Downdrafts aren't usually the best choice, but maybe in this situation a new stove with a downdraft is the best option....

Do they also have a summer vacation home? I ask because my friends who have a AGA have to shut theirs down every summer, it just makes the kitchen too hot because it's on 24/7. That works for them because they are away almost all summer anyway, and they fire it up again in the fall.

Where does she live? If it's in a climate that's similar to England, she should be fine. I'd hate to get rid of the Aga....they're so amazing. If necessary, add a two burner electric cooktop nearby and use that in the summer :)

As for ventilation....I'd live with it and see. If the 'stinky' stuff is outside, why not?

It sounds like your friend is a "looks first/function last" person. If so, does it matter what we say?

Yes, she needs to put in decent ventilation - especially in an open layout. With an open layout, grease, odors, smoke, steam, etc., will travel throughout the space - not just the Kitchen. That also means it should be exhausted to the outside (i.e., externally vented).

A downdraft is not decent ventilation. If it's telescoping, it will work for any pots/pans right up against it and shorter than the vent portion by a few inches. For all other uses, it won't be of any use. Note that downdrafts are also noisy and, in an island/peninsula w/seating situation, very intrusive - the vent rises up into the faces of anyone sitting at the island/peninsula.

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That ceiling vent will not be good enough. Grease will not be drawn up that high (too "heavy") - instead, it will travel throughout the space.

Smoke, steam, odors will spread too quickly to be captured by a ceiling vent. Be aware that as smoke, steam, odors, fumes, etc., rise, they spread out. The purpose of having a hood no more than about 30" above the cooking surface is to capture them b/f they spread too far out to be catch-able. Even at that height, some might escape, but the "cup" in a hood corrals them and holds them for the vent to exhaust - to the outside. Cabinets flanking a hood also help - but that's only for cooktops/ranges along a wall.

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"...they could cook the stinky stuff on the grill outside..."

They could, but will they? Do they live in a location where it's warm year-round?

In the end, it's their home and the gunk build-up, stale odors, smoke, and steam will be their problem, not ours (or yours).

That stove pipe already "ruins the open look".

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BTW...it looks like the current owners already recognize some of the issues. I'm betting the reason for the candles in the box is to help protect others from the grease... the box acts as a partial barrier. (They probably won't admit it, though, b/c it could make the home seem less-desirable.)

Yes, ventilation is important but that house looks amazing. I would not want to give up the AGA as I have always wanted one. If the rest of the house suited me as much as this part, I would be willing to address the ventilation issue with an island hood, even if that meant re-routing the stove pipe or something, somehow.

Aga's are tricky. They are beautiful the small ovens produce great food, and the hob can instantly boil water. But, they are energy hogs and put off a tremendous amount of heat which is wonderful in the winter but awful in the summer.

I would suggest your friend speak with the Aga representative here in the USA before she decided. When I was considering one for my house here, I was told that they do not recommend turning them off in the summer as they can rust. I believe I was told it would void the warrantee.

Which is strange because when I was first introduced to Aga in England one of the houses I lived in had a second stove and range top and the owner said she always turned the Aga off in the summer. I had many friends there who also turned their Aga's off in the summer. I'm not really certain why with regularity they are turned off in England but not here?

The first one I used had no venting system at all, apparently it isn't required in England. The second house we were in has a vent similar to what your friend is considering, it did a fine job of removing the smoke most of the time, occasionally I had to open a window.

The learning curve isn't so difficult either once you understands how each oven works. I contacted the Aga company and they were happy to explain how each oven and the hob operate.

There is also seems to a market here in the US for used Aga's, she may want to consider selling it herself if she decides she doesn't want it. There are also other ranges, many are European, which have a similar old-world-look that are able to be turned on and off as needed. Aga, makes one that looks very much like the traditional Aga, I think it's called the Total Control. Perhaps she could consider one of them to keep the look of the current kitchen.

That Aga is a lot of fire power to have no ventilation.

There is water in the island. Perhaps consider putting the cooker on the window wall and flanking it with windows, adding a nice wall hood, and putting a clean up sink in the island.

No matter what...there's still the pipe going up from the wood stove, in the living area. So I wouldn't worry too much about the pipe.

That being said, any chance to hang a vent from the lower ceiling area just above the Aga? You could keep the pipe (isn't that necessary for Aga to function?) and add a vent right above it.

Again, you can add a two burner electric/gas cooktop on that island for summer cooking. I would NEVER give up an Aga! :)

The aga doesn't need a vent as all the fumes and cooking smells will go up the flue pipe. We had an oil aga (a four oven one like the one in the house your friend is considering. The top right oven is the hottest one, roasting etc, about 225 deg c. the bottom right is the baking oven and runs at about 180 deg c. Which is ideal for cakes. Both of these ovens will vent any smells, steam, smoke etc up the black flue pipe. The two ovens on the far left are (top) simmering oven, about 120 deg c. ( meringues / slow cooking) and the bottom left is a warming oven for dishes etc. these two ovens aren't vented but due to their low temps, much steam or smoke isn't a prob at all.

