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No matter what size or style kitchen you have, good ventilation is essential. Heat, grease, steam, smoke, odors and other cooking pollutants not only build up in the air, but also have a lasting effect on your paint or wallpaper and carpets. Additionally, toxic chemicals from household cleaners, paint, carbon dioxide, radon, animal dander, pollen, dust mites, bacteria, mold and mildew also find their way into the air you breathe and your surroundings. Range hoods keep your kitchen area healthy by expelling the cooking pollutants and other irritants that could be harmful to your health and also your home. The best way to alleviate the problem of pollutants and irritants in your kitchen is to install a range hood that vents to the outside.
However, if your kitchen layout does not allow for a ducted range hood, a recirculating or ductless range hood is better than none at all. Ductless range hoods draw the pollutants into a charcoal filter and then recirculate the filtered air back into the kitchen. Since range hood power is measured in CFM (cubic feet per minute), to determine what kind of range hood you need, first figure out how many CFMs you will need for your particular stove. If you have an electric stove, the CFM is approximated according to the size of the stove. You need 100 CFM per every ten inches of width. For example, if your stove is 34 inches wide, you would need 340 CFM. For gas stoves, the formula is based on BTUs (British thermal units), so for every 10,000 BTU your gas stove produces, you need 100 CFM. If your gas stove generates 55,000 BTU, and you divide that by 100, you will need a range hood with 550 CFM (55,000 BTU divided by 100 = 550 CFM). The other factor to consider when purchasing a range hood is how much sound it will produce. The loudness is measured by an internationally recognized unit called a sone, which is a linear measure like inches. The lower the sone number, the quieter the unit will be. For instance, one sone is equal to the sound of a quiet refrigerator. A more powerful unit will generally produce a louder sound. Another thing to think about is the type of range hood that will work best in your kitchen. Wall mount hoods in traditional and contemporary style are mounted on the wall above the stove. Island mount range hoods are installed over the cooktop on a kitchen island. An under-cabinet range hood fits underneath your kitchen cabinets for a more seamless look in smaller kitchens. If you prefer a range hood that is more unique in design, try a custom hood, created to fit your specifications. You can also design your own hood or have your contractor design it for you and purchase a ventilator power pack to fit inside your hood to make it operational. Range hoods are an important part of your kitchen's design, because they draw the undesirable by-products of meal preparation out of the kitchen. Make sure you check the ductwork annually for any grease that might have built up there. Also, clean the fan and hood regularly.
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