Hood insert with internal blower- Modernaire, Faber, others?

12 years ago

What a great board- read through the information on here re. ventilation, blowers, internal/external,etc. and thanks to you can at least ask intelligent questions when shopping!

Due to short duct length to outside, we're going internal blower. Using a 36inch BS rangetop, so would like 1200cfm.

BS dealer recommended a Faber hood insert to us, over a Broan, based on our desire for the 'quietest possible' internal blower. (We know it will be louder than external but again we don't have the distance for external.)

I've read good things about Modernaire as well and called them today. Are there other brands for inserts we should be considering? Our budget is under $2K for the insert.

Vendor recs are also appreciated-

Thanks in advance!

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Comments (5)

PRO
Trevor Lawson (Eurostoves Inc)
12 years ago
While the faber insert is quite on setting number 1 it is very loud on setting number 3, if I recall this is due to the transition from oblong to round.

Because you are purchasing a BS range top it is clear that you intend to use the range top, most probably for high heat cooking which inherently normally generates more smoke and grease, provided that is correct I would recommend the Modern-Aire option over Faber or Broan, and its just under your budget.

Please note that while the insert is important the actual capture area you create is even more important. If the wooden structure is not constructed correctly you will find you need to run the blower at a higher speed, build it right and you will run the motor at a slower speed or setting, thereby making less noise and it will be more effective.
labbie
Original Author
12 years ago
trevor, thanks for the recommendation. you are correct re. our intent for the BS cooking- Wok here we come (we've been dealing with a 1990s era electric cooktop in our new home since last May and miss our old gas stove). While not a daily thing it will be nice to have the option. Our current kitchen has NO ventilation (other than a window). Ugh.

If I could ask you for more details on the wood hood structure- our cabinetmaker was actually the one stressing to us the importance of ventilation with our powerful rangetop selection so I assume he 'gets it', but I don't want to leave anything to chance.

My husband is 6'2, so I know we were trying to ensure proper proportions so that he will be able to comfortably be at the rangetop, but that was more height of hood- any recs on depth? I can verify with the cabinetmaker that we are in the right ballpark- he hasn't started building yet.

Many thanks.
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I'm sure the hood is just fine. The raptures over ModernAire as a brand are for their fancy designs and customization. The works are good too, and MA are known for the continuous switches on the light and fan. "Cast iron cooking" doesn't mean much when you're taking about a hood. There's a formula for estimating how many cubic feet per minute (cfm) you need. For gas the calculation is 1 cfm for every 100 total BTU (British Thermal Unit) of your stove (top heat of all burners added up) and round up to the next amount offered. For induction, check The Induction Site for their formula. You probably need a little less for electric so you can round down from 1 cfm for every 100 BTU. There are some other considerations as well. For instance, if you're unlikely to have all your burners on high all at once, for instance, you'll never boil soup, dumplings and chili while searing fish, you might be able to do with a little less oomph. BUT it'll work better if you run a higher powered fan on a lower setting than a lower powered fan on a higher setting. Also, if you have a high powered gas range especially, but also if your cooking includeds anything which puts out steam, grease (saute, browning, wok, frying, searing), etc., it's recommended that you should have three extra inches on both sides, and in front as well if possible. I think the minimum output available in the hood you're looking at is 600 cfm.
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The Faber is unusual, since it can work on two 6" ducts in parallel. If you can only have one round 6" duct, you are up against a serious constraint. I'd favor Kobe, Best by Broan, Broan, Sirius, Miele, or any other Insert in the 600 to 900 CFM range that has one or two large diameter centrifuge motors in it and that calls for a 6" duct in its product PDF. Round to rectangle transitions are commonplace. If your available height is 6" you can run a large rectangular duct to the outside and have a rectangular opening on your outside wall. Then you no longer are limited in your choices. To convert rectangular to round equivalents, calculate the are of the cross-section (circle or rectangle) and cut off 10% of the rectangle's area since round ducts are more efficient. Noise is a big concern for anybody. Physical limits to moving fluid in a cylinder apply to air just as in plumbing (water) ; plumbing vents have prescribed minimum sizes to get a certain amount of makeup air. Moving it with a blower means you hit the physical limit of the tube and 6" is the smallest possible kitchen vent diameter. Don't put an 1100 CFM blower on a 6" duct. Even with two 6" ducts, be aware that I haven't found Faber to be a noise-reduction oriented company. Like other Italian companies, they disregard noise, considering it as normal part of life. Japanese and Northern European companies regard noise as the thing to design around (to reduce). With a 6 in. duct you have a single important factor that you cannot ignore. A machine designed for a 7 inch duct will make more noise when reduced to 6 inches. although I do give credit to Kobe for designing an extremely quiet and fairly high output fan (when in quiet mode at about 385 CFM). I'm assuming low-noise and operating strength are your two main criteria. At lower speeds at least. David
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On higher speeds, powerful hoods are loud. You're moving a lot of air through a relatively small opening. Some noise is inevitable and to a degree, you just need to adjust your expectations when you're coming from an older, less powerful hood. Hoods are very simple and there aren't that many design aspects that can be tweaked to reduce noise levels, compared with other appliances. There are things you can do though. What CFM, and what speeds do you usually use it at? The mid to lower ones should be fine for most cooking. If you mount the blower externally and add an inline silencer, that should help some with the noise, as that takes the turbulence around the blades and moves it away from the area right above your stove. All I'm saying is, I'd hate to see you spend a lot of money on something that doesn't fix the problem. Unless you change something about the design of your overall ventilation system, I wouldn't expect simply replacing it with something similar from another brand to make much of a difference.
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deeageaux
12 years ago
Prestige Power Pack UIB401200 $1634

40" wide with 1200cfm internal blower will work for you too.
PRO
Trevor Lawson (Eurostoves Inc)
12 years ago
Dee also puts forward another contender that would be better than Faber or Broan.

I would recommend an insert 34" Width x 22" depth with a 1200 cfm internal blower in your case, if you want to you can go 40" wide.

what I tell my customers is. Imagine an upturned kitchen sink, I am selling you the plug hole and you are building the bowl. Whatever goes in that bowl will go into the plug hole for sure. By doing this you also crate a holding area for the times when you get a big pluff of smoke and grease.

The holding area is created by fitting the insert 6" up into the wood frame, again imagine an upturned sink.

MOST and not all but most cabinet makers make the cabinetry the same size as the insert resulting in a lack of depth and flush with the base of the wooden structure.

As for height from the range top, first priority is comfort your husband, he must feel comfortable when he is cooking or its no fun for him. Second the higher the bottom of the wooden structure from the range top the wider the smoke and grease will be when it gets to the insert, so your husband does not need 6" clearance give him 2". Third check your local code for the distance they want a flammable structure from the range top.
labbie
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you for the info- I will follow up with the cabinetmaker on the hood.
I will also investigate the Modernaire and Prestige brands. Is it the fans themselves that make them better? And Trevor what is the transition from oblong to round in the Faber? I am just trying to get more educated on what has turned out to be, while extremely important, the least 'fun' part of our appliance shopping!
Thanks again-

Hood insert with internal blower- Modernaire, Faber, others?

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Trevor Lawson (Eurostoves Inc)

labbie
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Hood insert with internal blower- Modernaire, Faber, others?

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Trevor Lawson (Eurostoves Inc)

labbieOriginal Author

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Trevor Lawson (Eurostoves Inc)

labbieOriginal Author

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