We all need to vent from time to time and your kitchen is no different. Kitchen vent systems can (and should be) customized to every kitchen’s unique needs. Before you decide which kind of vent you should go with, there are four factors you need to consider.
- Ducting- If at all possible, get a vent system with ducting. These vents are connected to a duct that will safely carry all the smells and smoke out of your kitchen and release them outside of your home. The alternative to ducting is re-circulating, which just pulls the air through a filter and blows it back in the kitchen.
- Power- The power of a vent is measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM). The more smelly, heavy food you cook the stronger vent you’ll need. Normally around 350 CFM will do for a heavy cooker. Kitchens with a gas range will need about 1 CFM for every 100 BTUs the range puts out.
- Noise- The noise a vent makes isn’t actually measured in decibels, instead they’re measured in sones. Ideally you’ll want a low number of sones, especially if you do a lot of in kitchen entertainment.
- Filter- Vents will either have an aluminum filter or a charcoal filter. Aluminum filters can be washed and reused, but charcoal filters aren’t reusable.
With all four factors in mind, you can look at all the different options for hood vents.
- Undercabinet- As the name implies, these vents are mounted under the cabinets above the cooking range. These can be ducted or non-ducted. Undercabinet vents are convenient because they don’t take up too much space, but because they’re small they aren’t very powerful.
- Chimney- If you’re looking for a professional and slightly industrial look, a chimney hood vent is nice. These vents come with plenty of power can be adapted for just about any size kitchen.
- Flush Ceiling– Don’t like the idea of a ventilation system on full display? Try a flush ceiling vent. These sneaky vents are tucked away in the ceiling so you barely even notice them. While they’re very inconspicuous, they can’t handle a very heavy load because they’re so far away from the cooktop. However, flush ceiling vent will do a fine job for anyone who doesn’t cook lots of heavy food or sear lots of meat in the kitchen.
- Pop-up- If space is in short supply a pop-up vent can come in handy. Pop-up vents hidden below the countertop and then pop up at the touch of a button when you need it. When it comes to power, pop-up vents are probably at the bottom of the list. For this reason, we try to stay away from them unless absolutely necessary.
Finding the right vent for your kitchen is just one of the ways the designers at Kitchen Ideas keep the focus on function. We want to give our clients kitchens that keep up with their steep culinary demands.
