Houzz Logo Print
quakerwildcat

Confused about selecting the right island hood. 5 Questions.

15 days ago
last modified: 15 days ago

We are re-doing a 30-year-old kitchen renovation (the cabinets haven't held up well, so we're replacing most of it and going higher quality). The decision that's puzzling me the most is the island hood/ventilation. I have several questions about types, sizing, and performance.

BACKGROUND (photo below):

  1. We have a 36" island cooktop. Currently gas but we are converting to a 36" induction, probably Wolf. I do some high-heat wok cooking.
  2. Directly across from the cooktop is a Wolf double wall oven. I never see the oven considered with hood sizing, but the wall oven (which I keep clean) can often produces more effluent than the cooktop when I'm broiling.
  3. We have a Dacor RV36B downdraft vent with a 1000 CFM outside-mounted motor. It's quiet but has been completely ineffective (not to mention terribly unreliable -- I don't think it ever lasted more than 3-4 years without repair). Not interested in going down that path again.
  4. My wife suffers from both asthma and reflux and is VERY sensitive. When I'm roasting a chicken or broiling a piece of fish, and open the oven, she says her throat hurts and starts opening windows.
  5. The kitchen is an open plan. The ceiling is only 8' but the immediate kitchen/breakfast area is over 3,300 cu.ft. (26'x16') and the wider open area with adjacent rooms is over 7,800 cu.ft. That's a lot of air to move.
  6. We can add makeup air. In fact, there is currently ductwork for the downdraft that goes under the floor to an outside wall. I've asked whether that ductwork could be used to create a MUA in the toekick directly under the island. I think that's possible and logic tells me that would be an ideal location.
  7. The attic is above the kitchen so straight-up venting is possible.

MY QUESTIONS:

  1. We need better ventilation but I've been told by some folks that maxing out on CFM would be overkill and will create an inappropriate breeze. However based on the concerns outlined above, and the overall size of the space, am I crazy to think 1,000, 1,200 or even 1,500 CFM is appropriate? It takes a lot of CFMs to transfer nearly 8,000 cu.ft. of air. My logic: cost notwithstanding, I'd rather install too much and then end up running it on "low" most of the time rather than go through this renovation and end up with insufficient power when we need it.)
  2. I'm willing to bite the bullet and install a big ol' hanging hood over the island, but our architect has recommended a ceiling flush mount hood and design-wise, that certainly would fit better in our kitchen, but can those really be effective sitting 4 to 5 feet above the cooktop? (Or would that actually be better for my situation, given that it would be higher above the oven?)
  3. Similar question: Or if I choose a traditional above-island hood, could I get away with mounting it higher than 30" above the cooktop (to me, 36" above the cooktop is a minimum, to not block my head. 42" would be better)?
  4. Sound is very important to me, so a remote blower or an in-line blower are worth it. But a salesman told me that remote blowers reduce the effective CFMs. Sounds like nonsense. Is that true?
  5. Finally, if I install a hood with a remote or in-line blower, will a hood with mesh filters still be noisier than a hood with baffle-type filters?

I know that's a lot of questions. I'm hoping somebody who's been around the block can provide some definitive answers. Here's the kitchen today and the basic layout won't change (you can see why a hood isn't the ideal aesthetic):


Comments (26)