How many BTU do I need?

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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by Carter »

Lepus wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 1:24 pm That's very Appalachia of you, Carter. I like it.
We're working at it. Everyone sees all my shop pics....this is the other half of the barn. I may move my shop dowstairs and eliminate the horse stables...then upstairs can be improved and made into a fun entertaining and eating space.

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Rufus Leaking
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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by Rufus Leaking »

Im reading through this thread, and im not seeing anything relating to the hows and whys of gas cooking and safety. Bottom line is this: any fossil fuel burning device in a home cannot exceed 40,000 BTU without venting, and that venting has to be sufficient in preventing the buildup of carbon monoxide. Period. In addition, the supply piping has to be the proper size, cascading down from the local gas company source. You can buy a 80k Viking stove, provide venting, but have insufficient supply piping, and be left wondering what went wrong.
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Kit Craft
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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by Kit Craft »

I missed where you said that before, Jeffry. Thank you for pointing it out. I really like your kitchen btw. Not only does it look nice but the layout looks practical. Love the prep sink too! Guess a commercial range is in my future!
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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by jbart65 »

Kit Craft wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 2:38 pm I missed where you said that before, Jeffry. Thank you for pointing it out. I really like your kitchen btw. Not only does it look nice but the layout looks practical. Love the prep sink too! Guess a commercial range is in my future!
I use the prep sink a ton. My architect was skeptical, but he didn't know me well enough.

I mainly picked the appliances and worked with a cabinet guy to customize my cabinets. I left all the aethetics to my wife. Give me function and I don't care much about the form. She does.

Point taken, Rufus, but I didn't have to worry. Architect and contractor handled the legal and safety issues and I bought from my appliances from a retailer.
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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by Carter »

Rufus Leaking wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 1:49 pm Im reading through this thread, and im not seeing anything relating to the hows and whys of gas cooking and safety. Bottom line is this: any fossil fuel burning device in a home cannot exceed 40,000 BTU without venting, and that venting has to be sufficient in preventing the buildup of carbon monoxide. Period. In addition, the supply piping has to be the proper size, cascading down from the local gas company source. You can buy a 80k Viking stove, provide venting, but have insufficient supply piping, and be left wondering what went wrong.
All good points...both times I have purchased high end ranges, they were installed by professional installers from both the range service company and gas line plumbers. Hate to assume, but I would think that is the case in most instances, I could see if someone were replacing a normal consumer grade gas stove, the plumbing and/or regulator may need to be upgraded to properly fuel a high end range....same with ventilation.
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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by inzite »

thought i would a photo of mine as well.

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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by Jeff B »

^^^VERY NICE^^^
If God wanted me to be a vegetarian he wouldn't have made animals taste so good.
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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by inzite »

Jeff B wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:03 pm ^^^VERY NICE^^^
thank you my friend, if anyone is doing a kitchen remodel i highly suggest using a single slab quartz as backsplashes it makes things super easy to clean and wipe down - I use an organic quartz cleaner and oil comes right off.
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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by Kit Craft »

Man that looks good.
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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by Jeff B »

inzite wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:15 pm
Jeff B wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:03 pm ^^^VERY NICE^^^
thank you my friend, if anyone is doing a kitchen remodel i highly suggest using a single slab quartz as backsplashes it makes things super easy to clean and wipe down - I use an organic quartz cleaner and oil comes right off.
I'll have to remember that. After 20 yrs in our house the wife and I are hoping to be able to finally remodel our kitchen next year. Why I'm following this thread intensely!
If God wanted me to be a vegetarian he wouldn't have made animals taste so good.
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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by inzite »

Kit Craft wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:17 pm Man that looks good.
thanks bud, it was my only ask when we got the new house. :lol: :lol:
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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by inzite »

Jeff B wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:21 pm
inzite wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:15 pm
Jeff B wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:03 pm ^^^VERY NICE^^^
thank you my friend, if anyone is doing a kitchen remodel i highly suggest using a single slab quartz as backsplashes it makes things super easy to clean and wipe down - I use an organic quartz cleaner and oil comes right off.
I'll have to remember that. After 20 yrs in our house the wife and I are hoping to be able to finally remodel our kitchen next year. Why I'm following this thread intensely!
gonna be a super fun project! :D
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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by AlbuquerqueDan »

It looks like the BlueStar RNB 36" is now at the top of my list. Everyone seems to like BlueStar.
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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by inzite »

AlbuquerqueDan wrote: Sat Apr 28, 2018 8:23 am It looks like the BlueStar RNB 36" is now at the top of my list. Everyone seems to like BlueStar.
cant say for everyone but i love mine!
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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by jbart65 »

AlbuquerqueDan wrote: Sat Apr 28, 2018 8:23 am It looks like the BlueStar RNB 36" is now at the top of my list. Everyone seems to like BlueStar.
That's a simple way to put it!

I spent way too much time thinking about it before I made my decision. It all boils down, no pun intended, to a few things.

