30" is pretty standard. That not withstanding, induction gives off no heat or fumes like gas does, it is only the cooking utensils themselves that get hot and the steam (or smoke if you burn something) that could cause a problem.

Right now there's 24" between my gas cooktop and the bottom of the cabinet fronts that hide the vent. The vent itself is at least 30" from the cooktop, but the cabinet fronts come down lower.

Is there any reason that an induction cooktop would cause problems in this situation when a gas cooktop did not for the 26 years that it and the cabinets have been there?

I don't think I could go to a 36" cooktop. All of the clearances are very tight. If I widened the hole, I'd be going into the cabinets on the sides, and there would be cabinet walls too close underneath it. But a 30" cooktop is really fine with me. One of my gas burners has never worked since we've had the house, so I have been managing with 3 burners anyway.

Why did you choose the Wolf, ajard? I'm thinking of the GE Profile frameless because the cost is much lower. Are the more expensive cooktops worth the extra cost?

The instructions for our Bosch 500 series cooktop advises to have any cabinets a minimum of 30 vertical inches away unless they are of stainless steel or similar type of non-combustible material.

Sorry to hear that you can't go 36" wide. Also keep in mind that the cooktop actually needs 4.25" total from the back of your space to the front edge of your countertop. I keep forgetting which is which.. I think it is 2.25" in the back and 2" in the front.

Yes, I believe they are worth it. At the time, we were researching and buying ours last spring, there were many negative reviews regarding the GE and Thermador models. One of the reasons we went for Bosch was the overflow detection and shutoff feature. It will detect any overflowing pot, sound an alarm and turn off the heat to that pot, thus minimizing cooktop spillage to be cleaned up.

To install your induction cooktop, you will need a plumber to close off your gas line.

Does your electrical panel have the available amperage or room to add it on to the panel? For example, the Bosch 30" 500 series induction cooktop requires a 40 amp breaker. You would need to have an electrician do the breaker work. You need to include these items in your overall cost of your cooktop.

Is induction worth it? I thought so after reading about gas stoves and increases in respiratory health concerns online.

I have mostly GE monogram appliances and I was going to get the matching GE monogram.. the real reason I chose to go for the wolf was not for the name, it was for the layout of the burners. I didnt want the largest one to be in the center. I really thought about how I cooked.. and I really wanted the large one on the upper right side. Now that I have had it for over a year I am sooo GLAD i made that decsions, I would be unhappy if the large pot was in the center when I was cooking, but that is very individual on how you function when you cook.
Induction is definitly worth it.. and I never thought I would love it as much as I do.

We got the GE Profile 36". Had to take out the top shallow drawer and replace with false front. We had to add a 50 amp line. Bottom of the hood is 30" above the cooktop; 36" between upper cabinets. Upper cabinets are 18" above the counter. I got it with the frame because I almost always boil over the rice or peas, and it's easier to clean up if the frame catches the water.

We absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

Anne

earth_pal, I'm a little tight on the front-to-back dimensions. I have 1.75" from the cutout to the backsplash, but I'm assuming that I can include the backsplash (tile, at least 0.25") in the dimension. I have over 2" from the cutout to the front edge of the counter, and there is a slight overhang.

When I choose a model I will have to do a lot of measuring with my contractor before buying it.

ajard, I would not want the largest pot in the center, either. Then you would have to reach around it to get to the smaller pots.

Anne, I was thinking that I preferred the frameless because the frame would catch dirt. I hadn't thought about spills running off the cooktop onto the counter and floor.

I agree with Anne about the frame. I opted for the frame too and I am glad that I choose it. My mom has electric ceramic frameless and I dont like it when things over flow and it hits the counter faster.

My guess is that the 30-inch requirement is safety related. If there is a cooking fire, one wouldn't want it to spread to the cabinets.

kas

Marisany,

Is it possible that you can have your countertop extend out a bit further, say a gentle sweeping curve, in the section that your cooktop would be located in? "Assuming" your cabinet is large enough as well, that might be enough to make it possible for you to do this. I also would highly recommend checking the mfg.'s specs for the actual size of the cooktop. You are close enough that you really need to have exact numbers in your planning.

I gather that I am not the only one that regularly has the rice boil over then! ;)

My cooktop does have the center large burner. We thought about that since we have had the RF burner be the large one for so long. It then occurred to us that we have a mini RF setup for right-handed me and a mini LF for my DH who is a lefty! Amazing how sometimes things work out!

I realize that the 30" requirement is for safety reasons, but the way I am looking at it is that the current arrangement (metal vent hood about 30" above cooktop with attached false cabinet front coming down to 24") has been in place for 26 years (14 of them with us in the house). The new arrangement (induction cooktop instead of old gas cooktop) will be safer.

I don't see any way to have the cabinet extended, earth_pal. Even if I did, the cabinet beneath it would be in the same place. I am planning to carefully check the specs once I choose a unit, to be sure that it will work before I buy it.

Well, as it turns out my major problem is going to be side-to-side clearance inside the cabinet. The cutout widths range from 28-1/8" up, and they all need at least an inch on either side. My cabinet is just under 30" inside from wall to wall, so I will have to look into whether the contractor can cut it away enough to make the specs.