Are Range Hoods Necessary?

[SteveB]

Yeah. Just have no vent, and all that goes into the furniture, clothes, carpet, walls, etc.

Steve

[Doug Kanter]

By "that idea", I meant an interior wall fan with duct work. Naturally, that translates into the obvious conclusion: No range has any business being on an inside wall. Period.

This is the reason my ex and I argued about kitchen renovation for 10 years and ended up doing absolutely nothing. She wanted the range on an inside wall. I wanted it on the outside (as it already was), by a through-wall fan (which was already in place). One of the so-called kitchen designers we consulted had the balls to say (with a straight face) "You ought to listen to your wife. Through the wall fans simply do not work". I asked her what she meant. She said they don't exhaust the stuff you believe they do. I asked her if she thought I'd been hallucinating for many years when I (believed) I saw steam going out through the wall fan. She said "That's not a valid question".

"Heeeere's your sign!!!", as they say on the redneck comedy show. :-)

[Doug Kanter]

Or even just light one wooden match and let it burn for 15 seconds. Is it possible there's an entire chunk of the population who cannot smell anything? This would explain why so many people depend on their smoke alarms to know when dinner's ready.

[Calvin Henry-Cotnam]

In our jurisdiction, Ontario Canada, having a range hood installed over a cooktop or over any location intended for a range (i.e.: space for one with either a 40A/240V electric outlet or a regular outlet and gas line) is a requirement in new construction before the occupancy permit can be issued.

Of course, in talkinig to the property assessment people about getting our assessment adjustment date to co-incide with the date our occupancy permit was issued, I was told the date really didn't matter as there are often homes lived in where no occupancy permit has ever been issued!

[SteveB]

"Doug Kanter" wrote

Ever go to Granny's house and say, "Do you smell that?"

And she looks quizzically at you and says, "Smell what?"

Steve

[Doug Kanter]

At my mother in law's, it was usually her hair burning. Her oven pilot light rarely worked, so she'd stick her whole head in so see where to put the match. WHUMPH! The lady is so cheap that the standing joke in the family was that if she ever needed an ambulance, we were prohibited from calling

911 unless she had a coupon for a discount on the co-pay. She's in a nursing home now, so the city was finally able to dismantle the nearby fire house that was ready to collapse from age.

[Curly Sue]

I've wondered about that too :>

Garlic, onion, broccoli, fish, preheating a pizza stone, stir fry, curry, self-cleaning ovens, and even steam from boiling water all benefit from being vented to the outside.

Sue(tm) Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

[Curly Sue]

I think those are harder to find nowadays. Mine didn't work properly (it wouldn't shut off!) and I wanted to replace it. I tracked down the company that now owns the name (Air King) and the rep said they don't make them or supply parts.

So I bought a range hood and it was a 7-month procedure to get it installed and vented to the outside.

It was worth every second, every penny, for looks and operation.

Sue(tm) Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

[Curly Sue]

Sometimes people don't have the option to have a vented hood. Some friends bought a co-op apartment and there's a limit as to what can be done. Vented hoods are not allowed so they had to get a recirculating one.

They have a doorman, I have a vented hood. I win :>

Sue(tm) Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

[patga]

I had one of those that didn't vent to the outside. When we remodeled I replaced it with one that did. I don't see hardly any difference.

[Curly Sue]

Maybe the hood is too small (in terms of ventillation power) for what you need. If you have a high BTU stove and do a lot of smoky cooking, you'll need a more powerful one. The ventillation will also be affected by how long of a duct run, if there are any turns, or size changes, etc. With the stove on an exterior wall, my hood vents right to the outside, about 12" straight run from the exit of the hood to the outside. There is a small loss in area due to a small offset to avoid a stud). The dampers should open freely both on the hood and on the wall cap (and should point in the right direction; during a test assembly, I put the hood damper on upside down!). Check the outside when the hood is running to make sure the damper on the wall cap swings open when the hood is running. Also, the hood has to cover the footprint of the cooktop (which I would imagine yours does, but thought I'd mention it anway :>)

If those all apply, I don't see how it would not make a difference! Unless, maybe your non-ventillating hood had a great charcoal filter?

Sue(tm) Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

[Doug Kanter]

Unless you don't cook, that's impossible.

[SteveB]

Maybe by then, your lungs, eyes, and nose were so gummed up you just didn't notice any difference.

Steve