Do I really need an exhaust hood for my kithcn?

That's a great question!  I get asked this question, usually as part of a planned kitchen remodel or new home build, While we always recommend a vent hood, The short answer is "No. Actually, you don't."

But, having said that, always check with your town to see whether they require an exhaust hood.

Exhaust hoods serve three functions:  

1. They remove grease and smoke generated by cooking out of the house.
2. They also remove some of the heat that cooking generates.
3. Finally, they serve as a cooking light or night light.

As a homeowner, you have a variety of options when it comes to venting:

• You can get a traditional hood that can be mounted under a cabinet or extend with a duct into the ceiling.  
• You can mount an "over-the-range" microwave over your stove or cooktop.
• Depending on the setup of your kitchen, you might consider a downdraft setup, where a motor pulls the heat and grease through a duct out of the kitchen.
• And, yes, while I don't recommend it, you can simply not use a hood.  (Frequently apartments either have no exhaust hood, or a very basic model.  These are often set to recirculate, and barely do a better job than no hood at all.)
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I'll start with the most common setup, the traditional wall mounted hood.

What should you expect?

Basic but decent models run in the $200 range.  As you move your way up in price, you can expect better air movement (measured in CFM - "Cubic Feet per Minute"), nicer lighting, more fan speed options, a wider capture area (the area inside the hood that filters and exhausts the grease and heat.  Some models offer a delay timer so the hood will shut off several minutes after you're done cooking and presumably sitting down enjoying your meal), a heat sentry system to kick the hood on if the area underneath is getting too hot.  A handful also are remote-capable, an important feature in ADA approved kitchens (or simply because a customer likes the idea of a "connected" home!"

You may also notice that when shopping for a hood you will encounter different brands (Broan, Zephyr, XO to name a few) compared to the rest of your kitchen.  Even if you have, say, a Frigidaire or GE kitchen, it's very common to pair one of these dedicated ventilation companies over your range or cooktop.

A couple of thoughts and cautions here:

1. "Make up air":  If the CFM of your hood exceeds 400, your town may require a makeup air system in your kitchen.  Just what does a makeup do, and why?   This link answers both questions quite throroughly:
2. When possible, duct out!  Get the heat and grease out of the kitchen! 
3. Our experience has shown that a ductless, recirculating hood with grease filter, is not nearly as effective as a ducted exhaust system. I've even heard opinions as negative as "don't even bother.' (this was from one of our product reps).

My personal opinion:  recirculating is better than no hood at all, but is no match for a properly ducted exhaust hood.

Next, the Over-the range microwave/hood combo:

This is a very popular option, and may well be the "right" option in a smaller kitchen.  By mounting the microwave over the stove you free up valuable counter and prep space.  The OTR micro will provide lighting options just as a traditional hood, and also will come with a digital clock and timer (in case you need another time clock in your kitchen!).  They also can be setup to recirculate just like a regular hood.

As opposed to dedicated exhaust vents, these units are available in most of our kitchen brands.  I've noticed over the years that most people want to match the brand of their range and micro so that handles, fonts, finish, etc. will look the same.

The downsides:  The exhaust will perform adequately, but not quite as thoroughly as a traditional hood.  The main reason is the capture area: an OTR micro will have one or two relatively small grease filters underneath; they simply can't collect as much smoke and grease as a dedicated hood that has full-width filters.  Still, again especially if you don't have an oversized kitchen, these units will do an adequate to good job, and at an affordable price.

Finally, we look at downdraft systems:

First of all, these can look very cool, and can give your kitchen a little more "wow" factor - especially the pop-up units that can be placed behind cooktops (not behind a range however - be aware!).

How do they perform? Well, not nearly as well as an overhead exhaust fan.  The fight against gravity takes a toll on how much heat and grease can be sucked out of your kitchen.  

If your cooking appliance is in a center island, then you might have no choice but to utilize a downdraft type setup. Note:  There are a handful of "island hoods" on the market. Be prepared to pay extra $$! - also you want to size an island hood 6" wider than the cooking unit (in other words, you would put a 36" island hood over a 30" range.)    

There are different size motors available, and on upper end setups you can even move the blower into the basement ("in-line"), or even up on your roof ("external blower, a popular option when a customer purchases a larger, pro type range which requires a larger and therefore noisier motor.)

Some final thoughts:

The price range of hoods varies from $100 (for one of those rectangular tapered units that I had in my first apartment back in the 80's - yes, they still make them!!), up to as much as $5000 for a 1200 CFM blower that you might need over a 48" pro range with a built in grill or griddle.  The typical price for an undercabinet hood runs between $250 and $400, while a chimney hood generally runs $700-1500.  Finally, an over-range microhood will cost between $250 and $600.

Also, be aware that the stronger the hood, the noisier the hood!  There simply isn't a way to insulate a hood's motor for noise reduction without reducing its effectiveness.  Don't be fooled by any list of "quietest hoods' you might run across if doing a Google search:  I tried that, and invariably the "quietest" hoods on the list were also the least powerful.  Hood all have two-four speed settings: if you want the hood to be quieter than simply adjust the power!

And finally, measure your overhead cabinets!! Let's make sure the hood you like will actually fit in your kitchen.  This is especially important if installing an OTR micro - these units are bulkier (there has to be enough space inside to allow you to nuke your food) and therefore extend down farther from the cabinet than a regular hood.

If you have any questions on ventilation options (and almost everybody does!!), you can reach out to any of the experienced, well trained sales professionals at any of our twelve showrooms.