help ! 1988 Jenn Air electric stove top down draft vent

11 years ago

I've scoured this forum and can't seem to decide whether to install a pop up vent or install a zephr island vent hood which means 1500.00 for running a new duct 15 feet to the nearest exterior wall. If I install a pop up vent then I would need to redo the Quartz counter top. Should I change out all the counter tops to granite then ? I also hate my Kohler cast iron no-longer-white 33 x 22 x 10 sink which is what started this whole "let's redo the kitchen" idea. Anyone want my Kohler executive chef cast iron sink ? My white cabinets are solid wood but the previous owner painted them so they pick up stains very easily. I guess he didn't seal his paint work ? Sigh, I want a kitchen fairy to wave her wand and just redo the whole kitchen ! Any ideas on how to update my kitchen ? Should I do the pop up vent or just replace with another down draft electric stove top. The Jenn air motor keeps dying and I'm tired of the lingering food fumes.

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Comments (4)

User
11 years ago
That cooktop is in an awfully unsafe place. And it doesn't work. And a lot of the rest of the kitchen has issues. Band-aids aren't what's needed here. With that many issues, but especially with that poorly functioning island, it's time to plan something else with a better layout. You need to start planning a complete renovation. Not band-aids.
Fori
11 years ago
Go to the kitchen forum. Alas there is no kitchen fairy. I checked. :)

I won't go as far as to say your island isn't functioning (except for that downdraft of course) but getting some more input will help you decide.
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User
11 years ago
It also doesn't look as though the cabinet underneath your cooktop is deep enough to house separate downdraft and cooktop units.

Downdrafts are like 70's shag carpet. Everyone thought that it was cool at the time, but after a few years, everyone couldn't wait to get rid of them because of how awful they were at keeping your house dirty. In your case, there's an extra sin that needs to be fixed. There isn't enough room to pass by the cooktop safely, and no real room to prep on the island. It wouldn't pass a code inspection in a new build that way. If you go to sell, any buyer will want thousands off to be able to correct the issue, or it could be a complete dealbreaker to selling at all. You might as well spend those thousands now and enjoy a better functioning kitchen until it comes time to move.
moebus
11 years ago
Lived with a unit like that for 20 years. It wasn't made to sit in the open like that. In your condition, it has to draw air from 5 directions. 4 sides and the top. It was meant to draw air from 3 sides because at the time it was introduced, most cooktops were along a wall and underneath a cabinet. So limited space overhead and only air from front and 2 sides. I used it like that and it was reasonably good. I also used it like your setup and it was a disaster.

A quick fix is to hang a cover sheet of some type (plexi or glass) above the unit that limits the draw to 4 directions or as well create a backsplash to approach the 3 directions.

I must agree with the others though that a different long term solution is desirable.