HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: GA.MCL@forsythe.stanford.edu (Mark C. Lawrence)
Subject: Re: propane generator
Organization: Stanford University, California, USA
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1992 01:00:50 GMT

In article <1992Oct9.130944.15727@iplmail.orl.mmc.com>,
randyw@iplmail.orl.mmc.com (Randy Walker) writes:
>
>  I want to buy a propane generator or convert a generator to run on propane.
>  The reasons are:
>
>  1. I want have a supply of fuel on hand, and gasoline has a limited shelf
>     life, where propane's shelf life should be unlimited.
>...
>  1. Do you netters have any info on propane generators or conversion kits?
>
>  2. Is the above reasoning sound?

Yes, your reasoning is sound.  Propane is probably the best choice for small
standby generators.  It has indefinite storage life, and will allow the
engine to start quickly in any weather.

My experience:  I have an Onan 4kW generator as standby power for a small
radio station.  It has worked reliably for nearly 20 years.  You should be
able to find an Onan dealer in your yellow pages.  The only drawback of this
brand is that they are expensive (since they sell to industrial/commercial
users who expect the stuff to last for 20 years).  However, you should at
least check them out; they also have transfer switches, automatic controls,
etc.

If that approach is too expensive, you might try to find someone who does
propane conversions of small engines, and convert a consumer-grade unit.
You also may be able to find small propane-powered generator sets at places
that sell contractor equipment.

Mark C. Lawrence
Systems Programmer            and also,
Stanford Data Center               Chief Engineer
Stanford, CA 94305-4136            KZSU Radio
(415) 723-4976                     Stanford CA
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Safety in my home (was: Killing Burglars)
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 92 14:58:47 GMT

In article <3875@ecicrl.ocunix.on.ca> clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis) writes:

>Besides, the relative crime-rates are so different, it's ludicrous
>to compare statistics such as this.  More people are murdered in
>New York City over the course of a couple of weeks than are murdered
>in all of the UK over a whole year.  (And that's with NYC having
>some of the toughest gun control legislation in the US.)

Absolutely. You can't expect someone raised in Switzerland (to pick a 
country) to behave the same as someone raised in Mexico (to pick another).
Ireland has some of the strictest gun control laws in the world, and one
of the highest murder rates. Switzerland has one of the most heavily
armed citizenry in the world and one of the lowest murder rates.

Only a fool would use these facts to argue for or against gun control in
the United States. U.S. citizens do not behave the same as Swiss citizens
or Irish or British, etc.

There are, of course, lots of fools out there.

patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    |
George Patterson -  | If train stations are where trains stop, 
                    | what are work stations?
                    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Hanging a heavy cabinet
Date: 9 Oct 92 06:09:56 GMT
Organization: Elegant Communications Inc., Ottawa, Canada

In article <3872@ecicrl.ocunix.on.ca> clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis) writes:
|In article <1992Oct07.165424.23444@i88.isc.com> jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist) writes:
|>patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie) writes:
|>>clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis) writes:

|>>>One way is to fasten strips to the back of the cabinet.  Say, 1x3.  They
|>>>should be screwed into whatever "real wood" they cross on the back

|>>As Chris says, this results in the cabinet being set out from the wall.
|>>If this is undesireable, see if you can attach a 1x3 or 1x2 to the inside

|>Or, as an alternative, once the cabinet is up you can frame the outside
|>of it with the appropriate type of trim (for example, crown molding) to
|>cover the space.

|I was going to mention this, honest, but I forgot...

Wait a sec, I *did* say that.
-- 
Chris Lewis; clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca; Phone: Canada 613 832-0541
Psroff 3.0 info: psroff-request@ferret.ocunix.on.ca
Ferret list: ferret-request@ferret.ocunix.on.ca
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Subject: Re: Tree Climbing
Organization: INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation, Naperville, IL
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 08 Oct 1992 15:35:22 GMT

In article <7PVasB5w161w@cdthq.UUCP> gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston) writes:
>gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston) writes:
>be able to borrow. Ever hear of a "self-climbing deer stand"? It's
>a platform contraption used by deer hunters, which is designed 
...
>Be careful, anyway. We don't need to lose any regular posters....

