Ventilation Part 2...For Regular (Non-Professional) Ranges

20 years ago, the average BTU(British Thermal Unit, a measure of heat output) of a typical gas stove was about 28,000 BTU. Today the average stove is between 32 to 40,000 BTU. Most of these units have at least 1 or 2 power burners of 15-17,000 BTU.

As the burners have become more powerful, so has the need for the proper ventilation of smoke and heat.

My favorite 30 inch hood Best K210...Good capture area and blower speeds up to 800 CFM





Three pointers to size the vent properly:

1. CFM or cubic feet per minute. This refers to the speed of the blower or more literally how many cubes of air are expelled per minute. An over the range microwave, for example, is the minimum at 310 CFM, but if you like to wok or fry, you may want a vent with a blower of up to 600 CFM

2. Ducting or the size of the pipe carrying the exhaust to the outside. Ducting should be no less than 6 inches and up to 10 inches in diameter

3. Capture area...Quite literally the depth of the hood. Smoke is not immediately sucked out of the hood. It is rather captured and then extracted. Look for a vent with a capture area of 19 inches or deeper

There are now plenty of options as more companies seem to be manufacturing vents