Q: Are downdrafts as effective as range hoods?
I've considered buying one instead of the conventional range hood, in order to maximize space in the kitchen and also to create a more modern, minimal look. But I am worried that downdrafts are not as effective in exhausting the odors and fumes while cooking in comparison to range hoods. Any advice?
Sent by Elena
Editor: Elena, I am in a funny position of wishing I could give you feedback on a downdraft ventilation system. See, I have one in my old rental kitchen (the pop-up action was a major surprise, on moving in) but it doesn't actually work. You can see it in a video here:
• Video: Secret Surprise Kitchen Appliance
The fan motor seems to be broken, although we're not really sure. It's totally ancient and hasn't worked for years — it probably broke at least a few years before I moved in.
It definitely has a sleek look, but it is hard to see how it would suck in all the humidity and grease that is generated by regular cooking.
Readers, do you have any direct experience with downdrafts, or advice for Elena?
Related: Good Question: Do I Absolutely Need a Range Hood?
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I would look to see if Consumer Reports has looked into it. They are pretty reliable.
We have one in our kitchen's island. It's the loudest, noisest thing and kills any conversation. I don't think it does a good job venilating steam from the front burners. The steam still dissapates into the room. Much of the space under the stove top is dedicated to venilation pipes, fans and a whole in the floor. Seriously, stay with the top hood for venilating fumes from the stove.
They do a great job of ventilating, but I wouldn't get one in combination with a gas range. The downdraft ventilation pulls the flame towards the center of the range and food doesn't cook as fast.
We installed one when we renovated our house, and it sits directly behind a Viking range with six burners and a grill. It does *a little* to help, but is mostly useless. The range seems to generate enough heat to push smoke up with more force than the fan's pulling power can counter.
I would definitely go for an overhead hood next time.
Make sure with your downdraft that you are fully extending it. Ours will not start up until the motor has completely extended and "clicked" into place. That was the big mistake we made with ours initially.
i have a jenn air downdraft duel-fuel range that i bought about 2 years ago. i almost never use the ventilation, but when i do, it isn't the least bit noisy. it *does* pull the flames toward the center of the range (where the downdraft is), but that hasn't really been a negative. the downdraft comes on automatically when i use the grill part, but otherwise, i almost never use it. beats an overhead for my setup, though.
How funny this should come up. Out of frustration, I was joking with my wife that I should start the "American Institute for Residential Downdraft Ventilation Testing".
I'm about to put one of these downdrafts in my kitchen in February and am totally frustrated that there are few details provided by Consumer Reports, any online resource, or even the downdraft manufacturers and their retail sales people.
I grew up with a Jenn Air downdraft cooktop (first electric, second gas) that had the vent down the middle of the four burners. It would continually get covered with grease and sauces so the fins of the vent grille would have to be cleaned regularly. It really didn't help with ventilation. Plus, as someone else pointed out, it pulls the heat from a gas flame away from the pan --- noticeably so.
So, in my new house with 19 year old kitchen appliances, I have a KitchenAid non-telescopic downdraft with exterior blower motor (mounted about 10' away on the outside of the house). The vent sits just behind the gas cooktop. We thought this would be fantastic. Even on high speed and with recently cleaned mesh filters, it barely flutters a hanging Kleenex. Even though the blower is on the outside of the house, the sound of the air being pulled through the mesh filters is a conversation killer. Also, the problem of the gas heat being pulled away from the pan remains. (The exterior blower is moving all kinds of air, and the ductwork is intact.)
So, as an engineer, I thought about the physics of this. Heat from the pan convects cooking vapors up. Cooking vapors rise. The downdraft is typically at a disadvantage in height relative to the top of the pan and the center of the cooking surface. So, I researched all the downdrafts out there for max CFM (cubic feet per minute) and maximum telescopic rise. I came up with Thermador. After visiting my local Thermador retail store, and finding I knew more about the product than the sales guy did, I got in touch with the Thermador regional rep yesterday.
He confirmed my thoughts about the physics, and explained that it is why they introduced the 14" rise model - the tallest on the market. He explained that electric and induction cooktops are so efficient (vs. gas) that they typically recommend only 600 CFM for "typical" cooking on those stoves. Grilling and stir-frying would necessitate a 1000CFM blower. A gas cooktop would necessitate a 1000CFM blower. He also mentioned that a "pro grade" or "commercial" gas cooktop would not be well ventilated by a downdraft unit.
Also, the one bit of advice I did find on the web is that a blower moter located closer to the downdraft unit itself (vs. on the outside of the house, or far along the ductwork path), works far more efficiently. And, the fewer elbows, bends, and turns the ductwork takes, the better you'll be.
So, without any idea of how loud or effective this unit will be, I will be plunking down the $2200 for the 14" Thermador with 1000CFM inline blower, cutting a hole for this specific model in my granite, and hoping for the best!
Good luck to my fellow "islanders"!
I had a Jenn Air downdraft unit with a gas stove and did not like it at all. The draft would pull at the flame and the heat would not be evenly distributed under the pan I was using. It was frustrating. Even on the lowest setting it would change the direction of the flame. I converted to a wall unit that is an updraft and am very happy.
I have zero experience with downdrafts in my kitchen, but looked into them when remodeling, the best option I came across was the Gaggenau Vario Telescopic Swivel Downdraft. It seems to solve most of the problems listed above. Its not the cheapest option, but might be better than the alternative of having grease vapors cover your kitchen.
I think this is going to be a shot in the dark. But Morvenroad's comment has been the most useful information I have found on the web regarding pop up downvents. So if you're reading this Morvenroad, please comment on how your thermador is working for you. I'm not going to get that exact model, but there is a KitchenAid model that does 14" and 900cfm. Just some background: I'm a heavy cooker of ethnic foods and abhor the smell of grease in the house. Rarely will I deep fry inside (deep fryer in garage for that purpose). I will replacing my old gas cooktop with an electric. So I'm debating on a regular downvent or a pop up downvent.
HI there,
Thanks for sharing so much details about your search on pop-up vent. We are in the same situation and just wonder how this Thermador pop-up worked for you so far in teh past 2 years? We just found overhead vent is not an option and we had to go with pop-up vent from Thermador.
Thanks a lot in advance!