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Down draft with gas cook top ?

oldusty | Posted in General Discussion on September 11, 2008 05:28am

  All ,

         Have any of you done kitchens or have experience with gas cook tops that use down draft systems ?

  In the kitchen I’m building now the HO wants and purchased the appliances but,,,,,

       They want drawers under the CT , I asked for a look at how the blower and duct looks in the foot print to know where to stop the drawers .

   I called Electrolux tech support and asked them , they said they don’t recommend the down draft with a gas cook top and no drawers should go under them because of being combustible , makes sense but the CT sits on a plywood shelf , makes no sense .

       Have any of you done this or similar ?

         thanks       dusty, maker of boxes

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  1. Pelipeth | Sep 12, 2008 03:22am | #1

    I did one about 18-24 mos. ago. Viking or Wolf. Downdraft is LARGE. Pulled the cabinets away from the wall to accomodate, but client got a deeper counter top (granite). Could only get trays behind doors into the cabinet. Be sure to have the equipment on site before you start, or at the very least have the manufacturer send you the installation instructions. Less painful that way. Installed the control in the back splash rather than the ctr.top. Looks cool. Also had my HVAC guy fabricate ductwork.

    1. oldusty | Sep 12, 2008 05:14am | #2

         Thanks ,

       

      1. butcher | Sep 12, 2008 05:36am | #3

        I installed one in my house, it was a thermador. Hardly use it it so powerful it wants to "suck" the flame toward it and then the elctronic lighter start to click.

        1. oldusty | Sep 12, 2008 06:16am | #4

             butcher ,

                      As it turns out we looked at the blower and it was designed as a remote or to be installed under the house or in the wall  or I don't know where .

              We realized the unit would not fit behind the cabinet as we thought one would , it's a different type  .

             The concern the mfg had was it could suck flames down and cause the duct to get too hot and bingo . The diagram shows the CT on a plywood shelf , I guess it's the down draft duct that's the problem .

               The HOs told me they saw one just like it at their friends new kitchen and it had drawers under it why can't we . I just saw a picture of the kitchen they saw and it featured a hammered copper hood , want drawers ?

                             regards         dusty

  2. susiekitchen | Sep 12, 2008 08:53am | #5

    Have to say that downdraft ventilation with any cooktop is not the best solution. Generally any downdraft is pretty inefficient as far as removing steam and fumes. Get one that does move some air and it messes with the flame.

    No drawers because of combustbility is a new one, tho. I don't think any properly installed gas cooktop presents any combustbility issues. However, given the current trend for appliances with enough BTU's to ignite the neighborhood, there could be some out there that might be a problem that I'm not aware of.

    I've seen cabinets and drawers beneath those large Wolf cooktops, so I'm thinking the Electrolux rep is stretching it a bit. If they're worried about that issue with their product, I'm not so sure I'd want it.

    The problems I've encountered with gas cooktops (not downdrafts) and drawers/pull-outs have centered around the gas connections and the 110V for the igniter. I generally allow some extra depth in the cooktop cabinet for a gas unit to allow room for the connection. The last job I did we used vanity depth drawers on FE glides because we couldn't pull the cabinet away from the wall.

    Worked out great, except the 110V got put in the back of an adjacent cabinet with a pantry pull-out, which then wouldn't close completely. When it was moved back into the cooktop cabinet, there was a conflict with the drawer glides and not the drawer box. We eventually solved it by finegeling the drawer glide.

  3. danski0224 | Sep 12, 2008 12:07pm | #6

    I can tell you that Thermador ducting and the mechanisim to raise the hat takes up about 6" of depth from the back of the cooktop. There are 3 movable panels that allow the fan and ducting to be positioned in the center, or off to the left or right.

    Remote fan is also an option.

    Pro cabinetmakers create a removable false back that conceals the workings from view. It needs to be removable for service access.

    Any manufacturer should be able to provide you with the exact specifications (cut sheets) for their units. The specs may be online, and there may be a myriad of choices in fan or part assemblies.

    They look nice, but there are alternatives that actually work. A hood is a better choice.

  4. IronHelix | Sep 12, 2008 01:37pm | #7

    I did one last fall.  A pop-up, variable speed unit with the motor/fan as a remote blower unit set on the exterior basement wall.

    The vent unit mounted to the island cut-out in the 5'x10' butcher block top. The adjustable position vent went through the floor. I had a local HVAC shop fabricate the transition to 8"round duct in the basement. 

    The 9" hole through the 8" concrete wall was no fun, but that was the only option in order to keep the run shorter than the manfacturer's limits.

    The cook top unit hangs an integral perimeter flange from the cut out in the butcher block.  The bottom of the cooktop is left exposed for service aspect. Sliding pot and pan shelves were supposedly to be installed, but were not to be positioned close to the bottom of the CT.

    The customer is satisfied with having the down draft as opposed to nothing. It does not seam to effect the flame.

    My kitchen has a gas cooktop with a hood over the top and a 600+CFM fan.  No plywood directly under the CT, but two pot/pan slide outs.  The unit sits on the top perimeter of the shorter than normal cabinet frame.

    After seeing both vent systems function, the best is the overhead hood. 

    ..............Iron Helix

  5. Hiker | Sep 12, 2008 04:35pm | #8

    In my experience downdrafts are not cut out for serious cooking.  As one poster mentioned, they draw the flame of the back burners toward the exhaust and never catch the grease and smoke from the front burners.  I discourage clients from installing them.

    Bruce

    1. oldusty | Sep 12, 2008 05:41pm | #10

         Agreed , this was a tough one , they already had a  "designer plan" they were hooked on . It was a real decent Cherry kitchen , I needed it too , so until it came to the CT I didn't argue about the design but improved the cabinet function and layout .

             HO is looking at Electric ?

           in this layout the island / peninsula has a curved back wall that's dry walled for a bar top , the curve goes in towards the cabinets .

             there is space behind the cabinets  ,

      The cabinets are about 90" each way on a 90° angle that forms an out side corner of the island , it only touches the curved wall and end wall on the one end.

                thanks    dusty

                      

  6. restorationday | Sep 12, 2008 05:21pm | #9

    I have dealt with this a few times but to answer something that makes any sense I need to know what kind of downdraft it is.

    1. Is it a gas cooktop and then a separate downdraft that mounts behind the cooktop with a pop-up vent strip and then the motor under the counter?
    or
    2. Is it a one piece unit with a flush mount vent between the burners with the motor mounted under the cooktop?
    I don't think it is option 2 because I think only Jennair and GE make those type of units and you said Electrolux but I don't know Electrolux very well so...

    Either way you can put drawers under the cooktop. The best way is to make a drawer box inside your cabinet and once I even had a cabinet maker insulate around that box though I thought that was excessive. You have to add some type of support for the sliders infront of the blower unit or duct and draw everything out plan plan plan cause it is very likely the drawers cannot be full depth unless you have a deep island. The islands I have done this way were always custom made cabinets.

    The drawings are not to scale and were done in paint cause I don't have CAD on the old laptop but should give you an idea.

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