As anyone in rec.motorcycles can tell you, Ed is anything but
a regular poster.  (Get a spike, Ed!)
-- 
Jonathan E. Quist                              INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation
jeq@i88.isc.com  '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep", DoD #094        Naperville, IL
        There are many things a person should experience in a lifetime.
       Among them are an infant's first cry, and an infant's first laugh.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: House inspection showed pest infestation
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 92 22:47:25 GMT

In article <1992Oct9.205950.24035@sei.cmu.edu> sad@sei.cmu.edu (Susan Dart) writes:

>The only problem found when we had the house we are buying inspected, was that
>the outside (being a cedar house) has evidence of carpenter bees, and other
>bees and wasps infestation.

>Is there anything else we should ask of the sellers - will treatment fix the
>problem or will it continue to occur?

When I was a child, my grandparents had a cabin on a lake in North Carolina.
It was built of native pine, and the rails for the front stoop were simply
cut limbs (with the bark still on, as I recall). The carpenter bees loved
those. Since this made it a little dangerous to get in and out of the
cabin, we made repeated attempts to eliminate them. As fast as we could
kill off the residents, new ones would imigrate. Eventually we had a
stairway built inside, started to use what had originally been the entrance
to the basement, and let the bees keep the porch.

The problem will continue to occur, and it's not the sellers' fault.
You'll want to check for new colonies every spring and spray them before
they get well established. If you kill them off before they hatch out
eggs, there will be fewer the following year (but *never* none).

patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                    |
George Patterson -  | If train stations are where trains stop, 
                    | what are work stations?
                    |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Hanging a heavy cabinet
Date: 9 Oct 92 03:46:37 GMT
Organization: Elegant Communications Inc., Ottawa, Canada

In article <1avpqcINN1tq@network.ucsd.edu> cnorman@weber.ucsd.edu (Cyndi Norman) writes:
>In article <3862@ecicrl.ocunix.on.ca> clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris
>Lewis) writes:

>Thank you for your suggestions.

You're welcome.

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

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

1/4" plywood isn't strong enough to hold up the cabinet even when empty.  If
the finishing nails don't pull thru in very short order, one good knock will
tear the plywood.  Especially if the wall is the slightest bit out of
dead flat.

Trust me, you *don't* want to use the back plywood for mounting.  Even for
just part of the mounting.  Especially living as you do in the earthquake
capital of North America....

Some friends of ours in San Jose weathered the earthquake in 1989 fairly
well, except that all of their kitchen and display cabinetry fell.
Everything in the cabinetry was destroyed (all of her china and glass
collection), plus whatever the cabinets fell on (in particular, the 30" TV).

[standard chipboard construction with staples.  The mounting straps simply
weren't fastened properly, and there wasn't a bottom strap.]

If you replace the screws going into the studs in my suggestion with
5/16" or 3/8" lagscrews + washers, and fasten the bottom of the cabinet too by
the same method, and use hard maple or oak for the strips, if your wall is
still standing, your cabinet will be too.

George's idea ditto (if you cut the wood accurately, and use screws or
nails in piloted holes, instead of dowels), *and* you fasten the
bottom in the same way.

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

This is a workable but ugly idea.  You will need fairly large brackets, making
the whole thing very noticable.  Not to mention scarring up the outside
of the cabinet.  I'd personally use the brackets only as additional insurance
in George's or my suggestion.  On the top of the cabinet only.

