HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: thompson@forsyth.wsnc.org
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: cablevision distortion on splitter
Date: 8 Oct 92 14:51:18 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Forsyth County, Winston-Salem  NC

In article <13144@limey>, sheriffp@Software.Mitel.COM (Peter Sheriff) writes:
> 
>    I also have a lot of interference and am using a splitter. Would it be 
> better if I got one of those amplified splitters. Would there be any
> danger of overloading the input to the television with such a device?
> 
>                                Pete
-- 
It probably would be better if you got an amplifier and put it inline before
the splitter, or alternatively simply purchased an amplified splitter. Most
of them I've seen only offer 10-20dB of amplification which shouldn't over-
load your TV's.  If you have a problem with too high a signal level, simply
stop by Radio Shack and pick up some 6dB attenuators.  These are little in-
line devices that sit between the cable and your TV and reduce the signal
6dB each.  Also, while you're at Radio Shack, pick up some terminators for
the unused outputs of your splitter.  They're about $1.19 for a pack of two
and are simply a 75 ohm 1 or 2 watt resistor on an F-connector.  They serve
as a dummy load to prevent the ghosting and echoes that result from the 
gross impedance mismatch that occurs at an unused connector.

____________________________________________________________________________
Robert Bruce Thompson                thompson@ledger.forsyth.wsnc.org
Forsyth County MIS Department        (919) 727-2597 x3012
Winston-Salem, North Carolina USA    (919) 727-2020 (FAX)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: prange@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Henry Prange)
Subject: Re: why don't we live in prefab concrete houses?
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 14:43:46 GMT

Wood is probably still cheap and plentiful enough here. When I visited Israel
recently, it was clear that most of the new construction was prefab concrete.
It seems that, in addition to the thermal advantage of massive walls in the
desert areas, the cost and shortage of wood there make it most practical.

Just as we will probably not see many electric cars until petroleum is 
really exhausted, so too, we will continue to build houses with wood as long
as it is so plentifully available.

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: prange@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Henry Prange)
Subject: Re: Tree Climbing: SUMMARY
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 14:08:43 GMT

Dear tree hugger, 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. Not a pretty sight, I would guess. The thought has always been 
enough to keep me from trying it. Maybe you were lucky?
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: gws@n8emr.cmhnet.org (Gary Sanders)
Subject: Box your AC
Organization: HAM BBS, 614-895-2553 (1200/2400/v.32/pep)
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 92 01:58:13 GMT


	Its starting to cool down a bit here in central Ohio. 
The leaves are turning and doubt if I will need to turn on 
my AC till next year.  House has whole house air with outside 
fan/condensor box.

	I have noticed that several of my neighbors have placed 
plywood boxes around the AC units. I was not sure what function 
this box serves. Is there a need to cover an AC unit? any other 
task I need to worry about with the AC unit?
-- 
Gary W. Sanders gws@n8emr.cmhnet.org, 72277,1325
N8EMR @ N8JYV (ip addr) 44.70.0.1 [Ohio AMPR address coordinator]
HAM BBS 614-895-2553 (1200/2400/V.32/PEP) Voice: 614-895-2552 (eves/weekends)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Help, cant remove faucets.
From: gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston)
Date: Tue, 06 Oct 92 18:47:00 CDT
Organization: Garys' Home for Obsolete Computers

joel@ecse.rpi.edu (Joel Glickman) writes:

> I noticed there was an earlier thread on this topic, but it has expired.
> I am trying to replace the washers on a worn-out tub faucet. I remove the
> center screw holding the faucet handle to the post, but the facuet handle
> will not come off.. I've tried prying, but rather than removing the facuet,
> I find that I'm bending the post and cracking the handle near where it is
> connected to the post.. I assume that it has corroded or rusted to the post.
> Does anyone have any suggestions for getting this thing off. It seems like
> my only recourse is the break it off and hope that I can get all the pieces
> off the post..

First, squirt penetrating oil (Liquid Wrench, or similar) into the 
screw hole. Then, get a longer screw (preferrably with a Phillips
head), run that into the hole, and use an automotive gear puller
on it. The screw will give it something to push against, and the
Phillips head will help the puller center properly.

(I've never understood why so many faucets have this problem;
it'd be relatively trivial to come up with a better design, or
a minor expense to make the handle from better material.)

Gary Heston, at home....
gary@cdthq.uucp
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: staffan@ca.serum.kodak.com (Kenneth Staffan (x37507))
Subject: Re: Asko appliances?
Organization: Clinical Products Division, Eastman Kodak Company
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 18:01:11 GMT

In article <JONATHAN.92Oct7223437@speedy.cs.pitt.edu> jonathan@cs.pitt.edu (Jonathan Eunice) writes:
>In thumbing through a "kitchen and bathroom sourcebook" (actually,
>lots of ads bound and sold for $30), I found an ad for Asko clothes
>washers and dryers.  They're said to be stackable, very
>water-efficient, very quiet, and sturdy.  Apparently they're of
>Swedish design.  Of course, this was an ad, which is expected to say
>good things about the product.  But they do look interesting.  Does
>anyone own or have experience with this brand?

