My wife and I are beginning to consider kitchen remodel options. In thinking about a new gas stove we were wondering two things: 1) What are the pros and cons of having a down draft stove against a wall? and 2) Does a professional grade gas range (ie., Viking) need more than a typical kitchen range hood?
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In general, downdrafts do not vent as well as overhead vents. While they may be adequate for a traditional 4-burner, low-BTU stovetop, I don't think they provide sufficient air movement for a high-BTU "professional-grade" gas cooktop.
You do have an advantage with the cooktop going against a wall. The downdraft unit will only have to deal with ambient air on three sides of the cooktop, vs four sides were it on an island. That works in favor of the vent.
The downdrafts that pop up are slightly more effective than the stationary units, but still fall short when compared to the effectiveness of the overhead units when it comes to removing cooking pollutants from the kitchen.
You can do it, but it's not the most effective option for getting the job done.
the size of the hood/vent is dependent on the btu output of the stove.
bobl Volo Non Voleo Joe's cheat sheet
Edited 10/8/2002 2:28:14 PM ET by bobl
If you are planning on getting a professional range, and using it accordingly, don't mess around with anything other than the highest capacity overhead fan you can get. These ranges put out quite a bit of heat and will need a good hood. In addition, high heat cooking techniques such as pan searing create a lot of smoke and odors. You won't regret a good quality hood.
I may as well throw this out...my favorite overhead vents are from Vent-a-Hood.
Consider a pull-ring dump fire extinguisher for the hood too if you want the highest level of safety. My hand held extinguisher is mounted a little high for the wife to reach, but I do over 90% of the cooking. (she cooks maybe 2 meals a month) There is also another under the sink, in the garage and right next to the ammo reloading table in the attic as well as one in each vehicle. Fortunately I've only had to use the ones in the car and for other folks cars too. The only house fire we had I put out with a can of coke... Pretty funny story, have to post it sometime..
2 cents worth - ever consider an induction unit?
Pro - instant heat, zero fire risk or CO2 emissions, deep fry in skillet and boil over risk is only scalding yourself (no fire), 2 year old can fry eggs (and has) without risk of burning if set at low. etc.
Cons - biggest negative is it works only with magnetic cookware, relatively pricey, historical high failure rate of touch panel controls.
"What are the pros and cons of having a down draft stove against a wall?"
The cons of a good downdraft system is that you will have a big fan under the floor taking up what is usually already limited ceiling space in the basement below. The pros is that the fan is not right in front of you and virtually silent, and you don't loose 40" of wall space over the range.
"Does a professional grade gas range (ie., Viking) need more than a typical kitchen range hood?"
In my opinion, every stove needs more than the typical kitchen range hood. A typical Broan 30" range hood will move 200 cfm at 0.0" of static, add ductwork and a wall cap or roof jack and that number drops to something like 150 cfm at 0.25" of static pressure. The "deluxe" Broan is rated at 350 @ 0.0".
For my Viking against a wall with a down draft exhaust, I used 2 2x6 stud spaces with 14X4 ducts and a 30"x12" grille mounted so the bottom is just at the level of the back of the unit, a 450 cfm at 0.375 (Broan L500) fan mounted in the basement ceiling and vent out a side wall, about 15 feet away with an 8" wall cap. Variable speed controller lets me adjust the flow from just a little to full blast. When its not on high speed, barely noticeable, sound-wise. Total cost, about $600.
We remodeled our kitchen in 1994 when purchased a new house with a downdraft island cooktop. We moved the stove to an outside wall and installed a Viking gas cooktop with a Boran Rangemaster overhead hood. We do a lot of high heat Chinese cooking. The hood is very deep an traps a lot of steam to be capturd by the blower motor. The hood uses a very large chase which needs to be designed into the remodel. If you have a choice, locate the blower motor remotely. If you locate the motor on the outside wall right behind the stove and hood, you will get a lot of motor noise. This can be reduced if you locate the motor in a distant remote location like on the roof. We have been very happy with the Viking cooktop. It is excellent for high heat cooking and has had no problems. The Viking cooktop only drawback is that is a bit hot on the lowest simmer position. We use a metal plate diffuser when we simmer gumbo and other dishes for more than one hour. Get an ovehead hood and you will not be sorry. Downdrafts do not make a whole lot of sense. Hot air and steam rises.
The next time your qualified viking Service Repair Technician comes out to your house...pass this on to him.<g>
If you pull the burner control knob off the Viking, you'll note a hole in the center of the spindle that the knob is mounted on. You can stick a small screwdriver head into the hole and adjust the size of the flame. Turn the burner on, then pull the knob, then adjust the flame.
Realize that you'll be messing with the low end of the flame, and the flame may be more prone to blowout.
"Downdrafts do not make a whole lot of sense. Hot air and steam rises." Thanks, I hadn't thought of that.
We have a similar arrangement--Dacor range and overhead hood with remote blower. One amazing thing I have noticed is the amount of grease that is trapped by the baffles in the hood. Most people have no idea what they are venting into their kitchens without proper ventilation...