48" bluestar, amateur cooks, need opinions on vah vs bs hood

10 years ago

Doing a new build, about to purchase appliances. For range, doing Bluestar 48" - BF wanted large griddle (he had one on a Viking), for price range I wanted color options and liked what we read/ videos watched about them.

The house value is in scale with high grade appliances. although neither of us do more than basic cooking so confused on hood options.

Planned on BS Proline 48" 1200cfm. Got quote for both it and for a VAH 48" Pro series 1350cfm with only $50 difference in price.

1) NOISE
We understood VAH to be much quieter but not sure if that matters since dont anticipate lots of smoky cooking. Also not sure how to explain but doing thing at outside of house so more noise will be there.. Thoughts?

2) CARE
Read conflicting comments whether VAH was problem to clean but with not anticipating much greasy cooking, wondering if this required cleaning would be infrequent.

3) COST
With both being only $50 difference, wondering if VAH is just considered better than BS hood or if for cooks like us, just more inconvenient cleaning, extra cfm we dont need.

Any opinions much appreciated!

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Comments (9)

deeageaux
10 years ago
1) VAH will be less noisy than 1200 cfm internal blower from BS. If you install a remote blower, about 10 feet away or more, and install a noise silencer it will probably be less noisy than VAH.

Fantech LC10 noise silencer ~$145

2) IMO VAH is difficult to clean. Have a salesperson show you how you would clean VAH. Less cooking, less grease when cooking obviously will require you to clean less often.

3) BS is considered better. What is the point of getting a 48" Bluestar if you are not going to put the pedal to medal so to speak once in a while. Grilling, woking or have 4+ burners and oven(s) going at the same time. IMO kinda silly get 48" range with 30" ventilation.
jaynes123_gw
Original Author
10 years ago
1) Ive seen comments about the Fantech in threads Ive read, thanks for clarifying how it would help and providing the specifics on it.

2) We thought we saw how VAH is cleaned by sales rep showing us how pullout tray, but no mention of more intricate parts that would need cleaning. Only was considering because got impression it was considered better and that take apart cleaning was necessary evil.

3) Not sure what you meant by 30" ventilation - I understand both are 48" but sounds like your saying the BS is a better hood - if its just equal, that would be enough with easy clean hood

Will be checking into that fantech - thanks again!
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... coming out of hibernation to put his oar in, says: This forum has a large wealth of technical information on this topic that should be reviewed by anyone new to the subject who is planning to achieve actual kitchen ventilation. Here are some tidbits, boiled down from various attempts here to provide practical rules of thumb. We will start with opaone's suggestion. Hood function depends on successful capture and containment. Capture depends on hood aperture overlaping the rising and expanding cooking plumes. 54 inches by 27 inches would be considered the minimum for adequate capture of a 48-inch high power cooktop. Hood containment depends on flow velocity at the capture aperture. For this size hood (assuming inside aperture is nearly 54 x 27) I would argue for around 1000 CFM of actual flow rate. To get this flow rate with a real blower, you will need a blower that is characterized (at zero pressure loss) as capable of 1500 CFM. Similarly, if one is constrained at 48 inches hood width (please cook greasy things on the middle burners), the values are 800 and 1200 CFM, actual and rated. Either size blower can easily operate through a 10-inch duct. Hoods with single duct interfaces are widely available from Modernaire, Captiveaire, Wolf, and many others. The actual flow rates noted above are based on a 1.5:1 ratio of nominal to actual, and this assumes some generalities about the fan curves of reputable fans and pressure losses of baffles, ducts, and most importantly -- the make-up air system. (Please review relevant threads on MUA in this forum.) No air flows out the duct that didn't get into the house somehow. At the higher actual CFM levels, house leakage is not adequate for providing this air flow rate. To answer the OP's question just above, higher flow rate through an undersized hood has only a slight to modest effect on increasing the effective size of the hood. The reason is that hoods do not suck cooking effluent from the cooktop, but intercept it and keep it in the hood. The rising plume velocity can exceed a meter per second for gas cooking, and this is what gets the plume to the hood. Air flow velocity for the flow rates I suggest is only half of this at the hood aperture, and rapidly drops off more than a few inches away from it. For actual flow effect at the source of the plume, one would have to use fume hood rules of engagement, where high flow at the effluent generator (welding, grinding, whatever) is achieved. You would need ear protection with such a system, and a huge heating capability for the make up air, perhaps augmented by structures intended to restrict the effluent from escaping the flow. kas
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deeageaux
10 years ago
3) Not sure what you meant by 30" ventilation

A hood just powerful enough to vent a 30" pro style range with no more power for the extra burners and extra oven on a 48" pro-style range.

Yes, I think the BS is better.

Cleaning the splatter inside the VAH is no easy task.

I don't buy it all goes do down into their new easy clean tray.

And I don't buy their magical 1 cfm is equal to everyone else's 1.5-2 cfm.
cookncarpenter
10 years ago
For a 48" with the big griddle, I would look at Prizer and Modern-Aire hoods as a better match for both performance and looks.
tyguy
10 years ago
Not a huge fan of my vah. I don't hate it, but don't love it either. I find it noisy. I would investigate other options if I was in the market today. Not saying I wouldn't buy vah, just saying I would look at options.

I do a ton of high heat/smoke cooking on my 48" bs with grill and griddle,
kaseki
10 years ago
So, is this 48-inch BS in the staff quarters or where guests will congregate and chat while food is being prepared? If the latter, then you want the quietest possible high flow hood. This entails at a minimum a roof-mounted blower or remote in-line blower and an in-line silencer on 10-inch ducting.

My usual recommendation for actual air flow rate capability for a baffled hood with an assumed 8 square feet of aperture is 720 cfm. This calls for a blower rated at least at 1080 cfm at zero static pressure, but given the possibility of some combination of cooktop and oven use where oven spillage is the most difficult effluent to capture, I'd aim higher. For an island setup, I'd aim for a 1500 cfm rated roof blower. With a wall set-up 1200 should do. (For most cooking you would operate at a reduced blower setting and there will be little fan or baffle turbulence noise.)

I use a 1500-cfm rated blower with my Wolf (Independent) Pro-Island hood with a 10-square-foot aperture, but don't have a griddle and have another 1000 nominal/600 likely cfm capable vent over the separately located ovens.

A suitable source of (possibly conditioned) make-up air is also necessary.

kas
andy47
10 years ago
I would suggst you stick with the bluestar hood since they bought out independent hoods and also are the same company as prizer hoods-since they work with a baffle filter it will be easier not onyl to clean but better ventilation the vent a hood squirrel cage blower is one pain in the ass to clean;with the range i would suggest you also look at the new platinum series they came out with;we put it on diaply here in nyc and got wide acceptance on it form our clients
jaynes123_gw
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks SO VERY much, been terribly confused on this and so relieved to feel at ease finally to proceed with the BlueStar hood.

We will do the remote vent and get that silencer which seems quite the value, especially considering cost of other BS stove options.

Will confirm the 10" ducting as see the silencers come in versions based on duct size. Big thanks again!
kaseki
10 years ago
The 10-inch duct size silencer, one of which I have in my attic, is a seriously big device. Be sure to check the dimensions before planning its location in the duct system.

kas

48" bluestar, amateur cooks, need opinions on vah vs bs hood

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deeageaux

jaynes123_gw
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48" bluestar, amateur cooks, need opinions on vah vs bs hood

Comments (9)

deeageaux

jaynes123_gwOriginal Author

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deeageaux

cookncarpenter

tyguy

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andy47

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jaynes123_gw
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