600 or 1200 cfm over 30' bs or cc

13 years ago

I know there have been countless posts about this and I've read them. But still not sure . . .

This will be a 42 inch wide 24 inch deep hood over a 30 inch range -- either Blue Star or Capital Culinarian most likely. Internal motor, rear vented and then 90 degree turn up through garage roof.

Never use more than two burners. Some stir fry.

I think the 600 will be fine and don't want to worry about makeup air, but want to be sure I'm not making a mistake not going 1200. I've read that 1200 run on low is quieter than 600 on medium. But really I just want to be sure that 600 will do the job in terms of smoke/odor.

So, 600 or 1200?

Comments (8)

bkirchert
13 years ago
Sayde, I might suggest you go to YouTube and find the video with the title Vent A Hood unversity. This video will answer your questions concerning noise levels. As to 600 vs 1200? Based on the hood measurements you spoke of the 600 will be more than sufficient.
dapitou
13 years ago
I just moved and thought my experience with my old house and the new house might help.

Old house:
Range: Thermador 36" with 4 burners; each rated at 15000 btu (I think); mostly do stir-fry; never had more than 2 burners on.
Hood: 36"-wide; equipped with an internal blower, rated at 600 cfm; has 2 settings (low and high); the duct goes up, turns 90 degree, and travels between joists for about 18' to the exterior wall.
My experience: The hood is used 80% on the "high" setting. It is noisy but acceptable. It gets the job done most of the time but falls short when I pan-fry steaks or fish - the house would be filled with smoke and smell oily.

New house:
Cooktops: I have two 15"-wide cooktops; one has a single gas burner rated at 18000 btu and the other is an induction (3.6 kw) with 2 elements.
Hood: 36" wide with an external blower rated at 1300 cfm; has 3 setting; the duct goes up, turns 90 degree and goes immediately through an exterior wall.
My experience: the hood is 90% on "low", 10% on "median" and never on "high" (aside from testing). When on "median", it's comparable to my old hood on "high" in terms of the noise level but do not have the smoke/smell issues like the old one. So overall, it's quieter and gets the job done.

My suggestion: Go for the 1200!
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Well, "any" is potentially a very small amount, and I'm sure that there is some slight amount. My attic, however, is vented all around the periphery, at the ridge, and also with an attic fan housing. Ice dams at the roof edges tend to occur when the outside air warms up during the day and heats the snow bottom up through the vents instead of top down. In my present half-completed configuration, the ~ 2 x 2 ft heat exchanger sits above a Cooley and Hart 3 x 3 diffuser in a hall ceiling. There is a furnace filter taped down on top of the heat exchanger. This style of filter (Honeywell Filtrete) needs significant pressure drop to move much air through it, and I was pleased to observe that warm air doesn't seem to rise through it in the winter, or hot attic air settle through it in the summer. The sides of the heat exchanger and its plumbing are buried in insulation. When kitchen fans are running and the house is closed up, air is pulled through and the thermostats, the larger-than-typical-size Taco pump, and the furnace controls do their thing to heat the air. (The circuit is capable of well over 100k BTU/hr depending on furnace and air temperature.) The problem, as I have pointed out a few times here, is that pulling air through a filter and heat exchanger requires a pressure drop -- a drop too large for combustion appliance safety. My only combustion appliance is an oil furnace, and it now uses its own MUA system to avoid back-drafting. Nevertheless, if I were to run both kitchen fans at once at full power expecting all flow to be made up through the heat exchanger without fan boost (possibly 1400 actual cfm with restricted MUA), the pressure drop in the house causes some furnace exhaust to be pulled into the house via tiny cracks not normally relevant when there is a positive draft, so I don't do dat without an opened window. My intention is to duct the heat exchanger to a mushroom air intake already installed on my roof via an axial in-line fan and a four-inch pleated filter caddy so that at the maximum possible flow rate (possibly 2000 cfm, say) the house pressure can be balanced and all the MUA comes from outside without mingling with the attic air. A damper may be needed, although as noted, the Filtrete coating will be pretty resistant to air passage without some deliberate pressure drop from the in-line fan. kas
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Thank you segesta & weissman. weissman - I can't vent outside from my high rise apt. :( I hope to finally get to see the Culinarian in the next week or so. If it's as good as everyone says, I can't see myself settling for lower BTUs. As it is, I hardly ever use the burners I have under 12,500 BTU. And even if I did go with 15,000 burners, I would still need 600 cfm's. segesta - yes, idiot software, but it is even more idiotic that their personal shoppers assured me I would get the rate advertised, and then their bosses refused to back them up. If I get a vent, I have to either give up the microwave or lose the counter space. And the reviews of recirculating vents on this site are awful. Tough decision. Can't an appliance co. develop a 600 cfm microhood that can withstand high heat ranges? The only microhoods I have been told can withstand high heat (well, 60,000 BTUs) are the Viking & Dacor, and both only have 300cfm. Doesn't make sense. There must be lots of apt dwellers like me who want a high heat range but can't vent outside!
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I think it sounds fine. These were where the stove will actually be, right? Not on the counter next to it? If the latter, it's not fair to your poor hood, your hood sucks a treat and you need to stop worrying. :) You'll know for sure in practice, of course. Is your hood the same size as the stove, or is it one size bigger? If it's the same size, I don't think you have any concern at all. You've proven that your hood is powerful enough to capture from the very edges of your cooking area. What it tells you either way is something that is true of all hoods. They draw best in the center. So...if you have something big/smelly/smoky/steamy/greasy, put it as close to the middle as you can. If you're simmering something that's not doing much, on a small flame, put it in the front, on the side. Most of all, unless you have really bad issues with asthma or something similar with your family members, you have a heck of a lot better venting than most people and your new kitchen is going to be great! I agree with Aloha, however. Did you account for make-up air? You seem so well informed about your vent, I didn't think to ask. If you're in an extreme climate with cold, heat or humidity, or if you have a well sealed, modern house, you might want to put in a "conditioned" make-up air system while you're still not finished. That means air that enters the area where it's being sucked out, that's heated, cooled or dehumidified as needed. If you live in a temperate area, however, the open window is just fine if you're not getting enough make-up air from cracks and drafts. 1200 cfm is a lot of suck, and the air it's sucking has to come from somewhere. :)
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foodonastump
13 years ago
No suggestion about the blowers but I'm having a hard time visualizing a hood that's 40% wider than the range not looking awkward. People struggle enough with 3 inch overhangs and you're talking 6.

