>>>>>How is the function, noise, etc? Is it annoying keeping that glass clean? The hood works well. I guess it's a bit loud but I only need to use it on "High" occasionally. I don't really have much basis for comparison. I had to truncate the stainless flue covers because they are intended for an 8' to 10' ceiling height. The soffit conceals a structural beam, so I was unable to eliminate it...resulting in a 7' ceiling along that wall (the ceiling is sloped). Insofar as the glass...I'm not certain if you're asking about the glass backsplash or the glass hood but in either case, they are no more difficult to keep clean than any other kitchen surface. Tipsy

I only saw one Ventahood where I could try to figure out if the cleaning or the more raw underside would bother me, and it was not connected to power so I don't know about their sound level. I've heard they are quieter and I've heard they are louder. I think the looks of the cages vs baffles would be more of an issue for me. While I was trying to decide whether that was a bit "raw" looking, I was led to a guy at the place where I bought my appliances who said he'd seen and heard both side by side. He said the Best by Broan was better for sound and operation, so I went with it. Very scientific, huh? Unfortunately, buying a vent is like that. I have a 1200 cfm model with an external blower and got the baffles. The blower sits just above my sink on the opposite side of my kitchen (better than the toilet or shower straight above --LOL) and it is quiet when you are outside. I'm not sure that in my set up the remote blower made that much difference. If I'd have another inch or two, I'd have been able to put in a silencer. Most of the time, I run the vent on the lowest setting or up to about 1/3 power -- rarely over 1/2. At that level, the fan on my ovens is as loud. You barely hear it away from the vent, but you will standing right under it. At full power, you will hear it, but even then it is not as loud as the ineffective downdraft my last cooktop had -- with only one speed. If you turn it on when you first start cooking and run it higher for things like fish, popcorn, bacon, you will not smell them all over the house. I made 120 bags of popcorn, both on the stovetop and in the microwave (bags opened under the vent)one afternoon. I delivered them to the school, came home and could not smell any popcorn. Maybe it could be more perfect, but I'm happy with my choice.

That pic was taken a few days after the backsplash was done. There is a drawer missing because it had to be about a half inch less wide to accomodate the dishwasher handle. If you want to I have a album of the reno in my profile. We did a lot of research on the Thermador vs GE Monogram vs Wolf vs et al and spoke with a few sales people who were helpful. We also saw a working demo of the Thermador at the store we purchased from. The oven has quirks which apparently all manufacturers ovens have according to our sales person. It puts out BTUs. Boils water very fast with the power burner and the extra low simmer works great. Apparently the newer models ( like this one) have a better design of the simmer function. Extra low means the burner is on for 7 seconds and off for 53 and there is only one click to start the burner. Its barely noticeable. We did have an issue with an error that kept appearing though. If the oven was in use as well as the range top an error would appear to check cooling fan. It pops up on the front led. The oven would shut down and we would have to throw the circuit breaker and wait 5 mins. Very frustrating. Thermador came out and said its a control board issue...hmmm... On a less than year old 7200 dollar range?? Currently the board is on order and they are coming back to reinstall but i think I found the problem. The oven has two cooling fans seated in the rear under the range top. It draws air from the cool back and pushes it out the front. So I started to think. When the oven reaches 300 the cooling fans kick in to cool the sensitive electronics. I get it. I work in IT. Heat kills electronics. In the IT world we have hot aisles and cold aisles in datacenters. Cool air is drawn in from the back and blown out the front as hot air. I noticed we had little to no air coming out of the front of this range. Hmmm...both fans spinning happily but no air coming out. It turns out, the air intakes for both fans are on the back of the unit. Which is pushed up flush to a wall...no air is getting in to cool the electronics. I pulled the range out(all 350 lbs of it) about a 1/4 in h from the wall. No noticeable difference in aestetics. And Voila. Air is now coming out the front as designed and Ive run the oven at 500 for over an hour with no issues. Ran it for 4 hours the other day to simulate a 4 hour roast and no issues to report. I dont know why Thermador doesnt tell its installers to not push the oven flush to the wall. Im still having the control board replaced though. Its under warranty. But I digress. The looks great, cooks great, is easy to clean and impresses the heck out of us. One caveat. Never ever use the self clean for the same reasons I mentioned above. Its goes up over 700 degrees. I just wont chance that kind of heat.

There is a difference in what you do, can do, should do etc. It is best to follow the instructions that come with the stove. It will tell you how far combustible surfaces need to be away from their cooking surfaces. You don't follow that and the cabinets get scorched or brown from the heat, then it falls on you. I do not believe having an exhaust is a requirement in many areas and I have seen plenty of homes with cooktops on islands with no sort of vent. You also can hear from people who have vents and never even use them. In the end make sure you are being safe and protecting your cabinetry and yourselves and go with the situation that gives you a visual you love. Good luck!