What is this thing in the middle of the hood vent? pix

11 years ago

I circled it in red. It's the square thing in the center. This is a Vent-a-Hood brand. Whatever it is, it seems like it would keep the hood from venting efficiently. Or does it have a purpose I can't see?

I've been looking for a hood liner that is more funnel shaped with the intake in the center, but can't find any. The best I can find are some like this Broan, that is an A shape, but I can't tell by the description what the shape is above the baffles. So I don't know if the smoke and steam are drawn up through all the baffles, or just a spot the size of the vent pipe.

I've been researching online all afternoon, and I now know that I want stainless steel baffles that are easy to take off and clean, an inline blower of 600+ cfm, lights on the front, and a liner with enough interior space to contain the smoke and steam until the blower can get it out. I just can't find it. :(

If anyone has such a liner, would you tell me where you bought it, or the assorted items that make up your system?

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Comments (13)

User
11 years ago
YOu need to look at Tradewind liners. That is what I have . I have used it very hard for over 6 yrs and it is the best around. And very reasonably priced as compared to other brands. I take 10 min once a week and clean the baffles. The 10" opening is where ALL hoods funnel the HOGS ( heat, odors, grease, steam) so that is not going to be something you will be able to change.

We stir fry and regularly use our built in Miele deep fat fryer. If ever there was a good test of a hood we are it. I just wiped down the painted open shelves in our kitchen the other day , they are adjacent to the cooking area. They had not been done in at least 6 months. There was nothing but some dust.

Our hood is 54 " wide and 1400cfm remote blower. Tradewinds has inline too. We are MORE than pleased with it. It meets all your criteria. PLease have a look at their website..linked below. If you have any questions please ask. c

Here is a link that might be useful: Tradewind hood liner
bmorepanic
11 years ago
Vent-a-hoods have their blower mounted above that center piece and suck air in through both of the sides. That center thing with latches is the grease collector. It says they can go in the dishwasher.

That particular liner has a low cfm rating - like 250. They claim its equivalent to 375 cfm, but a lot of people like more - like 600 to 1000. The docs say you can add a second blower, but I was unable to find further details -and- I am certainly not a vent-a-hood person.
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With conventional hood systems, the expectation is that the larger particles within the entire grease particle spectrum are collected by the baffles, and the smaller particles are ejected into the outside air, with only modest condensation or impact collection by the duct. To deal with the entire particle spectrum with a filter pack is a challenge, and probably unaffordable in cost for most residential users. If the Amazon rating is based on comparison to outside venting, the result above might be reasonable. As a commercial example, the Wells WVU-31CT filter system is described below: "Filtration Completely self-contained filtration process reduces emissions below that allowed in NFPA 96 and ANSI UL710B using the EPA 202 test method and includes stainless steel grease baffle filter with grease cup, fiberglass pre-filters, high-efficiency (Particulate Air) filter/ carbon-charcoal filter pack. All filters are easily removable with out tools. Air flow sensors continually monitor air flow optimizing performance and grease removal while an interlock system will not allow cooking appliances to function if filters are missing, clogged or in the event of a fire." About $18k. Electric surfaces only.
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breezygirl
11 years ago
I suggest you ask over in Appliances also.
friedajune
11 years ago
Bmorepanic - how do you know what is the cfm rating of that liner?

Marti8a - as Bmorepanic says, the air comes in through the sides (and the back) of that housing. You can see the clips on either side (like the clips of an attache case), so that you can undo the housing to clean it. If the housing is cleaned often, it should be easy clean in the dishwasher. If it hasn't been touched in years, it will be difficult to clean, as would any hood with baffle filters that hadn't been cleaned in years. BTW, the photo you showed is a hood with "baffle filters" so you know what to ask for. Also, the shape you are looking for is called a "canopy" shape.

Regarding cfms, if Bmorepanic is correct, and that liner has 250 cfms, it may be because the exhaust duct for the hood is quite narrow, and a 250 cfm hood is all that the duct could handle. If you want 600 cfms like you said, your duct should be 8" in diameter; you may be able to get away with 7". If your duct is smaller, and you have a 600 cfms liner, be prepared for a very noisy hood, as all those cfms get pulled through a duct that is too narrow for them. Also the 600 cfms won't exhaust the way 600 cfms should if the duct is too narrow. You might pay for a powerful liner, and never have that power if your duct is small. So, could be that the reason why that Ventahood is there is a small duct that wouldn't allow anything more that 250 cfms, and the buyer was hoping that the "equivalent to 365 cfms" was true.
sjerin
11 years ago
Trail runner--my Tradewind is on order!
bmorepanic
11 years ago
I looked it up at vent-a-hood?
User
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks trailrunner! I just talked to a lady in Arizona and she is sending me specs and photos of the units.
User
Original Author
11 years ago
I just got the email with the specs and prices, and it seems that it is not any cheaper than Modern Aire. At least I can go look at that brand locally, so I'll check it out tomorrow.
User
11 years ago
ah..well it has been 6 yrs. I still love mine though and am very happy with the performance. I hope you find what you are looking for..

sj: good ! I am so glad let me see pics when installed ! c
friedajune
11 years ago
Marti8a - did you find out the size of your exhaust duct? Or are you planning on demolition, tearing it out, and installing a new duct, so it doesn't matter?
sjerin
11 years ago
Will do, TR!
User
Original Author
11 years ago
akchicago, we don't have any duct now, so will be putting in all new.

trailrunner, maybe Modern Aire has come down in price? Or I could be comparing different equipment for all I know.
garyvp
11 years ago
It is an easy ti clean grease trap.

For those interested in an apartment recirculating type vent, ventahood is it.

After waiting almost two months, our 30" Ventahood finally arrived last week and was installed today; took an hour. It is mounted 26" above a glass top electric stove top. The ARS filter weighs about 20 pounds. We cooked a pan-seared fatty sirloin steak which typically smoked up our Brooklyn apartment. The performance far exceeded our expectations. You can still smell the steak, (which is good) but no smoke or grease clouds. For a 300 cfm fan it drew drew most of the offending smoke.

I stood on a stool to smell the air coming out - no smell at all.

Will check back in a few months with more status.\

Today the steak, tomorrow the bacon!

What is this thing in the middle of the hood vent? pix

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