HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: eliot@chutney.rtp.dg.com (Topher Eliot)
Subject: Re: Insulated Drywall?
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 92 17:28:42 GMT
Reply-To: eliot@dg-rtp.dg.com
Organization: Data General Corporation, Research Triangle Park, NC

In article <1992Aug27.172029.3018@porthos.cc.bellcore.com>, patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie) writes:
|> >I was wondering whether there exists an insulating material
|> >similar to drywall (i.e nice finish and paintable) which I 
|> >can use and thus save the precious inch of space in the closet. 
|> 
|> There are several which are intended to be used as house sheathing under
|> your siding. One which is popular in the South is Gold Bond brand insulation
|> board. It looks like beaver-board that's been soaked in tar. I'm not sure
|> it would do well in this application.
|> 
|> There is, however, one sold here by Channel and Home Depot that is a foam
|> panel sandwiched between two layers of foil. I can't remember the price;
|> it's either around $9 a sheet or $19 a sheet. It's about 1/2" thick and
|> has the necessary vapor barrier built it. I haven't personally used it,
|> but it looks like exactly what you need.

Last time I checked most of these kinds of insulation board would produce
nasty fumes when burned, and so were legal only for use on the *outside* of
your house.

-- 
Topher Eliot             Data General DG/UX Systems Administration Development
(919) 248-6371      eliot@dg-rtp.dg.com       {backbone}!mcnc!rti!dg-rtp!eliot
Obviously, I speak for myself, not for DG.
misc.consumers.house archivist.  Send mail to house-archive@dg-rtp.dg.com
"I opened an STR on myself and I had to reject it."  -- Paul McGrath
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,misc.consumers
From: bill@unixland.natick.ma.us (Bill Heiser)
Subject: Re: Credit report
Organization: Unixland Public Access Unix  (508) 655-3848
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 16:10:54 GMT

kherron@ms.uky.edu (Kenneth Herron) writes:
>You're forgetting one thing:  TRW is doing this out of the goodness of
>their hearts.  There is (unfortunately) no law forcing them to give out
>free credit reports except after a credit denial so unless you've just
>been denied credit they can attach whatever conditions they like to the
>free report.

I don't think that is correct.  As I understand it, TRW is giving out the
"free" credit reports because they are REQUIRED to following a court
settlement because they were charged with some kind of mis-handling
of people's records.

TRW (and other Credit Bureaus) have a horrible record of mucking up
people's lives, and don't do *anything* "out of the goodness of their hearts".
The bottom line is dollars and cents.

Sorry to burst your bubble ...

-- 
bill@unixland.natick.ma.us                      ESIX Mailing List Moderator
Public Access UNIX/USENET/E-MAIL!  UUCP Accounts Available!  (508) 655-3848
5 lines  -  Located in Natick, MA   USA    Supporting V.32/PEP/V.42bis, etc.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: r1156c@waccvm.corp.mot.com (Michael R. Dow)
Subject: Ants!!! HELP!
Originator: root@mogate.sps.mot.com
Reply-To: r1156c@waccvm.corp.mot.com (Michael R. Dow)
Organization: David Mitchell & Associates - Austin
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 13:15:19 GMT

	This morning I jumped into the shower and noticed a couple ants.  Well, 
that's no big thing in Texas... The ants usually borrow the car at night and 
leave me the keys on the dresser in the morning.

	This morning was different... The were crawling *ALL OVER*  There were 
dozens!! There were teeny tiny red ones and larger (not terribly big) red 
ones... And they were going to hold me for ransom if I didn't get out of the 
shower!!!

	What kind of ants are they?  What do I do to convince them to buy their 
*own* house?


--
Michael R. Dow
-N1JCX-
(...insert disclaimer...)
From: tslee@oracle.uucp (Terry Lee)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Beware when prewiring for telephone
Date: 26 Aug 92 20:48:59 GMT
Reply-To: tslee@oracle.uucp (Terry Lee)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Oracle Corporation, Belmont, CA
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by an unauthenticated user
              at Oracle Corporation.  The opinions expressed are those
              of the user and not necessarily those of Oracle.

I had our house prewired with 3-pair flat stranded telephone wire.  This is a
BIG mistake.  Pacific Bell told me that flat stranded is OK for short runs,
but fails miserably on long runs (picks up a lot of RFI), and has severe cross
talk problems between pairs (i.e., can only run one phone line on it).