As you might be able to tell, I picked up my father's (a civil engineer)
fetish for ultra-strong.  The Bolshoi could practise on Gregory's playset...
I also won the balsa wood bridge contest ;-)
-- 
Chris Lewis; clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca; Phone: Canada 613 832-0541
Psroff 3.0 info: psroff-request@ferret.ocunix.on.ca
Ferret list: ferret-request@ferret.ocunix.on.ca
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: stacey@prefect.uucp (24462-lebitz)
Subject: Re: Mysterious Hole
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 92 22:45:31 GMT

In article <1992Oct12.223555.27263@porthos.cc.bellcore.com> stacey@prefect.uucp (24462-lebitz) writes:
>I have recently discovered a large, 5'x5'x5' square hole that is lined with
>cinder blocks in my front lawn about 10' from my house 
>that apparantly has been covered by wood and grass.
>Recently, the wood and grass have failed leading to the discovery
>of said hole.  Obviously this is a person-made hole.
>
>We are wondering what this hole is for.  Two theories we have so far
>are:
>
>1.  A "catch basin" for the sewer system (may be the town's problem)
>    We do have other easements going through our property.
>
>2.  Something to do with French Drains (which I believe we have.)
>
>Do either of these theories sound plausible?  Any other ideas?
>
>I will try calling the town tommorrow but of course they get Columbus
>Day off (but I don't) so they weren't available today.
>
>
>Thanks,
>
>Stacey Lebitz
>
>stacey@bcr.cc.bellcore.com   
>...!bellcore!prefect!stacey
>
Just to follow up on my own post,

Theory 3:  an old septic tank.  May have been covered with cement.

How much do you think it would take to fill it in?


Stacey
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: jon@stella.unx.sas.com (Jon Allen)
Subject: Re: why don't we live in prefab concrete houses?
Originator: jon@stella.unx.sas.com
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 16:31:26 GMT
Organization: SAS Institute Inc.


At least one of Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian* house plans was designed to be
built from sand-colored concrete blocks which could be poured by unskilled
labor (ex. the owner). We saw a travelling exhibit on him at the Smithsonian
a few years back where this house had been assembled on the plaza outside - I
found it very attractive (but then I love almost everything he did); the blocks
used on the garden-facing walls of the great room each had tiny 2-pane windows
embedded in them to great effect.
*The Usonian house was his idea for an affordable architect-designed house with
dignity for the common man.
-- 
Jon Allen                                                        jon@unx.sas.com
SAS Institute, Inc.                                or: ...!uunet!unx.sas.com!jon
From: lassek@gunnel.cs.washington.edu (Teresa Lassek)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Tree Climbing
Date: 17 Oct 92 00:59:45 GMT
Article-I.D.: beaver.1992Oct17.005945.10632
Reply-To: lassek@cs.washington.edu
Organization: 'Department of Computer Science, University of Washington'

|> In article <uNTasB1w161w@cdthq.UUCP> gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston) writes:
|> >egreen@east.sun.com (Ed Green - Pixel Cruncher) writes:
|> 
|> >> Where can I get those spikes you strap on your boots, to climb
|> >> telephone poles and pine trees?  Is there a mail-order supply for
|> >> lumberjack type stuff?  I haven't been able to find anything local, but
|> >> if somebody can point me to a place in the Raleigh/Durham area, I'd
|> >> appreciate it.
|> 

Someone I work with mentioned that you could rent these; someone who worked 
outside for several years for the phone company.

I could find out more if you're interested...

(if interested, you might want to send mail since I just started checking
this board and don't do so regularly.)

teresa (lassek@cs.washington.edu)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: marcher@kean.ucs.mun.ca
Subject: Re: Prices on those bathroom jobs?y
Organization: Memorial University. St.John's Nfld, Canada
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 12:20:34 GMT

In article <58850043@hpscit.sc.hp.com>, chrisw@hpscit.sc.hp.com 
(Chris Wiles) writes:
> 
> 	I just finished the bath in my house here is the basic
> breakdown of the cost.
 
> 	new tub- $300
> 	new tile on tub wall $850
> 	new tile on floor $300
> 	new window $100
> 	new vanity $100
> 	new sink $60
> 	new toilit $150
> 	misc acc. $100
> 
> 	that's about $2,000
> 	I had the tile prof. done everything else i did myself.


