[Range Hoods & Vents]

I think you're on the right track with a few things: external blower and the larger-than-cooking-surface size of the hood.  Some notes to think about:

 

In general, a remote/external blower will be quieter than an in-hood blower, but don't underestimate the noise created by 1000+ cfm moving through those baffles.

 

If you really want to minimize noise, consider the construction of the ductwork including caulking the junctions/joins/whatever they're called.

 

I can't tell if you need 1200+ cfm without knowing the total BTUs of the cooking surface.

 

Most homes installing high BTU cooking surfaces are all show and no go: these are 'trophy' kitchens and rarely really used.  The huge wolf range is paired with really inadequate ventilation.  The real problem here is finding someone in the home space that can design the right hvac system including the make-up air system that will be required to replace that 1200+ cfm of air as your hood pulls it outside.  Depending on where you are located, that make up air system might even need to be tempered to not shock the furnace.  But most contractors have *NO IDEA* about how to design this.

 

We have a 1400 cfm external blower on a 66" hood, and even after specifying to the general contractor that we would need a make-up air system, the subcontractor (who claimed experience) was not able to design it properly.  I ended up learning way too much about ventilation and make-up air system, we had to threaten to take them to court for non-performance, and finally it ended once a professional hvac mech engineer was brought in to re-design the system (which ended up validating my design).  We absolutely love the final result in terms of functionality, but I don't think there was any way to arrive there with a home hvac subcontractor. 

 

And if you specify a design, make sure that you specify multiple use cases: full on to remove smoke from blackening a steak to low extraction to remove seafood stock odor during a 5 hour reduction.  Subs who are familiar with restaurant use cases are usually thinking full-on all-the-time.

 

Thanks, this is really helpful. I had run across the 'make up' air problem on a few sites, but wasn't sure how much that was an actual issue vs a made up one / people being paranoid about pulling co2 from their furnace.

 

In the end, how did you figure out that your HVAC mechanical engineer knew his stuff well enough to complete the project / do you have any suggestions for finding one if you were starting from square one?

 

I'd go the restaurant design route, but I'm afraid I'd be just taken for my money - I'm actually afraid of this in all cases, because like you said most high end home ranges tend to be mainly showpeices / not used like I plan to use mine. Can I ask how much you paid in the end to have yours done properly? I'm not looking at a 66" - most likely a 36/42 - but still curious. I've budgeted 2-3k, hoping that is not unrealistic. Also so long as I'm asking about your system - with regards to noise, how does your system compare to an in-vent blower hood? And I haven't run across anyone talking about caulking joints/90 degree sections - could you elaborate on that at all?

 

again, thanks for your reply - really great to hear from someone who has been through it themselves!

[Range Hoods & Vents]

I'm a soon-to-be first time homeowner, and am looking at adding a vent hood to our new place before we move in. My wife and I are currently in a condo with a pitiful recirculating hood/microwave combo, and are sick to *death* of it. I've worked in a few professional kitchens in my time, and my cooking tends to reflect that - lots of high heat, smoke, vaporized oil, wok use, etc.

 

I've promised I'd sort out our vent hood situation, and after pouring over this forum (and others) know I need A. a fuck off vent hood, preferably several inches larger than our cooking surface, with baffle filters. B. an external blower, because I'd like this to be as quiet as possible C. a CFM rating of 1200+ (rather go overkill than be disappointed), and D. to put my DIY tendancies in the closet for a weekend - I want this to get done properly.

 

My problem is, I can't seem to find any site (After hours and hours of googling) that has any sort of comprehensive or reliable comparison of range hoods, or their accompanying blowers. I don't really want to just walk into a home depot or something, because I don't trust a random home depot guy would understand the kind of shit I want to throw at this vent hood, or have any sort of off-the-cuff expertise in venthoods with external blowers - something I gather is sort of rare in home kitchens. I also don't know how to find someone who would have hands on experience with a variety of blowers / external venting setups, and know how to minimize noise and maximize airflow/effectiveness of the hood.

 

Anyone have any resources or experience to share on the topic? Or am I basically just buying a giant metal box and a fan, and design / brand doesn't matter all that much?

 

Thanks!