Hello, I’m new to these forums. I need some pros input. I have researched past posts about downdraft vents and have noticed a lot of negative comments. I also notice that in many magazine photos hoods are installed higher than the recommended 30 inches above the cooktop, which makes them less effective. We are installing a 30 inch 4 burner gas cooktop in an island. A hood at the recommended height is just too much in the way physically and visually. What is your advice about choosing between a pop-up downdraft and a hood mounted higher than suggested?
I am leaning toward a downdraft, but am concerned by all the negative feedback on this site. I’m not sure if all are about pop-up downdrafts or if the worst might be about those built-in to the cooktop at burner height.
thank you so much
Replies
Welcome. Bump
Dacor makes a range with a servo driven "snorkel" that rises up about 9" behind the stovetop; all the way across.
I've installed three, and everyone seems happy. Definitely use the remote fan - much quieter.
Forrest
I had a JennAir with a built in downdraft in my last house. I loved it. It was a bit loud but it pulled the odors out so well that a couple of times I burnt things becuase I couldn't smell them getting overdone.
I am planning to have another rangetop just like it in my new place.
Rusti
I'll play.
I've installed a "few".
Clearances are critical. Like the cutout in the countertop. Don't let the stone guys make a mess out of it because they didn't template correctly. And the whole unit tends to get smushed all the way to the back of the cabinet up against the wall.
Then you have to deal with floor joist spacing and placement in relationship to where the unit drops it's vent into the floor, and then again, where are you going to go with it to the exterior?
It's tedious, you have to thoroughly read the directions, and the cut sheets to determine placement. Take your time, it's not something to rush through in any way.
Dacor makes a decent unit.
I've seen a few really f'd up and fixed them. You just need to study it well.
Any questions beyond this, feel free to ask.
Eric
[email protected]
It's Never Too Late To Become What You Might Have Been
Thank you so much to everyone for your replies. What a nice surprise to find all this valuable feedback when I logged on. Eric Paulson wrote:
"Then you have to deal with floor joist spacing and placement in relationship to where the unit drops it's vent into the floor, and then again, where are you going to go with it to the exterior?"Thanks for the heads-up about the floor joist - I'll be aware of that. We will got down the island to the basement and out the side yard. Would like to keep it in the floor joists, though so as not to impinge on head room in a semi-finished (someday truly finished) basement room.Is anyone aware of a pop-up downdraft unit that has the ability to have the guts take up room in the cabinet behind the portion on top? I don't know if that makes sense, but this will be in an island that has room behind it but we would like to have drawers under the cooktop.thank you again for your thoughtful and useful info.
Is anyone aware of a pop-up downdraft unit that has the ability to have the guts take up room in the cabinet behind the portion on top? I don't know if that makes sense, but this will be in an island that has room behind it but we would like to have drawers under the cooktop.
All the dd's I have installed seem to be around 4" in depth from the back of the cabinet. Everything is contained in that box. Some units can be done with a remote fan, located beneath the floor. I'm not sure how well they suck though.
You can order reduced depth drawers on full extension slides. Many I have seen use rollouts behind doors, I believe it is less expensive than drawers.
It's funny how some people are saying they don't suck well enough, and others are suggesting they suck so well that they interfere with cooking! I've never had any complaints.
View Image
This is a Wolfe I believe.
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It's Never Too Late To Become What You Might Have Been
Edited 2/9/2006 5:31 pm ET by EricPaulson
Edited 2/9/2006 5:32 pm ET by EricPaulson
Edited 2/9/2006 5:33 pm ET by EricPaulson
Is anyone aware of a pop-up downdraft unit that has the ability to have the guts take up room in the cabinet behind the portion on top? I don't know if that makes sense, but this will be in an island that has room behind it but we would like to have drawers under the cooktop
Few enough of the cooktops leave any room for drawers, as is, it what I've found. That was "then" too, wait a few months and the appliance people offer all new product.
Now, as I'm a fan of both elec & gas for cooktops (one simmers, one boils), I had found a "cross-ways" venting unit that I want to remember was in the GE Designer line. This meant you needed no additional depth to the cabinet carcasse; but more importantly, did not block people on the "back" side of the island from helping stir when in use. I've no idea (unless I stop and look it up in a bit) if they still have that sort of unit.
Makes sense, it's the same general orientation as a Jenn-Aire, only with the bonuses of a "pop up" unit.
Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
I thought we were gonna be talkin about pop up campers .
You can imagine my disapointment .
Tim
I was really interested in the pop-up hood for our 36" range for the same reason - retaining the visual openness. The more I researched the more I was willing to give up the open look for efficiency. My main concerns with the pop-ups are three.
1) Effeciency. Heat & steam rise. No matter how hard the pop-up is sucking it is going to have a hard time getting all the steam/grease/etc. to go sideways into the vent.
2) Possible uneven cooking on gas. With that much fan pulling sideways it can pull the flame as well. (Debate on this one - depends on how high up the vent is, what kind of cooking you do, size of pan, etc.).
3) Reliability. The extra motor, gears, etc. are just more thing that will need maintenance over time.
