HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: paul@hsh.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,rec.autos
Subject: Re: AAA or US Auto Club
Date: 15 Dec 92 14:29:42 GMT
Distribution: misc
Organization: HSH Associates

In article <Byo749.JB9@access.digex.com>, tjones@access.digex.com (Tom Jones) writes:
> In article <SHAIG.92Dec1222347@shimshon.think.com>
> shaig@shimshon.think.com (Shai Guday) writes:
>> ...
>>Along with the card I received two mos. free membership to
>>the  US Auto Club.  Is anyone here familiar with the relative
>>merits of the auto club as compared to AAA?  Is it really worth
>>the $40 a year?
> 
> While I have never heard of the US Auto Club, I am a fairly satisfied
> AAA member for the past six years.
> 
[....]
> 
> AAA maps are first-rate (and free in nearly unlimited quantities to members).
> Their towing assistance plan is well worth the entire membership fee if
> you're planning on getting towed a long distance.
> 
> Most other auto clubs I've heard of give "discounts" on maps, and towing
> and service charge reduction.  Those Trip-Tik (TM) road-based strip maps
> are extremely handy on long drives.

I'd like to second that opinion.  I got AAA for my wife, who is tiny enough 
that she would have a real problem changing a flat.  It was cheap enough that 
I got a membership for me, too (I'm getting old & lazy).  The maps are
terrific, sure enough -- but what keeps me renewing was the huge savings I
realized when I had to get towed 40 miles once.  The savings more than paid
for two years' membership.  (The driver and I had plenty of time to discuss 
the matter :-)  

If US Auto Club has a *detailed* brochure, compare it w/ AAA's.  What are the 
towing discounts?  Other benefits?  Is there 24-hour support?  How many of
each outfit's offices are there in the areas you will likely travel through? 
Etc. It's the only way to make an informed decision.  One PRIMARY
consideration (for me) is the number of towing companies & mechanics they
have enrolled.  It would be foolish, IMO, to save ten bucks on the
membership, only to discover that when you need it, their tow truck is 70
miles away! 

------

Paul Havemann, VP        HSH Associates          (201) 838-3330 | 1-800-UPDATES
Internet: paul@hsh.com   Compuserve: 70410,3507  America On-Line: HSH Assoc
 "Any opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the company."
From: gove@radar.bu.edu (Alan Norwood Gove)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Electric Razors (Recommendations)
Date: 12 Dec 92 19:25:37 GMT
	<1992Nov25.140409.23655@erenj.com> <1f07amINN7k8@im4u.cs.utexas.edu>
	<1992Nov30.231303.13994@u.washington.edu>
	<1992Dec2.023858.11426@u.washington.edu> <18039@bcars664.bnr.ca>
Organization: Boston University Center for Adaptive Systems
In-reply-to: clippy@bnr.ca's message of 9 Dec 92 16:43:14 GMT

Is beard type an important factor in choosing an electric razor?

The people I know who use electric razors all seem to have thin,
sparse facial hair.  Many of them don't need to shave every day,
either.

So, to rephrase my question, Are electric razors advisable for people
with thick, dense facial hair?  If so, what are the best models for
these people?

Thanks,
alan
From: mlustig@stein.u.washington.edu (Mitch Lustig)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Financial software
Date: 13 Dec 92 00:52:45 GMT
Article-I.D.: u.1992Dec13.005245.10253
Organization: University of Washington

jimh@pacdata.com (Jim Harkins) writes:

>I'm thinking of getting my dad a financial package for christmas.  Do any
>of you have any opinions on whats out there?  I seem to think Andrew Tobias
>is good, while I understand lots of people like Quicken.  My parents are
>both retired, solidly middle class, have no plans to start a business.  All
>they need is something to manage stock portfolios, social security, taxes,
>and all that other baffling BS.  Oops, I should mention he's got a PC
--------------------------

Quicken, Quicken, Quicken.

It was designed for computer idiots, like me.  Cant go wrong.  Besides, its
much cheaper than MYM.

Mitch
From: zornow@hpcc01.corp.hp.com (Claudia Zornow)
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 01:11:24 GMT
Subject: Re: Thanks - re: Is Santa Clara Worth it?
Organization: HP SSD R & D
Newsgroups: misc.consumers

I believe that the CA state income tax is either 9.3% or 11%
depending on your salary; I don't know where the dividing line
is.  Mortgage interest and other standard federal deductions
are deductible.

