Kitchen Ventilation

Kitchen Ventilation

Several years ago, a customer of mine kept trying to get a different answer from me by asking the same question over and over. "Can I mount my hood 42" above my range?" No! This went on for several months. A couple months after he moved into his home, he called me and said he was having problems with his hood. "It's not venting properly" he said. I asked him several questions about the installation and couldn't figure out what the problem was so I sent a technician out to look at it. The technician called me after he left. "The hood won't ever work for him" explained the technician. I asked why? "His hood is mounted 42" above his cooktop." Aha! I didn't think he'd actually do it after I said no so many times.

For quite some time designers were fixated on putting the cooking surface on the island. The thought was it was nice to not have to turn your back on guests while you are entertaining and cooking at the same time. The problem is how do you vent properly? Downdraft cooktops are not as efficient as updraft hoods, and island hoods aren't as attractive when you're trying to preserve a view. Function and form clash more in this category than anything else in kitchen appliances.

The exhaust system in your kitchen is one of those essential pieces of equipment that you must have in order to operate. And if your hood is like the ones in most restaurants, it has two settings: "on" and "off." When your line is operating at full tilt during the dinner rush, the "on" setting is probably perfect, quickly sending heat and fumes straight from your cooking equipment outside. But what about afternoons or during light lunches? You probably still have the ventilation on but your equipment is not creating nearly as much exhaust.

Kitchen Ventilation