Vintage Jenn-Air Range

[bellalaundry]

I sorta remember a neighbour growing up that had one of these...Were they good ranges?

What is the closed compartment in the oven area for?

The seller is giving it away for free!

Any opinions?

Guy

 

[wayupnorth]

I have a neighbor that still has one like this. That left side compartment holds the exhaust system that takes all the smoke down thru the middle grate. Each of those F & R burner units were interchangeable with the griddle or BBQ units or other different units

 

[mattl]

My brother has had a couple of these over the decades.  He said the older one, like in the picture,  was a bit more powerful.  He had every accessory made for the original but many did not work with the newer model. The area on the left also contained the grease trap for the grill unit that could be swapped out with the element cartridge.

 

If I  recall the range needs an 8" exhaust line run through the basement to an outside wall.  It may only be a 6" but it's been too long since we did  the install.

 

They have been happy with both but are now moving and  leaving it behind.  When we did the remodel they put the range in the middle of an island.  Nice thing is there was no need for an overhead hood creating nice unobstructed site lines.

 

[petek]

Those models were for kitchens that didn't have anywhere for outdoor exhausting so they had a filter. I remember seeing them when we bought our second house and was thinking of getting a Jenn air but with true exhaust to the outside. I figured those recirculating models wouldn't like work that well just recirculating the air back into the room with minor filtering

 

[rp2813]

The pictured range is of 1980s vintage if not older.  We installed the 1990 dual fuel version of this range (with blue LED digital clock/readout) and used it for almost 18 years before we sold the house.  We bought an extra module with two gas burners because we rarely used the grill.  Due to the fan's air movement, and even though the exhaust duct had a short run and we were able to use the duct connection insert to reduce the air flow, the gas flame for the grill was compromised, and we had an outdoor grill on the patio anyway.  The exhaust fan affected the regular burners' performance as well, but not as much as the grill's.

 

The best thing about this range was the electric convection oven.  It sold me with its ability to produce perfectly baked pies and overall faster results for roasting.  Ever since, we only owned ranges that offered a convection option.  The only real complaint we had was that the most powerful burner put out a measly 10K BTU, which took forever to boil a big pot of water, and the flimsy/noisy grates for the burners which had portions that would glow red when the fan was running.

 

[petek]

Ralph

Was your the model with outdoor exhausting or like the one in the picture a self contained unit that doesn't exhuast outside?

 

[combo52]

Self venting, downdraft Jennair electric range

Hi guy, this is a very unusual model. I've only ever seen about six of these in my life. It has an electrostatic filter underneath the oven. It was an accessory so the range didn't have to be vented outdoors.

We have this exact range installed in our museum kitchen One of the reasons I installed it because it would be very difficult to vent the range outdoors in a commercial building we have successfully used it at big Appliance events for grilling foods without an excessive amount of smoke so it does live up to its expectation.

Jennair downdraft cooktops and ranges needed either five or 6 inch ducting depending on the length and the number of elbows. You could also duct them through 3 1/4 x 10" rectangular pipe if you need to get it in wall spaces such as 2 by 4 stud walls.

Jen air ranges overall we're good performers had a lot of strong features. They also had some reliability issues wiring was bad in these ranges. The clocks were miserable otherwise it's a pretty neat range with a lot of versatility.

John L

 

[rp2813]

Pete, our range did exhaust to the outside through a modified foundation vent.  The house was built in 1957 and the kitchen didn't have an exhaust fan.  The JennAir's exhaust run was about 15' long.

 

 

 

[petek]

Were those electrostatic filters dishwasher safe? I've had a few electronic air cleaners and they can be a real pain to clean so probably even worse with greasy cooking schmutz on them.

 

[circlew]

My former (now deceased) neighbor Ann said she had two regrets when they built their new home in the mid 1980s. One was the Sub-Zero refrigerator, and the other the JennAir range. Both required numerous repairs. She said she wished she had bought GE appliances like the built in double oven and cooktop, and SxS refrigerator that they had at their old house. She said the GE ovens never required service between 1964 and 1984, and only one unit on the cooktop.

