"Mike" > wrote in message
om...
> I guess the question I need to ask is; What makes downdraft systems so
> useless? Do they do somethings well and others no so good? What are
> the pros and cons to overhead vs downdraft system. As you can tell I'm
> not the most knowledgeble person in this area.

The basic problem is that steam and smoke rise. Downdraft systems are low
and are in the center or back of the cooking surface. At best, they only
capture some of the smoke and grease. The telescoping version is probably
the best design. Downdrafts tend to suck the heat from burner when they are
in the cooktop as is the case with models like JennAir. Still, if you have
a tall pot on the font burner and the downdraft is several inches below the
top of the pan at the back of the cooktop, you aren't going to capture much.
Ideally an overhead hood is somewhat larger than the cooktop so it captures
the smoke as it rises and disperses.

I have a JennAir gas range. I had to install overhead ventilation because
the downdraft didn't do an adequate job. Until the overhead ventilation was
installed, the smoke alarm went off every time I used the grill. The range
is install against an outside wall so there was no issue with the length or
design of the ductwork. Downdraft is the choice of last resort. Cooking
needs to be functional. When you don't have good ventilation, not only will
your home be smoky, but that smoke will coat all your surfaces and fabrics
with a film of grease.

I would put the cooktop against a wall where you can install conventional
ventilation or get a good looking hood to go over the island. Of course if
you are just configuring a display kitchen where you won't do much cooking,
it won't really matter.