BlueStar

PigBeanUs

SonVolt said:

PigBeanUs said:

We ducted ours in thru the floor joists (not the cabinet like this guy) to a spot under the stove, and 90° elbow dumps air right under the range

@PigBeanUs

Do you have a pic you could share? Is it ducted in directly under the stove? Or just near it, flush-mounted on the floor similar to a normal AC vent. 

Here’s Rich Trethewy (This Old House) demo-ing a make up air system. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ImdbQFgf-X8

NOTE: their hood is much larger, and they have cash, so they installed a make up air system that isn’t merely passive (just a duct with a damper), but is preconditioned (filtered and heated) and with an intake fan

Ignore for a moment the preconditioned portion of this. Just notice where they put the opening. 

If you DON’T precondition (expensive), in this case the cold (or hot and humid) outside air would travel across your room. 

So the closer that hole can be to the hood, the better. 

You could even do it across from the hood with a register in the ceiling. 

Air would come in and travel across the ceiling and up the hood

We went with the “under the range”
strategy. So air comes in and up the back of the range (and maybe toe kick in front), and up and out

good luck

Botch

alaskanassasin said:

caliking said:

This may be a dumb question, but with open burners does crud fall onto shelves or cabinets below the cooktop?

 The way I understand it there is a large cookie sheet under the burners that catches all the crap and can be slid out the front for cleaning. Maybe @Thatgrimguy or someone with experience can chime in.

 

On the BlueStars at least, that's the difference between their "range" and their "cooktop"; the range has a drawer that can be slid out the front, for cleaning.  I have the less-expensive cooktop, the only way to clean off the bottom plate is with a vacuum nozzle after removing the grates and baffles.  But, when I did my deep-clean that bottom plate had nothing on it.
I just need to make sure I never accidentally knock over a pot of chili on the cooktop.    

NDG

Planning a full kitchen remodel now . . WOW this thread blew my mind . . I got lots to learn but grateful for the detail in this thread.

AprèsSki

alaskanassasin said:

The way I understand it there is a large cookie sheet under the burners that catches all the crap and can be slid out the front for cleaning. Maybe @Thatgrimguy or someone with experience can chime in.

There is. It is in two pieces on a 30" range and they are easily lined with aluminum foil to make cleanup even easier. That drawer can also serve as a heat shield when broiling, just pull it out a ways and it keeps knobs cooler.

SonVolt

How well does the broiler on the Bluestar work for items like steak where you want fast browning without overcooking the internals? Many home broilers are sluggish / underpowered. 

fishlessman

SonVolt said:

How well does the broiler on the Bluestar work for items like steak where you want fast browning without overcooking the internals? Home home broilers are sluggish / underpowered. 

with the stupid electric broiler i have the trick is to fool the internal thermostats by leaving the door slightly open while broiling. not sure how that works with gas

SonVolt

My GE's gas broiler works pretty well (though not as well as those ceramic broilers) but it also turns itself off when it gets too hot.  Drives me nuts b/c then it's just baking at high temp. Propping the door open works ok but then you gotta deal with the smoke/grease. 

nolaegghead

Trick with broilers is the same as cooking steaks....move the food closer to the flame.  Unfortunately most home oven broilers (gas) are V-shaped so it's less even, but trust me, works.

caliking

Botch said:

alaskanassasin said:

caliking said:

This may be a dumb question, but with open burners does crud fall onto shelves or cabinets below the cooktop?

 The way I understand it there is a large cookie sheet under the burners that catches all the crap and can be slid out the front for cleaning. Maybe @Thatgrimguy or someone with experience can chime in.

 

On the BlueStars at least, that's the difference between their "range" and their "cooktop"; the range has a drawer that can be slid out the front, for cleaning.  I have the less-expensive cooktop, the only way to clean off the bottom plate is with a vacuum nozzle after removing the grates and baffles.  But, when I did my deep-clean that bottom plate had nothing on it.
I just need to make sure I never accidentally knock over a pot of chili on the cooktop.    

If I could count the times oatmeal spills over on the stove...

SonVolt

...or milk sauces and pasta water 

Tspud1

Has anyone considered induction cooktops instead of gas? There are many power ratings and they dont need make up air and they dont throw off heat
into the room like a open flame burner will. Blasphemy, since we make commercial gas cooking equipment but just a thought. Still need a hood for cooking odors

nolaegghead

Tspud1 said:

Has anyone considered induction cooktops instead of gas? There are many power ratings and they dont need make up air and they dont throw off heat
into the room like a open flame burner will. Blasphemy, since we make commercial gas cooking equipment but just a thought. Still need a hood for cooking odors

They are great.  I have a stand alone.  Would rather have gas because maybe half my pots won't work and you can't roast peppers and light cigars.

nolaegghead

I plan on firing up, for the first time, the broiler on our new range tonight.  I'm too lazy to fire up the egg.  Actually just turned it on prior to the cook to burn off the factory smell, which, based on the smell in the house, was a good idea.

We'll see how it does with some wings.