 

[combo52]

Vintage downdraft Jennair electric ranges

Reply number eight hi Pete, yes the electrostatic cartridge definitely was designed to go in the dishwasher and if you did a lot of grilling, it should be cleaned fairly often.

Reply number nine hi Tom, I never suggested that the Jennair was as reliableas a GE, I was kind in my remarks.

Of course your neighbors GE range didn't have a convection oven and she didn't have the ability to do indoor grilling, etc. Even today GE still built the best gas and electric ranges wall, ovens cooktop, etc.

Subzero refrigerators were notoriously unreliable in the 80s They've gotten much better but again you're talking about an entirely different beast than a GE side-by-side. You have a much better built-in look and better space utilization but a $10,000 refrigerator is not for everybody and if you're going to buy a luxury sports car or a subzero be prepared to spend some money on it occasionally.

John L

 

[normadesmond]

Mine came with the house, guesstimating 1990. She had some problems, control panel was rebuilt years ago. If & when we have to replace, the counter will need to be replaced.

 

[brianmitch24]

Self venting, downdraft Jennair electric range

Hi guy, this is a very unusual model. I've only ever seen about six of these in my life. It has an electrostatic filter underneath the oven. It was an accessory so the range didn't have to be vented outdoors.

We have this exact range installed in our museum kitchen One of the reasons I installed it because it would be very difficult to vent the range outdoors in a commercial building we have successfully used it at big Appliance events for grilling foods without an excessive amount of smoke so it does live up to its expectation.

Jennair downdraft cooktops and ranges needed either five or 6 inch ducting depending on the length and the number of elbows. You could also duct them through 3 1/4 x 10" rectangular pipe if you need to get it in wall spaces such as 2 by 4 stud walls.

Jen air ranges overall we're good performers had a lot of strong features. They also had some reliability issues wiring was bad in these ranges. The clocks were miserable otherwise it's a pretty neat range with a lot of versatility.

John L

Hi there. I’m about to remodel my kitchen and I have the dual fuel, probably 1990s model in decent shape with the grill and griddle attachments. Is there a market for these at all? Trying to figure out what to do with it. Seems a shame to scrap it. Thanks.

 

[Waldoah]

Mine came with the house, guesstimating 1990. She had some problems, control panel was rebuilt years ago. If & when we have to replace, the counter will need to be replaced.

View attachment 307851

I sold these. This was about a 1999-2002 model range

 

[Waldoah]

Hi there. I’m about to remodel my kitchen and I have the dual fuel, probably 1990s model in decent shape with the grill and griddle attachments. Is there a market for these at all? Trying to figure out what to do with it. Seems a shame to scrap it. Thanks.

Folks who have them and love them want parts!! Don’t trash it!

 

[pstehle]

I put a dual-fuel model in my kitchen in PA, hated it. As soon as you switched on the vent blower, whatever you were cooking stopped boiling, it sucked all the heat off the burners. Might be because I never got around to connecting a vent run, it just vented into the basement so there was relatively little restriction... I guess it's a good thing we never had a grease fire with it running!

 

[TAG]

We had the cooktops growing up. Most popular was the two cartridges setup like the ranges above. They even made a triple unit with two downdraft fans. They also made a singe unit w/ the downdraft that was popular at the beach. You would install it off at the end of a counter - they made a wood cover that made it into a cutting board, Great with the grilling cartridge if the weather was bad or if down there in the winter. The coil cartridge if having a party. You could also get the singe as a fixed unit w/o cartridge ability. The electric grill cartridge works very well -- I have a twin setup in one place. I bought a house w/ the outside venting range similar to the white one above. Ours was black and it had the conventional coil elements. I was not very fond of the other electric cartridges of the time. Jennair was bought my Maytag in the 80's and it took them a while to wreck it.

