Over the several months that I've been collecting information on installation of a range hood vent, I've learned quite a bit here. So I thought I would pass on this "best practices" info that has been very helpful to me about the ductwork. It's for a Ventahood ( I think) but seems pretty generic to me. It doesn't answer questions about induction vs gas but it did help me determine exactly what size ductwork to use, etc. It also mentions at the end : "Since smoke also expands as it rises, the hoods sides and front edge should extend 3" to 6" beyond the front and sides of the cooking surface" I knew the recommendation was to increase size on the sides but I didn't know about doing that in front. Well, don't think this is required by code so we will pass on this requirement but if we had problems, we might consider moving the vent away from the wall (and extending the ductwork.) So much to think about. I don't have a G.C. to pass this task onto so appreciate all the tips here. Hope this stuff I'm posting here may help someone else. Best Practices - vent hood

Concerning more ventilation: Most of the time it's fine. I don't mind cooking smells in the house. I've never cooked fish or something with strong unpleasant odors. The only times I really want more is when I'm sauteeing onions or searing steaks and I get smoke going. I turn it on in those cases but it doesn't even have enough pull to really pull the smoke up to the vent if that makes sense. Also I have greasy build-up on top of my cabinets. I had no idea that a fan was even suppose to be used for greasy things (can you tell my mom never used hers either), so now that I know a fan could help with that it would be nice if I had one that worked better so I didn't have to scrub the top of my cabinets every year. As far as current venting goes; if I had any it would have to be in the existing wall, nothing goes through the cabinet over the stove. Also there is nothing on the roof or side of the house that indicts anything being vented anywhere in this area of the house. Weedmeister, after reading your message I realize I was incorrect in my thinking of where the duct connects to the hood. I was thinking they would connect to the back side of the hood (where it touches the wall) but after reading this I think you are saying the duct will connect above the hood. Is that correct? In that case I'd have 2 turns in either direction (one from the fan to the wall and one from the wall to go up or to the side. I'd definitely want the vent in the wall because I have a huge open space above the cabinets up to the cathedral ceiling and I wouldn't want to see a vent running there. Thanks for helping me clarify this stuff. More and more it sounds like going ductless might still be my best choice. The filters on them were rather expensive and I was starting to think maybe over the long term that just installing the ducting work would be cheaper than replacing all those filters. So if I'm going to install a ductless hood, does the CFM's matter so much. I was considering the Broan Evolutions QP130 or Broan QP230 hoods.

I would not recommend installing the hood before you install the backsplah that will go behind it! It could get scratched or otherwise damaged, working around it will be a pain in the behind, and the backsplasb installation will end up costing you more because it will take longer. Patience - you'll be cooking in there in no time at all.

Hi everyone. Been reading a lot on this site and got tons of good info. Just purchased and installed a Best by Broan 48 inch range hood with external 1200 cfm blower. Used rigid duct, Fantec silencer, one 45 degree bend, one 90 degree and a total physical length of 13 feet - calculated at maybe 25 feet. Hood is super quiet - basically you can not hear anything until until about mid speeds (variable adjustement) and max speed is mostly lots of air rushing thru the baffles - lots of air. Question - how do I know if the hood blower is working properly. For example I don't feel lots of air being drawn in down below the baffles. Air is felt about 6 inches below the baffles and a sheet of paper will stick to the baffles as others stated for a test. Should the air being drawn in be felt lower or is this about normal. I also had a window open when testing. How much below the baffles should I feel air being drawn in when on full speed Thanks