Your new Range hood will serve many healthful purposes other than being beautiful and adding value to your home. Did you realize that an average of ONE GALLON of cooking fat is deposited on your kitchen surfaces annually? One gallon per year, times how many years have you lived there??? What color is your kitchen? Zucchini green, Salmon red, Mellow Yellow (love that song) or Green fried tomatoes (loved that movie) ? A Range hood will get rid of steam, moisture, chemicals, mold, mildew and pollen. Your Range hood also clears the air while using microwaves, slow cookers, toasters and convection ovens. Baking, cooking and frying will splatter particles which can irritate your lungs and cause other health problems. For every droplet of oil you can see, there are thousand of particles you cannot see.
Let’s clear the air in regards to using ducted vs. non-ducted Range hoods. Duct and vent are synonymous. Definition of duct; “emit from a confined space; let out and expose to the air: an opening, as in a wall serving as an outlet for air, smoke, fumes and the like.” ( Online Etymology Dictionary)
A ducted Range hood will offer you maximum benefit of air quality. Federal safety standards mandate that restaurants use a ducted range due to the high volume of cooking. Commercial kitchens would be unsafe without one. Your ducted Range hood will remove the unwanted odors, chemicals and vapors outside of your home into the great outdoors. Most experts recommend ducted range tops.
In order to set up a ducted Range hood, you need to run a vent from your stove to the outside of your home. A word of caution, NEVER try to create a system where the vents dump air into your attic or wall interior because this can cause a fire or other problems.
If your kitchen stove is located along an interior wall, or if for some reason you cannot install a vented range hood, you will probably need to choose a ductless one. Rather than pulling the air outside, the ductless version will filter the air and release it back into your home through a filter system which must be maintained. You can use charcoal filters which need to be checked/changed every 3-6 months or an exterior aluminum filter which does not have to be changed. You will have to clean it.
When purchasing a ductless Range hood consider; (1) the amount of noise it generates. The amount of noise any range hood makes is measured by a unit known as a Sone. Be sure to speak with your design professional to determine the cubic feet per minute for the size and layout of your kitchen. (2) the amount of air it circulates (3) the type of filters it uses.
Either way, your home will be a cleaner, safer and healthier space for your family, friends and even your plants! Let’s get cookin’ and clear the air! We love happy kitchens and they love us back.