The ranges w/ electronic display and touchpad had high failure rates w/ the control board behind the clock display. Heat escaping from the front of the oven overheated the control board -- over time the display would fade to the point of failure. Thankfully the fix was simple if you could solder in the new required capacitor. Less than $10.

IMO the gas units were a failure. My sister had a gas cooktop and the gas did not mix well with the downdraft. The power of the fan pulled the flame and you could never properly modulate the flame with the fan on. The great thing about the electric grill was the ability to control flare ups -- especially if the grill unit had the two heating elements so you could split the grill into a cooler and hotter area. With the gas flame it was impossible to control the flare ups on anything with fat (like everything )

 

[luxflairguy]

Jennair never made a 3 cartridge cooktop with two exhaust systems. I've had two of the 3 bay units and both only had one exhaust system. The other exhaust bay was always used for storage--and that's according to the owners manuals. Jennniar recommended that you put a burner cartidge and the grill cartidge on either side of the exhaust bay and the remaining burner cartidge in the farthest bay.

 

[TAG]

We had one -- would have been late 70's. It had two of the big plastic gray vents on the outside

 

[tomturbomatic]

I was told that when you used the convection bake feature, the exhaust fan ran the whole time that the convection bake was in operation.

 

[TAG]

I don't remember the exhaust running with the oven -- yes when you had the grill in operation it would turn on the exhaust fan.

The internal fan for the convection would have to run obviously.

 

[luxflairguy]

It did NOT!

 

[pstehle]

I seem to recall mine switching on the vent fan after it got to a certain level of heating up, most likely to protect the electronics, or maybe that's our current "restaurant style" KA that looks like it was made by made by Viking or Wolf... It's sure heavy enough and even has stainless sides. Jenn-Airs were all the rage in the 70's among the more well-heeled in our area. (we weren't, Mom still used her old pushbutton range with the disappearing stew pot from the 1950's)

 

[TAG]

The gas units may have worked differently -- I was only around that one cooktop unit for any length of time. I did speak to others that had them and being a serial remodeler I was in and out of appliance stores. I was shocked how much the fan altered the gas flame -- one would have thought one test would have stopped them from making it. Maybe the later ranges had a safety to turn on the vent because the earlier units had the overheated board problem. I would guess my range was from the very early 90's -- I bought the property in 06.

 

[circlew]

My former neighbors Ann and Russell built their new house in 1985, and equipped the kitchen with Jenn-Air ovens and cooktop, and a SubZero refrigerator. Their previous residence kitchen was installed in 1964, with GE wall ovens, cooktop, and bottom freezer refrigerator. I remember Ann saying they had more issues in the first three years with the new appliances than they ever had with the GE the entire time they owned them. Also said the old GE cooktop with hood mounted controls was way easier to keep clean, and the GE ovens baked better.

 

[TAG]

My former neighbors Ann and Russell built their new house in 1985, and equipped the kitchen with Jenn-Air ovens and cooktop, and a SubZero refrigerator. Their previous residence kitchen was installed in 1964, with GE wall ovens, cooktop, and bottom freezer refrigerator. I remember Ann saying they had more issues in the first three years with the new appliances than they ever had with the GE the entire time they owned them. Also said the old GE cooktop with hood mounted controls was way easier to keep clean, and the GE ovens baked better.

My first house project was a late midcentury modern with a full St. Charles Kitchen. The GE cooktop was really cool w/ pushbutton controls on the hood. The back right burner had a thermostat (can't remember how it worked). Mine was a bit wonky and like a fool -- tossed it out when I redid the house. I remember it being very very heavy. The GE wall oven went in the same dumpster. Years later I understood that there were people who would have restored the cooktop. I kept the St. Charles metal cabinets and had them repainted -- local auto body shop.

Subzero refrigerators were always somewhat needy. You were paying for the cabinet and the ability for it to be built in -- duel refrigeration system was always somewhat tacked on. The big problem with them -- evaporators.