Of course performance-wise I'm sure it'll be great. But if I had room for 42" up top I'd be trying to make room for 36" below, and plan on primarily using the center burners for my smokey/greasy cooking. That would be even greater.
shannonplus2
13 years ago
Foodonastump said exactly what I was going to say. Can you explain why you are having a 30" range with a 42" hood. Why not either (A) a 30"range/36" hood, or (B) a 36" range/42" hood?
amcook
13 years ago
I can guess at an answer for the 42" which is 1200cfm is typically not available in anything under 42". At 36" I think the most you will typically find is around 900cfm or below. That said, I'd agree that 42" over a 30" is overkill. I'm all for over spec designs but it would look awkward and I don't think it will be necessary. If you really want to, I'd advise you look into a liner and do a high mounted insert. Then the hood would mesh better with the cabinetry and not stand out as much. Plus, the extra overhang allows you to mount the hood higher giving the cooking area a more open look.

If you only do occasional stir-fry and only expect to use two burners at a time max, then 600cfm in a 36" hood should be plenty. Go up to 900cfm if you like but I don't think it will be necessary.
buffalotina
13 years ago
I have a 30" Bluestar range with a 36" Bluestar hood above with 1200 CFM. I believe that hood or the Prestige version can come either as 600 or 1200 CFM. After good advice from Trevor I upgraded to 1200, it was not a huge price difference, and I am VERY glad I did. Of course routinely I never use it on full but there have been several emergency occasions when full tilt was very useful. Good luck.
amcook
13 years ago
I sit corrected. :) Go for the 36" 1200cfm then. That sounds like a great configuration. Makes me think I should go 2000cfm on my build (54" hood over 48" range) instead of 1600cfm.
sayde
Original Author
13 years ago
Hi there, thanks, as always, for all the input!

The reason for 42 (and it is 42 at the bottom tapering to 22 at the top) is that it is driven by the layout. We are using our old (antique) gumwood glass cabinets-- they will be on either side of the range at the two ends of the run and there is a 63 inch space between. The 30 inch range is centered below. When I drew it all out, the 42 inch hood just looked best in that space -- it was an aesthetic decision but having the extra capture cannot be a bad thing . . .

I picked a 30 inch range rather than a 36 -- I never use more than one or two burners and the 30 inch oven is more than large enough and will preheat faster than a 36. I would rather have the counter space and storage space on each side, and the gumwood cabinets, now reconfigured, also fit the 30 better. I was on the path to getting "upgraded" to a 36 but decided to resist and just stay with what I know I really need. I have lived very comfortably with 4 burners for over 30 years, and now we are empty nesters.

Have been talking to Modernaire and the cost to upgrade from 600 to 1200 is pretty reasonable so will probably do it --

Thanks again, everybody!!!!

600 or 1200 cfm over 30' bs or cc

Comments (8)

bkirchert

dapitou

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600 or 1200 cfm over 30' bs or cc

Comments (8)

bkirchert

dapitou

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shannonplus2

amcook

buffalotina

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saydeOriginal Author

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sayde
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