Dual Fuel Ovens.


 
Arun L.

Arun L.

TVWBB All-Star
I have an electric range. I want gas.

I am looking at gas range with electric ovens (duel fuel).

Do I meet with contractors to see if a gas line can be installed, and how much? Do I get this installed first?

Or, when I buy a new oven and range, will they do whatever installation is necessary?

Which of these burner layouts do you think would be better for using a 17" cast iron deep dish pan with? While that's not what I mainly cook with, since I'm getting a new range, I want something that would be more helpful with the 17" cast iron, if I can get it.

1) Café C2S900P2MS1 5.6 cu. ft

imageService






2) GE Profile P2B940SEJSS 5.6 Cu. Ft.

4321124cv14d.jpg

3) KitchenAid KSDB900ESS 7.1 cu. ft.

Screenshot_2020-10-21 KitchenAid 7 1 cu ft Slide-In Dual Fuel Range with AquaLift Self-Cleanin...jpg
 
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Before buying any of these units, you want to know if it's physically possible and affordable to get a gas line to where you need it. If it is, then this work has to be completed before you have the range delivered and installed by the appliance dealer. If it's not, then your fall back position is to stick with your current range or buy a new all-electric model. You might consider an electric range with an induction cooktop...it's the future of cooktops in new home construction for the SF Bay Area as we move away from natural gas to all-electric homes.

If it were me, I would get three competitive quotes from licensed plumbers (with a California C-36 plumbing specialty license) to have this work done, including the cost of a Fremont building permit. For a new natural gas line, you don't want to mess around with someone that's not licensed, and you don't want to do it without a permit. Verify the contractor's license and insurance at https://www.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicenseII/CheckLicense.aspx

While you're at it, you might verify the amperage of the 220v outlet behind your existing range to make sure it can handle the requirements of one of these new units. You probably have a 40 amp service and I assume these new units require the same, but better to verify now than later. The unit's installation guide will provide the specs. An upgraded electric service follows the same process...a C-10 specialty licensed electrician, multiple quotes, building permit, work completed before delivery and installation, etc.
 
Echo what Chris said. I would also recommend not buying GE. Most of them are made by Haier in China and not of good quality. GE is not making appliances anymore. Preferring to put their muscle into industrial and medical stuff (Jet Engines, MRI machines and the like). I used to have a Bosch dual fuel and wife and I LOOOOOOOVED that thing. Dead accurate oven temps, very stable, did not put excessive heat into the kitchen. Saddest mistake I made was buying an LG all gas range. At my earliest financial opportunity I will be getting another DF either from a Whirlpool owned company or Bosch.
But again until if/when you can have the gas line put in don't buy or have a range delivered. The install people are not licensed to do gas lines and such
 
One more for @Chris Allingham having it right. As a rule, installers won't do any electrical work beyond plugging in a cable, no plumbing beyond connecting a gas flex line. They pretty much won't go beyond the cavity where the appliance will go.

@LMichaels, Haier bought GE's appliance businesses a few years back. GE is a shadow of what it once was, they've even sold off their EMD locomotive business.

@Arun L. , a 17" cast iron pan will take a lot of heat. I see you're already looking at ranges with even level grates, that's good, especially for big heavy pans. And a 17" pan will take up a lot of real estate, wouldn't surprise me if it has to hang over the edge (BE CAREFUL!) if it's centered on a burner. Personally, I prefer front controls for the range top, if you have kids, this may be an issue if they're knob twisters. I don't like reaching over hot pots frequently to adjust the top burners.

My g/f convinced me a few years back to pick up a scratch & dent Frigidaire Professional gas range. Our house was already plumbed in for gas, but had a ceramic top infrared range, so actually, I've got both if necessary. This one is a fairly basic model, and quite honestly..... I'm pretty happy with it. This is what we bought: https://www.frigidaire.com/Kitchen-Appliances/Ranges/Gas-Range/FPGF3077QF/
 
I don't want to sound like a wise guy, but you do have gas running to your house?
Reason I ask is most, if not all the builders I worked for had a gas stub roughed in behind the range.
Older homes ( like the ones in my subdivision) have both gas and electric (220v) behind the stove and in the laundry room.
 
timothy said:
I don't want to sound like a wise guy, but you do have gas running to your house?
Reason I ask is most, if not all the builders I worked for had a gas stub roughed in behind the range.
Older homes ( like the ones in my subdivision) have both gas and electric (220v) behind the stove and in the laundry room.
Click to expand...
I bought a new home in 1996 that came with a 110v and gas connection for a gas range, but 220v was an option at additional cost. Don't live there anymore, but not putting in the 220v during construction was dumb because it would make it so much easier to switch to dual fuel or induction or Star Trek food replicator in the future. ;)
 
Chris, cabling during construction is *SO* much cheaper than retrofitting, period, regardless of electrical, communications, etc. The only reason that a 220v stove outlet is an extra cost option is because people will pay for it. That should only be about $40 over the cost of a 110v outlet during construction.

Here's a good example for you. In 1995, while I was working for a microwave radio manufacturer in Chicago, the corporate overlords decided to [more or less] shut down Chicago completely, and move manufacturing into a division on Houston's southwest corner. That division was already bursting at the seams, and had cable crews coming in multiple times per week to put in new drops for telephone and networking. Management located a vacant facility a few miles away that was going to be pretty much a blank slate. I designed a cable plant to encompass both phone and network (that's another story for a tasty beverage,) my manager said great, no more cable crews all the time, and the VP of Finance said "not happenin', that's way too much money." I told him to look up the bills for cable work over the last year and figure out the return on investment himself. The cabling project got approved a day later, almost completely as I'd designed, the payback was about 1 year. That facility ran with an unchanged physical network for at least 5 years, all that was necessary was terminal drops.
 
