It depends on your brand/model. Look in the installation specs and it should have a minimum and maximum distance from cooktop recommendation.

I think I remember 18" being a minimum guideline for effective use of the stove stop (each manufacturers specs will be different).

I believe 30" is standard, but your particular model should list an acceptable range.

30" is what I remember, also, but you should be able to find a spec sheet for ypur model to know for sure.

Generally 18" above for electric cooktop.

Generally 24" above for gas cooktop

Generally 30" for pro-style/high heat gas cooktops.

It also depends upon the power of the range hood.
Over the range microwave hoods will fall in the 18"-24" range because of their drawing power and also access. The bottom of a microwave hood would be 5 feet from the floor in a 24" installation. That is high enough to put hot dishes at face level for a lot of people. Not so user friendly.

One more question:

DH and I are disagreeing over the windowsill! Would it be better for him to build a wood ledge for the windowsill and tile over it, or should we buy a wooden windowsill more like this (http://www.onewomanslife.com/home/uploaded_images/kitwindowduring-749696.jpg), paint it white, and tile around it?

I think he is thinking he will tile the windowsill and keep it going all the way up around the window. I'm having a hard time imagining this and think it might be better to texture and paint around the window, put an actual windowsill in, paint it the same color as the cabs, and tile just the backsplash, keeping a straight line across.

I don't know...maybe we'd have to decide on what we're doing with the tile before we make this decision. This is crazy! LOL

Okay, well I feel silly. I thought I was under my own post. Still learning here! Just got lost! :)

Is that a picture from your space or just an example of a windowsill? Where exactly would the tile be? Do you have a picture of this? Is it around the outside of the window or inside the sill/frame?

With all due respect to others offering opinions, I had electric ranges all my life and have never had a hood only 18" above a cooktop! (always at 30" give or take) Upper cabinets are usually about 18" from the counter, so I can't imagine having a hood at that level. My hood over my Wolf rangetop is 34" above the surface, which is within the specs saying 30-36".

Many range hoods are installed high. No big deal. Regardless of this, it is OK to indicate a range of heights that show minimums, and this is what the above posts have done, to a large extent. It IS related to the original posted question, about minimums.

It's not a hard and fast rule. It's rule of thumb thinking. Smoke plumes need to be captured. For some types of cooking it's a serious concern.

Most manufacturers don't say much about it. My guess is that they don't want to be drawn into a never ending cycle of questions and answers (which is expensive customer service), and they don't want the liability associated with having provided answers (also expensive).

-david

I wasn't meaning to offend, just wondered how someone would cook with a hood vent that's placed lower than chin-height, so one couldn't see the burners? Must be different style and depth than the hoods I've had.

Look at the specs for your hood. It should tell you what is acceptable. Mine shows 24-30" to the top of the hood.

I've always gone with the 24-30" rule. unless you have a micro/hood. That will end up 18-20 " above cook surface usually. But otherwise- some pots are pretty tall, then how would you fit a long spoon to stir or see in it as someone above suggested. It just depends on your hood, read your maual it should have installation instructions

Here is a link that might be useful: granite countertops