Like so many who post on this site I'm finding it almost easier to pick out a new range than to pick a range hood. Many of the pro range hoods seem too bulky (even the highly regarded Modernaires); visually they seem to overpower the range and I don't like the 4" "lip" on the bottom of many of the canopy mount hoods (including the Wolf pro canopy hood). But since I'm getting a 36" pro range (still undecided on the Viking, DF Wolf or Electrolux Icon), I do need a pro hood. I like the Viking designer series hoods, but they have mesh instead of the quieter baffles. One hood I do like is the Sirius SU54. On the Sirius website I can't find much information about it other than the dimensions, the fact that it is made in Italy, and has a motor described as (2 x EBM 1000 cfm). It doesn't say if it has an internal or an in-line blower. Any recommendations from those who have a Sirius?

There are only 2 things with which you need to be concerned. You need to use materials that will withstand the heat (I seem to recall it being up to 200 degrees, but check, I made my range hood a while ago, I don't remember.) You can't use a waxed finish on the wood. You need to figure out a way of attaching the cover to the existing hood. Since this is a wall mount, that makes it easier. You can attach the ornamental cover to the wall, and have the hood independantly attached to the wall. You might have to figure out a stainless strip, where the two join. If you're clever, you can figure it out. Others here have done it.

A guy in my daughter's HOA tried to "ban" my vehicle from parking anywhere in the community other than inside DD's garage because it was an "eyesore." It was an inexpensive Ford, about 10 years old, but no dings, dents, or dirt anywhere. He was over ruled and forced to apologize to me, wherein he mentioned a couple of times how angry his wife was at him, haha! The last HOA community I lived in made us fix two shingles that appeared (to them) to be "out of alignment." Oh, did I mention it was the roof of our DOG HOUSE? Never again. Never. Again. Onto the topic at hand. I currently have a vented hood of indeterminate brand. I'm pretty sure it's the original hood in my 37 yr old home, and I'm positive it's never been cleaned (until I moved in). If you recall, I bought this house from hoarders who never, ever cleaned their house. Even after I paid people to clean the whole range (electric coil stovetop), including the hood, it is the most vile, disgusting thing I've ever seen. It's also frighteningly loud. I'm certain it doesn't pull up anything; not grease, not odors, nothing. When I remodel the kitchen, I'll most likely stay with a vented hood since there's already the hole in the roof. I would reconsider if there wasn't a way to use the same hole. I know this topic has been passionately argued over for years on this forum. And I mean passionate! But I've had the recirculating vents before and, at least in my case, have found them adequate (please don't execute me at dawn for saying that!). There are a couple of secrets to keep them working well, and I assume this would also apply to OTR recirculating micros. First, many of them recirculate the air through a charcoal filter. You have to replace that filter once in a while! :-) Just like furnace or A/C filters, if you never replace them, they get dirty and cease to clean the air; in fact, they make it worse after a while. Second, while you're at it, go ahead and clean the other parts too. If you rent, make the management replace the filter when it's due. For now, my "vent" is the two windows in my kitchen. I happen to think my cooking smells good, so the windows are basically to keep a very sensitive smoke alarm from going off. Russ, where can I order one of those pot roast pillows?

A few thoughts on your questions, while noting that I do not recommend particular hoods unless I have used them. There are manufacturers of custom hoods available, e.g., ModernAire, that can tailor a style to a particular application. Some research here by reviewing various hood threads as well as reviewing retailer and manufacturer web sites should provide additional clues. A tortuous-path-down-the-wall-interior configuration is likely to cause enough pressure loss that the flow rate may be only one-half the fan's rated (zero static pressure) flow rate, rather than the more typical two-thirds. In this case the canopy concept will be better. It will also be better suited for larger duct sizes. Without town demands for MUA, there are two other MUA requirements. Safety: The house interior pressure relative to the outside should not fall below -0.03 inches of water column pressure or the hood when operating may back-draft any combustion appliances that are present. This can bring carbon monoxide into the house. If such appliances are separately supplied by air without a path to the kitchen, or are not present, then this safety requirement is not applicable. Related to this is fireplace functionality; the effective pressure advantage between the fire and the chimney top is very low, and without a very good MUA supply, operating the kitchen hood at full power will probably back-draft the fireplace. Performance: No air goes up the hood without first entering the house. In the loop defined as cooktop to outside via the blower and back to cooktop via the MUA path, the overall pressure loss (sum of pressure drops) determines (via the blower's fan curve) what flow rate will be achieved. A large leaky house, or one with windows open whenever cooking, will have lower passive MUA pressure loss than a tight house. A restrictive MUA path (including any ducted path that is filtered against insects or dust) may require blower-boosted flow. Fantech supplies systems that may be suitable for your use. In some locales, MUA heating may be needed. Hoods are intended to achieve capture and containment of the rising and expanding cooking plume. Various factors determine how well a hood performs. For wokking, you should ensure that at least 90 ft/min air velocity exists at the hood aperture. This is equivalent to 90 CFM/square foot of hood entry aperture. So, aperture area times 90 is the desired actual flow rate, that has to be achieved at some difficult to determine pressure loss. If the MUA is good and the exit duct to the blower is fairly nonrestrictive, then a factor of 1.5 times the calculated actual flow requirement may be sufficient to pick a blower. Else, a blower achieving the desired flow rate at higher restriction pressure is needed. In other words, try to avoid choking the blower's flow rate by too much restriction in the exit path, or in the MUA path. Rising and expanding effluent that is not intercepted by the hood aperture will be mostly lost into the room to be removed slowly as the room air is exchanged. Grease and odor may be deposited on walls and furniture by the escaped plume. Attempts to improve capture by an increase in CFM in lieu of using a larger hood will be impractical. When hood overhang is limited, center rear cooking will be best to improve capture with a wall hood. kas