What kind of hood for range

Shown: Hung from the ceiling, a stainless-steel chimney-style hood vents steam and odors from an island cooktop. Prices vary, depending on size, functionality, and style.

Swapping in a similar unit is a simple job that requires basic electrical work to connect the wiring. To install a new vent, you'll need to cut holes in the walls, ceiling, or roof and run ductwork.

This could be a project for an experienced DIYer or might best be left to a contractor. You can order a variety of hoods online or find them at appliance retailers, showrooms, restaurant suppliers, and home centers. Experts recommend cleaning the filters after every 30 hours of use—typically every month or two—to keep a hood running smoothly. Note: Vent hoods over cfm require that makeup air be brought in from the outside when the unit is on.

This air can come from a supply fan, a motorized damper, or another source. Ducted or not? Venting the polluted air out of your house is always preferable to recirculating it.

Recirculating fans use charcoal filters to clean the air and release it back into the house when ducting to the outside is impossible, as in many apartment buildings. When it's the only option, a recirculating hood is better than no ventilation at all, but this type should never be used with pro-style appliances. Think about power.

The amount of air the blower moves, measured in cubic feet per minute cfm , is one of the biggest factors to consider when choosing a hood. The larger and more powerful your burners are, the more cfm you need. Measure it right. A hood should be at least as wide as your cooking surface, but an extra 3 inches on each side can improve efficiency. The depth should cover the back burners and at least half of the front burners, though full coverage is best. The height at which the hood hangs above your cooktop will also affect how well it works.

A wall- or island-mount should be about 30 inches above the cooktop, while undercabinet-mounts, typically less powerful and with smaller ducts, should sit 24 inches above the range.

If you want to place the hood higher than recommended, you'll need a wider unit—extending 3 inches beyond both sides of the range—and more cfm to compensate. See "Calculator" section right below. Consider the noise. To avoid a loud fan, check the sones 1 sone equals about 40 decibels. A fan set on low typically comes in under 1 sone, but high speeds can jump to 10 or more. For a quieter unit, look for one that's 6 or fewer sones at cfm.

As a general rule, calculate cfm for every linear foot of cooking surface. For pro-style ranges, the formula is cfm for every 10, BTUs your appliance puts out. Other factors come into play as well. For every 3 inches a hood exceeds the suggested height above the cooktop, add cfm.

Island hoods require extra cfm to compensate for cross drafts, so calculate cfm per linear foot for conventional cooktops; add an additional cfm to the pro-range estimate. And consider how you cook. If you rarely grill or stir-fry at high heat, you may be able to go with a lower cfm than recommended. Shown: A built-in shelf and rails hold spices and utensils. This type takes up less visual space but cuts down on storage if the duct runs through the upper cabinet.

Some hoods sit flush below cabinetry and slide out when needed. Vented combination microwave hoods can also save space, though they're less powerful. A stainless-steel unit with exposed ductwork plays well with the commercial-kitchen look, but there are options in a variety of shapes and materials to suit any style.

More airflow does mean faster venting but doesn't guarantee better smoke capture and removal. Install It Properly Whether you opt for a hood or an over-the-range microwave oven, be sure it's installed according to the manufacturer's directions—typically, 18 to 30 inches above the burners or elements.

That gives you working room while helping to prevent steam from escaping to the sides. Vent outdoors, if possible, using the largest-size solid, smooth-walled metal ducting that fits.

Keep duct runs short and minimize bends to maximize airflow. A wall or roof cap outside the house prevents back drafts. Wash or replace the filters every one to three months—or more often if you cook frequently. The layout of your kitchen largely dictates the type of range hood you can use. To choose the right size range hood, be sure that any model you consider is at least as wide as the cooking surface it goes above. Here are the types of range hoods to consider.

Undercabinet Hoods These mount under the bottom of a wall cabinet. Ductwork inside an adjoining wall, chase, soffit, or ceiling can exhaust smoke and fumes to the outside. In a few models, a shallow hood slides out of the upper kitchen cabinet when you need it. Typical kitchen cabinets extend only about halfway across the stove, so this extension routes steam and smoke away from cabinet faces and back toward the suction end of the range hood. This design steals cabinet space, but might be the only choice for those who cannot achieve the recommended stove-to-hood clearance with a standard under-cabinet-hood design.