	Here are my costs, as per the contractor's estimate:

	tub surround (cultured marble)
	- includes replacing drywalll with
	greenboard				$900

	sink and vanity				$600
	- sink is solid piece of 
	cultured marble

	new bath fixtures
	 - includes necessary plumbing		$300 

The contractor's total estimated price is therefore $1800.

Cheers!
Mary Elizabeth (St. John's, Nfld. & Lab., Canada)
From: jcoates@ncrsmg.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (Jim D Coates)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Drill hole in Porcelain Sink?
Date: 8 Oct 92 13:54:29 GMT
Organization: NCR Systemedia Group Headquarters, Dayton (Miamisburg), Ohio

<DRAND.92Oct5105712@spinner.osf.org>
<1992Oct5.153629.14868@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Reply-To: jcoates@ncrsmg.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (Jim D Coates)
Followup-To: 
Distribution: 
Organization: NCR Systemedia Group Headquarters, Dayton (Miamisburg), Ohio
Keywords: 

In article <1992Oct5.153629.14868@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
kls@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Kenneth L Shellberg) writes:
>Over this past weekend, replaced bathroom faucet.  However, the liftrod that
>actuates the drain stopper couldn't be installed as the hole in the fixture
and
>the hole in the sink do not match.  So, how do I enlarge the hole in the sink
>to allow the liftrod to pass through?  Given what I perceive to be the
>brittleness of porcelain, I am reluctant to jump in too fast.
>
>Thanks in advance
>
>Ken
>

Ken - you can buy replacement lift rods any any good plumbing supply store and

most home center stores. This would be a LOT easier (and less risky) than
trying to drill out a hole in your porcelain sink. They should have the
other parts (straps, etc.) if you need to replace them to make the new
lift rod compatible, but it probably won't be necessary.

-Jim
From: doshay@ursa.arc.nasa.gov (David Doshay)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Dealing with ungrounded outlets
Date: 14 Oct 92 20:31:18 GMT
Article-I.D.: news.1992Oct14.203118.28764
Organization: NASA-Ames Biocomputation Center

In article <1992Oct14.183011.4407@ulysses.att.com>, smb@ulysses.att.com (Steven Bellovin) writes:
|> In article <DRAND.92Oct12111042@spinner.osf.org>, drand@spinner.osf.org (Douglas S. Rand) writes:
|> >    The other area of concern is bedroom where we
|> >    want to put a computer.  It has 2 prong
|> >    outlets.  Will replacing these with GFIs be
|> >    sufficient?
|> > 
|> > Yes.  Find the first outlet on the branch (usually tracing the wiring 
|> > in the basement is easiest) and replace it with the GFCI outlet.
|> 
|> Umm...  I'm not certain I agree with that.  A GFCI will certainly provide
|> protection for *you*.  It won't provide a good solid ground for the
|> electronics in the computer, nor for any surge suppressors.

You must provide a ground. The GFI needs a ground to work. I cannot think of 
why your computer needs to be on a GFI circuit. I have a house like that in the
original posting. We ran new 3 wire circuits to the bathrooms and for the 
computer. If you are careful and plan well then you can do this without having
to rip out plaster. We did ours while remodeling the bathroom. We got the whole
upstairs on 3 breakers now instead of having one fuse for all up and some of
the downstairs.

David		doshay@soma.arc.nasa.gov

The thought police insist I tell you:
my thoughts, not NASA's
From: greg@netcom.com (Greg Bullough)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Mysterious Hole
Date: 13 Oct 92 03:03:19 GMT
Article-I.D.: netcom.1992Oct13.030319.10130
Distribution: usa
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest)

In article <1992Oct12.230933.27795@porthos.cc.bellcore.com> patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie) writes:
>
>This is slightly less than 8.5 cubic yards. I would recommend filling it
>most of the way with gravel or broken cinder block - something cheap and
>fairly solid - with about two feet of dirt on top. Mound the dirt over; it
>will settle for several years. Plant a tough grass there, because you'll
>have to add a little more dirt each year for some time.

