The contest between Vent-a-Hood and Wolf (and other "conventional" residential hoods) comes down to two questions, both of which are difficult to absolutely answer.

a) Cleaning difficulty. I know the difficulty of cleaning baffles and hood spaces with the Wolf; I have only comments on this forum of the difficulty of cleaning VaH squirrel cage blowers and hood spaces. My impression is that conventional is easier because the baffles can be removed easily and cleaned in the dishwasher.

b) Flow rate. Conventional blowers and squirrel cage blowers have differently shaped fan curves, and the effect of this is that if the VaH is restricted by exit ducting or by the make-up air path, it may lose more performance than conventional blowers of otherwise equivalent performance. Of course, in both cases one can usually choose blower sizes to compensate.

I vaguely recall Wisconsin requires heated make-up air, so if you are not already up to speed on that, please delve into it. How the MUA is supplied can affect how well the exhaust venting over the cooktop performs.

Vented into the attic or through the attic?

We have a VAH. Will not be getting another. They are loud, do a poor job of exhausting effluent and are difficult to clean.

I'd think Wolf or ModernAire or Best better than VAH but I believe these all have very limited containment area which is critical if a hood is to do a good job. We are going with a CaptiveAire liner.

It is surely a violation of code almost anywhere to vent grease bearing air into an attic. The long term result might be a mini version of meat packing plant fires.

Description Swift & Co. Fire of 1963
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1963/4/15/general-alarm-fire-levels-meat-plant/

Photos Squire Co. Fire of 1978
http://www.somervillelocal76.org/mobile/index.cfm?zone=/unionactive/view_article.cfm&HomeID=69046&page=Old20Fire20Audio

I apologize...I was totally wrong. After speaking with my husband I realized I had totally misinterpreted what I overheard.

It would be vented THROUGH the attic...not into (through the attic is what we are thinking the hvac guys will want to do).

Any preferences or recommendations for a hood liner to use above a 36” Wolf Rangetop? I apologize for not being well versed in this area

Hardly anyone starts out well versed in this area. That is why I had to study the subject a decade ago while planning my kitchen reno.

You said liner so I assume you have a decorative hood made from cabinetry or other material. With a liner, you don't need to worry about everything matching (you won't see the brand name tag out front so that rules out the "does it need to match" discussion). Almost any company that makes hoods makes liners, so in my opinion it comes down to what do you want:

- Commercial style grates, mesh screen, or VAH stainless? When you look up under the hood - what do you want to see and what do you want to clean?

- Inline, remote, or attached blower? Attached blowers are loud - inlines and remotes much quieter. Quieter means family members are more likely to use the fan, reducing pollutants and smells from the kitchen.

- Lighting selection? Most have halogens, some led. GE has one with heat lamps. I prefer variable dimming so I can set the light where I want. Low cost hoods will have 1 to 3 fixed light settings.

- Fan speed? Just like the lighting, low cost hoods will have 1 to 3 speed settings. Higher models will have variable speed. Is that worth the expense to you?

- Size and shape. Are you working with confined spaces or limited duct size? With gas, I like to go a few inches past the rangetop on both sides - 36" rangetop = 42" - 48" hood.

- MUA. When cooking with gas, I like to use a larger fan as gas creates more pollutants (than say - induction!). In most municipalities, once you cross the 400 cfm limit, you need to consider make up air. Discuss with your code officials or licensed mechanical contractor to determine.

- Brand. Lot of the out there. I'd look for local representation (not online purchase), track record, and options. Options usually means the company has thought things through. Fantech is good, ModernAire has been around awhile (although they use fantech blowers), Vent a hood, Wolf, GE, pretty much any appliance company.

Best of luck with your choice.

Dont know anything about vent a hood but i have a 48” range and the wolf hood. I hate the hood!!! I slice my fingers every time I have to clean the hood inserts. And it is impossible to keep clean. I have used a range of cleaning products approved by wolf but they either build up polish or don’t clean. And, one of my cleaning people did not wipe the polish with the grain, but instead in a stepping motion.. Those lines are forever in the hood and extremely visible. Beware!

You do, I hope, grasp the baffle assembly buttons to remove the baffle assemblies and then clean the assemblies in the dishwasher. There should be little need to touch the baffle gap edges. Just push up, pull the bottom out, and then the top follows.

There should be no polish on stainless steel. Use Barkeeper's Friend and wipe in the grain direction. In the rare case of stains, you will need to use a phosphoric acid solution (Coca Cola might work) to clean the stainless steel. Normally dusting the canopy with a damp cloth should do for the exterior, and wiping the interior after the baffle assemblies are removed with such as a Simple Green solution on paper towels or cloths should remove the worst grease coating. Heavy old hardened coatings may require such as Easy Off and appropriate protection of everything below the hood.

Kaseki,

Normally I think that's the way it works. However, in my situation it has been a lot of grief; number one trying to get the damn things out of the hood, then actually getting them clean in the dishwasher and then the miserable job of trying to put them back. I have sliced my fingers a number of times until I got smart and wore heavy gloves.

Getting the baffles out: there are some little knobies or buttons as you call them that actually interfere because the tolerances are so close they stop the baffle from coming out. In the process the stainless steel above the baffle is horribly scratched. I finally took the top knobies out which leaves a noticeable hole and has helped to some degree. It's difficult without them as there is nothing to hang onto except the bottom button. ZS needs to move them down 1/2 " and that part of the problem would be solved. I talked to SZ a number of times without a real resolution. They didn't say it but I think they thought I was a moron. Their design is lacking it's not me.

Part of the problem is that I am vertically challenged. I have to get on a ladder then stand there with my arms up in the air. Since it's an exasperating chore, I can only stand there for so long then rest let the blood flow back into my fingers and try again. It shouldn't be that difficult. If you're taller I think it simplifies things but doesn't solve the tight tolerances or the fact that the top buttons are too close to the top..