JKalchik said:
One more for @Chris Allingham having it right. As a rule, installers won't do any electrical work beyond plugging in a cable, no plumbing beyond connecting a gas flex line. They pretty much won't go beyond the cavity where the appliance will go.

@LMichaels, Haier bought GE's appliance businesses a few years back. GE is a shadow of what it once was, they've even sold off their EMD locomotive business.

@Arun L. , a 17" cast iron pan will take a lot of heat. I see you're already looking at ranges with even level grates, that's good, especially for big heavy pans. And a 17" pan will take up a lot of real estate, wouldn't surprise me if it has to hang over the edge (BE CAREFUL!) if it's centered on a burner. Personally, I prefer front controls for the range top, if you have kids, this may be an issue if they're knob twisters. I don't like reaching over hot pots frequently to adjust the top burners.

My g/f convinced me a few years back to pick up a scratch & dent Frigidaire Professional gas range. Our house was already plumbed in for gas, but had a ceramic top infrared range, so actually, I've got both if necessary. This one is a fairly basic model, and quite honestly..... I'm pretty happy with it. This is what we bought: https://www.frigidaire.com/Kitchen-Appliances/Ranges/Gas-Range/FPGF3077QF/
Click to expand...
Thanks. I've used the 17" cast iron on my current electric burners. It takes 2 burners (one big, one small), and sometimes I have to rotate the pan. But I can make the situation work and get a desirable output.

My issues with my current stove go beyond this though. One of the burners hasn't been working for at least 14 years.
 
Chris Allingham said:
Before buying any of these units, you want to know if it's physically possible and affordable to get a gas line to where you need it. If it is, then this work has to be completed before you have the range delivered and installed by the appliance dealer. If it's not, then your fall back position is to stick with your current range or buy a new all-electric model. You might consider an electric range with an induction cooktop...it's the future of cooktops in new home construction for the SF Bay Area as we move away from natural gas to all-electric homes.

If it were me, I would get three competitive quotes from licensed plumbers (with a California C-36 plumbing specialty license) to have this work done, including the cost of a Fremont building permit. For a new natural gas line, you don't want to mess around with someone that's not licensed, and you don't want to do it without a permit. Verify the contractor's license and insurance at https://www.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicenseII/CheckLicense.aspx

While you're at it, you might verify the amperage of the 220v outlet behind your existing range to make sure it can handle the requirements of one of these new units. You probably have a 40 amp service and I assume these new units require the same, but better to verify now than later. The unit's installation guide will provide the specs. An upgraded electric service follows the same process...a C-10 specialty licensed electrician, multiple quotes, building permit, work completed before delivery and installation, etc.
Click to expand...

So I get a quote from a plumber for the gas line. And if needed, then a quote from an electrician for the outlet behind my existing range. Is my understanding correct?

Yes, I'll get a few quotes. I just got A/C installed. Met with 5 contractors. Only 3 of them would have the work permitted and inspected by the city of Fremont. (The other two never even gave me a quote either).

Out of the 3 remaining ones, one didn't want to do zoning for upstairs and downstairs.

So then it was down to two, and I picked the one I liked the best.
 
timothy said:
I don't want to sound like a wise guy, but you do have gas running to your house?
Reason I ask is most, if not all the builders I worked for had a gas stub roughed in behind the range.
Older homes ( like the ones in my subdivision) have both gas and electric (220v) behind the stove and in the laundry room.
Click to expand...
I guess I do if I have a furnace.
 
Chris Allingham said:
You might consider an electric range with an induction cooktop...it's the future of cooktops in new home construction for the SF Bay Area as we move away from natural gas to all-electric homes.
Click to expand...
After I recently got A/C installed, I tried to get rebates through BayRen.

They said I didn't qualify, because I didn't choose a participating contractor. Which is fine, I went with a contractor whose work I trusted.

But I asked what other things they offered rebates for. They said an induction cooktop was one of them. I'll find out what the conditions are for that rebate, just so I know.
 
Which of these burner layouts do you think would be better for using a 17" cast iron deep dish pan with? While that's not what I mainly cook with, since I'm getting a new range, I want something that would be more helpful with the 17" cast iron, if I can get it.

Take your pots and pans down to the appliance store and lay them out and move them around.

For a 30 inch range, I'd vote for fewer but bigger burners. I think you'll find that six burners in a 30 inch range is quite cramped. And you'll never have all six burners going at the same time.

Four big burners is best. Next would be 5 burners where the fifth burner is small so you can still have a couple of big pots going at the same time. Or a two burner griddle going with another pot or two.
 
Jim C in Denver said:
Which of these burner layouts do you think would be better for using a 17" cast iron deep dish pan with? While that's not what I mainly cook with, since I'm getting a new range, I want something that would be more helpful with the 17" cast iron, if I can get it.

Take your pots and pans down to the appliance store and lay them out and move them around.

For a 30 inch range, I'd vote for fewer but bigger burners. I think you'll find that six burners in a 30 inch range is quite cramped. And you'll never have all six burners going at the same time.

Four big burners is best. Next would be 5 burners where the fifth burner is small so you can still have a couple of big pots going at the same time. Or a two burner griddle going with another pot or two.
Click to expand...

Excellent idea Jim. Not a small purchase and something you will live with for many many years. Want to make the right choice for your situation!
 
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