How do you get along with your mother-in-law?  :-)
 
Greg
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Subject: Re: Inspection report ==> how many $ back?
Organization: INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation, Naperville, IL
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 21:31:26 GMT

In article <1992Oct13.162331.2947@donner.SanDiego.NCR.COM> davel@booboo.SanDiego.NCR.COM (David Lord) writes:
> > How much do you figure we should ask for
> > back, for all the stuff that might be likely to die soon (or
> > should we just walk)?
>
>I think you shouldn't have made an offer you weren't serious about
>in the first place. Most of the stuff you describe is stuff that
>should have been obvious to you from just a casual look at the house,
>the age of the roof, appliances, etc. So now that you've had an
...
>of the house and any repairs you expect to have to make. The
>inspection is not intended as an excuse to make the seller bring
>an old house into like new condition, it's to make sure there are
>no hidden surprises waiting for you.
>


A lot of things will get past a first time buyer, or even an experienced
home buyer, if the emotional appeal of the house is great enough.
That is part of the point of the inspection, as well.  If, after
the inspection, the prospective buyer finds there are enough things
that aren't right, and assuming there is an inspection contingency clause in
the contract, then the buyer has the right to back out, subject to
whatever conditions were agreed to.  It should not be done lightly,
but there's nothing legally wrong about it.  If there was another buyer
making an offer, then you can be darn sure the realtors involved
know who they are, and how to contact them.

On the other side of the coin, the inspection isn't a way to "get something
back" from the seller - it's a way to defining an acceptable standard
upon which the transaction is based.  Look at the things that
are genuinely disconcerting, and negotiate to get them fixed, or
negotiate to change your offer, or whatever.  But if you move into
a house with the attitude that the previous owner "owes" you something,
you will never be happy with it, and you'll always be looking for
someone else to blame instead of fixing the problems and getting on
with your life.  Buying a house is not buying a stereo - you can't approach
it like a retail transaction.
-- 
Jonathan E. Quist                              INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation
jeq@i88.isc.com  '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep", DoD #094        Naperville, IL
        There are many things a person should experience in a lifetime.
       Among them are an infant's first cry, and an infant's first laugh.
From: jgd@dixie.com (John De Armond)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Giving a house back to the bank!
Date: 15 Oct 92 04:48:29 GMT
Organization: Dixie Communications Public Access.  The Mouth of the South.

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.

Then the bank would repo it and then possibly file suit to recover
costs.  All the messy details would be on his credit record.  

The proper way to do this is to negotiate a quit-claim deed transfer to
the bank.  Most banks will bitch but will usually go along.  If the 
owner makes a good faith effort to do the quit-claim and the bank 
refuses, the bank has much less of a case when trying to recover repo
expenses.  After all, they could have had it for nothing by cooperating.

John
-- 
John De Armond, WD4OQC               |Interested in high performance mobility?  
Performance Engineering Magazine (TM) |
Marietta, Ga                         |Interested in high tech and computers? 
jgd@dixie.com                        |Write me about PE Magazine
Need Usenet public Access in Atlanta?  Write Me for info on Dixie.com.
From: jefftb@hpmwtd.sr.hp.com (Jeff Brown)
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 19:07:30 GMT
Subject: Re: Propane regulator failure?
Organization: HP Santa Rosa Site (SRSD MWTD)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house

    11" W.C. is about 1/2psig. My system has two regulators one at the tank,
    set to 10psig. and one at the house set to 11" water column (WC). This
    is supose to help when things get cold to help it flow better. Propane,
    so the gas man tells me, doesn't flow as well at cold temp and this is
    also when demand is the greatest. He also said make sure the regulator
    is plumbed w/ the vent hole pointing down so not to get water in it.

    Hope this helps 
    Jeff Brown
From: jms@vision.sarnoff.com (Jerry Shapiro x2420)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re:    FREE REFINANCING
Date: 8 Oct 92 17:36:58 GMT
Reply-To: jms@vision.sarnoff.com
Organization: David Sarnoff Research Center

>NJ, NC, Colorado, San Diego

Don't be silly, I need you in Philly

Jerry
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house