*Price. You pay more for the better known brands in the category of "pro" or "commercial" ranges (they are neither). Viking, Wolf and Thermador command premium prices, but don't perform any better than the lesser known brands like Capital and Bluestar. I'd contend they perform less ably. Good products, but those red knobs will cost you. (-:

Capital and Bluestar had the most bang for the buck. American seemed to as well, but it had such limited distribution. Dacor and DCS were also strong contenders for me. Thermador would have if not for the price.

*Features

- BTU. The highest BTU is found on ranges with open burners. Only a few companies make open burners. Capital and Bluestar are the main ones. Capital goes up to 25K, Bluestar 22K last I checked. Thermador is semi-open but doesnt heat as high.

Open burners have gas jets right under the pan, in the center. Not just on the edges like sealed burners. That's why they get hotter. The supposed downside is they get messier and are harder to clean. Sealed burners are ... sealed. I found this a nonissue. My Capital comes apart easily if I need to clean thoroughly. Capital is easier to take apart than Bluestar, but Bluestar is easy to clean too.

-Low simmer. Ranges with sealed burners don't generate BTU as high as Capital and Bluestar, but they could get very low on simmer. That was a issue for me in 2012 when I did my home reno and addition. And I admit that my Capital does not simmer as well as I would like. The early Capital Culinarians could pump out 23K on all four burners, but at the expensive of very precise low simmer.

Blustar got around that by offering just one high BTU burner -- 22K at the time - and one low-simmer burner. The other two burners went to 18K or so, I seem to recall. The top Bluestar line now goes to 25K.

As it turns out, I only need two high BTU burners at once. Seldom do I use more than that. Capital has since addressed this issue by adding better low simmer capacity to its ranges.

- Broiler. I wanted an infrared glass broiler that could generate restaurant-style heat an inch away from the burner. Capital and Bluestar both had it then and now. I think all the other brands have it, too. Great for getting a crispy crust on salmon and such. That said, my Electrolux electric oven does almost as good a job. Electrolux makes the best oven among the main retail brands. Fantastic performer.

- Self clean. I find this unnecessary and an added expense. I clean my range once every few years. There's been a history of self cleaning features causing problems on high end ranges. I didn't want to take the risk and I save money.

*Performance. All these ranges perform well,they just have different strengths and weaknesses.

Reliability. High-end ranges seem to have more issues than cheaper ones. Some have a history of needing more repairs than others. Viking was one of them at the time I did my research.

As a result, I shied away from ranges with lots of gizmos and electronics. Capital and Bluestar have very simple designs with minimal electronics that are easy to fix. I am certain any good repair shop could service these brands even if they don't sell then. Bluestar and Capital provide specs and such. You might have to order the parts, but I wouldn't be surprised if a technician could do that easily enough.

I've had my Capital for six years. Only problem so far was one burner ignition went out and I needed to have it replaced. The clicker wouldn't click, in other words.

I choose Capital over Bluestar for a few reasons. Capital was a bit cheaper but built just as well. Capital looked nice and more modern. Capital was a bit easier to take apart and clean. Capital had a slightly hotter broiler. And I wanted four 23K burners, not one. Bluestar can be customized. You can actually have the different burners set to produce different heats. Two could be high BTU, and two could have low simmer. Just make sure the low simmer burner has the ability to boil water. Some low simmer burners don't produce a lot of BTU turned full up.

The one neat feature Bluestar had, at least in the 30-inch size, was it could fit a full cookie sheet (half sheets are what we all use at home). It was the only range I encountered that could do that.

I would still take a look at Capital if I were you. Check a good repair shop in your area and see if they can install or repair if necessary. I have to believe they could. Capital is super easy to install and fix. But if you don't want to go that route, Bluestar is an excellent choice. They've improved their features, looks and design since I researched them in 2012.
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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by Carter »

This has been an informative thread...I am now thinking the B* or Capital in 36" is a good size, and possibly adding an oven.

Jeffry - what Electrolux oven did you get? Looks like you have a matching set w/ microwave??
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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by AlbuquerqueDan »

Jeff: great insights. I'd be seriously considering Capital (in fact, I'd probably prefer one), but there's no distributor in New Mexico.
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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by jbart65 »

AlbuquerqueDan wrote: Sat Apr 28, 2018 9:37 am Jeff: great insights. I'd be seriously considering Capital (in fact, I'd probably prefer one), but there's no distributor in New Mexico.
I’ve bought some appliances online, including from AJ Madison. I’d have no compunction if a local shop said it could do the install for a decent price. BLUESTAR does seem to be the easier option for you, though.
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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by Kit Craft »

Man, you guys have been so helpful. I am glad this thread was started and I have been following along. My kitchen re-do is about a year out, give or take. This is going to be very helpful.
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Re: How many BTU do I need?

Post by jbart65 »

Carter wrote: Sat Apr 28, 2018 9:26 am This has been an informative thread...I am now thinking the B* or Capital in 36" is a good size, and possibly adding an oven.

Jeffry - what Electrolux oven did you get? Looks like you have a matching set w/ microwave??

My 2012 model is the Electrolux Wave Touch EW30EW55GS

I paid more than I expected, but it was worth it. My dealer did give to me for less than list, though.

The mike is a match. Part of the Wave Touch line. The higher end ikon line doesn’t offer much advantage.
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