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Fireplace formula needed

01:00 Tue 13th Feb 2001 |

By Tom Gard

THERE have been some genuinely testing questions -and some brilliant answers - posted�over the past few weeks.

Before we have a look at some of the matters that have been exercising the grey matter and the pick of your ingenious replies, here's a an appeal for help from anyone who knows about building a fireplace. Nikgut needs to know what the relationship of distance and area between the base of the fire in his fireplace and the entrance and diameter of the chimney should be.If you know, help him out by clicking here.

Algae building up in the fish tank was a problem for kjring before Shedman suggested a range of measures to avoid the problem including UV treatment, putting live plants in the bottom of the tank or, getting�a Siamese fish that actually eats the stuff. So hopefully algae should be a thing of the past.

Steve has a problem with moles, not so much the creatures themselves, but what they are doing to his lawn. Thanks go to dipruk for passing on his experiences of the same problem. It appears that ultra-sonic deterrants aren't as effective as they could be and Steve is probably better off flicking through the Yellow Pages to find a specialist mole catcher.

Shelley was at a loss as to why her central heating pump has had to be replaced three times in quick succession. It didn't sound like the engineer was much help, certainly not as much as MJPearson who provided a comprehensive checklist of potential causes, including not having a thermostatic valve on or a blockage. If you'd like to see the answer in full, click here.

Finally, we hope that magnthgarden's flower arrangement for a wedding in June is a roaring success thanks to compo. The theme of the arrangement is to be Elizabethan and preferably using wildflowers. Compo supplied a comprehensive list of flowers - Dianthus, Sweet Williams etc - that will not only be in flower in June but would also have been around over 400 years ago. He also pointed out that the Elizabethans were very fond of fragrant plants - to disguise the odours of their not so sanitary lives! Click here for the whole answer.

If you've got a question or need advice on anything around the home or garden click here.

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