Anyone w/ Pop-up Downdraft?

15 years ago

Has anyone used one of those downdrafts that pop-up behind the cooktop & what do you think? I know that they aren't as efficient as a venthood, but I think this is the best solution for our situation. Is it any worse than a cooktop with a built-in downdraft such as a JennAir? Any brands/sources to recommend? Would greatly appreciate any experiences and opinions.

Thanks - Jo Ann

Background: We're trying to "refresh" a 1992 kitchen for resale in about a year. My cooktop is in a 4ft island made from a standard depth base cabinet. When I bought the house it had a JennAir downdraft with a grill and the other cartridge was just two, non-smooth, electric burners. To make a long story short, I hated the thing, so DH disconnected it and got me a smooth cooktop with no exhaust fan which was fine by me since underpowered fans wear on my nerves.

With looking forward to selling the house, we asked my BIL who does house inspections in this state if there was code that required an exhaust fan. He said there isn't, but he would flag it as a non-functional item if he found this situation in the course of an inspection. We want to rectify this so that there are as few flags coming out of an inspection, as possible.

The ideal solution would be to drop a venthood down from the ceiling. We're not interested in putting those kinds of bucks into this and relocating the cooktop is not part of the equation either. The other alternative is to get a new cooktop with a built-in downdraft, but that would be at least $900.

After a quick search, I found a 30" Broan downdraft w/ the blower for $450. This seems like the least expensive option and even though this is not as good as a hood, it does have a certain "cool" factor. With the clearance required by the current cooktop, we won't be able to fit it in the standard 24" deep island, but DH had some DIY "magic" planned to "stretch" the cabinet by the ~2" we need.

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Comments (5)

eandhl
15 years ago
I had a Jenn Air range with the downdraft and that wasn't very good. I then went to a Thermador telescope and it was a big improvement. You are right a hood is the best but not always possible.
datura-07
15 years ago
We had a JennAir for 28 years and just purchased a 45" Wold downdraft that pops up. It is not installed yet but am excited to try it. The JennAir pulled down everything for us. Many people here are against them but it all depends on how you cook.
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lascatx
15 years ago
I had a downdraft that pulled fumes and steam down well enough -- it was just so loud that we didn't use it as often as we should have. Doesn't work at all that way.

There was a Dacor that would fit in the 24" depth better, but it will run more and I don't know if they still make it. Thermador had the best reputation when I was last looking at them, but I can't remember what the blower space was like. You should be able to put them in under a 24" cabinet -- just may not have much cabinet space left around it.

Having a vent would be an improvement, but I will tell you that before I even noticed that, I would not buy a house with a cooktop in a 2x4' island. If the cooktop is 30" like the downdraft you found, that leaves only 9" either side or 18" on one side and nothing on the other. That just isn't enough work space for me. Do you have the space to enlarge the counter top and gain any space?

I know this sort of thing must have gone through a period of great popularity because my last two kitchens have had cooktops in the island and a great many around us still have them -- some in spaces no better than you have. One across the street from our last house was a very small island -- similar to yours but had a bit of a triangular shape. The house sat vacant for a long time -- had another issue, so hard to say how much was the kitchen, but folks we talked to after looking at the house mentioned the kitchen. I know you don't want to spend a lot on a house you plan to sell, and I wouldn't either. Just wanted to mention that so you can consider your market and make sure the dollars you do spend make sense and give you the best return.
nanny2a
15 years ago
When our 15 year old 36" electric cooktop with built in downdraft venting died a couple years ago, we decided to install a Dacor 5 burner gas cooktop. We have raised cabinetry and lighting above the cooktop which we didn't want to have ripped out to install a hood, so proper venting was an issue. We had the 36" Dacor pop-up vent installed in our 24" depth countertop, and are delighted with how well it's worked. It has 3 speed settings and while the highest setting is loud, we rarely ever need to use that one. The lowest setting works very effectively. When we purchased these appliances they also made a 30" model.
drjoann
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the responses. We've found something for about $400, so I think we will go with that. DH will be able to make it fit since it is only like a 1/4" off in one dimension so he'll figure out a way to cheat it.

lascatx - I know that 2'x4' is not ideal, but it is what it is. Without a major kitchen reno, we could only gain a few inches, at most.

However, I do have lots of counterspace so I've never really had an issue with cooking and I do plenty of serious cooking - spaghetti sauce from scratch, crepes, Coq au Vin, cheescake, etc. Its really taught me to be disciplined as I prep. I also have a huge pantry, so that helps by having ingredients easily available for prep.

If I were to walk into this house, today, to buy it, I would certainly stand in the kitchen and go through the motions of cooking to see how it "fit". But, I've watched enough of the "fix up the property to sell it" shows on HGTV to realize that the average buyer is not likely to do that. They're going to walk into a bright & airy Weekly house (you're from Houston, right?) that has an open floor plan with 10' ceilings in the kitchen/breakfast area/family room and see granite, tumbled marble backsplash, fresh paint, etc. and may not recognize that this is a "one butt kitchen" meant for an organized cook.

Gosh, I hate the way that sounds, but I'm trying to be realistic. All of the other comparable houses for sale in the neighborhood still have fluorescent lighting rather than pendants. Most have formica, few have cabinet hardware (this holds true for all of the new construction in this range in CCISD) and some even still have wallpaper borders. I'm hoping the "bling" along with the other good features will give us an edge.

Anyone w/ Pop-up Downdraft?

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eandhl

datura-07

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Anyone w/ Pop-up Downdraft?

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eandhl

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