My recommendation is to put cabinets under the induction unit and then install easy and slick pull-out wire mesh or cage drawers. You will never have a problem then, as you can put as many pots and pans that can fit in the drawers, even the ones that are normally difficult to gewt to in the back--as they come right out to you. Plus you get all the air circulation your GE or any other induction will ever need --and then some.

Of course, you can just put a metal slide-out on the top and use whatever kind of slide-outs you want after that--or just leave shelves if that serves your purpose.

Greg

Thanks, Greg. Does it matter what the clearance is if they are wire open shelves?

Judy

No it doesn't. But I still recommend at least an 8-12" clearance so the slide-out can be useful in holding some metallic pans and utensils. The bottom line is that GE wants enough air circulation for the electronics and the burners.

Even the induction units that say they don't need such deep clearance make me skeptical. Heat is the enemy of all electronics. I have the feeling they mean that 2-4" is enough air circulation for the unit to last 2 years past the warranty:-)

Greg

Great point, Greg.

I don't know why GE has this limitation. Perhaps it just isn't built as well as the Fagor-Brandt units. I have a drawer under my De Dietrich cooktop and have been using it that way for three years with no problems. The unit has an overheat sensor that shuts it down if the electronics get too warm. This has only happened once with us when we had all four burners going full blast for quite a while. I realized that the fans were on the left side where I was keeping pot holders (funny, I used to know some real pot holders back in the 60s) so I moved them to the center and have not had any problems since. Here's a picture of the drawer when it had an older Thermador radient unit before I got the DTI unit. We have a small kitchen and I really needed the drawer space. I can't imagine doing without it.

{{gwi:1407451}}

Vaguely recall reading something somewhere to the effect that the then newly introduced GE unit was certified under new rules which do not apply to earlier certified units from other companies. The fact that an oven is permitted under it leaving minimal clearance for the cooktop airflow suggests cooling was not a big factor in the specifications dealing with open space below the unit.