Claudia
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: johne@PROBLEM_WITH_INEWS_GATEWAY_FILE (John Eaton)
Subject: Re: Circuit Breaker Question
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 21:26:50 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Hewlett-Packard VCD
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5

Michael J. Edelman (mje@pookie.pass.wayne.edu) wrote:
: 
: My panel is divided into two sections. The bus is interrupted halfway down, with 
: the lower half fed off a 60/60 breaker on the upper half.
: 
: -------------------------
Is this one of those boxes where the only way to kill the power is to yank
the meter?  Go ahead and replace it now. I had one where the contacts to 
the "60/60" breaker overheated and failed. It was not fun.


The only useful function that these boxes serve is the alert the buyer
that the builder probably cut a lot of corners. 




John Eaton
!hp-vcd!johne





Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com (patterson,george r)
Subject: Re: I hear water dripping behind my fireplace, is this a problem?
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 92 22:57:06 GMT

In article <1992Dec11.171505.22285@eng.umd.edu> naiming@eng.umd.edu (Naiming Shen) writes:
>
>We bought our house(new house) half a year ago. The house has a pre-
>engineered fireplace. When there is heavy rain, I can hear there is
>water dripping behind the fireplace(I mean behind the metal structure
>of the fireplace). My questions are:

>is this normal?

No.

>will the water damage my house?

Yes.

>should the builder be responsible for this if this is a serious problem?

Either the builder or the roofer. Sounds like the flashing wasn't properly
installed 'round the chimney. This may be a quick fix.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | 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: hooper@gw.wmich.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: LP gas logs
Date: 14 Dec 92 11:28:22 EST
Organization: Western Michigan University

I'm thinking off installing LP gas logs in my fireplace, the
installer says that the logs need to be cleaned after 8 hours
or so because LP gas is so sooty.  Has anyone heard or
experienced this?

I don't see a lot of soot around my stove or my LP gas grill.

Jim Hooper
Western Michigan Univ.
Hooper@gw.wmich.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,rec.food.cooking
From: macrakis@osf.org (Stavros Macrakis)
Subject: Re: Is a convection oven worth the cost ??
Organization: OSF Research Institute
Date: 16 Dec 92 14:09:45

In article <1992Dec16.160553.8802@pwa-b.uucp> miorelli@pwa-b.uucp (BoB Miorelli) writes:

   ...Jennair also sells a combination bake/convection oven.  I know
   what a regular bake oven is, I know all about microwave ovens, but
   I'm not really up on the pros/cons of a convection oven.  My
   limited understanding is that they circulate the heat and cook MUCH
   faster than a regular oven....

Convection (forced convection, to be precise) ovens circulate the hot
air with a fan.  They cook somewhat faster than conventional (natural
convection) ovens, but the main advantage is that the heat is much
more even.  Not only are all sides of the food cooked evenly, but you
can put more things in the oven without blocking air flow, and you can
leave less space between food and the oven walls (mitigating the
smaller cavity size).

Convection ovens are especially useful for baking and for reheating
baked goods (reheating bread in a microwave gives mush, reheating in a
conventional oven usually gives one burned side), but also do a good
job on roasts.  At low temperature settings, they're good for
dehydrating.

There are a couple of models of stand-alone convection ovens, such as
the Farberware (about $200).  There are combined microwave-convection
ovens, such as the Sharp 7A82 (which I own) (I got it on sale for
$250, but apparently that was a one-shot deal, and the best normal
price is about $330).  In France, there is a convection toaster-oven
selling for about $100--it is much more versatile than a regular
toaster-oven--but I haven't seen anything like that in the US.  The
main problem with the countertop models is that they are limited to
15A.  The main problem with the built-in models is that they are very
expensive.

I like convection ovens a lot.

	-s
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: manes@magpie.nycenet.edu (Steve Manes)
Subject: Re: Closing on the newly built home - need check list
Organization: Manes and Associates, NYC
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 18:08:03 GMT
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL7]

alexg@austin.ibm.com wrote:
: 
: Consider getting a professional building inspector. Should not cost
: more than $150-200 but you'll learn a lot about your future home.
: At least his unbiased and not as excited as you are.

