Venting

Vents have become more than just extractors of bad air, grease and smoke. They have become art pieces. Fortunately, they have also become much cheaper. What once was expensive has become much cheaper.

Hoods that were $999-1499 are now $699-899...

Blower packs for wood hoods with decent CFM are now less than $1000...

How to Vent:

1. Straight duct runs outside are ideal. Turns within the duct greatly reduce efficiency.

2. Recirculating is less ideal, as the heat does not escape.

3. Pro gas cooking requires a minimum of 600 CFM and the depth of the hoods should be a minimum of 24 inches to capture smoke.

4. Inside grills require 1200 CFM at a minimum.

The Last Of The Mohicans

There has never been more choice in cooking. Want Induction, Gas, Dual Fuel, Pro, Slide-In, Freestanding? No problem.

Want a downdraft for your new island? Your choice is this.

JennAir is the last company producing downdrafts. GE, Thermador, Roper and Modern Maid have exited a long time ago. But should you buy a downdraft? Maybe. Downdrafts have proximity to the actual smoke and are certainly better than no vent.

I would prefer you bought this...

Although downdrafts are aesthetically more pleasing, hoods provide better ventilation for the following reasons:

1. Typically they have greater CFM or better blower speed to move air

2. They have better capture area. Smoke can be captured and channel in greater volumes

3. Gravity....smoke travels up

How To Vent A Pro Range

Roughly 150 or so people read this blog daily. Another 150-200 people read this on direct feed. This number will fluctuate based on interest. People finishing projects will probably opt out over time.

I can only tell you 2 people who never read it....my parents. They can't, otherwise they never would have done this:

Miele is a nice hood, but it is not designed to be placed over a pro range. If you have a pro range, especially 36 or 48 inch, then buy a vent with the following...

1. 21-27 inch depth, depending on the size of the range
2. CFM of at least 600 for just burners and up to 1500 CFM with grill in a 48 inch. I always specify a larger motor, because it will exhaust the worst odors quickly. The price difference is not that much.
3. Exhaust should go straight up or straight back with few turns (if any)

Couple of alternatives for Ma and Pa

Sally's Kitchen

Meet my moms friend, Sally....

This woman can really cook, so lets look at her kitchen.

Perhaps the most interesting feature is the range and hood. Typically, people place a cooktop in the island and wall ovens on an adjacent wall. To save space, Sally has placed a Wolf 48" pro range in the island. You cannot use a range with a downdraft, so Sally opted for a custom hood and blower. I like this. She is also facing her guests at all times while cooking.

SubZero BI36U/O with panel.

Miele dishwasher....Miele has the silverware basket on the tops, so there actually is a ton of extra room for plates etc.

Great kitchen...well designed and thought out.

Recirculating Downdraft

Have a look at our soon-to-be concept kitchen...

Now look at the cooktop...

Now look at the toekick...

This is the first of the new wave of recirculating ventilation products designed for islands and other hard to vent spaces. I am torn about this concept. On one hand the heat is not exhausted out of the kitchen like a normal vent.

It is, however, better than nothing...

Really New Ventilation

Hard to believe, I started working full time in 1986. Back in those medieval appliance times, you had three choices for ventilation (hoods): Broan, Nutone and Rangemaster. Sure, they worked, but looked awful doing so. Downdrafts became popular during this time partly because of style deficiencies of regular vents.

Then the Europeans arrived. Names like Zephyr, Best and Faber really dominated the hood market with beautiful designs. Now the hood was purchased for aesthetics as well as functions...or the reverse of years previous (how many downdrafts do you see now?)

Unfortunately, Best was acquired, and Faber and Zephyr became pricey. There is a new hood line called XO, which has introduced great looking hoods at more affordable prices...Have a look:









For review...

Small review on how to buy a vent (check some earlier postings for elaboration)

Consider the following:

1. CFM

2. Depth

3. Duct run

4. Duct turns

Venting Part 9

So many vents...some of them can be up to 1500 CFM (CFM is cubic foot per minute or how many cubes of air are filtered in a minute), this does not guarantee proper venting.



Assuming the vent is specified correctly, the following is the best way to duct a hood.

Pardon the non industry terms...

