36" hood above a 36" range/cook top. 600 cfm is more suited to a grill. 300 cfm to 400 cfm is plenty.

but were told that we should get a 36 from VAH (600cfm - they say it equals 900cfm).

I do not have a VAH, but I have been on this forum long enough to have read enough times that VAH's claims of adding cfms to their actual cfms is not very valid. If it's 600 cfms, it's 600 cfms. That's not to say VAH isn't a good hood. The things I've read about it are that it is made well, exhausts well (for its actual cfms), and is good-looking. One thing that people disagree on with the VAH is that it may be more difficult to clean than a baffle filter hood. The VAH has a box to clean, plus the squirrel cage, plus a lot of surface area that is not covered by filter. As opposed to a baffle filter hood (which is what I have) which has virtually the entire inside surface covered by the baffles which go into the DW. Go look at the VAH for yourself and ask the salesperson to show how it comes apart for cleaning. In any case, don't get a hood with mesh filter, though mesh filter hoods are cheaper.

I've got a VAH. It's easy to clean once you do it the first time. There are directions on Youtube on how to disassemble and clean. It's not any harder than any other hood assembly. I put mine in the dishwasher. Easy peasy.

My VAH came with the house. I like it so much that I am planning on reinstalling it. If I can't reinstall it, I will purchase the same hood.

The claim by VAH that you don't need as many CFM's is made by VAH. The technological theory is different from a standard baffle system. It could be true. All I can tell you is my 600 CFM VAH is plenty good. It's dependable. Parts are available if you need them.

I did use their customer service to fix a light switch. They walked me through it. If I couldn't have fixed it, they were sending parts, gratis. This hood is long since out of warranty. They couldn't have been nicer.

I have a 36' gas cooktop. I do a lot of cooking under it. I have am a professional chef in another life. I am a very satisfied customer.

We have a VAH. We got a 600cfm for our 5-burner range with 63k burner power total. It was the quietest of the bunch. It's got great lighting and works as expected. No qualms. Plus, we got a hood that is arched which fits the design of our kitchen nicely. I'd get it again.

Our range is 39" (Lacanche) and the hood is 42". Some would say we should have a bigger hood and they may be right, but this was a kitchen refresh and not a complete remodel so this worked best.

Agree with Chirsty, VAH is not silent, but its noise is relatively calm and smooth, which make it feels quiet. I would get / got a 42" 900 CFM (150 - 900 @ 150 per step) 27 inch deep (no extra cost for 27") for 36".

The CFM calculation for the range hood is based on the BTU for the stove. Add the total BTUs of all of the burners and divide by 100 (or some say divide by 90 there seems to be a little play in there). You definitely should have a hood that overlaps the stovetop in front and on the sides. You should be aware of that regardless of your cooking style, if you have a hood over a certain CFM your local building codes may require you to have a make up air unit. In order to determine whether make up air is necessary you actually have to do a calculation based on your whole house.

I have a 600 CFM (36" wide x 27"deep) Dacor over a 36" six burner Bluestar RNB.

I only need to run it at full speed occasionally (searing meat etc).

I agree with the 27" depth recommendation. As others have said make-up air is generally required for 600 CFM hoods.

I think whether make-up air is required or not depends on where you live (some building codes require it but many do not - where I live it is not required), and also how tight your house is. If your home is older (like mine), it is not very tight, and 600 cfms would not need makeup air. The new homes now are tight as a drum, and those should have a mechanism for makeup air if you plan to use 600 cfms hood.

I agree that you don't want the commonly-available 20" or 21" deep hoods. However, I think 24" depth will be fine. I do not agree with other posters who have recommended you install a 27" hood for your cooking. A 27" deep hood is harder to find, and will be expensive. Also, typically if the hood is 27" deep, the cfms will be 900 or more. I think 27" deep is overkill.

This post was edited by Mrs_Nyefnyef on Thu, Jan 1, 15 at 12:59

As OP is considering VAH and as I said in the post, the prices of VAH 24 and 27 inch deep are same. The depth other than 24 or 27 costs more. 600 CFM is probably not enough for 6 burners anyway.

