Height of Vent-A-Hood above cooktop - Should I change?
sherri1058
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
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friedajune
8 years agosherri1058
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Vent hood - Height above the range?
Comments (6)The short answer is: Yes there are formulas. I have posted the references in some threads (maybe now timed-out) in this forum. Search online for "Thermal plumes of kitchen appliances." Rules of thumb can be found in the ASHRAE HVAC Application handbook, Greenheck's website, and Wolf's website, to name a few. They don't necessarily agree, and most are intended for commercial application. In any case, you may not like their implications re your present hood plan. But like audio equipment, significant improvements cost exponentially more significant funds. A much longer answer would require interrogating you on cooking style, range type, sensitivity to odor, tolerance for grease condensation on walls, etc. The two key concepts are capture and containment (which implies removal). Higher mounting makes capture harder while improving visibility, lower makes capture easier but degrades visibility (and may lead to hardhat requirements). Wider and longer make capture easier. Cfm and other hood features such as depth determine containment success. Cfm is not so important to capture because the air flow velocity drops very quickly as one measures farther away from the hood. kas...See MoreWhat size vent hood do I need with a 30 ' GE Cafe Gas cooktop?
Comments (1)I would suggest a 36" hood if it is 19" or deeper. You could also go with a 30" if it is 24" or deeper. Both choices should also have at least 600 cfm, more if you plan on a lot of grilling, stir frying or using all the burners at once. If you can get the lights on the sides or in the middle between the baffles or screens that will help with capture when you use the front burners. Try looking at Kobe or Zephyr....See MoreNew Constr. Design Challenge: Vent Hood or Above Range Micro?
Comments (23)As someone who currently has an OTR and *IS* 5+ years down the road from when we put it in with small kids that didn't use it at the time, I can say that it WILL become an issue when they're older. My son is now 10 and he does use it and it's a huge pain in the rear. Not only is he perfectly capable of using it but he has to lift anything WAY up and over the stove to put it in and then reach UP to push the buttons. I'm always nervous he'll spill whatever he's heating and then I'll have a huge mess on the stove. And if I'm cooking on the stove, he's not allowed to use it at all, which makes him feel "little". My six year old has no issues yet. But if the microwave was lower, I guarantee, she'd be perfectly able to heat some things by herself now, which would be very convenient for me! LOL! The door gets in the way if one of us is cooking and the other needs to access it. The venting is nonexistent. I hate hate hate that we can still smell a hearty meal in the house the next day. I'd NEVER put one in another kitchen unless I absolutely had to. IMO, your kitchen has plenty of room to have the microwave elsewhere, so that's my vote. In our build, we're putting a microwave drawer in our island. It's more convenient for everyone and out of the main view as well....See MoreHelp! Intended height from the cooktop to the hood?
Comments (7)Hi Isaac, That looks like a good hood. I'm sure you'll find it works as well as the one recommended. The difference between the two is that the Zephyr can be mounted two inches higher than the Broan. If you mount the Broan 36 inches above the cooktop, you'll get some effectiveness but will you pass an inspection? If a there is a building permit for this work, then an inspector will be coming to check it. The inspector will pull the manuals for the appliances and then measure to see if things have been installed to specs. If this work has not been permitted, then your only concern is how effectively it will work with how you cook. I don't do much frying so I rarely use my hood so in my case it doesn't matter. The only other thing you may want to check on is insurance. If you ever have a fire, how much checking will be done to see if the work has been installed according to specs? I don't know about that at all. I totally understand how frustrating this is especially at the end of what looks like a really nice renovation. Is the concern that you'll have to pay now for a larger cabinet if you install the hood at the specified height? if so, I'd lean on the kitchen designer to eat the cost of the cabinet you can't use. That person definitely should have been very attuned to lining up specs of appliances with cabinets. You pay for advice from pros for a reason. They should know what they are doing or defray a cost when they give bad advice. The only thing I think you shouldn't do is to install the hood that specs at 24", at 36". That won't be effective at all. Hang in there, these obstacles are bound to happen in a renovation. Once it's all done, you'll love it. I'm all about cutting corners as long as those corners don't have an impact on things down the road....See Moresherri1058
8 years agopractigal
8 years agoEric
7 years agoStan B
7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
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