The same guy told me that solid twisted pair stuff is the way to go.  And sure
enough, the line is very clean at the Telephone Network Interface box outside
the house, but has a bit a radio in it at every jack.

Oh, and the cross talk:  it is so severe that you can clearly and easily hear
what's on the other line.  So bad, that if I pick up a phone on both lines,
dialing one with touch tone will dial both!!!!!!  Sooooo, now I'm paying for two
lines and can only use one.  I had to kill one line at the TNI box.  I plan to
run new wire, and save the old for two circuits of rs232.  Hopefully, that 
wont crosstalk >8-(

So take some advice from a prewire victim:  use round jacketed, twisted pair
phone wire.  Save the ribbon for something else.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Question about roofing materials
From: gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston)
Date: Sun, 30 Aug 92 20:10:35 CDT
Organization: Garys' Home for Obsolete Computers

bwilliam@oyster.smcm.edu (Bill Williams) writes:

> We just recently got some estimates on fixing a fairly small piece of flat ro
> on our otherwise sloped and shingled house.  The two most apparently
> knowledgeable roofers specified some stuff called bitume-something-or-other, 
> "rubber roofing," manufactured by Firestone, I think.  What is this stuff?  C
> someone point me at a reference (Consumer Reports?)?  The one guy who wanted 
> put on a "normal" (to me) tar-and-gravel roof cost a whole lot more than the
> rubber roofers and would only offer a ten-year guarantee (the rubber roofers
> offered 10 and 20).  The two different rubber folks described quite different
> processes, one involving coming back and painting the roof (with reflective
> paint) after it had been down for a month or so for weathering.  Does this
> sound reasonable?

Yes, it's quite reasonable, and also leak resistant. This type of roofing
has been in use on commercial buildings for quite some time. It also
weighs less, thereby stressing your house less. Go for it.

Gary Heston, at home....
gary@cdthq.uucp
From: thompson@forsyth.wsnc.org
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: suggested weapons (was: Killing burglars.)
Date: 27 Aug 92 20:21:04 GMT
Organization: Forsyth County, Winston-Salem  NC

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

As a former regular competitor in combat pistol shoots, I'd recommend that 
any individual who will not have the opportunity for extensive familiarization
and regular practice avoid *any* handgun for defensive purposes. I've put many
thousands of rounds of .45 ACP through my modified Colt Combat Commander over
the years, but if it came to a life and death situation, I'd still reach for
my 12 gauge riot shotgun.

Arguably the best weapon for emergency household defense is a brand name pump
action 12 gauge shotgun with the shortest legal barrel, an open choke and a
load of #4 buckshot.  Number 4 buck is heavy enough to take down and keep down
any intruder short of a cape buffalo, yields a decent pattern at distances
likely and minimizes penetration.  The ever-popular 00 (double aught) buck is
inferior to #4, yielding clumped patterns and likely to over-penetrate.

Some would argue (and I would not necessarily disagree) that very inexperienced
users would be better off with a "lupara" type gun -- double barrel with
external hammers.  Most folks, particularly those willing to practice with
the thing, would be better off with the Model 870 pump with a folding stock.

____________________________________________________________________________
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)
From: joffe%rtsmv1.decnet@edwards-vax.af.mil
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Little brown bugs
Date: 2 Sep 92 23:36:13 GMT
Article-I.D.: edwards-.1992Sep3.073613.1%rtsmv1.decnet
Organization: IFAST -- EDWARDS Air Force Base
Nntp-Posting-User: joffe


	We are having a problem with little brown bugs that invade rice,
flower, cereal, and any kind of grain products.  Does anyone have experience
with these?

	Is there an organic method of getting rid of these?  If not, what would
be the best kind of pesticide to use?

