If you're purchasing new appliances, you're probably reading online reviews,
asking your friends for their advice, and learning all the manufacturer specs.
But you've probably seen a lot of buyers
remorse and comments from people wishing they had bought something different.
Wouldn't it be great to learn all
the nightmares of void up front so they don't happen to you? In this new series,
that's exactly what we're going to do.
We'll show you the common and uncommon
pitfalls and mistakes in every category, from starting a project to delivering
without the several different types of damage that could happen to your home.
This time we're talking about ventilation.
Let's get started.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when planning a new kitchen or starting
a new renovation is improperly planning your venting.
Many vents currently in the market haven't
been redesigned to accommodate the heat and fumes of newer high output ranges.
Here are the three important points
to consider. Not having the right CFM or
capture area in your hood, not planning proper
ducting, not planning for a fresh air return into your home.
First, always vent properly.
And if you have a vent, use it.
Many people have invested in the right
hood, only to not turn it on when they cook.
And here's what happens when you don't.
The EPA now says the air inside your home can be 2-3 times worse than
the air outside, and could be exponentially worse if you cook a lot,
and here's why. When you cook, especially with a gas stove,
but also with induction and electric to a lesser degree, you're projecting tons
of fumes in your home like nitrous oxide, formaldehyde and carbon dioxide,
along with the grease and the lingering odors that go with cooking.
What compounds the problem is stoves have higher output
and homes are built better nowadays so the outside of air doesn't infiltrate back
in your home, causing gasses to stay in your home for a longer period of time.
So buy the right hood, and if you have one, turn it on.
Next, failing a plan to have the correct CFM
and capture when purchasing hood,
you may think that having an underpower hood is a big problem.
Most people understand the rating for exhaust, commonly referred to as CFM.
CFM is cubic feet per minute, or how many cubes of air exhausted per minute.
So you want a higher powered hood in the 600-1200 CFM range.
Many people under power hood when the cost is minimal between a 600-1200 CFM.
There are better ways to cut costs in your
kitchen with appliances so spend a little more on ventilation.
If you cook, that's not the biggest problem.
The biggest problem is capture, which is defined as depth and height of the hood.
The highest output burners are in the front of your range.
Even a basic gas range has two 15,000 BTU burners or greater on the front.
You want the hood to at least cover them at 23-24 inches.
Yet many people who cook will buy an over
the range microwave, downdraft or shallow hood, thinking it will work.
The smoke, grease and gases will billow past your shallow hood,
especially from the higher powered front burners into your room.
When you vent down or use two or more
transitions, you reduce the static flow of the exhaust, limiting the effectiveness.
To vent properly,
you either vent straight out because that's
where the exhaust is actually headed,
or straight back when you're on an outside wall.
Mistake number three is you have to be
sure you're abiding by your local make-up air laws.
And even if you don't have any,
you want to be sure to have a fresh air return into your home.
As an example, that 1200 CFM hood is
removing the equivalent of a small room of air every minute.
So without a fresh air return, that air is made up from your garage,
attic and furnace, which isn't exactly healthy. In new construction,
you can run a fresh air return through your
HVAC or place a fresh air return at least 10ft from your stove on the opposite wall.
We explain this more in depth
in a separate video, and we'll link to that in the description for you.
Now, many people commented they're stuck with an old downdraft and don't want
to remodel or can't vent to the outside in a condo.
Here are three ideas if you like to cook.
First, cook on the back burners, if you can.
Back burners of all types are less
powerful but are covered better by every type of vent.
Secondly, invest in a good air cleaner.
It doesn't cost a lot.
I'm partial to the Sharp HEPA because it will circulate more than the other brands
and emit negative ions to cancel out the positive ions of odors.
Lastly, open your windows.
I know that's not the boldest idea,
but it's important to get fresh air into your house.
You just learned why most hoods don't work due to lack of capture or bad venting.
To review, make sure your new hood has the right CFM or capture area.
Always have proper
ducting, straight up is best followed by straight out.
Plan for a fresh air return into your home and abide by local make-up air laws.
You can click here to watch more videos in this series and thanks for watching.