A Helpful Range Hood Buying Guide
Whether you’re a beginning cook or you consider yourself an expert home chef, it’s important that your kitchen is comfortable, clean and safe. The joy of cooking not only means you get to enjoy delicious meals, but you’ll also need to deal with the smoke, grease and heat that comes along with using your oven range.
A range hood can help keep your kitchen ventilated and safe. Not sure how to buy a kitchen range hood that fits your needs? Read on to learn about what to look for when buying a range hood.
Ventilation or Exhaust Type
Range hoods clean the air in your kitchen using an exhaust system. Here are the three ventilation types and how they work:
Ducted or Vented – The contaminated air is vented from you kitchen to the outside.
Non-vented or Ductless – A filter is used to clean the contaminated air, and clean air is returned to the kitchen.
Combination – Both a vented and filter system is used to clean the air.
Range Hood Type
Under-Cabinet Hoods – Attached underneath a cabinet above your oven range; usually available in either ducted or non-ducted (non-vented) exhaust systems.
Chimney and Wall Mount Hoods – Attached directly to the wall above your hood and usually comes with a vent that extends up from the wall to the ceiling; usually available in either ducted or non-ducted systems.
Island Hoods – Mounted directly to the ductwork from the ceiling.
Downdraft Hoods – Attached beneath the range and exhausts contaminated air in under-floor ducts.
Air Movement or Power Type
The strength of a range hood’s ability to circulate air is measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM). If you cook heavily or produce strong cooking odors, consider a range hood with a higher CFM to ensure the smoke and contaminated air is effectively vented out of your home.
Range Hood Width
Fan / Noise Level
Range hoods use either a rotary fan or a barrel-shaped fan to move the air. Range hoods using a rotary fan are typically the most economical option, but produce more noise. Range hoods that use barrel-shaped fans tend to be faster and make less noise. Many range hoods also provide the option to adjust the fan speed.
Kitchen range hoods that provide light can enhance your cooking experience, and most models have at least one or two light bulbs. In addition, many units use incandescent, halogen or LED light bulbs.