	Thanks,

	Howard
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: vln@icpsr.umich.edu (Victoria Neff)
Subject: Re: Sound insulation for ceiling/floor:  ideas?
Keywords: sound insulation fibreglass
Organization: Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 17:37:20 GMT

>In article <1992Aug30.023716.15210@bmers145.bnr.ca> tpc@bnr.ca (Thomas P. Chmara) writes:
>>The basement ceiling is the (soft) fibreglass 2'X4' suspended ceiling
>>tiles.  I figured they'd provide better insulation than *this*; I guessed
>>wrong.  Has anyone stuffed standard insulation between the joists for
>>sound insulation?  How did you keep it up there (aside from simply from
>>friction)?  Are there any other alternatives I might consider to the
>>fiberglass batts?
>
You can buy pieces of stiffish wire that are just barely too big to fit
between the joists, and use them to hold up the batts.  I bought several
hundred of them at the lumberyard a few years ago (and haven't yet insulated
the family room floor...).  I can't remember what they were called, but this
was their intended use.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: evad@fnali.fnal.gov (The Living are just the Dead on holiday--from Dr. Who)
Subject: Re: suggested weapons (was: Killing burglars.)
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-a4  
Reply-To: evad@fnali.fnal.gov
Organization: Fermilab - CDF
Distribution:  world
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 05:32:43 GMT

In article <mjc.714864001@NL.CS.CMU.EDU>, mjc+@cs.cmu.edu (Monica Cellio) writes...
I would not shoot to kill, you shoot to stop. It just so happens
that the best way to stop is a center of mass hit that will also
kill. The killing is secondary. If you say in court that you shot
to kill you are going to jail.

Actually many of the comments here have shown little knowledge
of the law(in most places anyway). I have seen use EZ off.
and other suggestions. These may just get you killed or in 
a civil suit. If you shoot for the leg  you are using lethal
force. It could be used against you that you felt that a wounding
shot would be enough but you used lethal force to accomplish it. 
In other words, you did feel justified in using lethal so you
shot him in a non-vital area. But since you used a deadly weapon
you are now the aggressor. 
	
If you are really interested in the general legalities and 
advice. I would wander over to rec.guns or info.firearms.
This topic is brought up quite often and many misinformed people
are set straight.
					dave
>>1. shoot to kill to avoid lawsuits.
>>2. use a calibre large enough to take out a big hunk of meat, but not too
>>   large that a missed shot will pentrate walls and kill neighbors.
>>3. keep club soda handy to clean up spilled blood and circumvent stains.
> 
>So, what specific weapons and ammo do you folks recommend for home 
>protection?  Assume it's for an adult with no previous firearms experience
>(bows and crossbows aside) and a willingness to learn.  (Of course, no weapon
>gets into my house under *my* power before I've been properly trained with 
>it.)  Goals are to maximize effectiveness (shooting to wound is stupid) while 
>minimizing both risk to others (pass-through on walls) and property damage.
> 
>I would have sent email, but I suspect there are others who would like to
>know.  I am not being sarcastic.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: davidr@rookie.cadence.com (Dave Rich; x6337)
Subject: Adding second story
Reply-To: davidr@rookie.cadence.com (Dave Rich; x6337)
Organization: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 22:23:04 GMT

Has anyone out there added a second story to their house, and
lived in it during construction. We are thinking of doing this 
during the winter months. We will have the exterior completed
by November, but I won't be able to insulate the interior until
the spring. We are leaving the old attic insulation in the new
floor. 

This shouldn't be a problem, right?, It should be the same as if we
just increased the size of the old attic.



-- 
____________________________________________________________
Dave Rich	tele 1-508-934-0337 email davidr@cadence.com
Cadence Design,	2 Lowell Research Ctr., Lowell MA 01852-4995
____________________________________________________________
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan)
Subject: Re: Security Alarms
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 13:43:06 GMT


In article <1992Sep1.195625.8444@bradley.bradley.edu> jeff@bradley.bradley.edu (Jeff Hibbard) writes:
>
>Yes.  They (like me) had an alarm that depended on the telephone line
>to notify a central monitoring office.  It didn't occur to them that
>turning off their telephone service while on vacation also crippled
>the alarm system.

[...]

>Every so often, somebody from the alarm company comes around and
>tries to convince me to put such stickers on my windows.  I refuse,
>on the grounds that all such stickers do is warn burglars that they
>need to cut my phone line before trying to open any windows or doors.