I'd be very wary of putting an extraction vent anywhere near where the flue pipe exits the house as you will have problems keeping the aga lit. We had to have one in our house within the kitchen but that would have needed to be there whatever range / cooker we had. It was building regs ( UK version of . Your 'code'). But the vent was on the ground floor level and the aga flue ran to roof height

they are not cheap to run though but over here we pay a lot more for kerosene than you do however ours used 60 litres of oil a WEEK it's a lot to pay for cooking! But, you do have a reduction in heating bills and I rarely ironed anything, just folded waning neatly and hung over the front rail or placed on a drying rack over the hot plate. We also didn't need a kettle. The ovens don't look big, but they are and because the heat is radiant, and the two right ovens are vented, you can pile food in to the shelves and even use the oven floor and all levels get cooked to perfection no uncooked bits, unevenness etc

Another thing I've just thought about whilst typing, is it just a cooker or does it do the hot water as well? Three friends of hours have the combined one but wish they didn't go for that one two reasons a modern immersion / combi / water heater is MUCH more efficient and also considerably cheaper to run AND at busy family times, Christmas, birthdays etc, or when guests are staying and cooking a big lunch is happening in conjunction with family and guests wanting baths and showers, you will find the aga struggling to keep temperature to heat your food. One of my friends says she never could have a bath on Christmas morning to try out all her pamper bits! She had to wait till the evening.

ours thankfully did the sole job of cooking!

They are amazing bits of kit, I'd still rather have one than not, costs and all negatives considered Broke my heart to sell it with the house this time we are having an Evehot similar looks and principles to an aga but each oven is totally independently controlled and so are the two hot plates it is fully electric and we have installed solar pv recently so it will be a saving on the oil aga can't wait to get it

I'd tell your friend that any other oven will be more of a prob ventilation wise than the aga she most likely won't have any prob at all bit of a learning curve to get the best out of it but soooooo worth it ( eg, veggies, pasta, rice bring to boil on hot plate (top left lid) then drain, leaving little water in for veggies, more for rice etc put lid on then stick in top left oven and leave to cook/ steam gently to retain flavour and goodness) try and employ an 80:20 rule 80% in the oven and 20% on the hot plates strange at first but soon second nature good luck

"...all the fumes and cooking smells will go up the flue pipe..."

How does that work given pots & pans are outside the pipe? I don't see where grease, steam, odors, smoke, etc. from cooking can go up that pipe. Maybe from the ovens (but I'd have to see proof of that) - but I don't see how it could capture & exhaust the above said items from cooking on the surface.

thank you all for your thoughtful comments. Not sure my friend is going to base the house purchase decision on ventilation but caveat emptor I suppose.

She is (now) concerned about heat generation as she lives in a Mediterranean climate.

Cheers!

Mediterranean climate, tough one. Especially in summer. How old is the aga? If newish, then the insulation under the hotplate and also the vermiculite that they pour around the outside of the ovens should still be plump and full. If old the insulation flattens and reduces volume over time and there will be gaps so more heat will escape from inside the aga at the burner ( located behind the door in the middle of the aga. A new aga will apparently put out 1.5kw an hour. Obviously that will be felt more in the summer.

We did however keep ours on all year, we never found it too hot ( we are in the south west UK) the aga was in the narrow, no window or door end of the kitchen though but still never got too hot. So in s Mediterranean climate, I don't think it'd be too much of w prob, especially in such a large, high ceilinged kitchen.

Here's some info from aga themselves

Having read this thread, I can't believe Aga stays in business. Maybe I'll bring back the buggy whip.

Yeah, deal breaker. Or price reduction to completely redo that kitchen.

Sommersetlass you've given my friend new hope : )

I had suggested the same as Sophie-- ask for a price concession to accommodate a potential remodel. My friend is considering this option and says she'd likely live with the aga before deciding to change the kitchen. I showed her this picture I found-- an island hood can be made to be interesting (but this one seems a bit high to me). Wonder what it would cost to custom make such a thing?

The aga is 1487 mm (~58") so the swap out options may be limited.

Smeg do a 1500 range.

We have some English connections, and these stove are HOT in the U.K. (pun intended). Seriously, they're super expensive and so highly coveted that families actually come to blows over who inherits these things. In addition to their cost, I understand you can't just go out and buy one like you would a basic range; I understand they're fairly difficult to get in England, really difficult to get here in America.

So, I don't think she should let this hold her back from buying the house. I'd suggest she try it a few months, and if it's not for her, sell it. I feel sure she could sell it for a pretty penny. I like the red, and I think lots of people would too.

Finally, it's an AGA, not an Aga -- it's an abbreviation, not a name.

I never knew anything about the AGA until this thread led me to AGA's website. Wow....I'd have to relearn how to cook. I don't really get how you use it just from reading about it. I think I'd need classes. I would definitely want to keep it and try it out for awhile before deciding to sell it for something more conventional.

I would want that stove-pipe enameled, probably in red to match the stove. Then it becomes a fun architectural feature vs. a bland eyesore, imho.

We have friends that have an AGA (we live in the PNW), and they love it. As in pry-it-out-of-their-cold-dead-hands love it. The always on feature isnt a problem for them given our climate's similarity to the UK. Added to their furnace, it keeps their kitchen toasty warm all winter and our summers are (traditionally) cool enough to not cause any problems.

I thought about one...for about three seconds. The price point was quite a bit off-putting and, like Funky said, I would have to relearn to cook. BUT. If it came with a house I really liked, I wouldnt consider it an item in the Negative column. Just MHO.

Mrspete, aga is not an abbreviation nit is Swedish. AGA "abbreviation" means "all girls are" ( fill in the last bit according to taste!)

So Aga, Aga or AGA are all ok to describe the range cooker

AGA does make more than one type of range. The type of range your friend is looking at in the house are mostly used in cooler climates. I am getting a 36" Dual fuel Legacy AGA. If she like the look of a AGA but not the Cooker then maybe she needs to look at the Legacy which comes 36" & 44". From the pictures…nice house!

According to Wikipedia:

AGA /ˈɑːɡə/[1] is an abbreviation of the company name, Aktiebolaget Gas Accumulator