| Kitchen range hood. Kitchen hood. Stove hood. Exhaust hood. Cooker hood. Ventilation hood |
MAINTENANCE
- Range hoods usually have washable, aluminum-mesh grease filters. Better quality filters have a smaller diameter mesh over a larger surface area and can be cleaned in the dishwasher. Clean or replace grease traps and filters frequently. There are now range hoods available that allow you to remove the fan, but not the motor, for cleaning in a dishwasher. |
WARNING
- A non-vented kitchen range hood will not neutralize carbon monoxide.
- By law you have to install a carbon monoxide alarm outside the kitchen area if you are cooking with natural gas or propane.
WARRANTY
- When buying a range hood, always remember to check the manufacturers warranty.
- Make sure your contractor or installer follows the installation instructions to ensure maximum performance and many years of trouble-free operation. |
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| Range Hoods |
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The kitchen range hood is also known as a kitchen hood, stove hood, exhaust hood, cooker hood or ventilation hood
The range hood is installed above the cooking surface and is designed to remove airborne grease, combustion products, smoke, odors, heat, and steam from the cooking area. There are basically two types of kitchen range hoods; those that are vented to the outdoors and the vent-less recirculating type. The vented type has a duct running from the hood to the outside. (For more information on the vent cap and how to keep the birds out of the house, click here). The non-vented type filters the air and re-circulates it back into the kitchen. Recirculating kitchen range hood filters remove some odours and grease. Even if the filters are cleaned regularly, they are ineffective in removing cooking moisture and odours from the kitchen or, for that matter, from the rest of the house.
Kitchen range hoods are usually wall mounted or suspended from the ceiling if you are cooking from a kitchen island. With a kitchen island installation running a duct to the outside may be complicated or outright unsightly and using a vent-less recirculating type of range hood may be more practical.
Standard kitchen range hoods include some or all of the following parts or features: Built-in lighting (fluorescent or halogen) with high/low settings to provide adequate light for the cooking area, one or more grease filters and a fan to move the air outside or back into the kitchen.
As is the case with just about everything else you purchase for the home, kitchen range hoods come in a staggering array of styles, materials and colours to make it easier to blend in with your kitchen decor. Low end kitchen range hood sell for a few hundred dollars. Add a slew of high tech bells and whistles and you will be looking at a price tag of up to a few thousand dollars.
DO I NEED A RANGE HOOD?
Yes you do.
- The range hood is one of the most important appliances in your kitchen, especially if you are cooking with natural or propane gas. All appliances burning fossil fuels (range or stove, water heater, furnace, etc.) produce carbon monoxide which is colourless, odourless and a potential silent killer (for more information on CO poisoning click here). A properly working and vented kitchen range hood will in all likely hood protect your family from carbon monoxide poisoning. Without proper ventilation, carbon monoxide can cause flu-like symptoms during short-term exposure, and difficulty breathing or even death with long-term exposure.
- There is another potential benefit of having a good quality kitchen range hood. Removing the grease and moisture helps to prevent the growth of bacteria. This should be welcome news to members of the family who suffer from allergies or have to cope with other respiratory illnesses.
- The house as a structure is also a winner. High moisture producing areas such as bathrooms and kitchens are breeding grounds for mildew and mold. These rooms have to be well vented by a ceiling exhaust fan (bathrooms) or kitchen range hood. Turn the unit on BEFORE you start cooking and NOT AFTER you noticed a built-up of steam!
- A high end kitchen range hood may even increase your home's resale value. According to many real estate agents, the kitchen makes or breaks a sale.
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