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Preventing Overloads When more than one appliance is served by a single circuit, there is the potential for these appliances to draw more power than the circuit is designed to handle. The result is a tripped circuit breaker or fuse. This is a fairly common occurrence in kitchens in older homes that were installed at a time when the National Electrical Code did not anticipate such a large number of appliances that would be featured in modern kitchens....

Most species have a moderate to fast growth rate. The best time to plant is either at the very beginning of the growing season or after the orchid has finished flowering. Dendrobium orchids make good houseplants and are fairly easy to grow, though they can be picky about their environment. Thus, paying close attention to their growing conditions is key for a healthy, well-blooming plant. In general, these orchids like small pots where their roots can be somewhat cramped, and they need to be by a bright window if you’re keeping them indoors....

In fact, due to the plant’s vigorous nature, it can develop invasive qualities in the landscape. In mild climates, the plant is likely to spread outside of its bounds, sending out creeping stems that take root along the way. However, it is easy enough to trim off these stems as needed to keep your plant’s spread in check. You also can trim the ends to give your plant an overall neater appearance, which many gardeners do when growing dichondra between pavers or in containers....

Basic Hummingbird Feeder Styles There are two basic styles of hummingbird feeders: inverted feeders and saucer feeders. An inverted feeder has a central reservoir that is suspended over the feeding ports and releases nectar from above, keeping the ports filled at optimum levels. A saucer feeder is a simple shallow dish filled with nectar that has ports above the reservoir, allowing birds to dip their bills and tongues directly into the nectar supply....

In any case, it is important to check local building and plumbing codes before installing a new dishwasher. The local code rules dictate the legal requirements in your area. Contact your city’s building department or visit online for more information. In some areas, a high loop is the minimum requirement, but in many other jurisdictions, an air gap must be installed with all new dishwashers. High Loop Dishwasher Connection In the high loop method, the drain line of the dishwasher is looped up as high as possible under the countertop before it runs back down to connect to the drain system....

Each of these projects starts with making concrete and pouring it into a mold to make the shape of the planter. The concrete is then released from the mold, forming the final planter. You can then decorate the planter with paint or leave it in its natural state. Working with concrete may sound intimidating, but it’s actually a pretty easy medium to figure out—so much so that even kids can even get in on the action....

Though you’ve probably seen wine barrels used at weddings, there are endless ways to bring them into your home as well.

Within the more than 40 varieties of the Dudleya genus, there are two main growth habits: branching and non-branching. Branching liveforever plants create many little rosettes of foliage. These are a perfect choice for ground cover. Non-branching varieties only create one rosette of foliage, making them an eye-catching specimen plant. Dudleya plants have a powdery appearance due to a waxy layer called farina. As a result, the plant has natural protection from excessive sun exposure or bad weather....

The tree has a fast growth rate and can be planted in the fall or spring. Its dark green leaves are slightly serrated and grow 1 to 3 inches long. In the fall, the leaves turn to shades of red, orange, and purple, and the pink-red fruits appear. While some wildlife eats the berries, all parts of the European spindle tree are toxic both to humans and pets. Overall, this is a relatively low-maintenance plant and can make an attractive background shrub with a flowering border in front of it....

Lawn mowers are relatively straightforward machines. All lawn mowers have wheels, allowing you to navigate around your yard, cutting the grass as you go for a nice, even result. While their design may vary, the majority of products sold today are rotary mowers, which use an engine to produce power and spin a horizontal blade. The blade rotates at such a fast speed that it cuts through the grass as it hits it, and typically, these blades are housed within a deck, a casing that keeps grass and other objects from going flying as you operate the machine....

Faux stone panels’ greatest advantage is that they are easy to apply, requiring no mortar or grout. Faux stone applies with glue. On the downside, faux stone is impermanent, especially in high-traffic areas. Natural Stone Real, natural stone is the real stuff: 100-percent actual stone quarried from the earth. Few homeowners possess the masonry skills needed to work with stone, and even having previous experience with ceramic tile does not help much....

The Entry The entry is your face to the world in feng shui philosophy. Unless you’re looking for a hideaway as a retiree, you want to find a home that has a clear easy-to-find entry. Just think about the first time you approached your home. Was it easy to find the front door? Does the doorbell work? It is clean and well lit? These are key factors to the feng shui of your home....

If you find yourself reaching for a stud finder every week or so, the Franklin Sensors 710 Precision Stud Finder should be in your tool bag. Locating studs isn’t a hard job, but it can be tedious—especially when you’re on the clock. This model speeds through jobs without a hitch; of course, it comes with a price that might not be worth it for the average homeowner. Read on for everything we discovered when we tested this stud finder out during our own DIY project....

What all the regions of the French countryside share is a cultural devotion to the art of living and perfecting the domestic sphere in order to bring beauty to everyday life. In France, part of living with centuries of history is learning to gracefully incorporate past and present into a timeless style that honors tradition while constantly adapting to contemporary needs and lifestyles. The quotidian elegance of a French country living room honors tradition while constantly reinventing itself, which today means that in addition to rustic accessories and distressed finishes you will also find plenty of comfortably upholstered sofas, a light breezy color palette, and a mix of styles that is easy to recreate no matter where you live thanks to the widespread appeal and easy availability of French-style furniture and accessories around the world....

Your home’s daily humidity levels may not be something you give much thought to, but when they’re consistently too low or too high, you’ll surely notice. If your home’s humidity levels are too high, a unit like the Frigidaire 70-Pint Dehumidifier can help you reign in your indoor moisture. Maintaining proper moisture levels in your home can provide a multitude of benefits, including helping to prevent the overgrowth of mold and mildew....

A winner of the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society, this shrub features clusters of yellow flowers appearing at the end of winter or early spring, which then lead to edible red fruits. This is one of the earliest shrubs to bloom, with blossoms that unfurl before the leaves. The clusters of yellow flowers are similar in appearance to forsythia, and the red stone fruits (drupes) that ripen in July resemble olives in size and shape....

Although these aren’t the most common houseplants around, extensive work has been done with a handful of species to produce a variety of beautiful cultivars that are prized for their leaf shape and flower color. In terms of culture, these are not particularly difficult plants to grow and prefer a cooler winter room with less water, then the warmth and adequate moisture in the summer. For best results, prune the plants to encourage bushiness....

That’s only partly true. Other factors determine which roofing materials you can use. One solid factor is the pitch of the roof, also known as the roof slope. Roof pitch can instantly change the conversation. You may have your heart set on classic composite shingles on your roof. But if the roof pitch is below a certain ratio, you may be forced to install a different type of roofing—perhaps rolled roofing or standing seam metal roofing....