Please help me choose a telescoping downdraft!

15 years ago

We will be replacing our electric cooktop and integrated downdraft with an induction cooktop and a separate telescoping downdraft. I am having trouble deciding which downdraft to get.

The cooktop I want is the Miele 30" 4-burner induction.

Miele make a 30" telescoping downdraft that rises up 14", the highest I've found, but I could find no reviews on it. It retails for $1650 and comes with a 500cfm blower. It has 4 speeds. Shipping weight is 44 lbs.

Bosch makes one that telescopes 13" which retails for $1025 excluding the blower and a 600cfm internal blower for $360 (total $1385). It has 3 speeds. Shipping weight is 41 lbs.

Dacor sells one that rises up 10" (I think this might be too low) which retails for $800 excluding the blower. They sell two blowers, a 600cfm and a 1000cfm, but I could not find a price on either. It has unlimited speeds. Shipping weight is 50 lbs.

I could not find a review on any one of these! Does anyone have (or had) one?

Does the weight have any bearing on the quality of the construction? In other words, if the Miele and blower together only weigh 44lbs, versus the 41 lbs and 50 lbs for the Bosch and Dacor respectively, will the Miele be flimsy?

How important is it to match the downdraft manufacturer to the cooktop manufacturer?

DH would like me to choose a cheaper downdraft, if possible, and I suspect the Dacor might fit the bill, depending on the cost of the blower, if it's advisable to have the downdraft and cooktop by different manufacturers. Also, I cook lots of pasta and sauce and the 10" rise on the Dacor may not be high enough for the pasta pot. I like the fact that it has unlimited speeds (not just 3 or four preset ones) and the higher weight.

With an induction cooktop is 1000cfm necessary or would 500 or 600 be good enough?

All our other appliances are GE Profile and the wall oven, when we replace it, will be either Bosch or JennAir.

Thank you!

Barb

Featured Answer

maire_cate

15 years ago

We've had a Dacor downdraft (Model ERV 36)with remote blower motor for 6 years. Our install is on an island and I didn't want a hood blocking the view through the bay window.

Before the Dacor we had a Thermador downdraft for 18 years. We've cooked a lot of pasta for our family in 25 years and I can honestly say that having a 10" rise hasn't caused any problems for us - my largest pasta pot is 12 qt and is 8" without the lid. Even if the vent doesn't capture 100% of the steam it didn't turn the ceiling yellow. We also regularly sear steaks in a really hot cast iron skillet and the vent captures the smoke.

In most applications a 500 or 600 should suffice but it depends on how long your duct run is and how many turns.

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Comments (11)

weissman
15 years ago
You'd be safer going with Miele since presumably their downdraft has been tested with their cooktop. With an induction cooktop you need sufficient room in the installation to keep it from overheating and presumably their downdraft will fit properly and won't void your warranty. I seriously doubt the weight makes any difference in the quality of the downdraft. If you go with a different brand, make sure to check the specs to make sure it will fit properly.
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ApplianceSalesVet
15 years ago
Go with Zephyr for a good downdraft priced under $1000. I used to say KitchenAid, but they are having serious service issues of the ones I've sold in the last 12 months.

The Bosch downdraft is nice, but the top trim is brushed aluminum instead of stainless steel. Some folks like this, some don't.
ooakfolk
Original Author
15 years ago
@maire_cate: Our duct run is no more than 6 feet with one turn so 500 may be enough. I will ask our GC. The Dacor may not work for us because it requires a remote motor. I am waiting for the rep to let me know whether an inline blower is available and how much it would be.

@weissman: I never thought of that! The Dacor is 1/2" deeper than the Miele (might work) but the Bosch is 1.5" deeper (definitely out!) so I may not have a choice.

Thanks!

Barb
User
15 years ago
FWIW, my Bosch downdraft performs well. The filters catch a lot of grease and are simple to take out to clean. We did have a switch go bad after several years so it didn't go up and down like it was supposed to. It would have been a $90 part from Bosch. Fortunately, the appliance repairman was a great guy and told me the Sharp switch was exactly the same - $15 part - total repair was $80 with the two trips to my house - back to flawless functioning.
sierrahh
15 years ago
Dacor now has a 15" rise downdraft. Saw it installed at Standards of Excellence but haven't seen it in action.

Dacor ERV3615 36" Epicure Raised Ventilation System
ooakfolk
Original Author
15 years ago
The 10" Dacor (I have not found the 15" Dacor for sale here) can be fitted with a 1200cfm inline blower for $699 so the cost is comparable to the Miele but the blower is more than twice as strong!

I'm tempted to go with the Dacor for that reason if it will fit in our cabinet (we are not replacing the cabinet).

Does anyone know whether I will need that much power with an induction cooktop? If I don't, I'd rather go with the taller Miele which is the same brand as the cooktop.

Thank you,
Barb
dan1888
15 years ago
Induction will not create the amount of heat you need to remove when using a comparable set of gas burners. But the control range is unlimited so you only use what you need. It would be useful to see a demo. Maybe Dacor or a larger dealer can send you a video if nothing is available near you.
ooakfolk
Original Author
15 years ago
Our contractor says the Dacor requires a 10" duct which we don't have (and we don't want to replace the ductwork) so we will be going with the Miele.

Thank you, everyone, for all your help!
mlovest
8 years ago
Can the miele down dfart vent be used with the miele induction range?
mlovest
8 years ago
sorry...the Miele down draft vent