7 Factors to Consider Before Buying a Range Hood

Make sure your kitchen always stays clean and fresh with the proper range hood! Learn about what to consider here.

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August 21, 2019

One of the basic things to consider in maintaining a great kitchen is to make sure that it is clean and well-ventilated, and the best way to do this is to get yourself a dependable range hood.

With a wide selection of range hoods available in stores, choosing the best for you can be a daunting task. So here are a few tips to help you pick the perfect one.

1. Size

For hoods that are mounted on the wall, always consider your hood to either be equal to the size of the stove or slightly bigger

For island mounted range hood, no need for it to be larger but make sure that it overlaps 3 to 6 inches on each side, because the better the canopy of your hood, the better it can trap the heat, grease and odor in your kitchen.

2. Mount

The range hood can be mounted within cabinets, either on top of the wall or be mounted against your wall. Others prefer an island type or an insert/liner type for aesthetic and practical reasons.

3. Ventilation

The ventilation for range hoods varies depending on the type of home you live in. Say if you live in an apartment, you will most likely be needing a ductless range hood. To make sure that you constantly have good ventilation however, you must always check on your filtration system.

4. Filters

Keeping your range hoods clean will help you save dollars. Being able to decide what type of grease filters to use will keep the dirt, grease and odor from ruining your kitchen experience. Choose between mesh or baffle filters. These two may look like they are doing the same job, but they are different from each other. Mesh filters are intended to trap more grease residues but may need more cleaning. It is usually cheaper than baffle filters too.

5. Power

The power of your range hood is measured in cubic feet per minute or CFM, to determine what you need, you will have to identify first, the type of stove you have and what type of cooking you will be doing.

You only want to consider a professional level range hood if you frequently do a lot of frying, grilling on your range top, cooking spicy, fishy or strong smelling foods. If you are just into some light cooking, then a regular range hood may work just fine.

6. Noise of the Range Hood Blower

One thing to note is that range hoods may tend to be a little bit noisy, depending on the blower level. You can actually decide how quiet you want it to be. You also need to check with your city the restrictions on blower power that they may have before deciding what to purchase.

7. Height

Make sure that the height of your ceiling goes well with the height of your cooktop. The rule of thumb is that the distance should be between 24” and 30”, unless otherwise specified.

Remember that if you have a nice range hood, it will help remove all unwanted residue, odor, smoke and grease from the kitchen. This saves you hours of cleaning time, gives your kitchen ( and the rest of your home)  a fresh clean smell. 

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