So, I focused on low profile (but NOT glass - it will NEVER look clean!) island hoods. I was going to go with the Faber Axia Isola, but it only comes in 36"; the reco is to go 6" wider so I needed 42". (With your 30" you'll be fine). Ended up with a Kobe - not as low-profile as I'd hoped but I have found that it is not in the way visually at all (which is really my point -- sorry I got kinda carried away).
thanks for the pictures - beautiful kitchen. Helps me to anticipate the end result of all these decisions. What height is your hood above the floor? how high above the cooktop?thank you
the bottom of the hood is 31" above the cooktop, 67" from the floor
Thank you so much for the measurements - it's really helpful. Do you ever bump your head on the hood?
Bump my head? Yea, but it's rare. Typically when I'm chopping right next to the cooktop - I'm 6'. DW has no problems; she's 5'5" ;-)
The hood issue depends on the hood and the pattern of usage. Some hoods are anemic, while others are wind tunnels. Some folks fry everything they eat, while others fry very sparingly.
I did a kitchen last year where the customers bought a GE Monogram hood with dual fan motors. Heavy sucker. Pun intended. Anyhow, we set it 36" above the range so as not to destroy the social connection across the cooktop, which is in an island. They are really happy. Big hoods dominate the kitchen, but some people like the look.
In my own home, I have no forced range ventilation at all, and don't miss it. I redid the ceiling as part of the kitchen remodel in 1999, and made sure to leave a joist bay centered over the cooktop in case I ever need a hood, but it has never come up in 7 years. We fry stuff pretty often, but take care to not burn the food, and it does not make a big mess.
For me, the openness is priceless. For everything else, there's Mastercard.
Bill
Over in Cooks Talk there has been a lot of discussion on down drafts ( they have one going on now) and the unamious opinion is that regardless of brand from cheap to top of the line (dacor, miele, wolf...) down drafts suck at sucking. - go to that forum and do an advanced search for "down draft" and take a look at the comments - these are comments from the people who really use the products.
Throw my .2 in here, I am doing the same island with cooktop don't wan the view to be blocked by a low hood. I have talked to some dealers Wolf, Viking the biggest thing is a gas range pumps out more heat and the downdraft just has a hard time pulling the vapors and heat from the front burners. Remember you are not only pulling out the steam and grease but heat, which in the summer could make for a warmer than wanted kitchen.
Jeff
delayed reaction here. somehow I lost this thread and just found it again. thanks for the thought about the heat - definitely worth considering. in the summer we tend to cook outside on the weber gas grill. in a midwest winter in this drafty old house, we'll take all the heat we can get! thanks for your response. we will just have a 30 inch 4 burner cooktop and no grill. brrrrrright now we have no vent, not to mention no counter space and no closed storage, so whatever we do will be an improvement.thank you
We ordered a Broan "Rangemaster" down-draft for our 36" wide Wolf cooktop and our builder installed - it works well and has variable speed. Any active vent will need a fan. Be sure to consider how and where the 4-6" venting will discharge.
Why not show your client an installed application? - ask the appliance vendor to offer. We used Barons' Major Brands in NH.
Gun: We have an ancient Jenn-Air downdraft. couldn't use its own fan because it didn't have enough OOMOH to clear the stovetop, considering the torturous route the air had to folow to get out of the house. Went to a FanTech 8" steel range exhaust fan. Connected it to the Jenn-Air, vented it through the side, put the fan under thhe adjacent base cabinet. Does it suck well, you ask? My wife works as a cocktail waitress & wears a Dolly Parton wig. A couple days ago she was leaning over the range top while the fan was on - it sucked the wig right off her head & blew it out into the side yard. I happened to be looking out the window when it happened. Darned thing never hit the ground - a redtail hawk caught it in midair & tried to kill it. (Now, anyone who believes that story, meet me off line - I can make you a great price on a toll bridge across the Chattahoochee River. You can get rich off the tolls.) It does a fine job clearing the air over the range top. You can see the fumes from any skillet & up to a 4 qt saucepan go straight down the hatch. The 16 qt stockpot is another issue. It's no noisier than the old Jenn Air fan.
See attached photo.
Don
The Glass Masterworks
"If it scratches, I etch it!"
Don: Photo didn't attach. Here's second try.DonDon Reinhard
The Glass Masterworks
"If it scratches, I etch it!"
Didn't realize till I saw the photo enlarged that the installation wasn't complete when it was taken. I had to have a bunch of special duct pieces fabricated so I can take it all apart to clean w/o removing the cabinet. There is a clamshell section that connects the missing section to the vertical that goes up a small wall. I decided after getting the thing operating that I really needed a fire stop in the duct at the bottom where it enters the wall. Went to Johnson Controls, who makes a firestop that triggers at 165 degrees F, & is rated for 1.5 hrs. I've checked the temps while running it Christmas Day - temp of duct never went above ambient, as sensed by skin. Even checked it while oven was cleaning itself. Again no sensible temp increase.Think I have a winner.
DonDon Reinhard
The Glass Masterworks
"If it scratches, I etch it!"
I was just out looking at downdraft options, and one really interesting point we found was that Thermador makes a model that pops up 15" as opposed to the usual 10" or so. This makes a lot more sense, as this gets it up above the pot level, and will have less effect on the flame.
Not positive, but I think it ran about $900 or so.
If you do pop-up, as opposed to built into the unit, make sure your cabinet base and counter top have the needed space.