Installing a setup not approved by the manufacturer can void your homeowners insurance. Not a risk I'd be willing to take.

Can you rearrange your layout so that the rangetop is not on the island so you can have a hood withoout blocking your view? Or perhaps look at the Viking rangetop with a Viking downdraft. IIRC, fairegold has that Viking setup and has been quite happy with it.

The downdraft is not a powerful enough exhaust for the Wolf btu's. A downdraft is a poor choice compared to a hood. Wolf is disavowing responsibility should someone opt for a downdraft against their specific instruction, which they are giving for a reason. Alku05 is right, and I would also be concerned that installing a downdraft despite the Wolf prohibition would void the Wolf warranty.

I agree with what you are saying that the warranty and insurance might be an issue, however, the store I am dealing with which specializes in Five Star, Wolf, Jennair and Dacor, put together a package which included the down draft for the rangetop - this is what is causing me confusion - is Wolf only saying that they don't recommend it for counter top installations and would it be OK for an Island. I do share your concern, however on whether it would be powerful enough. Does anyone have experence with having installed one?

Thanks

You should call Wolf and ask them directly. On another thread someone wanted a downdraft with an Electrolux induction cooktop and was told that it would block the air vents for the cooktop. Just because the store is willing to sell it to you, doesn't mean that it's a supported configuration.

There's another thread that I am linking to below which discusses downdrafts mostly with the Thermador and Dacor. You should read through it carefully, as the opinions are very divergent, with some liking it, and some seeming to detest it. Although I don't think anyone in the thread liked their Dacor downdraft. Also it seems that a hood is still preferable to a downdraft if possible.

I think your wanting a Wolf cooktop with a downdraft is just not going to work. You'll spend a lot of time and effort "fitting a square peg into a round hole", and in the end that combo will just be problematic in many different ways mentioned by other posts. My advice to you is to figure another layout for your kitchen that will allow either (a) a cooktop in a counter with a hood, or (b) a cooktop in the island with an island hood that won't block your view. Since you're still in the building stage, there are so many opportunities to reconfigure, and you should have a lot of flexibility and options.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thread about Downdrafts

Unless you're over 6' tall, you might be worried needlessly about the overhead ventilation hood obstructing your view.
Here's a picture taken from where we will be standing while we prep meals just to the left of our 36" Wolf. You can see the glint of the sunset off the corner of the 42" hood, that almost touches the top of my DH's head when he's standing directly under it (he's 5'11"). I don't remember how high it is installed, but it is within manufacturer's recommendations.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Keep in mind that cooking (applying heat to food) occupies only 20-30% of kitchen time. Studies have shown that cleanup occupies 10%, with the majority of the time (60-70%) in the kitchen as prep time. Thus it makes more sense to place the primary prep area with the best view.

I agree that you might want to rethink what you put in the prime veiwing spot. I would like that to be prep and baking space for my kitchen.

If the location is set, look at a hood with a glass hood. The glass would seem to tie in beautifully with ocean and sky and it would minimize the visual obstruction, especially if you are able to get one with enough pull to mount it on the higher side. Higher might also require wider, so look at that as well. Keep it simple.

Also, consider that a downdraft has to rise to work and that the better ones rise higher (15"). That could be more a visual blight than a glass hood.

Wolf now has a sealed burner 36" rangetop and they recommend their downdraft for that. Check out their website.

Does anyone have anything good to say about downdrafts? I too have an island planned and a 15-foot ceiling separating kitchen from family room and DW doesn;t want a hood (and I don't want to pay $10k for 15-feet of stainless).

We have a 36" Viking RT with a telescoping downdraft. No complaints. YMMV, because some people refer to cooking aromas as odors. One man''s aroma is another man's odor. If you expect to cook aromatic ethnic food and then 30 minutes later, not know what if anything had been on the burner, then a DD isn't for you. But for many of us, it will work just fine. No grills, tho.

downdraft units do a poor job for the cooktops that only produce 32,000 to 40,000 btu's wolf has 90,000 you do the math. downdrafts do not work.