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mercymygft_gw

So how man CFM's do I really need?

Mercymygft
12 years ago

We are remodeling a kitchen and am thinking of putting up a wall mount hood instead of the OTR microwave hood. I am probably going with Kitchenaid, or Frigidaire slide in gas range (nothing real high end). I don't cook that much, several times a week, but not every day.

We are also on a bit of a budget, so I'm wondering what kind of range hood would be sufficient for my needs that would look good without breaking the bank?

Thanks! BTW seems like a lot of threads about range hoods lately.

Comments (10)

  • asolo
    12 years ago

    Has to do with combination of capture area as well as CFM but I can tell you anything under 400cfm is a waste no matter what you do otherwise.

    Otherwise, suggest variable speed control and fan mounted outside to reduce noise.

  • JPRain
    12 years ago

    I would search Craigs List and Ebay for a good deal. That will save you money more than anything.

    Also, make sure you know what the up air requirements are in your area. I know some towns in my area require a make up air system if you go over 600. MUA will ad cost. If you're pulling a permit they might check.

  • Nunyabiz1
    12 years ago

    Not sure what your budget is but ours was $2300 total for stove and OTR microwave which works fine as a vent. I do cook everyday, usually twice a day but just for 2 people.
    We went with a NXR stove and LG microwave that has 400CFM.

    After installation and everything we went $100 over budget.

    Unless you are cooking like a madman everyday using all 4 burners and the oven at full blast like you are in the Iron Chef kitchen then you do not really "need" some high CFM hood.
    In my 35 years of cooking I have never had a hood yet.

    Now if I won the lottery and I built my dream house with my dream kitchen which would be a VERY large kitchen complete with a 36" 6 burner gas stove with a 36" professional flat top griddle sitting next to it then yes I would have 2- 48" hoods side by side over the top 1000CFM each outside motors and hanging over several inches.
    Even then I wouldn't "need" it because I would have high ceilings and great ventilation throughout the house anyway but I would "want" it.

    But now in my tiny kitchen with my 30" 4 burner stove which still puts out a respectable 60,000 BTUs if all 4 burners are going, a decent OTR microwave with 400CFM works just fine, especially since I would have no other place for the microwave if it didn't go over the stove.

    Just depends on what your definition of need is.

    Next time I cook some burgers on my stove top griddle with 2 burners going on 4 burgers and buns and onions etc, which generates probably about as much smoke & grease as I ever produce, I will try to take a picture from front and side to see if I can show if any smoke is getting by the 400CFM OTR microwave.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Range Hood Ventilation

  • davidro1
    12 years ago

    at fantech.net you will find small inline blowers. This is good for you on a budget. Blowers from Fantech are squirrel cage blowers, not fans with propeller blades. Any blower from Fantech will be a bigger blower than most of the inexpensive exhaust hoods that you might see at a hardware store or in a rental apartment. Note that the claimed CFM is only a "rated' number based on a lab test that has no obstacles. How it performs when the duct is bendy is never discussed.

  • Mercymygft
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Nunyabiz1... hahaha! Your post made me laugh!

    On a side note... over on the Kitchens forum someone was asking about putting two 36" ranges side by side in a kitchen. I'm thinkin' holy smokes!! if you need two 36" ranges you are doing WAY TOO MUCH COOKING!!! Or your last name is Dugger ;-)

  • jgopp
    12 years ago

    I have a 650CFM and it works very well. Never had a problem it captures everything very fast even on a lower setting. Not sure why people seem to think they need like 1200 unless you're running a 48 pro range and searing steaks and what not on it.

  • weissman
    12 years ago

    Unless you have a grill or a very large range, 600 CFM will be more than enough and won't require make-up air in most locales. If you have the option for a real vented hood, an OTR is a bad idea, not just because of the low CFMs but because of the poor capture area.

  • aprince
    12 years ago

    600 CFM is usually fine over a gas cooking surface. A couple other things to consider:
    -You don't mention if quietness is important to you. The larger the CFM output on the blower, the quieter it will operate on low, the most common setting. Also, 6 inch ducts tend to make more noise than 7, 8 or 10. Utilize the duct size that is recommended on the hood you purchase.

    -You also said you were going with a wall mount hood instead of an OTR microwave. Does this mean you are going to knock out cabinets to place the hood or will you still have a cabinet. I find that you get more bang for your buck if you go with an under cabinet unit instead of a wall mount unit.

  • Mercymygft
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks everyone for their input.

    aprince...Noise is really not that big a deal for me considering the amount and type of cooking I do. So if it's a little noisy... eh.

    I am considering replacing the cabinet OTR with a wall mount because I think it would look cool, be a focal point, and I store junk in my OTR cabinet now, so it's not like I'm losing storage. Plus what I save on the price of the cabinet I could invest in the range hood. Another thing is I am really short so I can barely reach it anyway.