The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Rangehood

When you are building or remodeling a kitchen, one important appliance to consider is the rangehood. When you cook, the heat, moisture, smoke and odours will generally hang in the air without the help of some kind of filtration system. In addition to their main purpose of cleaning the air in the kitchen whilst you cook, rangehoods also provide a few other benefits.

They provide extra lighting to the space you cook in
They contribute to keeping your kitchen cleaner, if smoke and grease gathers or spreads, it will make your walls and cabinets harder to clean
The heat generated from cooking is removed by the rangehood which helps to cool your kitchen space

Factors to consider when choosing a rangehood

Every consumer will have different needs, options, and priorities that will determine which rangehood is the best buy for you. These are the most important factors to keep in mind during your search.

Kitchen Layout and Design

The layout of your kitchen will determine whether your rangehood can be mounted on a wall, incorporated into your cabinetry, suspended from the ceiling or installed in your benchtop.

Ventilation Type

Rangehoods are either vented and include ducts that move air outside, or they’re ductless and recirculate all the air they take in while trying to remove as much of the smoke and food contaminants as possible with the help of filters. Ducted range hoods are far more effective than ductless ones, but they’re more complicated to install and will cost you more upfront.

Some people also live in buildings with restrictions that won’t allow them to install a rangehood with ducts and only have the option of a ductless model. For whatever reason you may choose to go with a ductless rangehood, keep in mind that you’ll need to stay on top of replacing the filters and will need to clean your rangehood more frequently. Rangehoods typically come with aluminum filters to trap grease that you’ll need to take out and clean periodically. Most aluminum filters are dishwasher safe

Cost

The simplest rangehoods can cost you about $100 before installation costs, while the most elaborate cost several thousand before installation. Some of the factors that influence price are predictable: larger rangehoods will typically cost more than smaller ones, and those with extra features or that are designed to be especially stylish will usually cost more as well. Island/Wall mount hoods and remote fan hoods are some of the most expensive types available, while under cabinet rangehoods are usually the most affordable options.

Many types of rangehoods involve a complicated installation process, particularly those with ducts that vent the air outside. The higher cost for installation in these cases does result in more effective venting, as duct-free models can only re-circulate the air and capture smoke and contaminants in filters rather than ridding it from the space entirely.

Size

For most types of rangehoods, the size should be directly related to the surface area of your cooktop. It’s not exactly a requirement that your rangehood match your cooktop in size, but it’s generally best that it does, or is slightly bigger so that all the smoke and food particles that drift up get caught in the hood before they get the chance to drift to other parts of your kitchen.

As you’d expect, larger rangehoods can get expensive, but if you’re investing in a large cooktop the extra is likely worth it.

Power

The more powerful your rangehood, the more effective it will be at its job. If you do a lot of heavy cooking or frying, you should definitely aim for a rangehood that offers a good amount of power. Manufacturers will provide you with a measure of the power to expect from their range hoods in m3/hr (cubic metres per hour). A recommended suction for a family kitchen is 760m3/hr to ensure all odours are removed. If you enjoy cooking with lots of herbs, spices and oils, it is recommended to get a suction of 1200m3/hr.

Noise

Most rangehoods are going to be loud, at least on the highest settings. Some models at least aim to be more quiet than usual – they still make some noise, but not as much. In my experience remote motor options are always the quietest because the motor is positioned somewhere other than where it is extracting, so reduces the noise of the motor, making your kitchen much quieter.

Look

Some basic rangehoods won’t add much to your kitchen space in terms of aesthetics, but if you want to find a hood that’s beautiful and does really add something to the space, you certainly can. Many island and wall mount hoods have arresting designs that visitors will be sure to notice. If you’re unconcerned with the style of your rangehood and just want something that works well and isn’t too visually obvious, you can find plenty of models that fit the bill. But if you want a range hood that adds something a little extra to the visuals of the space, then many brands provide options that are likely to strike your fancy

Fan speeds

Most rangehoods offer several different fan speeds. This gives you the option to turn the rangehood up higher whenever you’re doing some really heavy duty cooking, or keep it on low if you don’t want to deal with noise of the higher levels. It’s definitely worth having a couple of options, but usually having two or three speeds suffices – most consumers won’t feel like they get that much more value from being able to choose between five or six.

Features

Lights — Most of the rangehoods you consider will come with lights, so consider what type and how bright they are.

Timer — A timer function will turn the rangehood off automatically after a certain amount of time.