The blowers are ungodly loud. I had a Vent a Hood in the Florida house. It functioned just as well as the Wolf and was much easier to take out. If I could do it again I think I would get something else and also have the hood installed lower. Everyone told me the baffles are the way to go. Thinking about it, when the Hood and baffles were installed, the guy was probably 6'6 or taller. He literally banged the baffles in with his bare fist. The sound was horrible but they were in. That should have been a warning to me of the problems lurking ahead.

Inga

Attempting to move significant air (as required for hot oil/grease cooking) will always be noisy unless a very large diameter blower is used at low blade speed. For quiet operation, standard blowers should be in-line or external, and a silencer used between blower and hood.

I agree something is wrong with the design or fabrication. However my Wolf is a Pro Island hood, so its configuration may be different from yours. See image.

It looks as though you have 5 or more baffles. Here's what I'm dealing with

10 baffle assemblies, actually; 5 per side. Yours look similar, but obviously I can't see just what is wrong with their installation/fitment. Are yours horizontal, or is there some angle?

WOW 10 baffles!! You must have quite a cooking machine

I couldn't really get a meaningful photo. The rear where I took the handles off is higher; then it gradually slopes down to the front of the hood where the controls are. You're supposed to push the back up and out, the bottom is supposed to GENTLY swing out. A lot of supposed.:))

Happy Thanksgiving.

Inga

36-inch induction plus a proximate Cooktek induction wok hob. Canopy is the Wolf Pro Island 66-inch model.

In mine, and I can't see how yours could be different without more info, one slides the assembly up into its upper support against a leaf spring, pulls out the lower end, then releases tension in the spring by pulling out the higher end. It is necessary to do this starting with one of the middle assemblies because the end ones are partly trapped on one side and need to be slid toward the center a bit.

To you also

kas

Mine is supposed to work exactly like that. The main issue is the upper button being so close to the top. The center leaf spring (new word for me) got bent out of shape. Tried to bend it back into the original shape but it doesn't want to. One of these days when I have not much to do I might write a letter to their R&D dept. suggesting they drill those holes at least 1/2" lower. :))

Back to my Turkey Fete.

Inga

You should be able to buy replacement springs. SZ/Wolf do answer their phones. You could also drill new holes, or find someone to do it for you.

kaseki

I know SZ answers their phones and normally their customer service is beyond reproach. this time I was underwhelmed by the response. It's not as if I've had this ventilations system for years. I said the spring is broken, can you please send me a new spring.. She said "send me a picture" then told me it's not broken just bent. The baffles she told me are very easy to take out. I had a couple of men friends help me as I figured I must be missing something. They did not have to stand on the ladder but ultimately had just as difficult a time to get them out and in. So it's not a "girl" thing :))

Normally they want you to fill out a survey on how they did. She did not, as most likely she realized her service was not that great. Maybe she was having a bad day. Happens!

Drilling holes is doable. I have all of the equipment and a myriad of drill bits but have not had much training in the way of drilling into stainless steel. Do you drill a pilot hole? If I go to the "leaf Spring" store and buy a few, I could practice drilling holes before tackling stainless. :)) For now I guess I'll live with it. So many other things that are more urgent. This only becomes an issue every few months.

Ingeborg

While a tungsten carbide bit will cut nicely into stainless steel, HSS bits can be used (obtained from a real machinist jobber). Cheapie bits are not recommended. A drill press is easier than by hand where available and where the target hole site can be brought to the drill press. For 1/8 or smaller, I don't think you need a pilot hole.

Now, I am imagining for the above comments drilling to reinstall the holder buttons on the baffle assemblies. Just add a hole next to the one shown in your image. If you need to drill out the leaf springs to replace them, that might be a different issue that I don't know enough about your circumstances to comment on.

Kaseki

thanks so much for the input. Never thought about the drill press. I actually have one but only used it to drill holes into plastic bats.

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I'm wondering if Wolf and ModernAire are more or less comparable. It looks like the cost is roughly the same, but I have to wait for the ModernAire.

I'd like it to extend 24" from the ceiling, which means it'd be 31" above the stove. I was hoping to be 36" above the stove, but then the chimney would be only be 19" from the ceiling, and maybe that's too short.

I don't really understand the cleaning issues. I thought ModernAire said you don't need to remove the baffles.

With a typical level of residential cooking, one could collect a lot of months grease on the baffles and still have them function. Popping them out for a dishwasher cleaning will be better, and they will look better (says a guy who is way behind on doing this).

@Susan H. You may be able to get away without any chimney at all. This will be an aesthetics issue, not a performance issue. There will still be a duct intruding into the attic and continuing to a part of the roof that is suitable.

Hi Kaseki,

Do you mean going with a ceiling fan, not an island chimney? I got the impression from what I read here that this was not effective and would be difficult to clean. We're pretty old and don't want to climb up on ladders to get it down.

ModernAire recommends the baffle and says you can pop them into the dishwasher, so I was doing that. I was kind of set on ModernAire, but my contractor wants me to get something from a store that won't hold things up.

Modernaire said I could have a 19" chimney, which I like.

I'm unclear what exactly ModernAire is referring to by "chimney" (see my other related message in a nearby thread). I consider the canopy part to be the hood and the duct cover to be the chimney.

ModernAire make custom hoods. They are as capable as Wolf, I believe, for designing a hood meeting residential performance requirements, but I don't own one. Just don't go for a hood architecture that greatly diverges from commercial practice; that is, strive to have entry area cooking zone overlap, reservoir volume, baffles, and convergent shape to direct the cooking effluent into the connected duct. Ceiling height and hood height determine whether duct would show without a chimney cover.