1. Straight up...smoke is headed in that direction. This is the most efficient way to vent.

2. Straight back: Smoke is still going up, but is being redirected through the back of the hood.

3. Straight w/elbow: Right direction for the smoke, but adding an elbow decreases efficiency.

4. Downdraft: If you searched the blog for venting, you will find I am not a huge fan. Proper venting requires capture area, which is non existent in a downdraft...It is however better than nothing and can be useful in an island.

Avoid:

Too many turns/elbows: This decreases efficiency.

Long runs: same as above.

Lets Vent

I love selling stuff to my friends. You can be brutally honest without pretense. So they are looking at hood vents, and ask what I think about the new Electrolux and Wolf hoods (our manager Dennis Macdonald has a hood fetish, and we have probably 70-80 hoods on display).

Have a look:





My response: My job is to insure the blower and capture area are sufficient to vent your cooking surface. You pick the decoration.

Polite translation:

Ventilation is blower speed, capture area (depth) and venting...period. You do not need the most expensive hood to vent your kitchen.

How To Vent a Pro Properly

So many Vents...So many Choices



We show about 50 or so vents...Here is what you need to know about venting a professional or high output range so your house does not smell like the last thing you cooked

1. Capture area or depth is important, at least 24 inches

2. Vent straight...either straight up or back with as few elbows as possible

3. Use the appropriate duct...4 inch duct is for dryers not hoods

4.CFM should be:

1200 or higher for 48 inch
900 for a 36 inch with grill
600 for anything else

As I write this, the difference between a 600 and 1200 cfm blower is about $250. If you grill or wok, consider upgrading your blower cappacity accordingly.

Bad Ventilation

So we are having our Home Show this week. Yesterdays seminar was indoor grilling sponsored by Viking. The indoor grill always smokes out the store, and is a cautionary tail for people who stir fry, grill or griddle.

CFM or speed of the blower, duct size and duct run(length of duct from the motor to the outside) are key elements to venting properly. However without capture area or a depth of 24 inches, smoke can bypass the hood even if you oversize the blower.

Viking range...24 inches to the outside of the burner. Mantel hood improperly fabricated at 19 inches depth.





Add a professional chef and a ton of fatty meat...



And you have a room or kitchen filled with smoke.

The Trouble With Style

So I was talking to Ken and Dave yesterday. They were buying a professional range and wanted a triangular or chimney style hood. That should not be a problem in our store, we only display about 20 of them....



Unfortunately, chimney hoods are a European creation, and typically kitchens across the pond do not have professional ranges. Thus, they are only 19-21 inches deep, which is too shallow for properly venting a professional range.

Their only choice is a BEST K4236. Best is 24 inches deep and 1100 CFM.



Small tip for proper ventilation:

1. Decent motor. Measurement is CFM or cubic foot per minute (how many cubes of air are passed through the hood in 1 minute)

2. Capture area. In a pro application, minimum 24 inches depth.

3. Duct Run: Straight runs are measurably better as bending duct decreases efficiency.

4. Duct Size: Minimum 6 inch round...The larger vents require 8-10 inch round.

Great Lighting...Part 8

The YaleBlog is probably 70% appliance related. In this sequence, you will see a SubZero integrated refrigerator, Wolf cooktop, Bosch dishwasher, Franke farm sink, Best hood and Bosch dishwasher in an island setting.

Looks great.

Now look at the lighting. As I have posted previously, task lighting can be accomplished with recessed or track. In this slope ceiling application, we used bendable monorail track with cable supports and track heads with custom color accessories.



In an upscale environment, lighting sets the mood.

Small Spaces For Less

Meet Dave Kiley. Dave serves many purposes. He is (the best) part friend and part customer. Dave is also my next door neighbor and is a nut about home improvement, especially lighting and appliances.

He is also extraordinarily talented and perhaps the best contemporary renovator in Boston. Look what he does in a small space.



Samsung French door refrigerator, Miele dishwasher, Bosch cooktop, Thermador wall oven and Best hood.

Dave is a style conscious, upscale guy. In a $4500 per month rental, it is somewhat expected...but lets spend less and still have a great look.



By replacing the Thermador with a Bosch oven, Zephyr for Best, Bosch(or GE Monogram) for the Miele and LG for Samsung, we can save about $3500.

