We have the KA combo convection oven and the cooling fan is quite noticeable. It's also on whenever the convection is on, so I'm not sure if it's the convection fan or the cooling fan, but I suspect it's the cooling fan. We have a pretty loud house (dog, boys, parrots, music, news, etc) and open floor plan, so it doesn't really bother us. I do appreciate it because it works really, really well to dissipate the heat. Living in Florida and trying to conserve a/c, I don't want a "hot spot" in my kitchen, especially right in the middle of my galley-shape. For this reason I also really, really like my ventilation hood and I use it even when I'm using the oven on my range.

Just to tell you where I am coming from on this - I wrote the book! (It's fun to say that.) "Residential Ventilation Handbook" It's been said pretty well already, but bath fans must vent all the way to the outside. Not just near an opening. Use insulated ducting to reduce the possibility of condensation in the ducting. Use 3 screws to attach the ducting to the hood. That will keep the ducting from turning or pulling off. Be careful that the screws don't interfere with backdraft dampers. (Cloth duck tape was made from the same duck material sailor's pants were made from. Not good at all for duct work.) If you can do it, transition from the 4" nozzle on the fan to 6" ducting. The flow will be much better. Point the nozzle of the fan in the direction of the exhaust hood. Air is lazy. It hates to make 180 degree turns. Here is a link that might be useful: Heyoka Solutions

Agree with ci lantro: exterior wall is not automatically the best choice from a ventilation standpoint. It's true that exterior wall allows the shortest duct pathway, but longer ductwork can be compensated for by 1) making sure you use adequately sized ducting (10'' is the ideal) 2) minimizing turns and 3) upsizing the blower to compensate. Thus, a 1200 cfm remote blower through a longer run of 10'' duct will likely outperform a 600 cfm blower running out the wall. The biggest reason to consider running up through the attic rather than a shorter path through the wall is simple: the latter requires that you put an exhaust duct on the wall of the house. For all of the folks worried about aesthetics, this is a big deal: do you really want some big aluminum vent stuck on the side of the house right outside your kitchen? Realize too that depending on where the wall in question is located, that you may be blowing your fumes into a potential outdoor living area, like a deck or patio. I'm much happier with the roof vent that we have, which is invisible from almost all views of the house and which exhausts the fumes 40 feet above my deck. Wall venting also makes using a remote blower much more difficult, as mounting an external blower on the side of the house is even more obtrusive than a vent. Why is this an issue? Because if there is any way remotely possible to do it, using a remote blower is far superior to an internal blower in the hood. See my earlier post for my rationale: vent hoods and noise As ci lantro says, as long as you can route ductwork up to the attic through an interior wall, it's just as effective as an exterior wall. Our range pictured above is against an interior wall. It took some creativity, but we were able to run 10'' duct (or for one stretch, 18'' rectangular duct) to the attic. debsan: you and I are really saying the same thing. I totally agree with you that if function is sacrificed for form, then it's a mistake. I was just pointing out that it is possible to have both, contrary to what Kenneth was implying. akchicago: thanks. I agree that the thread I posted was perhaps a bit overly obsessive. But there's good info there. I also strongly agree with you that there are great solutions to problems that are not top $$. I think the key is to be armed with some knowledge, and then find the best option your budget will allow. So, yes, your message is right on target. And to the OP: Don't trust your appliance store! Over and over we read posts about what folks were told by their appliance dealers (the most recent post on Appliances had the dealer claiming that Modern Aire hoods were "inferior quality low end hoods"--laughable). Their real agenda is to push the (typically) single line of hoods they carry. They are like used car dealers. The best approach IMHO is to post even the simplest questions here or on Appliance forum and you'll get good, clear and non-condescending replies--just like what...

Design of your HVAC is likely the problem and because of such you will need to redesign the HVAC system to fix this problem. Nearly all 2 story structures with 1 AC system will suffer from being uncomfortable some where. If the thermostat is located on the lower level cool air falls satisfies the thermostat quite easily and the system shuts off even though the upstairs is still stuffy. Put the thermostat upstairs and then the down stairs is always too cold. Putting in vents to draw cooling is impractical and will only create more problems than it fixes. If you can't afford the investment required to redesign the HVAC system do what everyone else does... sell the place and move. Just realize the next place you move to could be even worse.... because there are a lot of people out there with your mentality right now -- you know thinking there is some cheaper magical cure to what ails your HVAC system. Builders are known for cutting corners. It's what they do. Rather unfortunate but that is the way it works. If you buy a home with the mentality of staying and fixing these kinds of problems it's the best way in the long run. If you don't plan to stay in a home and fix it, you should be asking yourself why you bought it.