any opinions on a 36"gas Wolf range vs a 36" Blue Star range???
rosannm
4 years ago
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Comments (17)
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30' versus 36' BlueStar Range
Comments (11)I'm not into tearing up perfectly good kitchens, so all of these ideas about accommodating a 30" range with alternative cooking assists sound fine to me. Let me play devil's advocate. What about the oven? I have a friend with a 36" ordinary household range, which she loves. Nowhere near the power of a BlueStar, but the size serves her well. The oven capacity makes it possible for her to cook whole meals for a dozen or more people, including heating appetizers and breads while the mains are cooking, and starting pies as the first sides come out. Are you gaining any storage if you have to devote it to extra hotplates and warming devices? OTOH, will one 36" range be enough for your 5-6 dozen people meals? Will you need the extra devices anyway? And why are you getting a BlueStar? Because you're happy with the way you're cooking now? Yes, you're managing. I managed to cook and bake with an underpowered cooktop and an oven with no temperature control. I managed to cook and bake with two gas rings and a wonder pot. But how do you want to cook? Will having a larger range just plain make your life easier? Will it help cut down on the logistical planning of what your kitchen can do, rather than what you want to do? Or will you feel restricted with anything short of a hotel sized kitchen? Yes, cutting down the cabinets to accommodate a larger range and hood is a big mess, and once you start cutting up existing cabinets/counters you open yourself to potential problems. But is it worth giving up your desire for a larger range because of lack of will to go for it? A lot of people talk about putting in their interim best and never actually get the kitchens they really want. It's not worth ransoming your future for, but if you have the disposable income, is it worth forgoing a vacation trip for? I knew I had to redo my kitchen when the house was bought, but put it off for a few years to grow the money, and then a few more because of other life stuff. Looking back, though I'm thrilled with my new kitchen, I realize that I gave up an awful lot of stuff settling for the old one and being practical. I really did have the money before (just not so much liquidity, which could have been fixed), but didn't have the will to be less practical. Can't get back the lost opportunities and meals not cooked. Sigh....See MoreDelonghi 36' double oven, Blue Star or Five Star Range?
Comments (2)The oven sizes on the Delonghi are below left oven (WxHxD) 16 4/8" x 13 6/8" x 16 4/8" BIG ONE Right Oven (WxHxD):9 5/8" x 13 6/8" x 16 4/8" SMALL ONE These are the interior sizes. if you call Delonghi in NY they can advise you on service locally...See More800 CFM over BlueStar 36" range.
Comments (17)As far as grilling, (we got the 24 inch center charbroiler/grill), we were actually ok with the first setup. Its when we used the outer burner at full 22k power for blackening and wok that caused the problems. As some of the more technical folks have often stated on this site, its all about getting the smoke, etc into the hood capture area - that is so true. Anything that got near the hood (first installation) went out with no problems. However, the smoke, etc would rise faster and outward on the outer burners than the hood could pull in. Something that really surprised us was that if you walked in front of the rangetop, between it and the MUA, it disrupted the air flow and more smoke will spill out from the capture area. Our first configuration had the external blower go straight up about three feet, then 45 degree turn, another eight feet and then another 90 degree for about two feet. It went through the corner of our upstairs bedroom closet and the blower was mounted on the exterior 2nd floor wall. No test was performed without the silencer but we are very satisfied with the low noise levels. In both installations, we could easily carry on conversations near the rangetop, even on full power. I'm sure others may have different hood configurations they are satisfied with and maybe even with less overhang, that just didn't work for us. Also, the foam board test I did was not perfect since it was basically doing a hood over an existing hood but it did show what could be done to capture all smoke, etc. Definitely not a very accurate test but those results have now paid off for our new kitchen. With the configuration we have now, we have had it now for a year, use it often and not once have we had any smoke, etc spill out of the hood area. It may not look as nice as some of the fancy smaller hoods but its good for us and works. Here's a couple pics. Note the ceiling grille on right is the MUA and the wall switch to the right is the MUA on/off switch....See MoreAnyone with a BlueStar 36 inch RCS Sealed Burner Range?
Comments (32)The glowbar igniters are a really old and proven technology. You'll find it in lots of gas appliances (e.g. water heater, furnace, ovens, ...) as they are so safe. Whenever the thermostat calls for heat, it turns on the igniter. As a first approximation, a glowbar igniter is the same thing as an incandescent light bulb without the protective glass shell. It draws a couple of hundred watts and uses that to produce heat. Right next to the glowbar is a temperature activated gas valve. As long as no heat it produced (i.e. glowbar doesn't call for heat or glowbar is defective), no gas flows. This is very safe. But if the valve detects sufficient amounts of heat, it opens and gas flows over the glowbar and ignites. This is damn simple and there is very little that can fail catastrophically. So, it is inherently a safer design than using click igniters. Those are good for the stove top where a person can supervise the burners. But the oven has to work even when it cycles on/off without human intervention. The downside, of course, is that this glowbar behaves just like an incandescent bulb. Some bulbs live for decades, most live for a couple of years, and a small number dies within months. Same is true for glowbars. Nothing much you can do about it. Fortunately, they are cheap and standardized components. Every appliance manufacturer buys from the same factory. And yes, gas ovens always cycle on/off completely. There generally isn't a great way to modulate heat output. This is a noteworthy difference when compared to electric ovens, which frequently can keep constant temperatures much more easily. For many dishes, that doesn't actually matter. But there are some that do in fact cook much better in an electric oven. And I guess the reverse is true too....See More
Nellene Wiley
4 years ago
catinthehat
4 years ago
vinmarks
4 years agoNellene Wiley
4 years agokuniewski
4 years agoI have a 2018 Bluestar that I am replacing because the door gets too hot. I clicked on this thread hoping to learn more about Wolf as it is on my radar as an alternative. I thought it was worth posting a picture of the temperature of our oven door. It measured at 72 degrees Celsius (162 Fahrenheit) where a child would put their hands. I included a picture. I hope this is helpful.
rosannm thanked kuniewskicatinthehat
4 years agovinmarks
4 years agokuniewski
4 years agoHouzz community help me out. The serial number on our "apparently 2018" model is 1706603 which Bluestar told me was manufactured in June 2017. This makes sense (although we paid in December 2017 and waited 5 weeks for the new 2018). Here's where I get really confused... our range is a RPB304BSS. I haven't been able to verify a BSS version has been made since 2010. My research shows it went to the V1 platform and then the V2. Any insight would be helpful!
vinmarks
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agokuniewski
4 years agowekick
4 years ago
maire_cate
4 years agommnaylor
11 months agoWe have had the 36" Blue Star range (model RCS36SB) for about 5 years and would not recommend it. The knobs get very warm and we have had problems with the convection fan as well as ignition (gas would build up in the oven while it failed to ignite), both problems required multiple service visits The latest problem, the oven knob broke off and Bluestar said they no longer manufacture the part. Bluestar said they changed from a mechanical thermostat to an electronic thermostat and the ”upgrade” would cost $350 to purchase, not including installation (total cost estimated at least $500). I assume they redeigned the oven knob/thermostat because they had so many problems with the knob, convection and ignition. Even though it was under warranty and the knob broke due to faulty design, the service manager refused to provide a replacement part. I guess you can expect problems to occur with any appliance, but I do not expect them to provide such poor service, especially when they know it broke due to their own design flaw. It takes them days to follow up on service questions.
Best to stay away from Blue Star.
rosannm thanked mmnaylor
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