What Happened To This?

About 10 years ago, JennAir introduced their expressions lineup of downdraft cooktops. After initial success, Expressions has stopped selling. Without question, as a subsidiary of Maytag, JennAir was at a marketing, R&D and manufacturing disadvantage, there were, however, other contributing factors.



Better downdrafts: These units were better at venting with CFM ranges of 50-150% greater. Also, the component downdrafts are compatible with any cooktop.




Better Hoods: The Italian companies actually manufacture beautiful products...that vent.

Ge Monogram....Part 4

I have blogged about the new GE Monogram products over the last 2 weeks. Lets look at the range and hood. We also look at how to buy these products in general:


The Range:



The new Monogram has decent specs, but the desirable specs are:

1. BTU output: The average pro is 15-16,000 BTUs...GE is 18,000.
2. Simmer: A Good simmer is 500 BTU...GE measures by temperature at 140 degrees.
3. Surface has the ability to be purchased as 6 burner, 4 burners grill or griddle.
4. Oven is convection or double convection.


Ventilation:





1. CFM...Cubic foot per minute. For a 36 inch stove, the hood should be 600 cfm and 900 if purchased with grill or griddle
2. Capture Area: A Pro hood should be 24 inches deep in order to pool or capture the smoke

A few other tips:

1. Size the duct properly...Use at least 8 inch round for Pro installations.
2. Duct straight: Efficiency is lost with bends.

GE Monogram

I have always been ambivalent about GE Monogram. In a multi-billion dollar conglomerate, it is tough to focus on producing great appliances. For a company like SubZero, it is their livelihood and their passion.

Of course with multiple billions to spend on R&D, good products can happen on occasion. I actually like the line(right now). Monogram has decent features at a fairly attractive price.

Have a look:





We will look at the merits of the individual pieces in subsequent postings.

Ventilation Part 7

Lets look at two similar ventilation installations. One works, one doesn't.





The Wolf with the Best is the correct answer. The Viking installation does not have enough capture area.

How to vent properly:

1. A hood with capture depth of at least 24 inches.

2. A high CFM blower. I recommend at least 1200 for a 48 inch range or more.

3. Duct of 8-10 inch in diameter.

4. A short duct run....minimize the turns.

Ventilation is not expensive to accomplish properly. Beware, repairing issues after the fact truly becomes a big, expensive nightmare.

Islands....Hoods

Flash back to the 1980s(back when I was cool...sort of)

At that point of time, if you wanted to purchase an overhead hood, Broan and Nutone were the only manufacturers. The Nutone version was called a chuck wagon hood evoking the high styles of the early 50s. Broan wasn't much better.

Then in the 90s the Europeans exported beautiful hoods. They became functional focal points in the kitchen...Have a look(most of these are wall mounted, but there are similar products designed for island)





A couple of pointers:


1. Ventilation is CFM and capture. Size the hood properly for what you are cooking


2. Check ceiling heights...Duct extensions can be super expensive

Venting...Downdrafts

As we have said in previous posts, islands have become popular with the merging of kitchen and dining area into one room. People not only cook, but also live in the kitchen. This shift in lifestyle has changed ventilation considerably.

Most consumers want their cooking products in the island. They can face their guests while entertaining or keep a more watchful eye on the kids while playing. There are two ways to vent an island properly: downdraft or overhead hood. We will focus on the downdraft for today.





The advantage of a downdraft is simple. It disappears. There are a number of choices with my favorites being Best, Broan and Electrolux. The actual CFM(cubic feet per minute) can range from 500-1000.

Unfortunately, a downdraft can never handle alot of smoke, heat and/or grease. It simply doesn't have the capture area. Ventilation is after all capture and CFM.

A couple of tips:

1. Downdrafts are for basic, not professional cooking only

2. Consider an induction cooktop. It is faster than gas and emits much less heat.

3. For heavier cooking consider an overhead hood

Andy Warhol Hoods?

The Eco-Green post probably wasn't enough for the typical Yale blogger, so how about some interesting vents.

A Campbell's' soup can as a vent...Not sure the reason of why this constitutes art, but it is a fun piece.




Knives are less of a stretch, but again art seems to be in the eyes of the beholder.