Good point, but also be careful about picking a good home inspector.
Many of them are hacks with marginal construction experience and
licenses secured by political and/or family ties.  A successful home
inspector can earn up six figures an need only prove marginal
competence in some locales to qualify for a license.

Because I didn't know the area I bought in I hired a home inspector
pretty much at random and I got what I paid for.  While fiddling
around with a thermostat device in an upstairs bedroom, which the
inspector thought controlled a heat zone, he set off the central
station low-temperature warning alarm.  Closer inspection clearly
showed a Westec Telephonic Security label on the cover.  In the
days following final walk-through, lots more stuff was found that
the inspector missed, including a fairly serious moisture leak
around a fireplace (hidden by furniture during the inspection),
outside spotlights that don't work and BX wiring used in a damp,
exterior application.  Because I signed off a hold-harmless on
the final walkthrough based mainly upon the inspection report
those repairs are on me now.  So be careful in who you use for
a home inspector, and don't trust him anyway.

Don't ask your real estate agent for a home inspector referral
because some kick back referral fees to the agent ('nuff said
there).
-- 
Stephen Manes					   manes@magpie.nycenet.edu
Manes and Associates/Commontech-NoHo		   New York, NY, USA  =o&>o
From: kayshav_dattatri@taligent.com (Kayshav Dattatri)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: HoneyWell Programmable Thermostat
Date: 17 Dec 92 20:52:02 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Taligent

I went around looking for these programmable thermostats with digital readouts.
The local Home Depot and other sell a Honeywell-34 (base model is CT-3400)
for about $90. This has four time setting and weekday/weekend programs

Then there is the professional version Honeywell-ChronoTherm-III (T8600-D111).
These units cost about $160 and are mostly sold to contractors.

So, what's the difference between the TWO?

When I called Honeywell, all she could tell me was that "there wasn't much 
difference except for the appearance"

I'm at loss to understand the price difference. If they are the same why 
should the professional version cost twice as much.

I remember someone posting the difference between the commercial and the
professional model but haven't saved the articel.

Would someone enlighten me?

Thanks
From: ken@wybbs.mi.org (Ken Jongsma)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: big antenna in suburban area
Date: 15 Dec 92 14:17:43 GMT
Reply-To: jongsma@benzie.si.com
Organization: Smiths Industries

shawn@grok90.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM (Shawn Shealy) writes:

>I need to buy a directional VHF&UHF house antenna for 
>a suburban area.  I want to be able to receive as many channels as possible.
>I have noticed that the antenna sizes are rated by ranges
>(25 miles, 60 miles, etc.) and location (urban, suburban, rural, fringe,
>deep fringe).

>Even though I am in a suburban area and can get some stations with a
>simple wire antenna, I was thinking about getting the big deep fringe
>antenna in hopes that I would receive more stations.

>Any comments?  Will I get too much?  Will this actually cause any
>reception problems (i.e. overloading)?

My understanding is that the longer range antennas work by "squishing"
the circular zone of reception. I don't think you'll need to worry about
overloading the TV unless you are right under the transmitter.

What you probably will need is a rotor to optimize the antenna direction
for each station...


>Thanks in advance!
>-shawn   :-)
-- 
Ken Jongsma                                     jongsma@benzie.si.com
Smiths Industries                                    ken@wybbs.mi.org 
Grand Rapids, Michigan                      73115.1041@compuserve.com
From: cab@col.hp.com (Chris Best)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Bulging Basement Wall
Date: 15 Dec 1992 17:37:05 GMT
Organization: your service
NNTP-Posting-Host: hpctdke.col.hp.com

> We have a runoff problem with the whole street, sidewalk and even a
> parking lot draining into our front yard and (yes) down to the front of
> the house. I'm working on getting the city to deal with this (we just
> bought the house) but in the meantime I see that the block is starting
> to bulge out about 3 feet below ground level in the basement.