SonVolt

Tspud1 said:

Has anyone considered induction cooktops instead of gas? There are many power ratings and they dont need make up air and they dont throw off heat
into the room like a open flame burner will. Blasphemy, since we make commercial gas cooking equipment but just a thought. Still need a hood for cooking odors

They're like having sex with a condom. They get the job done, but they're not near as fun.

But seriously though,  I'm not sure if they have "mechanical only" induction like they do gas, but a friend of mine just had their circuit board go out and Viking quoted $3,200 to send a replacement. The repairman said had it been a regular Gas range he could have fixed it for a typical $75 service charge. Something about computers and gas ranges don't sound like a good idea to me. 

Canadianegger2020

SonVolt said:

How well does the broiler on the Bluestar work for items like steak where you want fast browning without overcooking the internals? Many home broilers are sluggish / underpowered. 

  Works amazing ! 

PigBeanUs

Fairly sure the “pro” gas broilers now are all “infrared” 

much better than the gas tube broliers. 

It seemed small to me when we first got it, but it gets pretty effing hot very quickly. 

AprèsSki

SonVolt said:

 Something about computers and gas ranges don't sound like a good idea to me. 

This was the 2nd selling point on our BlueStar, no electronics to shield from the heat. 

And yes the broiler is amazing, just keep an eye on it as it can quickly take anything under it from crispy, brown and delicious to charred, black and bitter.

Botch

SonVolt said:
They're like having sex with a condom. They get the job done, but they're not near as fun. 

Buy ribbed condoms, and put them on inside-out.  Problem Solved.  

nolaegghead

Broiler worked fine.

buzd504

nolaegghead said:

Broiler worked fine.

Peas?  Seriously?

nolaegghead

Cold pea sour cream and ham salad. Kicks ass you anti-anglophile person, you.

buzd504

nolaegghead said:

Cold pea sour cream and ham salad. Kicks ass you anti-anglophile person, you.

I don't care how you're hiding them.  If you're not splitting them, I'm not eating them.

nolaegghead

"Scientists might be able to split an atom but only a donkey will split a pea"

-- Gordon Ramsey (or maybe I just made that up)

BigGreenKev

Everytime I see the title of this thread I think of Blue star Airlines in the movie Wall street?

Tspud1

SonVolt said:

Tspud1 said:

Has anyone considered induction cooktops instead of gas? There are many power ratings and they dont need make up air and they dont throw off heat
into the room like a open flame burner will. Blasphemy, since we make commercial gas cooking equipment but just a thought. Still need a hood for cooking odors

They're like having sex with a condom. They get the job done, but they're not near as fun.

But seriously though,  I'm not sure if they have "mechanical only" induction like they do gas, but a friend of mine just had their circuit board go out and Viking quoted $3,200 to send a replacement. The repairman said had it been a regular Gas range he could have fixed it for a typical $75 service charge. Something about computers and gas ranges don't sound like a good idea to me. 

Repairs are expensive, simple electronic ignition on my brothers Wolf top burner was way high. I tinkered with adding a induction cook top to a table

Corv

C'mon, you guys, this isn't fair. I want to replace my old Jenn-Air and now this thread pops up.

I can give a comment about vent fans. I've got a 600 cfm one (that's the 4th step, so it's plenty adjustable) and sometimes wish I'd gotten the 900 cfm one. However, 600 is adequate. The extra cost would have been tiny since this model has an external roof-mounted fan.

Do whatever you can to get a roof-mounted fan with an external exhaust. Well worth it.

caliking

Corv said:

C'mon, you guys, this isn't fair. I want to replace my old Jenn-Air and now this thread pops up.

I can give a comment about vent fans. I've got a 600 cfm one (that's the 4th step, so it's plenty adjustable) and sometimes wish I'd gotten the 900 cfm one. However, 600 is adequate. The extra cost would have been tiny since this model has an external roof-mounted fan.

Do whatever you can to get a roof-mounted fan with an external exhaust. Well worth it.

I'm looking to replace a Jenn-Air cookto as well. Hang out here long enough, and you'll be lucky if these miscreants only cost you a stove. 

What did you end up with for the range hood/exhaust?

LetsEat

For those of you who are considering new cooktops and ovens, do yourself a favor and checkout gaggenau.com. Handmade, German appliances which will not disappoint. The EB333 oven is a dream.  

Corv

Caliking, I got a Broan E662E30WH hood with the 331H fan in '08. With two exceptions, it's been trouble-free. The big exception was that a capacitor on the motor died well after warranty. A local whiz appliance repairman diagnosed and fixed it.

The small exception was that somehow the touch-panel got out of alignment with something under it and needed to be adjusted. Found that out after I'd ordered replacement electronics, which fortunately Broan took back.

The hood is a conventional over-the-stove one that looks like many of the hoods at a big box store. It's white since I don't care for stainless. These days white is rare.

Thatgrimguy

Get all the fan. I have a 1100cfm Wolf fan with a custom built hood and I love it!!!  I don't have the air make-up and no one recommended it when I installed my fan. Got permits and all.... 

I did replace my wood burning fireplace with a gas unit (that can be used without a vent) and I do keep the flu open year round and I guess that's probably acting as a make up though.