Range hood for a 36 inch Bluestar all gas...

[Recoil Rob]

I did a search and it seems the most recent talk on range hoods 10 years old, let's see if anyone has anything new to recommend.

 

I just put a new kitchen on the back of the house and I am purchasing a Bluestar RNB 36 inch all LP gas range. I doubt there would ever be more than four burners going at one time and certainly not the four 25,000 BTU ones at once.

 

Bluestar's range hoods should seem a bit pricey so I've been looking at alternatives.

 

Would anyone advise going with a range hood wider than the range itself, say a 40 inch to 42 inch hood for a 36 inch range? I thought it might be worthwhile but then again if I really needed to vent some smoke from cooking I would be doing it on the center burner anyway, right in the middle of the hood.

 

The range is up against an exterior wall so a remote blower on an exterior wall or roof is a must for noise control.

 

I've been looking at the Best by Broan professional hoods, specifically a 900 CFM unit that will allow the motor on the exterior of the house.

 

So, I'm looking for at least 900 CFM, and the ability to mount the blower remotely, not in-line.

 

Are there any other options I should consider, what do you have that similar and are you satisfied with it.

 

 

[C. sapidus]

58 minutes ago, Recoil Rob said:

I just put a new kitchen on the back of the house and I am purchasing a Bluestar RNB 36 inch all LP gas range. I doubt there would ever be more than four burners going at one time and certainly not the four 25,000 BTU ones at once.

 

Four 25K BTU burners sounds nice - our 17-year old Bluestar cooktop just has two.

 

We have had at least five burners going at once for holiday meals, but usually most are simmering over low heat.

 

58 minutes ago, Recoil Rob said:

 

Would anyone advise going with a range hood wider than the range itself, say a 40 inch to 42 inch hood for a 36 inch range? I thought it might be worthwhile but then again if I really needed to vent some smoke from cooking I would be doing it on the center burner anyway, right in the middle of the hood.

 

Yes, you want the range hood to be a bit wider than the range for good capture. Ours is 42", which provides 3" overlap on both sides. But keep in mind that the recommended hood installation height is about where your forehead is if you are around 6'-0" tall. Banged my head on the hood corners a few times before adapting.

 

Will one of your high heat burners be front center? On our older model the 25K BTU burners are on the front left and back right corners, so the front left is what we use for high-heat searing and wok cooking.

 

58 minutes ago, Recoil Rob said:

 

The range is up against an exterior wall so a remote blower on an exterior wall or roof is a must for noise control.

 

Remote blower should reduce noise, but keep in mind that a lot of hood noise comes from air turbulence in the filters and ductwork. Large ducts, short and straight duct runs, and gentle (if any) curves make a big difference. You should also ask your installers how they plan to isolate fan vibrations from the ductwork, if noise is a concern.

 

When a fan is rated at 900 CFM, that refers to its performance with no resistance. In the real world, filters and turbulence in the ductwork will reduce the actual airflow significantly. As mentioned above, using larger ducts and short, straight runs reduces airflow loss. But the filter is probably where you lose the most airflow.

 

Give some thought to filters location, too. You want the filter near the range for access/cleaning and to limit grease buildup in the ducts, even though that will increase noise a bit.

 

58 minutes ago, Recoil Rob said:

 

I've been looking at the Best by Broan professional hoods, specifically a 900 CFM unit that will allow the motor on the exterior of the house.

 

So, I'm looking for at least 900 CFM, and the ability to mount the blower remotely, not in-line.

 

900 CFM should work great, assuming make-up air is not a problem. If your house is super-tight, you don't want your hood sucking air from the furnace exhaust and whatnot. In nice weather you can always open a window to provide make-up air.

 

Our 17-year old Vent-A-Hood unit pulls 600 CFM, which is good except when hot wok oil releases capsaicin fumes from dried chiles. The 600 CFM is "equivalent" to a 900 CFM blower because the Vent-A-Hood uses centrifugal force rather than a filter to capture oil fumes.