[big-btu's]

After looking at many of the gas ranges on the market I opted for a used Wolf commercial unit, 36” 6 burner. Does anyone have experience with a commercial range in a home kitchen? I realize the range will have to be installed to code, it is not zero clearance plus will require a professional style ventilation system. My feeling are the exhaust system is every bit as important as the range. Expect to spend all the money I saved on pots, knives etc.

[Jock]

They are not as well insulated as residential stoves and get very hot on the outside. Not only does it heat your kitchen but it can be dangerous too - especially to small children.

Jock

[big-btu's]

1200 cfm blower will get rid of the heat, should be easy to add insulation to the sides and door, besides the door has no window so it should make it easier. appreciate your input.

[Mezzaluna]

There've probably been discussions of this idea earlier. Try using the search feature here to find those.

Good luck!
Mezzaluna

[Peachcreek]

Depending on the part of the country you will need a make-up air unit to compensate for the 1200 cfm of air you are busy sucking out of your kitchen. I just bought a used commercial system which will run close to $1000. per foot with hood, etc, and not including fire supression. Make up air systems compensate for the air volume that the exhaust fan uses. That way the hood fan doesn't suck out all of your heated or AC'd household air. My Inlaws have a Thermador gas range and matching hood fan system. My experience is that when I use the hood fan, the thing is so incredibly noisy I end up wanting to turn it off. In a commercial kitchen, the ambient noise level is high enough that with people, compressors, dish machines, etc, the noise isn't noticed. Until, of course, as you are going home and realize that your ears are still ringing.....

[Jock]

Originally Posted by Peachcreek

Depending on the part of the country you will need a make-up air unit to compensate for the 1200 cfm of air you are busy sucking out of your kitchen. .....

That's right. I'd forgotten about the volume of air being moved and the need for make up air. The volume of my kitchen is about 2,200 cubic feet and it would only take 2 minutes to move that much up the duct. I can see kitchen towels, papers and who knows what else flying up the chimney like something out of Mary Poppins.

Is your duct big enough for the hood fan? I'd bet not. Does your local fire code reuire a fire supression system (an Ansul)?

I disagree that adding insulation to a system not designed for it is easy. I think it would be quite difficult in fact.

Sorry, I just think commercial stoves have no place in a residential kitchen.

Jock

[deltadoc]

Originally Posted by Jock

The volume of my kitchen is about 2,200 cubic feet and it would only take 2 minutes to move that much up the duct. I can see kitchen towels, papers and who knows what else flying up the chimney like something out of Mary Poppins.

Actually, it's like a bottle of pop. For the liquid to come out of the bottle, air needs to go in to the bottle to replace the volume the liquid occupied.

If you have a 1200 cfm vented hood (as I do), if there is no source for make-up air, you will simply create a negative pressure in your house, and effectively not much will actually go up the vent and out.

Technically speaking though, most houses have leakage sources, so to the extent that you have air leakage, some will go up the vent without a make-up air supply. In our house, my wife always forgets the vent hood is on, and lights a fire in the fireplace. The fireplace in the living room then spews smoke out into the house that I only realize what's happening when it reaches the kitchen and chokes me half to death.

We resort to opening the front door and a couple of windows when using all four of the 300 cfm blowers that make up our hood. Most of the time, for simple boiling, etc., the heat from 15k BTU burners requires only one or two blowers going. Still, without the front door open, the make-up air comes in through the fireplace chimney. Also, unless you have a closed combustion gas furnace (as I do) and a closed combustion gas water heater (as I do), you really have to worry about sucking exhaust gases from those appliances back into the house with all their carbon monoxide content. This is a bad thing!

However, if you have a licensed HVAC contractor install your venting, and ensure that your commercial range is installed exactly per the installation instructions for a commercial use, you should not have too much problem with inspectors and insurance companies. IF you have kids, which we don't, then the heat factor of the commercial range is a priority risk factor.

Check out this link:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/a...556019303.html

doc

[Jock]

yeah, I was only kidding about stuff flying up the duct. But your post highlights some of the design issues to consider if you are choosing to go this direction. It's a pretty big deal altogether.

Jock

[ranges]

The Wolf Gas ranges are pretty good. I had one a year ago but I prefer the GE and Hotpoint ranges. I think especially the Hotpoint range is more flexible in usage.

Today, various gas range models are available to suit various cooking convenience needs like double burners, double fuel (combination of gas and electric) and full-feature gas ranges (with bridge bars to connect two or more burners, a grill and an oven). Reliable gas range brands include GE and Hotpoint because of their flexible behavior.

[foodpump]

As others have said, the insulation and pilot lights on commercial ranges are very different from residential ones.

A couple of things to consider:

Do you have sufficient gas supply for a commercial range? Many residential gas supply lines do not have the capacity for a commercial unit.

Check with your municipal codes and fire codes about commercial units. If you do not comply with local codes then that will give your insurance company a gold plated excuse not to cover for any damages that might happen in the future.

What really gets my clock wound up is that good commercial units can be bought new for under $2,000, and residential units start at $3,000. The manufacturers see an opportunity to really take advantage of people.....

[deltadoc]

Originally Posted by big-btu's

After looking at many of the gas ranges on the market I opted for a used Wolf commercial unit, 36” 6 burner. Does anyone have experience with a commercial range in a home kitchen? I realize the range will have to be installed to code, it is not zero clearance plus will require a professional style ventilation system. My feeling are the exhaust system is every bit as important as the range. Expect to spend all the money I saved on pots, knives etc.

I still regret not buying the Residential version of the Wolf commercial range. It was identical except it was already insulated, could be butted upto the wall, and had automatic igniters. But when Sub-Zero bought the residential division of Wolf, they stopped production of that stove. Again, I still regret not paying the outrageous $3500 dollars for it at the time circa 1990, because the commercial version was selling for like $1200.

Now, it would seem like a bargain.

So I have to be content with my Professional Thermador gas cooktop. The grill isn't too great at 15K BTUs, but the burners just take a little longer to boil water than than the 26k+ BTU burners on the Wolf would have. I miss not having the 24" inch griddle on that Wolf I never bought, compared to the 12" one on my thermador, again only 15K BTUs. And having the broiler under the griddle on the Wolf would have been far superior to the grill on this Thermador.

In either event, I had professional advice from Vent-A-Hood that I could rely on regarding whichever model I would have ended up with. The hood for the Wolf was also much more CFM's than the one we bought for the Thermador, and we would have had to install better air-replacement system than just opening the front door and a couple windows as we do now for the Thermador.

doc

[ED BUCHANAN]

Read this monthes consummer reports. Wolf was rated garbage.. I have used their so called commercial items, and I can attest to this. Highly overpriced.

[deltadoc]

Originally Posted by ED BUCHANAN

Read this monthes consummer reports. Wolf was rated garbage.. I have used their so called commercial items, and I can attest to this. Highly overpriced.

Ed, I know that I've heard that the Residential Wolf (now under the control of Subzero) were way overpriced and not very good (much like my Model 500 Subzero has proven over the last 15 years).

But the Commerical Wolf is still the same company isn't it? I'm surprised because a master chef, Jean-Claude Tindillier, told me in the early 1990's that Wolf was the way to go for commercial product.

If I get time, I'll try to look into it and see if they've been bought out too.

doc

[sjohnson2]

There sure have been alot of different opinions about the wolf on this thread. It seems with any product you really get to know it when using it like deltadoc & ED BUCHANAN pretty much said.
And if consumer reports gives it a thumbs down .... that is enough to steer me away into checking out other products.
Sam.........just an amatuer in the kitchen