There was just a discussion of these here a few weeks ago.  In case no
one else reponds to you - we're saving our money for possibly buying them
:-) - they're pretty expensive!  You should be able to get more info from
a dealer in your area.  One thing to be aware of - the washer runs on 
220V (as does the dryer, but then most electric dryers do). 

Ken
---
staffan@serum.kodak.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: cliff@buster.stafford.tx.us (Cliff Tomplait)
Subject: Re: Giving a house back to the bank!
Organization: Buster irby
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 18:42:17 GMT

mpalmer@encore.com (Mike Palmer) writes:
>A friend of mine in Oklahoma has been trying to sell his house for a couple
>of years with no luck.  The value is not much more than what he owes the bank 
>on it.  What happens if he just stops paying the mortgage?  How does this
>affect his credit rating etc.

Generally, the lender will foreclose on the loan.  Your friend will "lose"
the property to the noteholder.

The foreclosure will appear on your friend's credit history for 7 years.  Will
likely make credit purchases a bit more difficult.

The lender will likely file with the IRS (forgiven debt) for the outstanding
balance of the loan at the time of foreclosure.  (your friend now has a VERY
good year of income to pay taxes on)

The property will likely be sold at public auction for an amount less than
that owed on it.  Your frield MIGHT be able to lower the IRS screw to the
difference between the selling price and the reported amount.  Don't hold
your breath on this point.

Maybe he should re-examine his options and approaches.


Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: marks@ssdevo.enet.dec.com (Randy Marks)
Subject: Re: Tree Climbing
Organization: Digital Equipment Corp. - Colorado Springs
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 17:39:58 GMT


In article <1as0snINNpc9@sixgun.East.Sun.COM>, 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.

Hunters sometimes use such apparatus to get into their tree stands.
I think I've seen them advertised in mailorder catalogs such as
Gander Mountain.  You might also find them at hunting/sporting good stores

	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."
..........................................................................
Xref: sparky misc.consumers.house:13478 tx.general:743
From: swisher@cs.utexas.edu (Janet M. Swisher)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,tx.general
Subject: Re: Book on Texas lawns?
Date: 14 Oct 1992 12:30:33 -0500
Organization: CS Dept, University of Texas at Austin
Distribution: tx
NNTP-Posting-Host: oporto.cs.utexas.edu

In article <shaver.719072248@convex.convex.com> shaver@convex.com
(Dave Shaver) writes:

:ponder@oakhill.sps.mot.com (Carl Ponder) writes:
::Can anyone recommend a book on lawn
::care, specific to Texas?

:Take a look at these.
:	"Texas Lawn Care" by Dr. Koop.
:	"Texas Gardening" (or something close to this) by Neil Sperry.

Any suggestions on where to find these books?  BookStop?
From: ken@visix.com (Ken Mayer)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: High Eff Furnace Question
Date: 9 Oct 92 20:01:48 GMT
Reply-To: ken@visix.com
Organization: Visix Software Inc., Reston, VA


Last week, inspectors found cracks in the heat exchanger on my old gas
furnace. I am now facing a $$$ hit with little or no information
about what I need.

I've received a bid for a Bryant 394HAD for $1050 installed ($1,475
less $425 discount). 1 year parts and labor warrantee. 10 year
warrantee on the heat exchanger. The unit is rated 78% AFUE; 63,000
BTU input, 52,000 BTU output; 950 Cooling CFM @ 0.5 ESP (whatever that
means!).  The dealer said something about needing a blower to support
a 2-ton HVAC unit (which may also die in the next few years :-(. My
condo does have a service contract, so parts and labor are covered
even after the first year.  Question is, what kind of equipment is
this particular Bryant unit, can I do better.

78% does not sound terribly efficient, but then I don't know what else
is out there, nor how much a higher efficiency unit would cost.

I guess I need to know the following things:

What specs do I need so that I can ask vendors for quotes.
(Efficiency, BTU's, etc.) 

What effect does efficiency have on operation and purchase costs.

What brands should I be looking at. (Which ones should I avoid.) From
what I've read about the Lennox unit, I should probably avoid it due
to the noise problems (the furnace is not well insulated from sound).

Your help is appreciated.

