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bookssy

Vent-A-Hood Ductless ARS range hood Update

bookssy
13 years ago

Has anyone used one of these for a while? I am in an apartment in Brooklyn, and can't vent to the outside (although I do have a kitchen window and no, I cant vent through the window either). I am wondering how effective they are and also if they are difficult to keep clean/maintain. Thanks!

Comments (198)

  • saminac
    2 years ago

    its rectangular - it is basically indistinguishable from the adjacent cabinets. One continuous line with the middle "cabinet" housing the liner. Mine will look more like this:



  • wick158
    2 years ago

    We REALLY want to vent effectively, in part because 1) we have suffered through microwave fans for >10 years, and 2) we are considering a new 30" pro range. Unfortunately, external venting is barely possible and not at all practical in our situation. In the course of our research, we did discover an old wall vent for a 1950s pull-chain wall fan, which we could resuscitate. (This through the wall vent is stove-height, 44" away, and totally independent from the stove.)


    Which of these options do you recommend?


    1. Stick with microwave fan, add wall exhaust fan.

    2. VAH ARS (or similar), add wall exhaust fan.

    3. VAH ARS (or similar), no wall exhaust fan needed.


    I've read this entire thread as well as many others.


    Thanks in advance for any insights.

  • kaseki
    2 years ago

    Based on what has been reported here, the ARS should be superior to any likely microwave oven recirculating or even exhausting.

    Nonetheless, if the air is to be relieved of those chemicals imperfectly removed by the filtering, perhaps resuscitating the wall exhaust fan would be a good idea for general air freshening. Some corresponding means of supplying make-up air, even a window, needs to be in use when the exhaust is operating.

  • wick158
    2 years ago

    Kaseki, Thank you for your prompt and helpful reply. Clearly you are an expert. On an overall continuum, will an ARS function more like a microwave fan or more like a ducted range hood? (I suppose this is my version of asking, Is the ARS worth it? :-) )

  • regbob
    2 years ago

    wick158, I have posted on other threads on the ARS hoods. I have had one for a little over 2 years now. It is installed above a GE 30" induction range. I have had other VAH's that were vented outside but on my current home is was not feasible to run pipe outside. Any recirculating hood is not the best choice for a pro range but the VAH ARS is the best recirculating option available, and it will crush any OTR micro vent. The grease removal on the VAH is the same as their vented hoods so it does a very good job of removing the grease and the 2 stage filter does a good job of removing the smoke, steam and odors created while cooking. I had a few learning curve issues with the induction and burning things and this system did a very good job of taking the smoke and smells out of the air. If you have no other options for venting and must have a recirculating hood the VAH is the best option available.

  • wick158
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Regbob, Thanks very much. What is your vote?

    2. VAH ARS, add wall exhaust fan.

    3. VAH ARS, no wall exhaust fan needed.

  • regbob
    2 years ago

    ARS with no wall exhaust fan. Seal up the opening of the existing old wall fan and put it in a museum. Those wall fans did nothing when first installed. Now they are an eye sore and a noise maker. All it will do is pull out the conditioned air of your home.

  • wick158
    2 years ago

    Thanks Regbob and Kaseki. I think we will go with ARS only (and open window for fresh air as needed). First time posting. very helpful.


    If anyone has experience with ARS + gas or prostyle range, that would be great, too.

  • Russ
    2 years ago

    Please make sure you look at the technical designs. The top part has to be housed in the cabinet if there are any cabinets above the Range.

  • regbob
    2 years ago

    They have hoods that will have the filter in a cabinet or housed in the duct cover. It all depends on the look you are going for. I went with the CWEAH6 model and installed it under a cabinet and have the filter inside the cabinet. I pulled out an OTR so I had a deeper cabinet. I pulled the hood forward 3 inches so it covered the front burners a little better and had a filler made for the back and put the VAH wire rack system on it to get some use out of the space.





  • wick158
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    @Russ Thanks. If the VAH could not fit entirely beneath the cabinets, we would remove the upper cabinets and go with a wall mount/chimney style hood.


    @regbob Did you work with a VAH installer? That seems a lot of specific product and install knowledge.

  • regbob
    2 years ago

    wick158 I was a cabinetmaker and Corian countertop fabricator in my younger days so I made a few cabinets for VAH liner inserts and saw some really nice hoods and installations. This was what I did for many years and it is just product knowledge that sticks with you. Installing the ARS hoods is as simple as it gets since there is no duct pipe to run. All you need is having the electrical supply in the correct spot and mount the hood to an upper cabinet or the wall. It all depends on the look you want to achieve when it is all done. If you do not want the cabinet above you can go with one of their chimney style hoods. If you want to still have a little bit of storage above the hood you can keep the cabinet and have some storage. The filter system is roughly 11" x 11" so it does not take up all of the space in an upper cabinet. You will either have the filter in the cabinet or is will sit inside the duct cover of the hood. I went with the CWEAH6 hood without the duct cover because it was the look I wanted. The undercabinet models they offer were not something I liked with my range.

