Posts

adding a range hood-edgewood cabinetry

What to Consider When Adding a Range Hood [Part Two]

Adding a range hood part two and if you missed part one click here. We will wrap it up next week with part three.

A range hood is hardworking, yet sometimes overlooked component of a kitchen remodel.

It removes smoke, food odors, airborne grease, mold-promoting humidity, and dangerous VOCs from your home. It can also help reduce your air conditioning bills by keeping your kitchen cooler and more comfortable for the cook.

Frying or sautéing produces fine, airborne particles of grease that will settle on your walls and cabinets if not promptly removed from the air.

Once it settles on a surface, it becomes a dust magnet. The filter in a range hood collects that grease before it has a chance to spread throughout your kitchen. Not only will your kitchen remain cleaner, but the air you breathe will be healthier, too!

So, what should you consider when choosing something as important as your new range hood?

  • A grease trap that is convenient and easy to clean. The rest of the vent should be equally easy to clean – a nice smooth surface and fully enclosed bottom helps with that.
  • A vent fan that exhausts to the outside with as few bends and the shortest run possible. The duct should also have a flap or baffle on the exterior to keep out cold air and moisture, as well as insects and other critters!
  • A low sones rating for the amount of air moved. If two fans move the same amount of air, but one has a sones rating that is half as high as the other, that means that it’s only half as loud at its highest speed. For reference, a quiet refrigerator produces approximately one sone.
  • Good lighting is always helpful when cooking and your range hood can help with that. Look for one that provides even lighting that reaches every corner of your cooktop. An Energy Star rating can help keep your utility costs low.
  • A variable speed control allows you to adjust the fan speed to suit your needs at the moment. At the very least, the fan should have multiple speed settings.

Optional features you may appreciate include:

  • Automatic heat sensors that sound an alarm or increase the fan speed in response to increased heat coming off the stove.
  • Automatic shut-offs that turn the fan off after a predetermined time. If you leave for a movie right after that delicious fish dinner, you won’t come home to a ‘fishy’ smelling house or a fan that’s been running needlessly for hours.

Of course, you’ll also want a range hood that suits the style of your beautiful kitchen! There are a variety of options available. We’ll discuss those options, as well as the correct size fan for your kitchen area, next.

[contact us]

/by
custom wood hood-edgewood cabinetry

Design and Functionality: What to Consider When Adding a Range Hood

With all the options and details to consider when planning your dream kitchen, the ventilator hood might not first come to mind.

However, many homeowners discover that it is one of the most-used appliances in their kitchens, likely on a daily basis.

So what do you need to consider when adding a range hood?

  • First things first, is your project a remodeling job, a replacement hood for one that is passed repair, or is it a new installation? If you are fitting your new hood into an existing design, size and style will be nonnegotiables when making your selection. Appliance compatibility is a must, both for design and functionality and a very slightly larger hood may be accommodated more easily than one that is smaller than the space to be filled. Custom cabinetry can be designed to fit your new range hood as well.
  • Will your new range hood be the centerpiece of the kitchen, or does it need to blend into the overall design? The kitchen is referred to as the heart of the home for many reasons. A standout hood can set the tone for the entire kitchen and by extension for your home as a whole. The reverse is also true: select more a subtle style and material to allow your range hood to blend into the background. Our design process allows you to envision your kitchen’s overall look and feel before build out even begins.
  • Which functions are most important to you when selecting your new range hood? Is task lighting a priority? Do you need more than one light level for different needs, i.e. cooking and prep vs. ambient light? Or is fan power a bigger factor? What kind of cooking do you anticipate? A built-in grill will obviously need more ventilation power than will more traditional range-top cooking.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the many factors to consider during your kitchen project. Contact us today and put our experience and expertise at your service!

Stay tuned this is only the beginning part 2 to follow.

/by