Ken
--

Ken Mayer (ken@visix.com)
Visix Software Inc./703.758.8230
  Bene Vivere Ultio Optima --- Living Well is the Best Revenge
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: stevep@lugh.se.hou.compaq.com (Steve Pinn)
Subject: Re: Giving a house back to the bank!
Organization: Compaq Computer Corporation
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 20:11:01 GMT

In article <BvuvIz.5HF@encore.com>, mpalmer@encore.com (Mike Palmer) writes:
|> A friend of mine in Oklahoma has been trying to sell his house for a couple
|> of years with no luck.  The value is not much more than what he owes the bank 
|> on it.  What happens if he just stops paying the mortgage?  How does this
|> affect his credit rating etc.

Mike, I recently refinanced my home and while in the process jokingly asked the agent what happens when someone walks.  Aside from the evident credit problems she also mentioned some sort of attachment that is performed with the cooperation of the IRS.  I wasn't paying much attention as I really didn't want to know the answer BUT, your friend may want to explore the possibility of such a link. - Steve
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: trb@cbnews.cb.att.com (tom.balent)
Subject: Re: This Old House
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 10:34:30 GMT

In article <kalagher-081092081927@m04474-mac.mitre.org> kalagher@mitre.org (Dick Kalagher) writes:
>
>I have seen the first show.  It was on last Sunday.  It is a 1950's
>house--not
>an 1858 house.  It's a 50's style ranch that the homeownewrs have outgrown.

I just saw it last night...I could not beleive my ears when the owner
said he has had a number of reators look at the house and appraise it
at $250,000!!!!!  Are prices that high in the Boston area?
From: jcoates@ncrsmg.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (Jim D Coates)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Bath Tub
Date: 8 Oct 92 13:48:42 GMT
Reply-To: jcoates@ncrsmg.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (Jim D Coates)
Organization: NCR Systemedia Group Headquarters, Dayton (Miamisburg), Ohio

In article <rdc00a.46.0@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil>
rdc00a@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil (Kelly Pedersen) writes:
>I have a friend who lives in an old house with an old cast iron
>bathtub.  Its original enamel finish is wearing thin in places
>and he is wondering if there is any way it can be refinished. 
>Any comments?  Thanks,  Kelly.

Yes - there are professional refinishers. He should be able to find one in 
the Yellow Pages or the classified ads. We looked into this ourselves, and
found that it runs from $200-$250 for a tub. You can but a new tub cheaper;
however, if you've ever looked into having an old cast iron tub removed,
you'll probably find it worth the cost.

-Jim
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Tree Climbing
From: gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston)
Date: Wed, 07 Oct 92 18:55:53 CDT
Organization: Garys' Home for Obsolete Computers

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.

I have a set (w/belt) somewhere around here, but I don't think
you're in Huntsville, Al.

> I have a very tall, very dead, pine, very close to my house.  I've had
> one estimate for $250 to take it down, PLUS $100 to haul it off!

That really doesn't sound unreasonable, particularly if you make
disposal arrangements yourself. You'd probably spend $150 on the
spikes, anyway...

> I can rent a bucket/crane/extender thing for ~$100, the problem being
> I'm not sure I can get it close enough, through all the other trees.
> My current plan is to simply climb it, and take it down in ~10 ft.
> sections, from the top down (yes, I've done it before, but in a cedar
> that had limbs I could crawl up/down;  this one is a telephone pole for
> the first 25 ft.).

Have lots of help around, with at least one other person 
equipped to climb in case something happens to you. Is it not 
possible to snag a tension line on it, pulling away from the house, and 
whack it at the bottom? If you can get a (good, strong) rope or cable
fairly high, and run it to one of the other trees (or rig across two
or three) to support it, you could take it apart from the bottom,
lowering the tree between sections. Might be somewhat safer.

Be careful!

Gary Heston, at home....
gary@cdthq.uucp
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: slw@odin.icd.ab.com (Shoshana L. Wodzisz)
Subject: Re: buy a model home?
Followup-To:  misc.consumers.house
Organization: Allen-Bradley Company, Inc.
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 02:10:42 GMT

I don't have the answers to your questions, but as far
as the decorations go...my sister-in-law bought a dining
room table and china cabinet that were from a model home.
She got them for what she figured to be about 1/3 of the 
price if bought new.  But, they *glued* the plates onto
the dining room table so visitors to the model wouldn't
steal them I presume.  But for the money she saved,
the ruined finish on the table was trivial. Just covered
it up with placemats.
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Shoshana L. Wodzisz @ Allen-Bradley Company, Cleveland Ohio
  ... !{cwjcc, uunet}!icd.ab.com.slw
From: perley@trub.crd.ge.com (Donald P Perley)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: High Eff Furnace Question
Date: 16 Oct 92 16:38:38 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: GE Corp. R & D, Schenectady, NY 12345

In article <1992Oct13.135151.431@sdc.com> kenk@sdc.com (Ken Konecki) writes:


   >What brands should I be looking at. (Which ones should I avoid.)

   Brands to avoid are those that use very specific parts for their furnaces
   and then discontinue manufacturing the furnace and its parts.  You don't
   want to wind up replacing a furnace simply because you can't find
   parts.


