I cant believe they are still making this range! As some here may remember, I too owned a Jenn-Air and wished I hadnt! This gas top - downdraft Jenn-Air question comes up quite often. You are by far not the first and probably wonÂt be the last! Reports from people that they have used or currently own a Down Draft Jenn-Air and have no problems with it are either referring to an all-electric version, have an inefficient ducting system for the downdraft that will allow the burners to function, or they donÂt cook a lot. Five or so years ago, a poster here was told by Jenn-Air Customer Support the downdraft worked too well because their ductwork was short and suggested placing some restriction in the venting to get the burners to function better! A little history: Jenn-Air got a good reputation by being first to market with the electric grill and surface downdraft, allowing the placement in islands or peninsulas, and therefore keeping an "open" kitchen design. They were built with reasonable engineering, decent quality, and they worked Ok, but they had no competition and quickly set the standard of "up-scale" kitchens. Check out any kitchen design book for the early 80Âs and you will see many. The electric grill worked because the element covered a wider area and had little "bricks" that effectively spread the heat even more. The electric burners worked Ok because the object you were heating, a pot or pan, sat directly on the heat source and achieved a mechanical heat transfer. There was some drawing of heat away by the downdraft, but the system functioned and there were no products to compare performance against at the time. Then came the Jenn-Air gas cooktop and Dual Fuel range versions of the 90Âs and when, unfortunately, we acquired a 30" Dual Fuel Range. The downdraft pulled the flame off the burner, and what you are trying to heat, because of the "air gap" between the gas jets and the grate, making the anemic burners worse. The gas grill did not work as well as the electric because the C shaped burners heat very unevenly, there are no devices to spread the heat, and the problem is compounded by the downdraft pulling the heat off to the side, much the same as the burners. Over the entire two-burner grill there was only one small spot, about the size of a large hamburger, which would get hot enough to actually "grill" something. The engineering and build quality had taken a major decline as well, and doesnÂt seem to have gotten any better today. It is a very difficult range to keep clean. MaytagÂs acquistion of Jenn-Air has not improved the situation, and by some accounts, made it worse. Letters I had written (real mail, not e-mail) to both Jenn-Air and Maytag have gone totally unacknowledged, but it has only been about ten years so IÂm still hopeful. When discussing the workmanship and engineering of our Jenn-Air, the appliance parts store "old-timer" referred to it as a Ford. While amusing, I wasnÂt expecting a Cadillac, but I did maybe expect a Buick! Do I regret buying our Jenn-Air? YES! Did we replace it? YES!!! With a Dacor, but not a downdraft! WeÂve a 36" Epicure with a 42" hood and couldnÂt be happer! A downdraft is a compromise at best, but I would trust Dacor to do a much better job of it. Keep in mind: If using a pop-up vent, the higher, the better; the higher the CFM, the better, & the bigger the duct/shorter the run, the better. Best of luckÂ

I have a Jenn Air that is 27 years old and still works except the selecter switch is broken, they don't make the part any more and internet searches have not located one. I therefore need to replace the range but it is in a spot that needs a downdraft - cathedral ceiling and in middle of bar between kitchen and living room. I see slide in ranges on internet that say "downdraft", do they not work with that JennAir system?? I would get another one but many seem to be unhappy with that brand. Is ther really no choise??

You will need to begin planning a kitchen remodel. It may be a "light" one, where you reconfigure some cabinetry and venting to just be able to put in new appliances, or it may morph into a major one. After, all, it's a 1979 kitchen! :) The least expensive and best functional change would be to get a new slide in type range and an overhead vent. The next would be to get a cooktop with downdraft that could hook up to the old venting that you have----the ducting, not the motor. You would then have to figure out another location for a wall oven. Ranges cannot be used with popup downdrafts, even though you've probably seen a few idiots on the home channels do this. It moves the downdraft (which is never effective to begin with) too far from what needs to be vented, and you have to void the warranty to figure out how to house the downdraft mechanism that's meant to go under a cooktop. Either way, since you seem to have diagnosed your current range issue, continue to DIY patch it until you can accomplish the remodel. If you have to pay labor to repair the range, then plan on doing the remodel sooner rather than later, as labor in a failing Jennair will eat your remodel budget alive and you might as well be spending it on your replacements. In the meantime, you'd be surprised at what you can accomplish with a good quality good sized toaster oven and freestanding induction cooktop. Many people purchase those items to get them through the period without their kitchen and end up keeping them in the remodeled kitchen. If money is really tight, that would be the way to go, and just use the piece of junk as counterspace to hold the small appliances.

I didn't have a vent for my electric cooktop. I also cleaned up the film from cooking, regularly. Opening a window/door didn't help with the film, at all. It doesn't really help when things get smokey, either! The breeze just swirls it around while the smoke alarms blare. Proper venting helps reduce what lands on your things. Venting for gas exhausts the combustibles that are produced from the heat source. All of that stuff is directed away from the room, which is the point. Now, I have a large hood vented to the outside. It's over an induction cooktop. The hood is there for the grease and vapors from whatever is cooking, not because of the heat source. If your stove is on an exterior wall, I recommend following Cook's advice. As an aside, I've cooked on all sources and induction is my favorite. I don't have any romantic feelings about flames and the heat associated with them. I like responsive and clean, and always advise someone to at least play with induction if they're making changes.