Ventilation Buying Guide

CLEARING THE AIR ABOUT VENTILATION
Few things are better in life than walking into your home and smelling the mouth-watering aroma of a home-cooked meal. What's not so great is when those odors linger long after the dinner dishes have been washed and put away.

Smoke, moisture, grease and heat released as you cook can spread throughout your home, creating build up on walls, ceilings, cabinetry and fabrics causing surface discoloration, griminess and smelliness. Also, gas appliances emit nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide, both hazardous gases that can affect your family's health. Having a good kitchen ventilation system will carry these contaminates away, eliminating odors and maintaining a healthy indoor air quality.

Kitchen ventilation systems are also referred to as vent hoods or range hoods. They can be externally vented or recirculating, and installed in several ways: underneath a cabinet, hanging down from the ceiling, or in the countertop. External venting is the most common and preferred method because it vents odors to the outside; however some building situations prohibit external venting, making re-circulating the next best choice.

Vent hoods come with a variety of features that offer convenience and ease of use, such as halogen lighting, variable-speed fans and filter indicator lights. Regardless of which type you choose, remember that proper care and maintenance is essential for optimum performance.

When deciding what type of vent hood to choose for your kitchen, there are a number of things you should consider. First is the type and size of range or cooktop you have and how much heat does it emit? The power (or CFMs) of a vent hood should be able to handle the heat output of your cooking appliance; check the owner's manual for recommended amount of CFMs. Also, the size of the vent hood should be as wide or wider than the range or cooktop.

The type of hood you choose also depends on the layout of your kitchen. If you have cabinets above your range or cooktop, you may choose a hood that mounts underneath an upper cabinet. If there are no cabinets above, you can choose from several wall-mounted styles.

There are also downdraft vents mountable in a base cabinet, and ceiling-mounted hoods, which work great for over islands or peninsulas. You can also design a custom hood to match the cabinetry or other design features in your kitchen.