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Buying Guide - Range
Hoods
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Do
I Really Need a Hood?
Absolutely. Fumes
from the Kitchen are one of the major
contributors to indoor air pollution.
Smoke, moisture, grease, and heat from your
Kitchen can reach all corners of your home
unless you channel it out as fast as
possible. Kitchens without adequate
ventilation will produce a buildup of all the
fumes, steam, and smoke emitted during
cooking.
Gas ranges emit Nitrogen
Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide. These gases
are harmful for human and pet health.
Smoke is comprised of Carbon particles and
Sulfuric Acid. Besides irritating the
human respiratory system, these irritants are
poisonous for plants as well as some
animals. Steam acts as a carrier for the
other contaminants present in air and odors
have an acidic quality that can cause fabric
to fade.
An efficient Kitchen
ventilation hood that fits your cooktop needs
and the capacity of your range can help
minimize the amount of these indoor air
pollutants in your home.
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Terms
to familiarize yourself with.
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CFM (Cubic Feet
per Minute)
CFM is a unit of measurement that
indicates the performance of a vent
hood. This measurement tells you the
amount of air that can be removed in a
single minute. The higher the CFM's,
the more efficient the hood.
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BTU (British
Thermal Unit)
BTU is the unit that is used to
measure the heat output of a gas
cooktop. The higher the BTU, the
higher CFM's required to efficiently clear
the air.
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Downdraft Ventilation
Downdrafts pull air down into ductwork
and channel it outside of the house.
These units are installed behind and below
your cooking appliance - so they are
really only an option for a cooktop.
Several manufacturers do offer ranges with
integrated downdrafts, but none as separate
units.
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Sones
This is the accepted unit of measure
for hood noise. A sone is roughly
equal to the sound of a refrigerator
running. Normal conversations take place
at about four sones, city traffic rates up
to around eight. Use sones to compare
units, but be aware the higher the CFM,
the higher the sone.
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Halogen Lighting
Found on the higher end models.
These lights are similar to your car's
headlights. They are more efficient
than an incandescent bulb and produce
better lighting results.
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Capture Area
The portion of the hood that is
available to collect the air for the
purpose of removing it from your home.
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Heat Sensors
Hoods with heat sensors automatically
adjust their fan speeds to accommodate the
heat being produced by the range.
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Hood Liner or
Insert
A specially designed hood that fits
inside a custom made enclosure, such as a
cabinet. These hoods provide the
ultimate in "invisible"
installation.
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Vented or Ducted
As the term suggests, a vented hood is
one that vents the air out of your home.
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Ventless,
Duct-Free, or Recirculating
Hoods with this designation do not
vent the air out but rather filter it
through replaceable charcoal or washable filter types and
pass it back into the room.
*Most hoods may
be installed as vented or
recirculating.
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How
to Select the Right Hood for You
Aside from the obvious air
quality concerns, the heat generated from a
range/rangetop can reduce the effectiveness of
your home's air conditioning if the air is not
vented properly. Some estimates state that
the heat from a standard 4-burner range can
nullify the effectiveness of a 1-Ton air
conditioner.
It is therefore essential
that you have an appropriate vent-hood
installed. To arrive at an informed buying
decision you need to consider the hood's ideal
physical size, style, and blower specifications.
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Hood
Size
Typically your hood
should be at least as wide as your cooking
surface. Most manufacturers recommend
an overhang of 3"-6" beyond the
width of the cooking surface. Unlike
most appliances, hoods are available in an
almost limitless size range from 21" to
66" with some manufacturers offering
custom made to order widths as well.
Plus you have the ability to use an insert
and/or power pack in your own custom
cabinetry to offer even more sizing options.
If you are venting a
commercial or pro-style cooking product
you'll want to consider a deeper hood to
increase the total Capture Area of the
hood. Most hoods for pro-style ranges/rangetops
come in 24" or 27" depths.
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Available
Styles
Hoods are no longer limited to
that plain metal box over your stove.
Today's hoods are available in a myriad of
colors, materials, and designs. Your
new hood may likely be the focal point of
your Kitchen.
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Under Cabinet
Mount
Under cabinet
mount hoods are the most common range
hoods used in most Kitchens.
These hoods are mounted directly to
the cabinet above your cooktop and may
be hard-wired or plugged into a
grounded electrical outlet. If
ducted, the duct work may be run out
of the rear of the hood or the top of
the hood through the upper
cabinet. These units usually
come with blowers already installed
and are ready to go right out of the
box. |
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Microwave/Hood
Combination (Over The Range)
A space saving
and cost effective alternative to an
Under Cabinet hood, these models
combine two appliances into one - a
range hood and microwave. They
free up counter space while
providing ventilation for a standard
residential electric or gas cooking
surface and offer lighting for the
cooktop below. Most may be
installed as vented to the outside
of your home or recirculating with
the use of filters. A
microwave/hood combination unit
should not be used over any
commercial style gas cooking surface
as the heat output may damage the
microwave cabinet itself. |
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Wall Mount
Wall mount hoods
are used in Kitchens that do not have
a cabinet mounted above the
cooktop. These hoods allow for a
lot of flexibility because you are not
constrained by a cabinet. You
are only limited by your ceiling.