That happened to my mother last year.  She had a high efficiency
GE boiler.  The oil company announced that they couldn't get parts
for it anymore (and didn't have anyone left who knew how to fix it).
If it broke down then she would probably have to buy a new boiler.
Murphy guarrantees that this would mean a couple of weeks without 
heat.  Even though it was still running perfectly after 40 years,
she took the opportunity to get a new gas boiler installed during
the summer.

--
perley@trub.crd.ge.com
From: miller@FS1.cam.nist.gov (Bruce R. Miller)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: This Old House
Date: 15 Oct 92 16:18:20 GMT
Organization: NIST - Computing and Applied Mathematics Laboratory


In article <1992Oct14.215114.1308@i88.isc.com>, Jonathan E. Quist writes:
> In article <2928072147@ARTEMIS.cam.nist.gov> miller@FS1.cam.nist.gov (Bruce R. Miller) writes:
>>In article <1992Oct14.123500.6755@ucsu.Colorado.EDU>, Robert T. Weverka writes:
>>> I think they should add a little guest house in back.  ...
>> It may not be allowed;  ...
> Simple - just rezone into two lots.... :')

Funny you should mention it!

Me: I want to build a garage + in-law-apartment.

The bad news is: You cant have separate living spaces on 1 lot.
The good news is: If the property hasn't been subdivided since 1963
  and the resulting parts are of a minimum size determined by the zoning
  for your area,  you can subdivide it into two lots.
The better news is: our lot already is 2 separate parcels that were
  originally on separate deeds, and the parcels are of appropriate size.
The bad news is: Once you've subdivided, you can no longer hook up to
  the main house's water & sewer.
More bad news is: There's a moratorium on sewer hookups till september.
The good news is: we can wait.
The bad news is: we wont issue building permits until the hookup permit
  is also made.
More bad news is: The fees for the `right' to hook up and actually
  hooking up both the water and sewer add up to over $10K.

Me: Forget it, we'll think up something else.

Of course, anybody else's county rules are most likely different, but
the likelihood of it being "simple" is low!!!
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: toml@wal.hp.com (Tom Luteran)
Subject: seeking copy of NEC..
Keywords: NEC
Organization: Hewlett-Packard
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 13:40:36 GMT

  I'm trying to buy a copy of the National Electric Code (NEC) book.  Can
  someone tell me if this should be available at electric supply houses or
  do I have to order it by mail from some organization?  Not an item they
  stock at Home Depot, at least ;-).

  Thanks!

  Tom
--

+----------------------------------------------------+
| Thomas Luteran           | INTERNET address:       |
| Hewlett-Packard Company  | toml@wal.hp.com         |
| Medical Products Group   | HP TELNET: 1-290-3021   |
| 175 Wyman Street         | VOICE: (617) 290-3021   |
| Waltham, MA. 02254-9030  | FAX: (617) 890-5451     |
+----------------------------------------------------+

+ Opinions presented above are my own & not necessarily those of my employer +

Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Our house has a polterpuddle
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 92 15:39:50 GMT

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 this floor below grade? If not, hit "n" at this point.

What you are describing is common with old below grade concrete floors.
If for any reason the water level in the surrounding ground rises above
the level of the floor, the water seeps through the concrete at the lowest
or weakest point. The big problem with diagnosis is that this may happen
a day or two *after* the last rain. If you have a layer of clayey soil not
far below the surface of your yard, this is very likely the problem.

If this is the case, install a sump pump somewhere in the basement and
line the walls of the sump with dry-laid brick. Use the type of brick that
has holes in it and lay it so the holes run horizontally. This will allow
the water in the surrounding soil to seep into the sump instead of up
through the floor.

patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    | You can't find the answers in the bottom of a
George Patterson -  | whiskey glass, but if you look hard enough, you'll
                    | forget the questions.
                    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: sdp@keyhole.rain.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Grey water reuse (was Re: Mysterious Hole)
Date: 13 Oct 92 15:56:53 GMT
Article-I.D.: keyhole.1992Oct13.155653.26563
Distribution: usa
Organization: none apparent

In article <1992Oct13.115833.8596@cbnews.cb.att.com> ran@cbnews.cb.att.com (Robert A. Neinast) writes:
>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).

So, this has been done before?  With our recent water usage restrictions
here in Portland, OR, my wife wondered if a new house could be built
to route some of the drains through a network of pipes that would irrigate
the yard.

I wondered if the soap from the washer, dishwasher, and shower would
be bad for the plants.  It'd be too bad if switching detergents killed
your yard.  Hmmm... on second thought maybe that's not so bad.  You'd
know you were dumping nasty stuff and be motivated to stop.

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scott Peterson
sdp@keyhole.rain.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Kindling