If the battery is 2 years old, it becomes suspect. IF the engine is a Briggs OHV, the valve adjustment becomes suspect.

A neighbor has a rechargeable, she loves it. It is heavy but her lawn is very gently sloped; she seems to maneuver okay. She uses some sort of solar recharger and has a spare battery, so she can do the whole lawn in one session. I've been envious that she can start mowing early (our neighborhood practices courtesy-silence [no machinery use] until after 9a on weekends). It will be interesting to see what others have to say about the battery types. I gave up on reel mowers after my knee gave out. I wasn't enthused before then anyhow. No doubt if I had been better about keeping blades absolutely sharp and had used a brand with easier height adjustments, I might have liked it better. New ones are lighter in weight, but the grass catchers don't seem any better in design. I found the catchers awkward to use and empty; and they added much weight and decreased maneuverability. I doubled and then tried trebled space for paragraphs -- interesting to see the space disappear. Do you suppose the Master will pay attention to objections? It certainly doesn't look like a professional formatting objective! And boy, it sure does make the posting hard to follow .\/.

lol. Interestingly enough if he were going to remove just one wire, I would have removed the black one... Either way, it's not a bomb. It is, however, a hazard to have ANY live wires "sticking out" or otherwise not properly "ended". If you choose to get rid of the hardwired smoke detector altogether, "cap" the wires with "wire nuts" and put a blank round plate over the hole (you can buy the plate at almost any hardware store. Don't try to make one yourself. Same with wirenuts.) Installing a new hardwired one is similarly simple. Match black to black, white to white, attach with wires, and secure it to the wall/ceiling per the instructions (usually two screws). I haven't seen a smoke detector with a ground wire since the early 80s, but if you somehow manage to find one, it'll have a green wire that needs to be connected to the bare copper wire in the wall/ceiling, also with a wirenut. No matter which option you choose, you'll want to turn off the power before mucking around with them wires. Since you probably have no reliable way to TEST them, I'd recommend turning off the power to the entire house.

OP: I have an air pump that I use for the tractor and car tires . For the tractor it can inflate the tires in about two minutes, much less when adjusting the tire pressure before mowing. Even with the Van which requires 38 psi in 16" tires, I can use it to adjust the pressure. At this high pressure I have to have the pump running before connecting to the tire, but it can increase the pressure from about 30 psi to 38 psi in about a 1 minute. I have had the pump for about 10 years now. I got it at Harbor Freight. and believe I paid about $17 on special. I believe the link is the same pump I use. http://www.harborfreight.com/12v-100-psi-high-volume-air-compressor-69284.html I would highly recommend it for anyone wanting a pump for most of the around the house uses and as an emergency pump to carry in the car. (The car is where mine resides most of the time.)