Homechef59, what size hood do you have over your 36" range?

shimheric - thank you for detailing what would work.

PRx 18 - 342 - Yes? (27" deep)

Here is a link that might be useful: vent a hood link

This post was edited by ilovepie on Thu, Jan 1, 15 at 16:25

I suggest you get/firmly decide your hood-exhaust system before having the contractor make the vent hole. My contractor was a bit surprised that my exhaust required a 10" round.

Yes. PRXH18-342. You get 3 inch over on all three sides of the range.

36"w x 24"d. It was here when I bought the house. Nothing says that you are required to have a hood that is wider than your cooktop, it's just nice to have a hood that is wider than your cooktop. Do your greasiest cooking on the two center burners.

I have the model that has the drop down warming shelves and the warming lamps. With these, I don't need a warming drawer. I find myself using them all the time instead of firing up the oven to heat plates.

Now, I don't mean to start a big controversy, but the VAH does not have to be vented through the roof. Because of the design, it can be vented into the attic. Currently, mine is only vented into the attic. I'll admit this bothers me. But, it's been that way for 10 years without issue. During the renovation, I am going to extend the flue through the roof.

All hood filtering, whether meshes, baffles, or VAH sling designs, can only remove part of the grease aerosol particle spectrum. This part is that of the larger diameter particles, with decreasing performance through the mid-range. The rest is hoped to be discharged into the atmosphere, but there will be some collection in ducting depending on various factors.

The only system I know of that can handle the entire spectrum is the intense UV approach used above commercial perforated ceiling collection designs.

Hence, discharge into an attic not only subjects the attic to grease, water vapor, and odor, but could potentially be a fire hazard.

Is there a reference somewhere in which VAH specifies that attic discharge is allowed?

Earlier, the value 90 was raised. That may have been a misapplication of my expressed opinion on the flow rate (cfm) desirable per square foot of hood aperture to ensure that the 3 ft/s rising effluent from hot sources (griddles, woks, etc) is assured of containment by baffles and meshes. Rules of thumb such as cfm per BTU/hr or cfm per foot of hood edge are derived from various assumptions about the nature of the cooking field.

kas

VAH installation specifically says "Do not terminate venting into an attic or chimney". Also rigid duct is required and any sharp turn is not allowed.

HomeChef59, by saying it is OK to exhaust the grease and steam into an attic, you have lost all credibility. The idea that a VAH hood would somehow have a special exemption against the prohibition of venting into attics is ludicrous. I am being this strong in my wording because venting into the attic is a fire hazard. We are talking about people's lives here.

Here are reasons not to vent into the attic:

- increased potential for house fire - both the creation of a combustible environment in the attic via grease deposits, or, if there were a stovetop fire it would quickly and easily spread to attic.
- coating the attic with grease residue - fire hazard as well as will attract pests
- dust and dirt from the attic, and even insulation fibers, coming back through the vent into the kitchen
- excess moisture not being vented to atmosphere outside can cause mold and other issues
- in the case of a gas cooktop, in the event there was any leak--which does happen--raw gas will vent to attic and hover there - another possible fire hazard

Vent your hood into the atmosphere for safety and peace of mind.

If you had read my post carefully you would have discovered that I didn't install it. Nor, did I condone this type of installation. You will also note that I said I was remedying the installation when I undertook my renovation. I don't think venting into the attic space is a good idea, either.

Having said that, my attic is not crawling with pests, bugs or grease. That's because the Vent-a-Hood takes care of the grease in a unique and effective manner.

Why did I say that you don't have to vent through the roof? Because of a conversation with a long-time vent-a-hood employee. He said that their product had been installed with the vent ending in the attic space for many years. Grease wasn't going to be deposited in the attic space. My installation is a little over 10 years old. He said it was only a recent development that they required through the roof venting.

My point was how terrific this appliance is in removing grease. Plan on venting to the outside.