Decent range with downdraft vent? (roof, Home Depot, pool, grille)

[cstleddy]

Does anyone make a decent range (preferably gas) with a downdraft vent? One that can be raised above the height of a 12 inch pot of spaghetti?

I had a Jenn-Air downdraft back in 1991 and hated every minute of it for the 13 years I had it. The suction pulled the gas flames and stole the heat from whatever you were cooking. My current house has a microwave/fan which does me no good - I need something that will vent outside, but I don't have room to go up -- only down (to the crawlspace and then outside).

[K'ledgeBldr]

what you need is a telescopic downdraft. Such as:
GE Monogram 36" Telescopic Downdraft Vent Hood - ZVB36SHSS
But they can be tempermental- should be installed by a professional, they need almost perfect ailignment for proper operation and be very secure- so they don't get out of ailignment.
Other than that- they work extremely well.

[saharaga]

We have this same issue. We have a 15 year old Kenmore Classic Grille downdraft cooktop that we would love to replace with a more modern model. It was surprising that many of the downdraft models today don't look much different from the one we have. The only ones I've liked are the Whirlpool Gold models and they are so expensive. Our cooktop is electric so we don't seem to have the same issue with the heat being suctioned away by the fan. The GE downdraft gas models seem like they might be able to solve at least some of your problem since some of the downdrafts don't take up the entire center of the stove. I also saw one GE model where the downdraft was raised a few inches from the surface so that it wasn't sucking air directly next to the flame.

Have you tried the specialty appliance stores in your area? They seem to have a better selection than Lowe's/Home Depot.

[bls8195]

Is downdraft nec for a gas cooktop I found a home I would like to buy and it has a gas cooktop with not vent or overhead vent either.

[cstleddy]

Originally Posted by bls8195

Is downdraft nec for a gas cooktop I found a home I would like to buy and it has a gas cooktop with not vent or overhead vent either.

Vent is not necessary but it is very nice to have the airborne grease particles, cooking odors and moisture vented outside your home. If you can't go up (vented to exterior either up through roof or in the ceiling to the side of house), you may be able to go down (under floor, through crawlspace or basement to the outside).

[bls8195]

Thanks for the information. The inspection for the home went bad so I am no longer buying this home.