Around the house

Charts and conversions for the garden, kitchen, fish tank, running and buying a used car.

• Aquarium Volume Calculator: How Many Gallons Is My Fish Tank?

  Gallons = length x width x water depth in inches / 231. A worked example where a tank sold as 75 gallons holds 58.9 gallons of real water.

• Cake Pan Size Conversion: Chart, Formula, and 9x13 to 8x8

  To convert a recipe between cake pans, scale by area. A 9x13 to 8x8 is x0.55. Pan size conversion chart, the formula, and what changes bake time.

• Printable Ring Sizer and Ring Size Chart: Check the Print First

  Ring size chart in mm, three ways to measure ring size at home, and why a printable ring sizer printed at 97% reads a size 7 as 7.66.

• Race Time Predictor: Riegel's Formula, Chart and Marathon Times

  A 25:00 5K predicts a 3:59:47 marathon, not 3:30:59. Riegel's race time predictor formula, a 5K-to-marathon chart and a pace chart.

• Used Car Inspection Checklist: What to Check, in the Order You Do It

  A used car inspection checklist of 42 checks in walkaround order - VIN and recalls first, engine cold, test drive, paperwork, then a mechanic.

• When to Start Seeds Indoors by Zone: Seed Starting Chart for Zones 4-9

  Start tomatoes 52 days before your last frost, peppers 66. Seed starting charts for zones 4-9, and why your zone is not your frost date.