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 Post subject: Kitchen without a hood
PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2015 7:08 am 
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Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 8:51 am
Posts: 663
Location: W. Montana
While my home is lovely and modern, its kitchen has no hood. (The range is on an inside wall with no option to move it and there are bedrooms above.)
Therefore, I have to be cautious about what I cook and how much grease it produces (I've never found splatter screens to be very effective).
Next week I'm having my gas furnace replaced and the HVAC guy tells me he can use my current m/w and connect it to a downdraft vent that goes to my crawlspace and then outside.
I've never heard of downdraft ranges being at all useful.
And I've heard also that I'd be wasting my money having this work done because it just won't work well.
Does anyone have an opinion on this kind of setup?


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 Post subject: Re: Kitchen without a hood
PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2015 7:18 am 
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Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 7:50 pm
Posts: 2062
Seems like it would work better than nothing, especially since you are already used to minimizing grease production.


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 Post subject: Re: Kitchen without a hood
PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2015 7:48 am 
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Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 5:35 am
Posts: 2305
Location: Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Jenn-Air reviews don't seem to fault this part of the design. Try talking to your friends that have this sort of system for additional viewpoints. My SIL loves hers, has had it for 20+ yrs, and we've cooked many meals on it without odor being an issue. It has built-in grease traps that are washable in the DW.


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 Post subject: Re: Kitchen without a hood
PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2015 7:52 am 
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Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 8:51 am
Posts: 663
Location: W. Montana
Paul,
Can you describe the setup your SIL has? Is it a Jenn-Air freestanding or set-in range with a downdraft vent at the back or is it a cooktop?
Problem is, I don't know anyone who has any kind of downdraft and my research has turned up precious little information about them.
I just don't want to make a big investment into something that will disappoint.


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 Post subject: Re: Kitchen without a hood
PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2015 9:50 am 
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Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 5:35 am
Posts: 2305
Location: Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Linda - My SIL has it set into a range with the vent in the middle. In this way it pulls from all burners equally.

As for 'Paul' - he may be a wino but this Wino goes by Bill :D :shock: :roll:


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 Post subject: Re: Kitchen without a hood
PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2015 10:02 am 
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Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 8:51 am
Posts: 663
Location: W. Montana
wino, ops, sorry. Thanks for the info on the vent system.


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 Post subject: Re: Kitchen without a hood
PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2015 3:13 pm 
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Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2011 8:05 pm
Posts: 1191
Location: Chico, CA
I've had an electric JennAir with downdraft since 1975 (replaced it once when we remodeled 10 years ago with a newer model). Would not get anything else. The cooktop is on the end of a sideways u and is open to the family room, so a hood would not have been an option. Occassionally I have to turn on the overhead fan, but not often. The downdraft does a great job. It has 2 speeds. One of the bays converts to an indoor grill. I used to cook hamburgers on it all the time when the kids were young. It worked. I also fried bacon on the griddle, ditto. I use the cabinet that houses the vent to store my cutting boards, deep fat fryer, stove top popcorn pan, used oil, the grill and griddle inserts, misc. other stuff. So the space is not wasted.

Hope this answers your questions. Here is a picture Image of the vent. We took out the left bay to put in the cambro for sous vide, and another very old one here

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Alina


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 Post subject: Re: Kitchen without a hood
PostPosted: Sat May 09, 2015 9:07 am 
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Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2011 5:56 am
Posts: 531
Location: Virginia
I don't have any venting in my kitchen either, Linda. I wanted plenty of light over my island when we built our house and a cooktop with downdraft wasn't workable with our budget or the available space (I wanted the maximum size cooktop with larger burners). Just this year we've discussed looking into possible ventilation systems that would draw the air upward into our attic (an unfinished 3rd floor). But we haven't gotten past the pondering stage. I clean my light fixture every now and then but other than that I try not to think about the grease -- the key is to never look up. ;)

Emilie


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 Post subject: Re: Kitchen without a hood
PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2015 6:54 am 
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Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 8:51 am
Posts: 663
Location: W. Montana
Just to update those of you who responded:
The downdraft turned out to be a no-go. There's just no way to run a vent up or down or sideways, there are obstructions of all kinds in all directions.
So I am stuck for eternity with my 'pretend' microwave recirculating fan.
However, the furnace installation is going swimmingly, no problems there and they're almost finished. Fortunately, the weather has been pleasantly spring-like so there's been no need for heating during the work. Some areas nearby have been having snow storms, but nothing like that here.


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