Shop Undercabinet Range Hoods on Amazon. Wall-Chimney Hoods Wall-chimney hoods work where there are no cabinets over the range and mount with exposed vent stacks on the wall to vent to the outside. Island Hoods Island hood These are mounted to and vented through ductwork in the ceiling. They lack a wall or cabinets alongside them to help funnel fumes so should be wider than the cooking surface.

Shop Island Range Hoods on Amazon. Downdraft Hood These try to reverse the direction of rising smoke and fumes and exhaust them through ducts running beneath the floor. Our past tests found they were among the least effective at removing smoke and steam. While they can be used anywhere in the kitchen, their main application is in islands where it might not be possible to route ductwork through the ceiling. Shop Downdraft Range Hoods on Amazon. Ductless Hoods This is typically an option on some hoods, whether under-cabinet, wall or island.

This type of installation directs steam, heat, and smoke away from the stovetop, but back into the kitchen. Its main filters can trap oil and grease droplets dispersed into the air above the range, and in most cases an optional carbon filter is available to reduce odors.

We do not recommend a ductless hood, as it will take the smoke and odors being generated by the stove and disperse them throughout the kitchen and the rest of the home.

Shop Ductless Range Hoods on Amazon. Select a model at least as wide as the cooking surface underneath. Island-mount hoods lack a wall or cabinets alongside them to help to funnel fumes, so they should be wider than the cooktop. These are some range hood features to consider. Airflow Manufacturers tout the cubic feet per minute CFM of exhausted air.

More airflow means faster ventilation, but it doesn't guarantee better smoke capture and removal in your kitchen. Many hoods that we tested that claimed to have modest airflow vented as well as those with twice the airflow.

Number of Fan Speeds Most of the hoods we tested offered from three to six fan speeds. There are many different designs and styles of kitchen range hoods, but they all fall into five main types or categories. These include wall mounted hoods, island hoods, range hood inserts, under cabinet hoods, and professional-grade hoods.

Although all range hoods are made with the same important purpose of ridding smoke, grease, and other toxins in the air that come from cooking and cleaning, some are more effective than others. In this article, you will learn more about different kitchen ventilation design styles and range hood features. We hope this will help you on your journey to find which range hood type is best for your kitchen. Wall mount range hoods are one of the most common types of stove hoods.

These vent hood types are mounted securely against a wall in the kitchen. Additionally, wall mounted range hoods come in different shapes. The most common type is a pyramid chimney style or tapered hood see below.

Depending on the model, some wall mounted range hoods can also function as under cabinet hoods; be sure to check with the range hood supplier about your options. If you liked these pictures of wall mounted range hoods, check out more of them from our customer kitchens. Island range hoods are a beautiful centerpiece for any kitchen space. Unlike wall mounted range hoods, island hoods are not mounted against a wall. Because of this, and all the additional air movement kitchen islands experience, they require more CFM to maximize their efficiency and filter as much unwanted air from your kitchen as possible.

Island range hoods come in all different shapes and styles. Also, all island hoods are mounted to your ceiling and so your ductwork will run through your ceiling as well. Structurally, some homes may not have the proper clearance or design to vent through their ceiling. Double check that yours has the ability to run the needed ductwork from your hood to the outside of your home. In many cases, a local contractor will be able to install ductwork for you; yet it may cost around dollars.

Click here for more elegant island range hoods from Proline customers. Range hood inserts are designed to be used in your custom hood. Hood inserts are usually hidden as they are built into highly customized cabinets above the cooktop or stovetop. Range hood inserts are a great option if you want full control of how your ventilation fan looks or if you have a premade cabinet that you want to convert into a functioning range hood.

This range hood type is a custom carved cabinet design that covers a range hood insert. There are many different custom range hood types including copper, tile, marble, and hand carved wood. Inserts are a great appliance to set the tone or theme for your kitchen, whether you are aiming for a rustic, old-fashioned look, a modern and sleek design, or anything in between, use of an insert gives you ultimate creative control of your kitchen The internet is full of ways to build your own DIY custom range hood cover.

There are many other useful ones on YouTube and Pinterest as well. At Proline Range Hoods, we have a beautiful selection of highly customizable range hood inserts to choose from for your custom cabinet needs.