Condensation Problem on Wolf Gas Range

Hi all, I just completed a kitchen renovation with a Wolf 30" Gas Range, using the "Island" trim (the lowest - 1 inch or so - trim to the back of the burners, just by the backsplash where the heat from the over spouts from). The first time that I used the over, my entire backsplash was drenched, so I immediately googled "Wolf" and "condensation" and I discovered that I was not alone. This appears... [more]

Hi all, I just completed a kitchen renovation with a Wolf 30" Gas Range, using the "Island" trim (the lowest - 1 inch or so - trim to the back of the burners, just by the backsplash where the heat from the over spouts from). The first time that I used the over, my entire backsplash was drenched, so I immediately googled "Wolf" and "condensation" and I discovered that I was not alone. This appears to be a problem for some, but not all installations of the Wolf Gas Ranges. Apparently, during the pre-heating phase the heat from the oven is emitted out of the "Island" trim and hits the backsplash, which is much cooler. Because it's just like a warm front hitting a cool front, it produces "rain," or in the case of a kitchen, condensation on the backsplash. The condensation vaporizes and disappears after about 20 minutes, because at the 20 minute mark, the backsplash has heated up. However, until that point, my (marble) backsplash had gotten so wet, that water was dripping down the wall. I called Wolf/SubZero - and they told me that this "can" happen in some installations - and that it could depend on the material of the backsplash, but several folks there couldn't advise whether marble or glass or quartz or stainless steel was best. They simply advised me to make an appointment with their authorized technical vendor in the NYC area, which I did. The technicians came over - and I told them that they would need to wait 10 to 20 minutes to see what happens - and they said that wasn't necessary because they "see this all the time." They recommended that I install the 5" trim that would push the hot air from the oven a little forward, so that it wouldn't hit the backsplash and create the condensation. Wolf will supply it at no charge. No one is guaranteeing that it will solve the problem, but I suspect that it will. I'm annoyed to use the 5" trim for aesthetic reasons, but if it resolves the problem, I'm OK with it. But I'm annoyed because, when I googled "Viking" and "condensation," there were really no hits, so I suspect that this is not a problem with Viking. I was agnostic when choosing between buying a Wolf or a Viking range - and had I known of this issue with Wolf, I would have easily chosen Viking. Before I authorize Wolf to proceed with the 5" trim, I wanted to see if anyone here has had the same experience and how they handled it, including whether the 5" trim resolved the problem. (FYI, I'm using the Viking Professional over-the-range microwave which of course doesn't have as powerful an exhaust as a hood, but I've been told that a more powerful hood would not help.) Many thanks for your input. [less]