That is a good point about the fan controls. it bothers me that a bit of sheet metal and an electric motor and squirrel fan can cost upwards of $1000 - these units are very basic - , most of the components could probably be had from RadioShack for less than $100. However, I'm DIY most of the kitchen...I really hoped the fan/vent hood would be something that could be reasonably purchased. - Kitchen renos are starting to feel like weddings - normally priced items that become associated with one or the other suddenly become very expensive! :-) Capian

Why would they NOT work together? The blower attaches to the fan output on the hood whether hard wired or through a plug. The 3 speed controller would then send power to the fan blower. It's very basic electrical work. That being said, I had a Thermador hood in my last house and I could not stand the 3 position fan controller. It was never the right speed and very diificult to live with. If the walls are open I would consider installing a dimmer switch on the wall to control the blower. It is easier reach and modulate and will not get covered in grease.

Thanks for the input everybody. I found out that whichever lead is connected to the "heat" plug is the one that is used in "fan" mode. A friend has my laser thermometer, so until I get it back I won't be switching the "low" fan speed to the "heat" plug. Once I get the thermometer back I'll switch them, then run the heat and measure the output temp to see if it's within the range specified in the manual. Does that sound right? As I said before it's rare that we even use the furnace, and we could probably get by without using it at all since we have a gas insert fireplace with a blower and there is a return air duct near the fireplace so we can use the fireplace with the air handler fan on during real cold nights (28-30F in Houston)and that will probably keep the whole house above 65F (our winter stat setting). I should have added the house was built in '08 and it's energy start certified, so it's pretty tight. I really wish we had a variable speed system but it would be a waste to replace a brand new 14 seer r-410 system (even though it is builders grade).

You appear to be a DIY type of guy Doug so I'll toss out a couple of suggestions which won't cost you much at all if building your own system is what you want to do. If you really want a a full range variable speed motor for a blower I'd suggest searching Craigslist for a free high end tread mill. You'll get a DC brush motor, Dc power supply and controller to adjust the speed full range. But for a blower I'd personally go with the next option. Find a ECM (X13) blower motor from a giveaway furnace and build a mounting frame and add a pulley. The majority of these motors have 5 taps available with any one tap being energized with 24 volts Ac at any one time to select the speed. With a multi position selector switch, 6 low voltage wires (24v ac) you can select a speed preprogrammed into the driver microprocessor specified by the manufacturer of the furnace. The difference; the treadmill motor (similar to the Granger motor you picked) is a single phase permanent magnet DC motor with a separate motor controller but they're not old school controlled with a rheostat, but will usually consist of a PWM to vary the speed. The ECM motor is a 3 phase permanent magnet DC motor with a built in motor controller and processor, but the communication between the furnace and motor is model specific so knowing what you have will determine how you control the speed. Just make sure it's not digital serial interface communication, but most will be Low voltage AC or maybe DC and if you're lucky you can find one with PWM communication. A PWM board would only cost around $10 to vary the speed full range. What Mike said about over heating a AC motor without a Variable frequency drive is correct and the Vari-speed you picked isn't one. What Jim is saying..........I .never heard such a thing but he did mention California so who knows, I opened a package with metal brackets a while back and the brackets had California warning sticks stating they could cause cancer, go figure.