With the family away I used the opportunity to repair our kitchen ventilator (at the touch of a button it rises up from the island and evacuates smoke from the cooktop). This defective switch (which probably costs half a buck) was the culprit rendering this top of the line, $800 appliance inoperative. The project took most of the day. I had to remove the gas cooktop, disconnect the ducting, remove the fan, remove the telescoping ventilator assembly, and take it completely apart to find the problem.

Rather than wait weeks for a replacement from Thermador which would be sure to fail in another 2 years, I replaced the switch with a much more durable substitute that I had on hand. Amazing what you can do with a soldering iron, grinder, and a little epoxy.