Gas Cooktop/Rangetop with Grill in High-rise Apt?

11 years ago

Hi Everyone,

Incredible information on this forum, but I haven't seen this discussed. Have just moved from suburbia with an outdoor gas BBQ to urban living in a high-rise condo building in Los Angeles and I'm having withdrawal from not being able to grill.

We are planning on remodeling the kitchen and hope to install a 36" gas cooktop or rangetop with a gas (not electric) grill. My preference would be a cooktop (with knobs on top) vs. a rangetop (with knobs in front) for purely aesthetic reasons, but it looks like a rangetop is the only option.

Two related issues::

Ventilation may be a challenge (I've read the excellent thread on cooktop ventilation). We will need to change out the existing hood, but given we're on the 14th floor of a 21-story building, we're obviously not in a position to upsize the duct, install an external fan or makeup air. The existing duct that exits the existing fan is 6.25" in diameter.

There seem to be a number of choices in 36" rangetops with gas grills: Wolf, Viking, DCS, Capital, Bluestar. Not sure how to choose among them, although I understand we need to find a good vendor here in LA.

So, with these parameters, any thoughts/suggestions/recommendations on the best way to go?

Thanks!

This post was edited by dpdapper on Thu, Feb 21, 13 at 14:21

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Comments (12)

weissman
11 years ago
Does that 6.25" duct vent to the outside? If so, then most likely you could install a 600 CFM hood - Kobe makes some models that work with a 6" duct. 600 would be adequate but not ideal for an indoor grill.
User
Original Author
11 years ago
I'm assuming the duct vents to the roof. But most of the rangetops with a gas grill seem to recommend at least 900 CFM. I'm concerned 600 CFM won't be sufficient if I'm grilling a steak or a whole fish, for example.
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In my view, losing only 300 cfm given the duct pressure loss, the hood transition losses, and filter losses, is pretty good for a fan curve. However, I would suggest using a larger 1500 cfm fan to improve chances of successfully capturing and containing the effluent that is possible from such a large and powerful cooktop. Given the hood size that is needed, a large flow rate is needed to keep the air velocity high enough at the hood aperture. It is essential that the hood overlap the cooking surfaces by enough to capture the rising expanding effluent. Assume from each cooking surface an expansion half angle of 22.5 degrees, and determine for the intended hood height whether the expanding cone stays within the hood aperture. Don't ignore that when Broan or others assert a flow rate, they are assuming that the cooking area pressure equals the outside pressure. This would require an outdoor kitchen or near perfect make-up air system. Any house negative pressure will cause the maximum flow rate to drop per the relevant fan curve, another reason for increasing the fan capability. Broan publishes their fan curves so the effects of pressure loss can be clearly quantified. kas
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weissman
11 years ago
Well, you're right - more CFM's would be better but with a 6" duct you won't find hoods with higher CFMs - Kobe might go up to 700 CFMs but I'm not sure. This is a case where you'll have to compromise - if you want the grill and can't change the duct, then you'll have to settle for less CFMs.
User
11 years ago
No it won't be sufficient. And your neighbors are likely to be pissed if you flood the building repeatedly with smoke. Don't you have a balcony on which you can do a small outdoor grill? If not, well you do have to compromise on many issues for condo living. This is likely to be one of those issues.
llaatt22
11 years ago
When the words "condo" and "remodel" come up, preferably the next words read are "all plans have been checked and will meet the condo regs and are ok with the management company and board of directors".
mike_73
11 years ago
I agree if you can't do it inside if you have a small balcony you should look for a small gas grill. I had a small grill called patio caddie by charbroil that worked well and fit on a small balcony or porch. I got mine from amazon not sure what stores might sell it in your area but someone may since it is a product made for people like you who have small outdoor spaces to BBQ
weissman
11 years ago
Grills on balconies are not always legal. You'll not only have to check you condo rules, but local laws as well.
User
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks to all who have responded so far. Yes, any plans would be submitted and approved. No, BBQs on the balcony are not allowed. Hence, my dilemma!

There do appear to be some 900+CFM hoods or inserts that call for 6" duct (Calavliere, Futuro Futuro). Any thoughts on those?
weissman
11 years ago
In some locales, hoods above 600 CFM require make-up air (in some places the limit is even lower) so you need to check on that before installing a 900 CFM hood in an apartment.
User
11 years ago
Physics are against more than about 600 CFM moving through a 6" duct. Without it sounding like a banshee that is.
redoingit
11 years ago
I have no clue about our duct work, we vent at 90 degrees to exit house, about 8 feet. Our "quiet" 600 CFM sounds like a locomotive when on high, and our smoke detectors always go off when I cook steaks inside.

I have the wolf df range, and I also suggest your hood be at least 6" wider than your cooktop so that it works on your outside burners.

Working within the confines of HOA will probably determine your appliance choices. At least you have some existing hood/duct work, rather than a recirculating filter system. Huge plus!
User
Original Author
11 years ago
weissman: don't think LA City codes require makeup air (but will check), and in any event, in So Cal we can (and do) open the sliding door opposite the kitchen most any day of the year.

live_wire_oak: yeah, that's what I figured.

redoingit: what size Wolf range do you have (36"??) and what configuration (just burners, w/griddle, w/charbroiler??)? And whose vent hood?

Gas Cooktop/Rangetop with Grill in High-rise Apt?

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