Choosing A Range Hood, Tim Leitner
What type of range hood is right for my remodel? The three most common types are (1) an island hood vent, (2) wall mounted hood vent, and (3) down draft. The third option of a down draft or popup I personally do not recommend unless it is absolutely esthetically or architecturally impossible to use one of the other options. This is simply physics…pulling cooking odors coming out of the top of a pan or pot down just doesn’t work as well.
The wall mounted hood works the best for capturing cooking odors; however, the island hood can be very effective. Several factors can assist in making the island hood more affective.
- Size. I recommend getting an island hood that is 6” larger than your cooking surface (e.g. if your cooktop is 36” get a 42” hood.)
- Height. The manufactures of hoods usually give a range for how high above the cooking surface the hood can be. The lower it is the more effective; however, this can be esthetically less pleasing.
- Air Movement. Air movement is measured in Cubic Feet Per Minute (CFM). Higher CFM fans move more air consequently reducing cooking odors. This is true for any of the three types of fans. It should be noted that a fan over 399 CFM requires a replacement air damper in the home. This can increase cost by a chunk.
The information above is my opinion based on experience and the desire for our customers to have the best kitchen remodel they can imagine. Please give me or one of our team members a call if you want to discuss this or any other remodel topic.