Switching electric stove to new gas stove

I made the switch last year and have been delighted! Gas tops are far superior to electric from the cook's point of view!

If there were any difficulties, I was not aware of them. Our kitchen is near the garage where the main gas line was located and the contractor just tapped into to it for the connection. I did not want a big hood hanging down to break the view, so we just upgraded the ceiling fan and I make use of the large pop up skylight when needed.

I will never go back to electric again!

I did that in my last house and it wasn't horribly expensive although that house had a crawl space. Any plumber can run the line. They seem to charge by distance. I also had a gas outlet installed for the dryer in the previous house although that was sitting right next to the gas water heater so it was a minor change.

There is another option, though. Induction cooktops have not been sold in the U.S. for years, but have been reintroduced by several manufacturers this year. They are very popular in Europe because they are substantially more efficient than gas or regular electric cooktops. They have the same fast response as gas so that when you turn them down, the temperature drops immediately and the new ones are very high power so that they can compete with the "professional" style gas cooktops. The prices are still very high in the U.S. though (surprise, surprise). Sears will introduce a comparatively moderately priced one in their Kenmore Elite line this month that is being made by Electrolux. There will also be an Electrolux label cooktop out soon and Diva de Provence and Wolfe have super expensive ones that've been availabe for a few months. I think there are a couple more coming too. Because they run on 220V power, a few people import them from Europe (directly or via Canada) or New Zealand. Prices are much lower that way, but warranty service is a bit of a problem... You need cookware that is magnetic to use them so not all pans will work.

If your kitchen is not near an existing gas source, I think you'll have to run a line from the source to the new range. Since there's no crawl spaces, this will probably mean a gas line up thru the roof, and routed over the top. This is not uncommon, but factor in paying for the new line, plus patching up the roof, plus the visual distraction of a gas line. If you have a solid wall nearby up to the roof, maybe the gas line can be hidden in there, if you open up the wall.

I have an electric flattop which we added last year during our kitchen remodel. The flattop looks much nicer than the electric coil we had. It's also much easier to clean but it takes longer to boil water than my coil.

You would be wise to look at the induction cooktops that jxbrown mentioned. I recently vacationed at 2 homes with gas cooktops and one had a fancy 6 burner restaurant-style Viking stove/range. We could barely even boil a big pot of water on it to cook pasta (it finally did after an hour)! We had to first heat it up with an electric teakettle to give it a boost. Not fun when you have 8 hungry people. Anyway, I wasn't impressed. Its complicated to clean when food drops on the top too. I'm sure gas has it's advantages but I'd think about your cooking style before you decide what you want to buy.

Good luck, Lynn

I wonder if the gas top you used in the vacation home was running on propane? My gas cooktop boils water very quickly!
And the clean-up is easier than with my old electic range.... all I have to do is lift up the grid and wipe off the stainless surface.

I would hate to return to electric.

Ack! Don't do gas... it's really not worth it. 

We picked up a GE Profile INDUCTION range online at a very affordable price. It's nearly the same size and has 5 "burners."

• I can boil water faster than any gas stoves I've ever use.
• Temperature changes are instantanious with a great deal of control.
• Safer for kids as the surface does not get nearly as hot.
• Efficient as you are not heating an element that heats a pan, or heating air that heats a pan.
• The surface is flat and smooth. Super easy to clean and looks very modern.
• You are not filling your house with gas fumes, and carbon monoxide. (Sure range hoods get rid of most of this bad air, but still...)
• And best of all, you don't have to pay a flipping fortune to run gas lines. 

So, does anyone want our original electric range?

Switched to Induction cooktop a couple of years ago after our kitchen remodel. Best thing ever. Cool when standing beside it and oh so fast to heat things up. We already had pots that magnet stuck to so only got rid of one crappy non-stick fry pan.

Downside, our new kitchen needed a 200 amp circuit upgrade.

Mark