How to Shop for Kitchen Hoods or Range Hoods

Ventilation is usually the most overlooked and misunderstood portion of a new kitchen. Maybe it's because researching and shopping for a kitchen range hood sometimes feels like you are back in a high school science class, but the decision you ultimately make on what kitchen range hood you buy with your kitchen appliance package will be extremely important from a design, functionality and (most importantly), a safety standpoint. Hopefully this quick primer will get you up to speed on how to choose the right ventilation equipment for your kitchen.

Question: How much Power (CFM) should I use when selecting a pro style range and range hood?


Answer: Follow the formula of 1 CFM per 100 BTU’s of cooking heat. For example a typical pro-style range will have 4 burners rated at around 15,000 BTU’s, so that is 60,000 total BTU’s and therefore a requirement of at least 600 CFM for ventilation.

Question: What if I am using a gas grill or griddle on my cooking surface?


Answer: Add an extra 200 BTU’s to the equation. So the above example would be rated at 800 CFM – 4 burners x 15,000BTU = 60K BTU’s = 600CFM + 200 CFM for griddle/grille = 800 CFM.

Question: How high above the range should I mount the range hood?


Answer: Your hood should be mounted 24″ – 36″ above the cooking surface. If you mount higher than 30″ add 100 CFM for every additional 3″ above the 30″ and/or increase the capture area of the hood by increasing the width of the hood.

This is Part 2 in our series on how to select range hoods for your kitchen.
If you have any ventilation questions that aren’t answered here, please call Curto’s Appliances at 914-793-5600, visit us at www.curtos.com, email us at CurtosAppliances@aol.com or visit the Curto’s appliance store in Westchester County at 1900 Central Park Ave or visit us

Question: What Do I Need to Know About Ducting?


Answer: If the duct size does not change, the run (distance from the hood to the exterior of home) should not exceed 50ft. for maximum performance.
For each 90-degree elbow deduct 11ft., and for each 45-degree turn deduct 3ft.
PLEASE NOTE: The longer the run to the outside, and the more elbows included in the run, the worse performance will be. If you are are going to have a long run with a few elbows you should definitely invest in a hood with more power than you would normally buy for your certain rangetop. So a 1000+CFM blower wouldn't be out of the question for a 6-burner 36" range.

Question: Why Should I Vent Outside with My Pro Cooking Range?


Answer: Think three things – Heat, Moisture and Grease contamination.
A. Pro style ranges will produce as much heat as a furnace and that needs to be removed from the kitchen. An external vent will help lower the heat content which ends up being more efficient so your air conditioning doesn’t need to run at a maximum level to counter the heat.
B. Excess moisture from cooking increases the humidity in the home and can contribute to the formation of household mold.
C. Grease is the major cause of contamination in the home. 85% of grease is carried throughout the home in the form of vaporized grease particles. They can float in the home for up to 3 days before they land. Remember, if you can smell what is cooking you are probably contaminating the home with grease.

Question: Should I use baffles filters or mesh filters? 


Answer: The number one reason customers choose baffle filters is for cosmetic appearance. Also, if the customer is doing lots grilling or cooking with steam and grease output, baffles are an excellent option, as baffles will trap grease and let it run into a tray at bottom of hood. Baffles will allow for effective removal of smoke and moisture at any speed, but for the most effective grease removal, the hood should run at faster speeds.

Question: Which hood do you recommend purchasing?

Answer: The decision as to what hood you purchase is unique to each kitchen so I can't just come out and say "X" brand is the one to go with across the board. What I can tell you is that in my estimation, Best By Broan seems to make the highest quality hoods and blowers, as that is the only product category that the company focuses on. However, they come in at price points that may be too high for many consumers. VentaHood can be placed in this category as well. That said, Zephyr makes beautiful hoods, that function well and are quite affordable as they offer gorgeous pieces of merchandise that can be had for between $750-$950.  Other companies such as Faber have a following but my dealership witnessed a litany a problems with the hoods about 5-10 years ago. We may pick the line back up as I have heard quality control has improved a great deal.