Today we’re discussing the different types and styles of various range hoods available
on the market today.
The primary purpose of a range hood is to ventilate your kitchen to remove smoke, steam,
odors and heat as well as to help absorb and trap grease so that it doesn’t end up on
your walls, cabinets and appliances.
Hoods have 3 venting options Vented or Ducted - which funnels the bad
air to the outside of your home through a duct, wall or roof.
Non-Vented or Recirculating - pulls the bad air through a charcoal filter and exhausts
the clean air back into the room. It's a good idea to change the charcoal filter regularly.
Otherwise, it's not as effective.
And Convertible, which simply means the hood has the option to be vented or non-vented
Here are some terms you should become familiar with when purchasing a range hood
CFM’s - which stands for cubic foot per minute.
It’s how the power of air movement is measured.
The minimum rate of 1 CFM of ventilation per 100 BTU’s is the recommendation.
For example, if your range top total output is 45,000 BTU’s your hood should have at
least a 450 CFM output to get the best results.
Make Up Air Damper - this is a device that opens and closes to allow fresh air in
to make up air extracted by the hood.
And Air Capture - which is the area that the hood actually covers.
The best way to get effective air removal is to purchase a hood that is at least as
wide as the cooking surface and deep enough to cover the back burners and at least
half of the front burners.
Shallower hoods should be mounted closer to the cooktop surface.
Now let's talk about the available Kitchen Hood Styles.
Canopy Hoods - are the most common of all hoods; they must either mount to a wall, under
cabinet, or soffit.
They range in sizes from 21" to 42" wide, and can be as tall as 10".
Lower outputs can go as high as 1,000 CFM’s on a few models but more commonly CFM’s
range between 300 and 800, with included blowers.
These hoods will also have the most flexible price points.
Chimney Hoods consist of a canopy and duct cover that can be wall, or ceiling mounted
if installed over an Island.
They range in sizes from 30" to 60" wide with the ability to extend the duct cover up to
12" high depending on the model to accommodate up to 10 ft ceiling.
The canopies on these models are available in Stainless or Glass with several decorative
styles to accent any kitchen.
They average average range between 300 and 800 CFM’s with the included blowers and
only a few models available over 1000 CFM’s.
Downdrafts are a good alternative if traditional venting isn’t an option they lay flush with
your cooktop when not in use and pop up for venting when needed.
Downdrafts work by drawing the air down through a vent to the outside and in a few models
have the ability to recirculate.
Downdraft hoods range in sizes from 4" - 48" wide and have an average CFM rating between
300 and 1200 CFM’s depending on the blower type.
Professional Hoods are more robust versions of the standard chimney and canopy models.
They are specifically designed to operate over the higher BTU Pro-Style Range, Cooktops
and Grills.
The canopies on these models can be as tall as 18" high with blower outputs upward of
1,500 CFM’s.
It's important to remember that not all professional hoods include blowers.
Custom hood inserts are units designed to fit inside a custom cabinet or enclosure.
These inserts can contain lighting, blowers, and speed control.
These inserts give you the ability to completely customize the look and allow you the to choose
the appropriate amount of power and like Pro-Style Hoods the blower may be an added cost.
Another thing to consider when buying a hood is blower types.
Hood blowers come 3 ways Internal - which means the blower motor
is inside the actual hood, because of this these units tend to be a bit noisier than
the external models but are ideal for those who have restrictions with ductwork or several
bends in the duct, they are extremely functional and offer great performance
External blowers - which means the blower is usually mounted somewhere outside the home
usually on the roof or in an attic. These units minimize noise levels on the inside and perform
just as well or better than internal blowers because they tend to offer higher CFM's.
But be sure to mount them far enough away so that the external noise from the units
don’t disturb you when you are outside and know that they will require a more detailed
installation.
And In-Line - which are blowers that sit in the duct run either between the ceiling
joist, floor joist, or in the attic.
In-Line blowers are beneficial if you have a long duct run or a number of turns in your
duct.
It can also be added to your main blower to strengthen power.
There are a couple of things you should be aware of before and after you have purchased
your hood.
If you are remodeling or have purchased new construction, check with your municipality
before purchasing a hood to see if there is a maximum CFM requirement.
When using a hood with a CFM rating higher than 400, a makeup air damper may be required
so be sure to check with your local municipality. And lastly be sure to turn on your hood
at least 10 minutes before you start cooking to get the proper air flow going.
Turning your hood on after you have started cooking makes it much more difficult for the
hood to be effective with air capture.
To learn more about Vent Hoods check us out at Abt.com or visit our showroom located at
1200 N Milwaukee Avenue in Glenview, Illinois.