As the name suggests these units are
attached directly to the wall.
Depending on the height of the hood
and your ceilings you may or may not
need to attach a duct cover to the top
of the hood. The duct cover is
designed to hide your exhaust venting
but may also be used in a purely
decorative fashion. These hoods
typically exhaust out of the top of
the unit. Wall Mount hoods allow
for the use of higher powered blowers
than Under Cabinet hoods making them
ideal for Commercial or Pro-Style
cooking products. Wall Mount
hoods typically require you to
purchase the blower unit separately
from the hood. They also offer
more customizable options than your
standard Under Cabinet hood (lighting,
pot racks, storage shelves, warming
lights). If you are considering
a Wall Mount hood for a new
installation you should consult your
local HVAC professional first. |
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Island Mount
As the name
suggests, Island Mount hoods are
designed for installation above a
Kitchen island. They hang
directly from your ceiling and exhaust
from the top of the hood. This
style is available for use above any
cooking surface. The higher end
models offer the same customization
options as a Wall Mount hood (blower
configuration, racks, lighting).
You should also consult a HVAC
professional before attempting a new
installation of an Island hood. |
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Telescopic
Downdraft
A Telescopic
Downdraft vent extends from the
countertop when in use and retracts
down when not needed. These
units draw the air down below the
cooktop and then exhaust it
outside. Because the blower unit
is mounted below the cabinet and
cooktop their use is really only
feasible with a cooktop and not a
range. A Telescopic Downdraft is
usually a less expensive alternative
to an Island hood. Several
manufacturers do make ranges with
integrated downdraft systems.
These are mounted between the surface
burners and do not telescope above the
cooking surface. |
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Liner or
Insert
Hood Liners or
Inserts are designed to be installed
inside a custom made housing,
typically a cabinet but may be
anything, that do not appear to be
vent hoods until a closer
inspection. They consist of the
same elements as any other hood but
are seamlessly integrated into your
Kitchen. The ultimate choice for
a designer one of a kind look. |
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Blower
Considerations
IF YOU USE.........
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Electric
Range/Cooktop - a range hood of
up to 475 cfm is more than adequate.
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Gas Range/Cooktop
- what is the maximum BTU capability
of the range (oven & surface burners)?
- for every 100 BTU you need 1 cfm from
your range hood - so a 45000 BTU range
requires say a 450 cfm range hood. This
assumes the worst case scenario - all
burners are going at the highest setting
at the same time - so if your cfm is
marginal ( a few 1000 BTU's) you should be
okay.
How big is the kitchen
area - the Home Ventilation Institute
recommends 15 air changes per hour
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Multiply the floor
area by 2 for an 8 ft ceiling - so a
kitchen area of 20 ft by 20 ft with an 8
ft ceiling has 800 cubic feet, the range
hood should remove 12000 cubic feet per
hour - it should have as a minimum 200 cfm
range hood.
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A word of caution
here - remember our homes are very air
tight these days - where will all this
replacement air come from that is being
expelled outside - the only source of air
is back down your chimney out your
fireplace or from the exhaust on your
furnace or hot water tank - very dangerous
pollution - so be very careful in over
sizing the range hood - maybe you do not
need 650 or 900 cfm - if you do, then you
must provide a fresh supply of air to feed
these monsters.
Blower Styles - the
fans inside the blower housing typically come
in two designs: The traditional rotary
design (like a cooling fan) or centrifugal
(barrel-shaped). Centrifugal fans are
quieter and more efficiently move the
air. When it comes to higher end hoods
that require you to purchase the blower
separately you usually have 3 options:
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Internal -
these blowers are mounted directly
inside the hood. Most internal
blowers are of a lower CFM rating.
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External -
mounted outside of your home, usually on
a wall or on the roof. External
blowers are usually reserved for
extremely high CFM ratings - well over
1000. An external blower should
eliminate any noise concerns but if not
installed properly can be rather
unsightly on the outside of your home.
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In-Line -
located within the ductwork somewhere
between the hood and the outside.
These are typically used as a
"booster" for homes requiring
longer than average duct runs.
They may be used on their own as well
and are usually used with downdraft
systems.
Duct Length - try
and stay under 30 ft and limit the bends to
two of 90 degrees - try and use two 45 degree
bends in preference to 1 by 90 degree bend -
sharp bends disturb the clear flow of air.
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