A range hood is used to remove smoke, heat, and steam from the kitchen. Range hoods are necessary in the kitchen because cooking release pollutants into the air. While many peoples select a range hood for it’s appearance, it is essential that you select the range hood based off its functionality.
If the range hood is the same width as the cooktop, it will not be able to effectively remove smoke and steam from the cooking area. Smoke and steam does not rise in a straight line from the cooktops. Range hoods should be wider than the cooktops and should provide an overhang on each side of the cooktops to ensure that smoke and steam are trapped before it can leave the kitchen area and enter the cabinets or onto the ceiling.
How to Choose the Right Range Hood
Depending upon the make up of the kitchen and the cooking that happens within that kitchen, you can select different styles of range hoods. For instance, kitchens that has kitchen islands may have a hanging range hood selected for those areas. However, because there is no wall to contain the smoke and steam in those areas, more cooking space is required for the hanging range hood.
Alternatively, kitchens that have a range hood wall chimney may select those styles because they provide better suction then other styles of range hoods. Kitchens that require more cooking space and that have a higher level of cooking activity may select range hoods that are placed on the ceiling. These types of range hoods work by moving the air either downwards from the cooktops or by utilizing high pressure of air directed towards the cooking area.
Range hoods are often measured in terms of the amount of cubic feet of air that it can move each minute, or CFM. For kitchens that have electric cooktops, a user may select a lower CFM range hood. However, kitchens that have gas cooktops will release more heat and steam than electric cooktops, so a higher CFM range hood is required.
In either case, it is better to choose a range hood that has a higher CFM rating than you may require for your kitchen, as you can manually adjust range hoods with higher CFMs to lower settings, but it isnt possible to adjust the CFM of a range hood with lower CFMs. The mounting height of the range hood is another critical measurement of the range hood. If you mount the range hood too high, the heat and steam will disperse before it reach the range hoods filter.
If the range hood is mounted too low, however, a person may hit their head on the range hood while cooking, or there is a risk of starting a grease fire in the range hood. Range hoods for gas cooktops should be mounted with at least three inches between the gas cooktop and the range hood to allow for proper functioning and safety around the open flames of the gas cooktop. Range hoods can be ducted systems or recirculating systems.
Ducted range hoods work by pulling smoke, steam, and heat out of the kitchen through a duct pipe that exits the home. Recirculating range hoods work by using carbon filters to clean the smoke and steam before it is circulate back into the cooking area. Recirculating range hoods can be helpful for those who live in apartments where you cant install duct systems.
However, the carbon filters for recirculating range hoods must be replaced regularly. If you dont change the carbon filters, the recirculating range hood will not effectively remove smoke and steam from the kitchen. Another vital part of the range hood is the ductwork that connects the range hood to the exterior of the home.
The ductwork helps to move the smoke, steam, and heat from the cooking area to the exterior of the home. The range hood fan create the air movement that clears the cooking area of smoke and steam. The range hood fan will not effectively clear the smoke and steam from the cooking area if the ductwork is narrow in size or if it has many sharp bend in its structure.
Any bends in the ductwork reduce the movement of the smoke and steam and create increased noise in the range hood. Rigid steel pipes are the best type of ductwork for the range hood because it allow for the most efficient movement of smoke, steam, and heat out of the cooking area. By choosing the correct size for the cooking area, the height of the range hood, the CFM of the range hood, and the type of cooking area that is featured in the kitchen, a person could of successfully reduce the amount of smoke and smells that comes out of their cooking area.
