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ssdarb

Hood insert recommended by appliance store, is it the right one?

ssdarb
10 years ago

This is the hood insert that the appliance person told me to get to go over my new Bosch 800 Series 36" Induction Cooktop.
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AK8100AS Zephyr Blower Int, 600 CFM, Power Pack

27" Tornado I Power Pack Insert with 600 CFM Internal Blower, 6 Sones, 3 Speed Levels, Dual-Level Halogen Lights and Mechanical Slide Cont
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I admit that ventilation is an area of this kitchen remodel where I am completely clueless and I have not been able to grasp all the informaiton I have been reading. I don't know what an internal blower is, or what power pack means, nor if these things are normal/standard or optional and if I need them.

If this is not a suitable hood insert, can someone make a recommendation? It will be an insert in the cabinetry.
Thanks so much.

Comments (8)

  • sqp1015
    10 years ago

    I am so not an expert, but am also considering a Zephyr insert for over a 36" induction cooktop (probably Miele), and from what I've gleaned 27" doesn't seem wide enough. Based on recommendations that exhaust hood be at least 6" wider than cooktop, I'm looking at the AK94AS ("Power Monsoon DCBL") - blower goes from 250 min. to 715 max. CFM. I THINK that "power pack" means that you're buying the operational guts of the hood (motor, grease-collecting apparatus, lights, etc.) to be installed in your own enclosure (e.g. cabinetry, custom fabricated metal surround, etc.), and that "internal blower" means that the mechanism that actually blows the nasty stuff out of your kitchen is located right within the guts that you're buying - as opposed to having the blower within the ductwork or outside at the end of the duct run ("external blower"). Hope that I haven't horribly mangled anything & that someone with more knowledge will chime in!

  • ssdarb
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Is there anyone that can clarify this for us? If you have a 36" cooktop, which hood insert do you have (brand size, CFMs, etc.)?

  • ssdarb
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Here is the Bosch hood insert. Is it better to choose the same brand as the cooktop? Here is how it is described on the Bosch website:

    29" Custom Insert Hood
    Custom Ventilation - Stainless Steel DHL755BUC

    400 CFM Blower Included
    2 Halogen Lights
    Wall or Island Installations Up to 36" Wide
    Four Power Levels
    Dishwasher-safe Mesh Filters
    Slide-Switch Control

  • kaseki
    10 years ago

    An insert is a hood with unfinished exterior sides. If you want to put cabinetry around a hood, use an insert. If you want an exposed hood, purchase one that is finished on the outside (usually just called a hood).

    To ventilate, a fan is needed to move air through the hood and ducting to the (usually) outside, and as noted above, a hood ventilation system can be configured to use a fan in the hood, a fan in the ducting, or a fan on the roof or side of the house. Some suppliers use "power pack" to make the fan seem more impressive.

    Hoods and inserts need not be the same brand as the cooktop, unless their styles are consistent and that look is necessary.

    To address what is needed in size and flow rate is another very long subject and questions should follow spending significant time reading relevant messages on this forum.

    kas

  • ssdarb
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks, I've been reading the threads about ventilation, but I'm not sure I really understand most of it.

    We are planning an insert to be covered with cabinetry.

    I will re-read some of the ventilation threads to try to get a better understanding.

    I'm ordering all my appliances in the next day or so. I think I will leave the ventilation out of this purchse for now.

    Thanks.

  • iyelola
    3 years ago

    Hi Guys, Does Hood Insert and External blower have to be the same brand. if not what blower brand works best with a Zephyrs insert?

  • kaseki
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Some hoods (e.g., my Wolf) use simple blower controls that can be used with a range of induction motor blowers. Others use fixed power settings that interface with separate motor windings. This scheme is unlikely to be suitable for mixed brands. A third scheme, solid-state dc torque motor speed control, will likely be very tailored to the motor design.

    Adapting a different motor control to operate a different brand motor may require electrician and/or electronics skills to accomplish, assuming access to everything relevant is practical.

    I have no knowledge of Zephyr designs.