A popup downdraft will be wayyyyyyyy better than any jenn-air past or present. That said, I would never rec. or do a charbroiler / bbq without a hood.

A Wolf unit is going to be like an inferno compared to that old JA grille of yours.

The gas grill needs a hood. Period. the downdraft will never keep up. Just too many btus, too much smoke too far away in the wrong direction from any down draft. The jenaire sorta works by placing the vent directly next to a small and underpowered grill reducing the demand and distance and still does not work well.

Thanks for the replies, not what I wanted to hear of course lol!

The 45" Jennair model has qty 2 - 8,000 BTU burners for the grill = 16,000 BTU's correct?

The 36" Kitchenaid rangetop unit I want says it has an 18,000 BTU grill so that is a bit bigger. (Wasn't actually looking at a Wolf, I don't think they have a unit that packs a grill + 4 burners into 36".)

The Jennairs I've been using for 20 years both had an electric grill, so I am guessing any gas grill will produce more smoke than I am used to.

I guess I am going to have to live with 12" counters :(

I even thought of mounting the retractable downdraft sideways alongside the grill, but that would defeat the purpose of a 36" cooktop...

The jennair electric was not producing the combustion byproducts that the gas KA will produce. A downdraft like the Thermador or GE would be (as the Wolf guy said) "doable but not recommended."

The hospital bills from treating the smoke inhalation for a grill with a downdraft will far exceed the price to get a decent overhead hood.

" I don't think they have a unit that packs a grill + 4 burners into 36".)"

Sure they do: but it's not a drop in it's a rangetop and it really needs a hood like JC says.

How about the Gaggenau combis, you could get their retractable dowdraft or even the shelf model and put them behind (not to the side like shown) the tops if you have enough depth. You could then swing the downdraft over the grill. Keep in mind this would be a very pricey solution.

Have you considered a 6 burner top with a fitted grill pan?

Here is a link that might be useful: gaggenau combis

I had not looked at Gaggenau - thank you! I will look at your link & and price it. Sometimes we have to pay to fit a difficult configuration.

I had not considered the 6 burner config with grill pan you mention, probably because I didn't know it existed :) and the appliance dealers didn't mention it to me either. I do use my downdraft electric grill at least 4x/week - if that makes a difference. i.e. it's an integral part of our cooking.

I just had to post again and say wow! That Gaggenau telescopic swivel downdraft is not only cool, but seems pretty darn practical too. Just might be my solution!

Would only take up less than 7" counter space mounted behind the cooktop, I'll have the room - (3' x 6' island).

I don't see why you couldn't use that with any brand of gas cooktop. (The Gaggenau line that goes with this downdraft seems to only have an electric grill component.)

I'm really excited. Now I have to find out how much it costs....

Thank you again!

Didn't know it was an island. The Gaggenau will be perfect for that application, and the wow factor is huge if that's your sort of thing.

You're looking at about $5-6 grand for that type setup. 2 gas Varios, 1, grill and 2 Telescopic downdrafts.

There is also a fitted griddle option that is available to use with their elect. grill to make it more functional.

Well I got quoted $5k today *JUST* for the Gaggenau telescopic swivel downdraft, plus the blower (separate part). The blower fan must be made out of gold, to cost $2100..

I'm pretty bummed, that would have been a neat solution.

So I'm back to the 45" Jennair & 12" counters on each side... sigh.

oooo, I forgot about the blower, and that price doesn't sound right for it , but I'll check tomorrow.

What about those combis with a Dacor, Thermador, Wolf/Best downdraft behind them?

combi manuf: with grill -

Wolf
Gaggenau
Miele
Kuppersbusch ? may have dropped grill for USA

Dacor used to have a 36" drop in top with a nice big grill on the left side but I think it's been phased out. Preference series and you might find one lying around collecting dust as they weren't real popular.

The whole problem is the gas grill. Once you add that in the mix, none of the manufacturers that I looked at, like Wolf recommend you use their rear retractable downdrafts. Viking flat states it voids their warranty.

The bizarre thing is, my mother-in-law has a Thermador with a small grill & a rear retractable downdraft. But it was installed quite a few years ago.... maybe it was "ok" back then.