----------

If the city springs for storm sewers or whatever, it's possible
they're admitting guilt.  Maybe then you can make them do the 
wall repairs.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: macrakis@osf.org (Stavros Macrakis)
Subject: Re: Air valves for steam radiators
Organization: OSF Research Institute
	<1992Dec17.220450.25392@mlb.semi.harris.com>
Distribution: usa
Date: 17 Dec 92 19:04:40

In article <1992Dec17.220450.25392@mlb.semi.harris.com> peters@rastaban.rtp.semi.harris.com (Steve Peters x678) writes:

   ...my house... has a single pipe low pressure steam system....
   [which] seems to work pretty well.  The air-purge valves on the
   radiators all look very old, and are not adjustable (at least not
   in any obvious way).  How do these buggers work?  Where can I buy
   replacements?  Many of them hiss long after the system has reached
   operating temperature, and my guess is I'm loosing a good bit of
   steam because of this.

Air valves let out air when the radiator is filling with steam.  They
should not let steam out.  Water should never reach them; if it does,
something is wrong with your system.  The hissing sound is normal.

If your valves let out steam or don't let out air at all, it is time
to replace them; their normal lifetime is several (3-7?) years.  This
is easy.  You turn off the boiler, and let the system settle.  Then
you unscrew the valve, and screw in a new one, using Teflon tape on
the threads.  Valves can be bought at plumbing supply houses.  Around
here, most hardware stores carry them as well.  Adjustable valves
control the speed at which air is let out, and thus the rate at which
steam is let in.  Some have a screwdriver slot on the top, others have
a plastic knob on the bottom, others have a circumferential slider on
the side.  At my local hardware store, the best model costs about $15;
presumably they cost less at plumbing supply places.

   One more thing..  As I began using the system I began draining a
   small bucket of water from the boiler daily.  I have been amazed at
   the amount of rust in the drained water.  After a few weeks it
   seems better, but how much is normal?

Since the system is usually plumbed with cast iron pipe, lots of rust
is not unusual.  Bleeding from time to time probably helps reduce the
amount of crud, but you won't completely get rid of it.  If you really
want a shock, take a look at the cut cross-section of a pipe sometime.
It is not unusual for a 2" pipe to have only a 1/2" clear passage --
the rest is scale....

   How often should the rust be drained from the bottom of the boiler?
   My fear is that I perpetuate the situation by introducing fresh
   oxygenated water when I replace the purged water.

I don't have an informed opinion on this, but I would say: if it ain't
broke, don't fix it i.e. don't drain it.  Or at least space your
draining intervals so the color of the water gets noticeably darker
between drainings.

	-s

PS  You may have noticed my posting asking for info about problems
with MY steam system.  Well, I still haven't been able to fix it, but
at least the above is pretty much correct....
From: mengel@dcdmwm.fnal.gov (Marc Mengel)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Builder from Hell
Date: 15 Dec 1992 16:20:28 GMT
Organization: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia IL
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: dcdmwm.fnal.gov
Keywords: lawyer

--------

In article <1992Dec09.155808.10018@i88.isc.com>, jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist) writes:
|> In article <1992Dec8.215142.16953@linus.mitre.org> jdouglas@MITRE.org (Jason Douglas) writes:
|> >
|> >
|> >>From: djc@aps.anl.gov (Dan Ciarlette)
|> >>Subject: Builder from hell
|> >Something is wrong here and I THINK you have some persuasive leverage 
|> >(assuming the builder wants to sell to you - i.e. he can't sell it for 
|> >more than you paid).  Once your approval expires, aren't you free to walk 
|> >away with your deposit?  Isn't it in the builder's interest to finish on 
|> >time?  It sounds like they will, as there is another month to go, but it 
|> >would be prudent to schedule the closing.    
|> 
|> Gotta be _very_ careful here.  Maybe time to get the attorney involved.

Definitely time to get the attorney involved, I went through this and got
the run around for weeks before getting a date.  I ended up going to a
lawyer the day after I thought the closing was going to be.

Although one thing you might try first; find out who the title company is
who is working with the builder, and ask *them* when the closing is.  That
will get you the real date.

-------
Marc Mengel
mengel@fnal.fnal.gov
From: LARRY@THEORY.PHYS.VIRGINIA.EDU (Larry Suddarth)
Subject: Re: T1-11  What is it?
Organization: DEPT. OF PHYSICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 17:39:14 GMT
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.23

In <3506@voodoo.UUCP> howie@voodoo.boeing.com writes:

> Just curious.  Anybody know about this for siding.  How good is it?
> 
> 					thanks,
> --
> 				       howie              
> 
> 				       howie@voodoo.boeing.com

It is probably O.K. for some construction around the house such as enclosing
a carport or building an out-building, but you should be aware that it is
"very" porous.  Seal it well as soon as you use it or it will soak up rain/
moisture like a sponge.





