I also have the open burners, so am not who you're asking, but am wondering...If the black surface is the same on both, and is a pain to clean when you can take it to the sink to scrub, I don't know why it would be easier to try to clean in place? Not trying to argue, like I said, just wondering. I also went from electric smoothtop to the Wolf gas rangetop and it was a bit of a shock for someone who likes easy-care. ;-) When I got mine, there were people here who had gladly replaced sealed burners with open, because when things spilled in the sealed area, it was so hard to clean out.

You cannot 'expect' anything. It's hard telling what you will or will not find back there. If the chimney has been removed there was likely a reason it had, so you may even find bricks in the firebox, where the chimney had been deteriorating and crumbling into the stack, or bird bones where they'd flown down there and got trapped. There may be decades of wood or coal dust settled into the pit, or it may be clean and tidy. You won't know until you open it and look. We do not use our fireplaces for woodburning anymore, although my husband used to use the one in the kitchen. We had a fireplace in every room of the 1820s house. Some of them had been cemented shut before he bought it, and some of them he dry-walled over and some of them he left just sealed with mantles intact. The one in the living room, although it's open we don't use and yes.........it's open with glass doors and used decoratively. One of these days, I'd like to install a gas line coming up from the cellar and put in vent-free gas logs. The kitchen hearth is also open but we fitted in an antique looking cast iron gas grate and it's very practical for us when we don't want to kick on the boiler system in fall or spring. As for venting flue gasses up old chimneys. That's fine if it's a safe chimney and has been checked for leaks and you are sure it's open and your local codes (if applicable) are not violated. Hopefully somebody checked out the patency and integrity of the chimney before they did it. If you do have a chimney problem, your gas appliance may as well be not vented, however and it may impose an unsafe situation as far as carbon monoxide. I had an investment house in town, and installed a new furnace and gas fired hot water heater. The installer vented the high efficiency furnace through the wall, because the hot water heater was already vented through the chimney and codes allowed only one appliance to be vented through each stack.

If you can get the ductwork out without a lot of work and mess, I'd do it. But, as others have described here, you can also weatherproof with the ductwork left there as long as it doesn't interfere with putting in sheetrock patches.

maire_cate and Wekick Thanks both. I think I've watched Trevor's video before. the simplicity of the BS is very similar to my Russell range except everything in the Russell is stainless. (which I do like) I'm not terribly concerned about service as there is little that can go wrong. Having a high BTU kiln I'm used to taking he venturis apart and cleaning the burners. So I'm comfortable working with burners, cleaning adjusting. Unfortunately, there is no BS dealer close. I've watched all of the BS videos to ad nauseam drove to Las Vegas some months ago as I was told I could see one and try it out. They had a range which I would think is similar to a range top. They knew nothing about it. It was not live, disappointing to make a 5.5 hr trip for nothing. Next closest is Salt Lake city a 8- 9 hour round trip. Maybe when I get close to actually buying I'll make the trip and spend the night.. Trevor wrote his phone number on one of my posts suggesting I call him. Haven't done it yet and of course the paper I had has disappeared from my desk. Sales person also told me how wonderful Wolf ovens were. Yikes, I remember reading about your pain Wekick. When I mentioned the blue enamel chipping there was just a blank stare. I told him I plan on getting the GE French door wall oven as I have one in the FL house and like it. . When I asked if he can give me a deal on SZ (side by side and wine cooler) if I buy all of my appliances he said no they are sold at full price unless I purchse a suite of SZ/Wolf, which isn't going to happen.::(( There is a Ferguson in town as well. I don't think their set up is nearly as large but will head there one of these days. The only thing I'm still on the fence about is the dishwasher. Do I get another Bosch which cleans really well but doesn't load very well with my handmade dishes. Maybe by the time I actually get to remodel, Bosch will have improved their interior set up...I'm hoping. Inga