First of many caveats- I don't own a Culinarian. So, what I'm going to relate is based on the Bluestar. Second- if you're going to work on or test your stove, unplug the damn thing first. Bluestar's service manual has a list of things to check when having igniter issues: 1) Power- if some work then you obviously have power 2) Broken igniter- if moving the burners that don't work (with igniters) to working positions is successful, then this isn't the case (also if moving previously working burners to bad positions doesn't get the position to work). 3) Pinched wire- you hadn't mentioned whether you looked for this; basically a wire grounding somewhere other than the igniter 4) Valve switch- it isn't clear from your earlier description, but what you want to check is for continuity across the switch. With the power off, check the resistance across the switch in normal and switched positions. In the normal position, resistance ought to be infinite (off), and in the switched position, it ought to be near zero (on). 5) Bad spark module- if you've eliminated the others successfully (including #6), then that's what you're left with. I have no idea whether your Culinarian has a single or multiple modules. My Bluestar had two modules that I replaced with a single one after one failed. Hopefully, Capital will provide it, because it can be a bit tricky to track one down otherwise. I ended up getting an updated one (thus, going from two modules to one) from a dealer that sells Viking parts (they all use the same Invensys or other components). 6) Too big a gap- this ought to be #2, but Bluestar put it last. Make sure the igniter-to-burner gap isn't too big to make a spark. I think you eliminated this possibility by moving the burners to other positions and having them work. I'd focus on #3, #4, and #5. Also, if you do take off the front to look at the module, make sure that the wire connections there are solid. Good luck.

Are you sure the downdraft you're considering will really work behind a range? Most telescoping downdrafts only work with cooktops. The only telecscoping downdraft I'm aware of that works with a range is Dacor and it only works with their range. In any case, a downdraft is most likely not going to be adequate with the ranges you're considering. You really need to go with an island hood and not mount it too high - there are some hoods that are less obtrusive than others. Can you take the range out of the island and put it on a wall? That's generally a better location an will give you better venting options.

We were in your shoes not too long ago...600 cfm vs 1000cfm...internal blower vs external...chimney vs canopy...baffle vs screen, etc. Finally, pulled the trigger on Thermador PH36CS with 1000cfm external blower...mounted 36' high (I am 6'1', didn't want wear helmet)above DCS 6 burner stove with 17,500 btu...couldn't be any happier with the set up...27' deep hood easily pulls the smoke from front burners...runs quiet as a mouse... [IMG]http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc318/raajgopal/Kitchen/IMG_8120.jpg[/IMG] PS: waiting for SS backsplash from fabrication shop before tile work and painting.

I see it this way: there's a reason every other manufacturer has different burners with different max and min BTU ratings (or they only go to 16 or 17k BTUs)it's very, very difficult (some may argue impossible) for one burner to span nearly 23k BTUs and operate optimally at full on and simmer. Full on is the easy part but when it's on simmer there's not enough gas to support all the ports and it clicks (hence the sheet metal disk add-on) or flickers unevenly. The burner video on Eurostove's dedicated Culinarian website showing the burner on simmer has different ports going out and reigniting constantly. Everyone's might not be clicking but are everyone's ports (holes) all lit on simmer? Is the pattern uniform and consistent or flickering? Does the flame go out if you quickly go from high to low? Seems like they're doing retrofits and tweaks to keep the ports near the igniter lit so people don't complain. I doubt any change to the actual casted burner design has been made, just changes after the fact, sheetmetal add ons, drilling ports and messing with simmer settings. That's why I said maybe it wasn't quite ready for market.