 
the broker's office expressing my displeasure with his performance, I received
a release from all contractual agreements I had signed. All they have left
to do is take down their gold/brown sign. A lesson well learned.



					-jack
From: jbutterf@mal-s1.gatech.edu (Jill Butterfield)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: ANTS!!!!!!!! HELP!
Date: 10 Apr 92 15:17:37 GMT
Organization: Georgia Tech Res. Inst., Modeling & Analysis Lab

In article <1992Apr06.204302.24566@sco.COM> rogerv@sco.COM (Roger Vortman) writes:
>
>>I'm at my wit's end.  We have a door who's threshold has a bit of a gap.
>>There is a rubber flap on both sides of the door to keep the wind out, 
>>but it doesn't seem to keep the ants out. 
>
>>One final bit of interesting info... they die shortly after entering the 
>>house.  The was the case even BEFORE I started my chemical raid on them.

I had the same probem with ants and crickets -- they would coming in
and then die. I believe the problem was that they were dehydrating 
once they got in the house.

I tried everything I could think of to get rid of them. I now have
a pest control company come out once a month and spray the entire
house (in the cracks, along windowsills, edges of carpet, etc.). It
is the only thing that keeps my house bug-free.

You can do this yourself, though. Buy a professional sprayer and
professional strength bug spray and spray regularly. Around here
there are complete "do-it-yourself" pest control supply stores.

-jill
-- 
Jill Butterfield, Research Scientist       EMAIL: jbutterf@mal-s1.gatech.edu
Georgia Institute of Technology, GTRI Modeling and Analysis Lab
"Happiness is excitement that has found a settling down place..."
-E.L. Konigsburg, _From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler_
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: GFI question
From: gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston)
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 92 22:05:06 CDT
Organization: Garys' Home for Obsolete Computers

root@fincomp.raidernet.com (Neal McClain) writes:

> ronnie@cisco.com (Ronnie B. Kon) writes:
> >Remember that a GFI recepticle protects all recepticles further on the
> >circuit as well as itself.
> 
> It does?  Are you sure?  Somehow, this doesn't seem right to me.

He's right. They do work that way.

> Anyone care to comment?

Ahhhh.... It's the quarterly GFCI deluge, again....

Gary Heston, at home....
gary@cdthq.uucp
From: marks@ssdevo.enet.dec.com (Randy Marks)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Question about PRO and CONS of FHA versus CONVENTIONAL loan
Date: 13 Apr 92 14:40:10 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Digital Equipment Corp. - Colorado Springs


In article <122210005@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM>, sjb@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Stuart Bobb) writes...
>Clearly, FHA is a good deal for folks who are unable or don't wish to put
>much money down (<10%) or for those wishing to take advantage of the
>assumable nature when they sell.  For somebody with 10% or 15% down planning
>on keeping the house for a long time, an FHA loan is a bad move, IMHO.

There is an additional advantage to FHA (or VA) mortgages that
hasn't been mentioned yet.  You have the ability to do a
"streamlined" refinance if rates drop.  The advantage of the
streamlined refinance is that you don't incur the cost of an appraisal,
credit report or origination fee.
In my case, I refinanced my original FHA loan with very little money out
of my pocket.  Its fast, inexpensive and simple.  As rated drop, you can
repeatedly refinance without having to guess where the 'bottom' might be.
	Randy Marks
(UUCP)	                {decvax,ucbvax,allegra}!decwrl!ssdevo.enet!marks
(INTERNET)              marks@ssdevo.enet.dec.com
(domain-based INTERNET) marks%ssdevo.enet@decwrl.dec.com
..........................................................................
	"No man's life, liberty, or property is safe
	while the legislature is in session."
..........................................................................
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: aviva@ultra.com (Aviva Garrett)
Subject: Amtico Vinyl Floors
Reply-To: aviva@ultra.com ()
Organization: Ultra Network Technologies
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 92 16:26:21 GMT

Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles
Subject: Re: Foxfibre Fabric
Summary: 
Expires: 
Reply-To: aviva@ultra.com (Aviva Garrett)
Followup-To: 
Distribution: 
Organization: Ultra Network Technologies
Keywords: 

In article <92079.102631TACON019@ysub.ysu.edu> Fred Ullom <TACON019@ysub.ysu.edu> writes:
>I just got the Foxfibre samples. Has anybody actually bought any of this
>stuff? and made anything with it?
>
>It looks real nice BUT they want $32/lb for the brown and $50/lb for the
>green!
>
>For now, I think I'll stick with dyed yarn until the price drops to a
>reasonable level.
>
>I'm interested in knowing how these natural colors will hold up to fading
>from ultraviolet. I would think that the brown jeans that Levi is going to
>be marketing will be interesting. Since the color is throughout, I would
>think that they would not fade in the seams as dyed jeans do. What good
>are jeans that don't fade:-)
>
>-Fred
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Fred S. Ullom
>tacon019@ysub.ysu.edu
>Youngstown State University
>------------------------------------------------------------------------


Newsgroups: misc.house.consumers
Subject: Amtico Vinyl Floor Tiles
Expires: 
Reply-To: aviva@ultra.com ()
Followup-To: 
Distribution: world
Organization: Ultra Network Technologies
Keywords: 

My husband mentioned you had been discussing Amtico vinyl floor
tiles. I wrote to them and here are their US and UK addresses:

US:	Azrock Industries, Inc.
	P.O. Box 696060
	San Antonio, TX 78269
	(512) 558-6400   FAX: (512) 558-6614
	Contact Mr. Henry Montez

UK:	Amtico International Limited
	Kingfield Road
	Coventry CV6 5PL
	(0203) 665615   FAX: (0203) 637137   Telex: 311307


-- 
Aviva Garrett
Ultra Network Technologies / 101 Daggett Drive / San Jose CA 95134
aviva@ultra.com  ...!ames!ultra!aviva  (408) 922-0100