Larry T. Suddarth			larry@virginia.edu
University of Virginia			
Physics Department			I alone am responsible for the contents
McCormick Road				of my postings and mailings.
Charlottesville, VA 22901
(804)924-6784
From: af905@yfn.ysu.edu (Ed Shanks)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: staining pine vs staining lauan
Date: 17 Dec 92 15:00:30 GMT
Organization: Youngstown State University/Youngstown Free-Net


Mike Killoran asks:
>How does one choose what to apply to bare wood? I just bought
>a house and I'm planning on adding some interior molding. There
>seems to be quite a number of 'wood finishes'...What are the
>guidelines

Are you looking for a stain to match new wood with existing trim?

I would stop somewhere where houses are being built and ask one
of the people who work with the stuff all the time. They know
right off the top of their head (usually) that if you have
Merrilat (sp?) cabinets of medium oak finish and you want to
stain your baseboards and window trim to match you get a good
match with Minwax's Fruitwood. At least the fellow who installed
the cabinets in my new kitchen (I think they're medium oak, or
maybe dark) told me to buy the fruitwood, and it matches very
well. Obviously, the grain isn't the same as the oak, but I
couldn't afford oak anyway! :-)

-- 
        Ed Shanks      af905@yfn.ysu.edu
"Whattaya mean I'll be cut off in 5 minutes? I just got started!"
From: pkosidow@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Paul G Kosidowski)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: ANTS! Helllllllllllllllp!!!
Date: 17 Dec 1992 20:35:50 GMT
Organization: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Distribution: usa
Reply-To: pkosidow@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4
Originator: pkosidow@csd4.csd.uwm.edu

From article <1992Dec17.183708.7849@cbnewsm.cb.att.com>, by mks@cbnewsm.cb.att.com (manishkumar.sharma):
> We have recently noticed ants in several rooms of our house. THese are the
> black variety about 1/8" in length. We sprayed an ant&roach killer which
> keeps them out for a couple of days, but they return, especially at night,
> so that we see several of them crawling around in the morning. Our
> kitchen is usually spotless, so there is no food remnants for them and so
> is our carpet.
> 
You might have carpenter ants, in which case I wouldn't fool around with them
call an exterminator and have them evaluate the situation.... Carpenter ants
feed on food, but their presence means that there is wet rotting wood
somewhere in the structure. They are very difficult to get rid of if they 
have nested in the structure of the house (in an exterior wall). We had
carpenters when we moved into our house, and we made the mistake of cancelling
the pest control contract, they were back within months. They are nocturnal, and
they usually are most visible when the weather is getting cool (fall or 
spring up north, I'm not sure about where you are).  Call around to get 
different pest control estimates, though. The first one we had didn't treat
it correctly, and the second one did a great job. We haven't seen on in months.
But a full treatment, can be expensive. An initial treatment of $300 or more
(to spray INSIDE all your exterior walls) and at least $25 per month for a year
after...to keep them from coming back. Good Luck!

Paul Kosidowski
Milwaukee
From: rickt@rmtc.unisys.com (Rick Thompson [RMTC/ISP])
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Hardwood Floor
Date: 21 Dec 92 01:34:23 GMT
Organization: Paramax Systems


-- 
Rick Thompson
Rocky Mountain Technical Center


Hello everyone,

I'm about to (for the first time) put in hardwood floors.  My wife and I just
bought a house that was built in 1907 and the room I'm currently working in
needs the floor replaced.  Currently it has 3.25" oak flooring and each piece
spans the room which is approx. 20 feet.  The flooring is nailed directly to the
studs.  I'm going to replace it with random length flooring so I need to put
plywood down.  Now, finally, for the questions.  Before and after putting down
the plywood is there anything you would recommend?  For example, sound absorbtion
material, vapor barrior etc.  Is there an advantage to using red oak rather than
white oak or visa-versa.  I plan on using #2 wood, should I use #1 and if so what
advantage is there?  That's all for now.  I'm sure as I move ahead I'll have more
questions.


Thanks,

Rick    rickt@rmtc.paramax.com