So it seems that folks are blending the RNB and RCS models here. The OP suggests that there's an RCS available at around 2k, which seems to be a very good deal but (a) not out of line with clearance prices or odd lot deals (e.g., a few at a given Costco) that others have reported and (b) not really suggestive of something that's been hanging around a couple of years (although I dunno, and maybe a serial # and a call to the mfg could clear that up). Things can happen with almost any type of range, from any manufacturer, but, properly installed, I wouldn't think this would be a dangerous product at all. I have three school age kids at home, a 12+ year-old gas range (not my first) that's been trouble free since day one, and an RNB on order. I'm not worried, and neither is my extremely . . . er, let's say admirably cautious spouse. In terms of reliability, I'd be more concerned about dual fuel in principle, and I'd be more concerned about Jenn Air in particular given both ad hoc reports, on this and other boards, and survey results from CR. I don't know MSRP for a new RCS, but a 30" RNB is about 4k and a 36" RNB starts at about 5k.

jackster writes: "Tinyhomebuilder -have you had any problems with BS - door, etc? i just read on another post that you had problems out of the box - are you happy now that issues were fixed?" _______________________________________________________________ YES! : ) We couldn't be more pleased with our little stove as well as with BlueStar's excellent customer service people. The initial issue with gas valve was quickly and easily resolved, and since then there have been no other problems Our oven door operates perfectly. It's flush and square. It opens and closes as smoothly as a door on a Rolls Royce and seals like a bank vault. It doesn't get overly hot even when the oven is blazing at max temp. Whatever door issues BS might have had in the past, ours sure has ~none~ of them. We used our wok for the first time last night... and WOW does it work great! Just lift out the grate and plunk the wok into the hole. Don't turn on the heat until everything is completely prepared for cooking because the wok heats instantly over the blowtorch 22k burner. On HIGH it got way too hot. I found that it stir fried best at about half way between LOW and HIGH and only took a couple of minutes to prepare the meal. The veggies came out perfect, and tasted ~exactly~ like they came from a Chinese restaurant. This is what has surprised us the most... how FAST you can cook everything. Our old stove had 8K burners and you could read a novel waiting for water to boil. (lol)

Are you thinking that propane should save you money because it has a higher btu content than natural gas? That will be a misleading comparison. What you want to look for is the "cost per therm" comparisons. In my state, Montana, the cost per therm for propane is running two to three times that of natural gas right now. To be clear about this, the cost variation is measured for furnaces and water heaters which have recognized "Energy Star" and "AFUE" ratings (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency). The variation is that with high efficiency furnaces and water heaters (say 90% AFUE), propane fuel will cost roughly double what natural gas costs per therm. For less efficient versions, the cost disparity per therm increases. Complicating this, gas stoves, ovens and cooktops are much less efficient than modern water heaters and furnaces. My former employer, the US Dept. of Energy, has been struggling for decades with attempts and studies that "some day" might produce Energy Star or AFUE ratings for cooking appliances. So far, about all DOE has come up with on gas stoves is a conclusion that gas burners on stoves and cooktops run somewhere between 22% and 40% efficiency depending on burner size and relative pan size. About all I've been able to determine from all of this is that propane still seems to cost significantly more to use than natural gas.

What is a "local safety officer"? What do you mean "a bunch of back and forth" with your "local safety officer and Wolf"? What prompted you to use your CO meter to test the levels? They are employed by our BC safety Authority who are the regulators for all regulated work, gas and electrical and such. As a licensed gas fitter I hold my ticket through them and they are the final say when it comes to appliance safety. Permits and approvals for equipment go through them. I chatted at length with him about the stove and he did agree we can’t do anything because it meets ANSI standards being below 800ppm, but he did say he wouldn’t have it in his house. His advice to me was if Wolf won’t do anything to then adjust the burner input by under firing the appliance to bring the CO back inline. I went to Wolf with this information and they said ‘based on your requirements I don’t think Wolf products will be right for you, would you consider a buy back’. Checking CO is very common here in Canada especially when commissioning an appliance. I didn’t mention the CO alarm going off because it never went off, however it did show peak levels in the 15-19ppm range after cooking for a short period of time. Enough to make me concerned with a pregnant wife and 2 yr old. This is what will happen if you in a room where the CO levels are 800 ppm. The ANSI standards are referring to the CO levels in the air coming out of the range vent. 800 ppm air coming out of the vent does not translate to a room concentration of 800 ppm. Especially if you have your ventilation on. Now, if you were getting 250-300 ppm where the cook was standing, that indicates a concentration of way more than 800 ppm out of the vent, and thus a violation of ANSI standards. Either way, those readings were way too high and Wolf's response was poor. Yes, I agree, somewhat. The stove should never be operating at the ANSI levels, your house would build up to a dangerous level of CO over time ie. When cooking a turkey for hours. Our utility will actually shut down any gas range over 540ppm during normal operation. Also they shutdown any other appliance if its over 250ppm while operating. I agree we need ANSI standards but as new homes get built tighter and with less makeup air having a cooking appliance pumping 800ppm at the vent/flue is insane. Consider this regulation was put in place in 1926, buildings have changed considerably since then. So, what happened when you tried adjusting it? Was 250-300 ppm the lowest it would go? That would surprise me, I have adjusted several gas ranges and have usually been able to get them down to 30-40 ppm from as high as 500 ppm. I knew this question would pop up, but yes I went through the full range of what is reasonable on a brand new appliance. Below is what I went through, to try and reduce the CO: Tested inlet pressure, adjusted within 1”wc of manifold pressure. ‘Wolf recommends having inlet pressure within 1” for proper operation’ – no change Checked flip top regulator and it was set to natural gas Checked manifold pressure on stove it was at 5”wc Verified orifice was correct as per spec sheet supplied by Wolf Adjusted air shutter, no change was actually higher and this was the lowest I was able to get the stove to run at CO tests were done after 10-15 minutes of operation and the burners were warm Clocked meter to verify burner input is correct Verified no blockage in burner tube Verified all secondary air ports were free and clear House is still very drafty, so not a lack of air within the house The only thing I never did was under fire it, as I didn't want to go down that road on a brand new piece of equipment. Wolf blew me away with their service and willingness to make a customer happy. From a cooking standpoint however, it will be Bluestar for us.