Thanks again for your help, it has been much appreciated.

That's why all of those combis have elect. grills!

I think her T'dor was elect. too. At least they offered elect. ones for years and years.

Well in reflection, you're probably correct - I'll bet the Thermador was electric lol.

And I've come full circle this morning. I went around & around with what to do until my head felt like a burst watermelon last night. It is clear that the only way to get what I need is to spend the $ for the Gaggenau ventilation & pair it with the cooktop I want. I realized it was cheaper than some of the other options I was considering :) Even if it means I will have to wait to buy the new refrigerator.

However, I can only afford *one* of the Gaggenau telescopic swivels. On their website, they show a 27" cooktop with just one of these VL051's mounted on the right; so if I mount one centered horizontally on the back of a 36" cooktop I think I should be good.

Logically, it should get the middle grill & right 2 burners very well, and the left 2 burners OK -- as good as a rear downdraft for sure. (It will only swivel 90 degrees over the cooktop in that position).

So antss - if you know any places having a Gaggenau sale, let me know! :) Or anybody know how to modify a cheaper blower to fit any manufacturer's vent lol!!

Blowers are pretty much a motor , a fan blade and a (realatively) simple speed control. It's either constantly variable or a 3 speed variable set up. If you can dope out the wire hookups from the schematic any combo is possible.

Now you'll run into support and warranty issues but for instance a BEST roof blower at 1500 cfm retails at $925 and their 1100 cfm inline blower goes for arounf $700 bucks. Fantech makes some nice inline blowers and they do not make exhaust hoods. So..........

I would not go the single popup route. It only has an effective capture area of 15 ". That is only going to cove half your top at best even with the pivot feature.

I still stand by my rec that you'd be better off with the T'Dor/ Best/Wolf, Viking, ect... pop up splash than even if you have to have a gas grill. These things are way stylish and can work fairl good if the are placed accurately which you don't seem able or willing to do. One would have to pivot directly over the grill surface to be more effective that the other type. It's still only mildly better.

Are you dead set on a gas grill? Weren't those J Airs elect???

Why not get an elect. combi, a normal full width pop up downdraft with a reasonable priced and powerful blower and whatever gas eyes you like? This should provide the type of cooking you seek at a reasonable price and still perform pretty good?

Didn't make it to the office so can't give you gaggi $$$.

So here is a follow-up post on what I finally came up with:

My appliance dealer put me in touch with my local Gaggenau rep, who agreed with you antss - he said I should really have 2 of the vents - which can be operated off of one blower. So I was able to purchase one display vent from them at good pricing (plus a blower at full pop). I also found a used vent on Ebay, a bit scratched but at this point I didn't care :)

So I've got the 2 VL051 vents, 1 blower, and I will be mounting them horizontally behind a 36" gas cooktop w/ 4 burners and a gas grill - exact model yet to be determined. And I'll have a full 18" of workspace on each side now.

It will be a few months before I can report back on how well this will all work out... (walls to move, cabinets to order, etc.) But I am relieved to be able to move on, and get everything I wanted/needed in my new kitchen.

thanks again for suggesting this solution, antss.

BE SURE to claculate the depth and cutouts of the modules you use or you will have countertop cutout issues and then mounting troubles.

You' can't just mix and match brands of grilles and burners. It's not an absolute to use all the same brand but if you don't very careful pre planning must be done. Don't just go buy stuff because you like the looks or performance specs, or the price.

If you get all the same brand , this stuff will have been worked out by the engineers already.

I have had a downdraft with gas burners for years. You are describing a much more high end unit than mine BUT if I turn on the downdraft it pulls the flame away from the bottom of the pan. I can barely boil water.

I use the Gaggenau VL051 in a small kitchen setup..its great.. also works with the
DHG6023UC Bosch Remote Blower (also 600CFM like the Gaggenau ) however it is significantly louder than the Gaggenau blower.
My Bosch remote blower is indoors rather than outside. The Gaggenau to my ears is much better suited for indoor under cabinet locations.. but the Bosch was 1/5th the cost of the Gaggenau. There is a difference.