If your alarm system depends on a phone line, you might want to get a
"leased" line. If a leased line is cut, it raises an alarm at the phone
company and they know instantly that your house is under attack. It's a
little bit extra per month, but the peace of mind may be worth it,
especially when you consider that many burglars cut phone lines as a
matter of course, whether you have the stickers or not.
From: myjak@titan.ksc.nasa.gov (Michael D. Myjak)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Painting Garage Floor
Date: 1 Sep 92 14:24:12 EST
Organization: NASA, Kennedy Space Center


I finally remembered to look! The Latex-based paint I used on my
garage floor is called SUR-SEAL and is a product of Gardner Asphalt
Co. Its sold by Home Depot and it runs about $25/gal.One gallon covers
approx. 200sq.ft. and you will need at least two coats for complete
coverage. 

-- 
- Michael D. Myjak			
  Senior Technical Specialist, Systems Analyst
  McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Company - KSC
  MYJAK@TITAN.KSC.NASA.GOV

Fea'ture N.  Distinction; Characteristic; Perculiarity (!)
             A bug with documentation.
From: andy@col.hp.com (Andrew Blasciak)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Security Alarms
Date: 2 Sep 92 15:14:27 GMT
Organization: HP Colorado Springs Division

tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan) writes:
> 
> In article <1992Sep1.195625.8444@bradley.bradley.edu> jeff@bradley.bradley.edu (Jeff Hibbard) writes:
> >
> >Yes.  They (like me) had an alarm that depended on the telephone line
> >to notify a central monitoring office.  It didn't occur to them that
> >turning off their telephone service while on vacation also crippled
> >the alarm system.
> 
> [...]
> 
> >Every so often, somebody from the alarm company comes around and
> >tries to convince me to put such stickers on my windows.  I refuse,
> >on the grounds that all such stickers do is warn burglars that they
> >need to cut my phone line before trying to open any windows or doors.
> 
> If your alarm system depends on a phone line, you might want to get a
> "leased" line. If a leased line is cut, it raises an alarm at the phone
> company and they know instantly that your house is under attack. It's a
> little bit extra per month, but the peace of mind may be worth it,
> especially when you consider that many burglars cut phone lines as a
> matter of course, whether you have the stickers or not.
> 
> 
 Simpler method:

   Go to the hardware store and puchase a telephone interface box.
   Place on outside of house.     
   Disguise real interface box as sprinkler controller (or light timer)
   Burglar cuts fake wires, enters house thinking he's safe and gets
   big surprise.

			Andy
From: oman@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com (Diane at Allen-Bradley in Cleveland)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: It looks like carpenter ants...
Date: 27 Aug 92 13:15:46 EST


In article <1992Aug27.151300.7936@primerd.prime.com>, 
mguyott@eriador.prime.com (M. Guyott) writes:

> How can you tell if there is a nest?  Can you really hear them in the walls?
> At what time of day (or night)?  I am a little hesitant to go tearing off
> my siding but this may be the prudent thing to do.

Our Terminix man says they sound like when you 'click' two fingernails
together (from the same hand) - if you can grip on that without any visual
aids!  The Orkin man told us they are nocturnal - so they're up in the
evening and at night.


> If you find the nest how can you be sure you have killed the queen?

Don't know - I think the queen may be physically bigger than the others...



> Is the powder that the exterminating companies use Boric acid?

Don't know -  Maybe you could call one of the exterminators in your
area and ask.  Maybe they won't talk about it on the phone...  I'll try to
get answers tonight when our guy comes for the initial visit.

> Marc
> ----


Di
From: macrakis@osf.org (Stavros Macrakis)
Subject: Re: Can/Should I talk to the owners?
Organization: OSF Research Institute
Date: 31 Aug 92 17:37:43

The original poster asked about a property held in trust by a bank:

   Should I try to find the owners?

In article <25860028@hpcvra.cv.hp.com> susanw@hpcvra.cv.hp.com (Susan
Wechsler) writes:
   I believe that the owner of a piece of property is a matter of public
   record.  You should be able to call the county court house to get 
   information about how to do this.

Although it is true that the ownership of real property is a matter of
public record, this does NOT mean that it is 1) easy to find who the
owner is and 2) easy to find who is actually making the decisions.

As for (1), the Registry of Deeds may or may not have an index by
address (not in Middlesex County, Mass., for transactions over 10
years old or so).  On the other hand, the City Tax department does
have such an index (but it may just send you back to the Bank, Trustee
for ...).

As for (2), anything could be true.  Maybe the bank actually makes the
decisions.  Maybe the owner's favorite niece actually makes the
decisions, ....

