Range Hoods FAQ

What size should my range hood be?

Measure the width of your range's cooktop, your range hood should cover the entire width of your cooktop. When purchasing a range hood for an island or a BBQ, we recommend buying a range hood that will cover an additional 3" on each side of your cooktop for maximum efficiency.

How high should my range hood be mounted?

Most range hoods are recommended to be installed between 26"-30" above your cooktop. Island and BBQ units are recommended to be installed between 30"-36" from your cooktop. Our ceiling mounted units should be installed no higher than 60" from the cooktop.

How tall does my chimney need to be?

All of our chimney range hoods are designed for 8'-9' ceilings. The allowed installation height can vary depending on your ceiling however, so we recommend looking at the minimum/maximum distance the chimney can extend to find out if the range hood can reach your desired installation height about your cooktop. If your ceiling is 10' or taller, most of our models come with an option to purchase an extended chimney cover for tall ceilings.

What is CFM and how much do I need?

A range hood’s power is measured in CFMs or Cubic Feet per Minute. The larger the number, the more air the hood will remove. Generally, the rule for finding how much CFM you need is, for every 10,000 BTU your cooktop generates you will need 100 CFM. Example 60,000 BTU's = 600 CFM.

It will likely not be possible to match that exact CFM you get from your calculation but it is important to get as close as possible, plus or minus 100CFM. This ensures the motor you get in your range hood will not overheat and be strong enough to handle the heat from your cooktop, this is particularly important for gas cooktops.

What's the difference between a ducted and ductless hood?

Ducted range hoods vent to the outside of your home whereas ductless hoods (often called recirculating hoods) filter the air from cooking through a charcoal filter, removing grease and odors before returning the air back into the kitchen.

Ducted range hoods are preferred because they will remove all impurities, odors and pollutants from your home. Ductless range hoods will trap some pollutants and odors but if the charcoal filter is not replaced regularly its ability to filter odors and pollutants will be compromised. Because of this, high BTU gas stoves should always be ducted to the outside.

How do I know if I need a high CFM range hood?

You should consider buying a range hood with more than 600 CFM if you:

• Frequently do a lot of frying or wok style cooking
• Cook spicy or fishy foods
• Grill on your cooktop
• Have a cooktop with high BTU's
• Have very long ducting (especially if you have multiple 90 degree elbows)
• Want to position your range hood higher than recommended

Please note, that any hood that has more than 600 CFM will require a bigger duct than 6".

What are sones and how is it measured?

Sones are a recognized unit of loudness and describe the sound output of your hood. The lower the sone levels the quieter your hood will be. One sone is approximately the equivalent of a quiet refrigerator. Most range hoods are between 1-6 sones from the lowest to the highest speeds.

How do you measure for an under-cabinet hood?

Measure the distance from the top of your cooktop to the bottom of your upper cabinet in inches to find out how much space you have. Then subtract the height of the range hood and this is how much space is left from the bottom of your hood to the top of your cook top.

For example, if you have 36" of space and the range hood is 6" tall, this means the range hood will sit 30" above your cooktop. The recommended distance for all under-cabinet range hoods is 26"-30".

What is a recirculation kit?

A recirculation kit is used to vent the airflow from your range hood back into your kitchen when venting to the outside is not an option. Some of our range hoods will come with an option to add a recirculation kit.