Been a bit busy with the yard to respond before now. It's now due for another trimming with the Toro self-propelled I ended up with (a 2hr plus task last time that is bound to take a bit longer this time since I skipped one side yard and the front yard the first time round). As for the Craftsman...I've drained the fuel on it (the fuel had stabilizer in it but better safe than sorry) and will be taking the battery out to place it on a trickle charger until I can get it over to the one place that will service it since it doesn't look like they will be picking it up for me after all. Perhaps I was just plain unlucky but the problem I've been having was NOT due to lack of maintenance on my part. I've been very careful to do the recommended maintenance and have had no problems with the engine, etc. A defective safety switch is not a maintenance issue. I just wish the problem hadn't been intermittent for so long or I would have considered coughing up the $50 service charge when it was still under warranty. I was concerned that the problem wouldn't show up and I'd be out the $50 with nothing to show for it (okay and I -was- irked it cost that much when the lawnmower was still under warranty). With just one mower to base this problem on I can't say whether it's a common one or not...just that other people I've talked to seem to have had similar headaches with service and it's something well worth considering when purchasing a new lawnmower. I've also found standard air filters, etc. to be far more expensive than other brands so that's another thing to consider as well. Fortunately the most expensive part, the air filter which runs $25 at Sears, appears to be a standard Briggs and Stratton part that can be obtained elsewhere for less than half that (quite the discount, eh?). Now...to get back to that lawn. I don't suppose anyone has some sheep I can borrow for a bit...say the rest of the summer? Actually now that I think about it...anyone know if replacing a safety switch on one of these things is a DIY project? So far I've heard...it depends... From the way it's acting I've been told it may be the clutch safety. Perhaps I can work on it after fixing the trailer lights...or before since I then wouldn't need it so desperately... Just as an additional point...sometimes the inconvenience of having something like this out of service for so long can more than make up for a couple hundred dollar price difference. Now if one's talking about several hundred dollars...I'd go for the sheep myself...;-)

Don't think I suggested Amoco-Gas was only used in gas appliances but it was cheaper than buying a can of pre packed stove fuel. If it was not used in cars it sure would have been stale by the time anyone bought it for a camp stove. We just happened to have a Amoco a couple blocks from home so my dad would fill the gallon can before we left on vacation only times I recall buying stove fuel was when we went to Canada and ran out of Amoco territory. From wikipedia: "While most oil companies were switching to leaded gasolines en masse during the mid-to-late 1920s, American Oil chose to continue marketing its premium-grade "Amoco-Gas" (later Amoco Super-Premium) as a lead-free gasoline by using aromatics rather than tetraethyl lead to increase octane levels, decades before the environmental movement of the early 1970s led to more stringent auto emission controls which ultimately mandated the universal phase out of leaded gasoline. The "Amoco" lead-free gasoline was sold at American's stations in the eastern and southern U.S. alongside American Regular gasoline, which was a leaded fuel. Lead-free Amoco was introduced in the Indiana Standard marketing area in 1970.[4] The Red Crown Regular and White Crown Premium gasolines marketed by parent company Standard Oil (Indiana) in its prime marketing area in the Midwest before 1961 also contained lead." I think the explanation if their is one was cleaner burning and less lead deposits on pistons, valves and plugs. I think ESSO had the tiger in your tank shortly before they changed the name to Exxon

David, I posted another message re calibrating your CC ovens, not sure where it went... Ask Capital to give you instructions on calibrating your oven, you should not have to mentally calibrate your temperature setting each time you use an oven. My repair tech calibrated my oven. He removed the oven knob and used a flat heat screwdriver to turn a set screw in the shaft. Put your thermometer in the oven, a remote temperature probe like you would use to keep track of temp on a roast would be good. Turn your oven on, and track the cycling of the temp. You will need to turn the screw in the shaft to adjust the temp up or down. I don't remember which direction the tech turned it, but you could start with what the eHow article says, if you can't get specific info from Capital. You are aiming to have the set temp exactly in the middle of the temp range that the oven thermostat cycles to. If the temperature range is very large when the oven cycles on and off, you should talk to Capital about getting a new thermostat. After I go the new one, it cycled very tightly, about 10 degrees above and 10 below. I would think anything with 20 to 25 above and below to be acceptable. I certainly wouldn't be happy with 50 or 80 above or below (and some brands of ranges have thermostats that are that bad). But you will need a technician to install the new thermostat. It's not a simple install because it requires removing lots of stuff to get to where it goes. Good luck, Mary Ann

I agree with one of your options. If it will work, I would remove the cabs over the range, install a killer ModernAire (pricey, but my choice) or Ventahood in that space (no cabs or anything except the hood and encased upward pipe to the ceiling), and vent out to the left through the ceiling if at all possible. Use the biggest possible duct, the fewest possible turns, and a powerful outside blower. This will be expensive, but probably the best bet for good ventilation required for a powerful range and extensive cooking. And a beautiful backsplash above the cooktop or range to accent the whole thing. I am assuming you like to cook and will NEED a good exhaust. Then it is worth it. One caution: I was able to vent a 1200 cfm ModernAire hood straight out an exterior wall that borders our deck. Some have warned that a powerful exterior motor venting into an area used for outdoor living is a problem. We have no problems with ours since our outside dining area is slightly to one side, but I can see the shrubbery ten feet from the exhaust blowing about when the motor is running on high. Wouldn't be pleasant if we ate in that path. I agree that I would be careful about deciding to remove the existing cabinets. I gather you planning a significant remodel--perhaps new countertops as well as the new appliances and perhaps a new floor ? And a new backsplash. This will make a tremendous difference. Do let us know what you find out from the professionals who come to look at the situation. I certainly agree with those who do not think the multiple turns required to go out through the garage will work. And, as you know, you REALLY do not want a down vent.