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DCS all-gas cooling fan noise - recent experience

9 years ago

We have a DCS RGV-485GD on order with delivery due next week.
I'd like to hear comments about the oven cooling fan noise on units
installed in the last year (2015/2016) since DCS has made some changes
to the design. I've read plenty of reports of noisy cooling fans on
older units.

At our last house, we had the same unit of 2003 vintage. There was
no oven cooling fan on that unit to make noise. The convection fan was
not noisy at all. We had all the same problems with igniters and
thermostats but things settled down and the unit was reliable for 5 - 10
years.

When ordering the new unit, it never occurred to me that a fan may have been added or I would have looked into it sooner.

I have the opportunity to not take delivery and choose a different
range altogether. We do like the DCS 5 burner/griddle configuration and
its appearance. I hope my worries are over nothing.

Thanks

Jeff

Olympia WA

Comments (10)

  • 9 years ago

    With Wolf DF first read about blue porcelain chipping and the current lawsuit. You can search on this forum. I can check with a phone decibel meter app if you like.

  • 9 years ago

    Our Wolf AG range (2007 or 2008 model) has a cooling and convection fan, BUT, it is owner activated. That is, there's a switch to turn the fan on or off as desired (toggle in at the top and the fan is in convection mode, toggle at the bottom of the switch, and it's in cooling mode). And, FWIW, the fan itself is fairly quiet.

    We had originally purchased a Jade AG range for our kitchen reno, in late 2006-07. We had always used/had gas ranges, however, we were totally unaware, and totally blindsided by the Jade's extremely loud, and extremely long-running cooling fan. No one ever, ever, ever mentioned this "feature" to us during our decision-making and purchase process. As luck would have it, the range itself had numerous issues, and we were all too happy to see the last of it (manufacturer buy-back).

    While searching for a new, replacement range, included on our list of requirements were for all 6 burners to be of uniform size and BTU's (all 6 burners had to be usable with our smallest pots and pans, as well as our largest), AND any internal cooling fan had to not only run at a reasonable decibel level, but had to have a switch or some other way to turn it on/off.

    We learned a lot from these forums along the way, but some of our decisions and purchases were made prior to stumbling across GW. I felt then, and still feel now, that it is a HUGE oversight for appliance manufacturers and sellers to omit information re: these loud cooling fans.

  • 9 years ago

    Thanks for the comments. I deleted my earlier comments. When I re-read them, I thought they were offensive and the measurements lacked technical accuracy.

    I'll just say that folks considering purchase of a pro-style range should know there is likely a cooling fan that will run when the oven is on and for a while thereafter. Some manufacturers do a better job than others to manage the noise created when the fan is running.

  • 9 years ago

    I have an Electrolux wall oven and Wolf DF range. The Wolf is not bad at all but you can hear it. The Elux is barely perceptible. I used a decibel meter on my iPhone and got the following numbers.

    Wolf

    bake 58

    (the cooling fan ran 15 minutes after it was turned off )

    conv bake 60-61

    All conv 67

    conv roast 67

    Electrolux

    bake 47

    conv bake 50

    conv roast 56


  • 9 years ago

    The electronics are in the knobs themselves, the fan blows air to cool them. Or so I'm told. I will say, I can (in my DCS) bake brownies & the fan won't come on until I open the oven. If I'm REALLY clever, sometimes I can manage it without the fan every coming on....but brownies are relatively quick, the trick is to get the oven up to temp but not for too long, I think. Really do love the stove otherwise...

  • 9 years ago

    I have had my DCS 36" range (RGV366N) for only about 2 months now. I, too, was concerned about the fan noise I had read about, but after much research bought it anyway. The fan does come on, is certainly audible, and takes a while to go off after cooking. Additionally, when the fan is on, it is blowing warm air out you if you are cooking on the range top. I would prefer neither of these things to happen. However, the noise it makes is nothing compared to my vent!

    An additional down side I have had so far is that the convection function is disappointing. Maybe I haven't quite mastered it yet.

    Will all that said, I am loving the range despite those imperfections. It is so big and beautiful; it is the best range I have ever owned (which isn't saying much). The high heat boils water so quickly and stove is also capable of holding a very low simmer. At this point, I would buy it all over again.

  • 9 years ago

    mkuyekaws, how is your convection disappointing?

  • 9 years ago

    I have only tried it once so far, and I am new to convection cooking but after reading about it I was excited to try making cookies. The cookies came out very unevenly browned with the ones near the back and on the bottom shelf much darker than the others. I had made the same cookies the week before without the convection setting and they were beautiful, although I did switch shelves halfway. I thought the benefit of convection is that I wouldn't have to do that.

  • 6 years ago

    watchmelol

    Can someone please explain why an all gas range with knob controls would even need a cooling fan? I thought cooling fans were to protect the "over delicate" electronic circuit boards used on oven and ranges today.


    Has anyone been able to answer watchmelol's question? Why do gas ranges have cooling fans? Thanks.