Note, by the way, that the bank has a fiduciary obligation to act in
the best interests of the owner.  They can't just arbitrarily decide
not to pursue a possible sale.  But what makes you think that the
owner would be interested in financing the sale?  Why don't you look
for other sources of financing?

	-s
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: drevik@utkvx4.utk.edu (Drevik, Steve)
Subject: Re: suggested weapons (was: Killing burglars.)
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: University of Tennessee Computing Center
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 14:19:00 GMT

In article <mwBeqB1w161w@cdthq.UUCP>, gary@cdthq.UUCP (Gary Heston) writes...


Mr. Heston... can you read?  There must be > a dozen requests to
move this to rec.guns.  Thanks.


>mjc+@cs.cmu.edu (Monica Cellio) writes:
> 
>> So, what specific weapons and ammo do you folks recommend for home 
>> protection?  Assume it's for an adult with no previous firearms experience
>> (bows and crossbows aside) and a willingness to learn.  (Of course, no weapon
>> gets into my house under *my* power before I've been properly trained with 
>> it.)  Goals are to maximize effectiveness (shooting to wound is stupid) while
>> minimizing both risk to others (pass-through on walls) and property damage.
> 
>At last, a rational question!
> 
>I use a .357 Ruger Security Six revolver, made of stainless steel, 
>loaded with inverted hollowbase wadcutters (handloads, in .357 cases).
>This combination is reliable, won't jam trying to eject something,
>is heavy enough to absorb recoil, and the loads are comparatively
>mild, so there's not too much recoil to recover from if a second
>shot is needed.
> 
>The load is reputed to make a .357 entrance hole and a 12" exit 
>hole, but I have not personally verified this. A friends' brother
>reportedly did, removing most of a burglars (armd and threatening)
>back with three shots. (He had just gotten home from fast-draw 
>team practice.)
> 
>The theory is that the IHBWC will tear hell out of the first thing
>it hits, be it burglar or wall, and expend 90% of its' energy there,
>greatly reducing the hazards from a miss. From test firing, I know 
>they keyhole after about 30', which also causes them to lose energy,
>once more limiting hazard. I consider it safer than a 12 gauge with
>buckshot, and *far* easier to handle.
> 
>Gary Heston, at home....
>gary@cdthq.uucp
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
From: chrisb@cs.cornell.edu (Chris Buckley)
Subject: Re: 12 gauge vs 14 gauge wiring price
Keywords: electrical wiring
Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept, Ithaca NY 14853
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 02:50:24 GMT


>>In article <1992Aug24.210136.678@cs.cornell.edu> I (Chris Buckley) wrote:
>>>Anybody have a rough ballpark figure for the cost of building a
>>>new house with 12 gauge wiring instead of 14-gauge?

Thanks for all the responses (both news and mail)!

The $2100 quote from the builder was just to use 12 ga instead of 14 ga,
which all of you were as un-believing of as I was.

Evidently, policy (remember that this is tract housing) is that for
special requests, no credit will be given for standard work not done.
Ie, I end up paying all costs (including labor) for wiring the 15 amp
circuits twice, once with 14 ga and once with 12 ga.  I still haven't
verified this since I'm not allowed to talk to the contractor(!) (much
less the electrical subcontractor), but from quotes on other things it
seems to be the case.  Thus it's considerably cheaper for me to have
them run several separate additional 20 amp circuits to 4 or 5 rooms
than to upgrade all the wiring.  Silly.

We all agree that 12 ga is to be preferred.  Are there people out
there who think it's worthwhile enough to pay $1200 for it (the
difference between the $2100 quote and the estimated $900 for the
additional circuits I'm planning on getting instead)?

Thanks again!
                                        ChrisB
From: tavares@danville (Jack Tavares)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Wood stoves?
Date: 1 Sep 92 18:16:54 GMT
Reply-To: tavares@ctron.com

I am in the market for a wood stove and was wondering
if there are any literature readily available that
I could get that would explain the important features
to look for and how to examine a wood stove for quality.
Kind of like a Consumer Report on "How to Buy a WoodStove"

Any suggestions?


Jack Tavares	(603) 332-9400 x 1463 (603) 332-1019 (FAX)
Cabletron 	PO Box 5005 Rochester, NH 03867-0505
Disclaimer: Cabletron could care less!
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house