  • wick158
    2 years ago

    @regbob Thank you. Did you avoid gas/pro because you could not vent? In general are you OK with a gas/pro range, and a VAH ARS?

  • regbob
    2 years ago

    If you are going with gas or pro range you should vent the hood outside if at all possible. if you are a serious cook and plan on using the range as it is designed the ARS will not keep up with that much range. I had just bought a new townhome that had mid-low level builder Whirlpool electric smooth top range and OTR for the venting. I did not want the expense of running a gas line and I wanted to go with induction any way. I had a 30" Bluestar in my previous home with a 600 CFM VAH vented outside and loved it and it worked great but my serious cooking had slowed down so I did not want the expense in my new house. Again, if you have the capability to get a vent outside and plan on having a pro range and will use it go with a outside vented hood.

    The ARS hood will handle 1 gas burner at a minimum and that would be it. If this is your only option the VAH ARS hood is by far the best one available.




  • kaseki
    2 years ago

    For the exceptionally well heeled residential cook a commercial unit might be adapted. I don't know what the limitations are for gas cooking, but I would expect induction to be adequately dealt with using the technology in this video:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86nycyxikk0

  • kaseki
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    For the purpose of pointing out a possible alternative to the ARS, in Wolf's 2021 Design Guide, page 156, I just noticed:

    Low-profile, 24" deep, and 27" deep wall hoods with an internal blower (600 CFM or less) , 30" (762) and 36" (914) widths only, can be used in a non-ducted application with a recirculating filter. In this installation, kitchen air is purified through the filters and returned as clean air into the room. A recirculation kit, available through an authorized Wolf dealer, is required.

    We haven't received any feedback here about this option, but perhaps calling Wolf will provide some additional data, sent to you by one of their friendly telephone support staff.

  • HU-894709511
    last year

    Hi all, curious about some other alternatives to VaH, particularly given $$$. This HVAC blog recommends the Broan Glacier as an option with a larger carbon filter: https://hvac-buzz.com/are-ductless-range-hoods-any-good/. This unit, apparently not yet on the market, sounds promising as well: https://www.treehugger.com/recirculating-range-hood-5180610.

  • Matthew D
    last year
    last modified: last year

    I'm about to renovate my tiny Brooklyn coop kitchen. The room has no ducting or windows so I'm considering a VaH, though my designer didn't love the under-cabinet unit I'd chosen. Given the layout of the room, she recommended a wall-mounted extractor hood like the CWEAH6-K.


    Since I'm getting a 24" Bertazzoni range, and the VaH in this configuration only comes in 30", will pairing the two be overkill/look off? I realize I don't have much choice here, and am guessing it's probably better to have 3" of hood to spare on either side of the range rather than vice versa, but just wanted to check. Awkward rendering below.


  • M
    last year

    You're actually supposed to have about 3" overhang. Our 30" range is paired with a 36" wide hood.

  • kaseki
    last year

    Overlap is necessary for capture of the rising and expanding cooking plumes. Sufficient CFM is needed to assure containment -- keeping the effluent in the hood for expelling outdoors, or in these cases -- being filtered. For hoods that deviate significantly from commercial designs in filtering or canopy design, the only practical means of checking this for most is to heat cooking oil to the smoke point and observe whether it is all pulled into the filtering system; i.e., none reflects off of the hood structure into the room.

  • garyvp
    last year

    We have a 30" electric stovetop with a 30" VAH (same as yours), works great. We have had ours for 10 years and have had no problems. I changed the filter once (after 6 years) but could have waited longer.

  • Eileen
    last year

    I actually have the 30” Bertazzoni with the 30” VaH.. though I still haven’t received the duct even though I ordered it last October, so beware when you order. And the VaH is backordered too.

  • opaone
    last year
    last modified: last year

    "We have a 30" electric stovetop with a 30" VAH (same as yours), works great."

    You don't know that.

    The biggest issue with the effluent from cooking is long term health impact. Your system may be removing some odors and grease but not removing contaminants that build up over time to degrade your health. So 10, 20 or 30 years down the road you get COPD, Cancer or other ailments caused by the poor indoor air quality in your home.

    If you live in the U.S. then you live in the country with the worst health of all developed nations (and yet we spend far more than any others - gargage in garbage out...). This is primarily caused by our being sedentary (we don't walk/bike for local transportation like others do) and secondarily by what we eat, but IAQ is on the list as well and does have a significant negative impact on us.

  • garyvp
    last year

    I only know that I since installing the VAH I have almost no grease on the walls, I can cook a steak without wiping out the apartment, and it mitigates much of the smoke. Those were the goals of the investment. It is on anytime we use the stove top. The cubic foot square hepa cube has to be removing a lot of small particulate matter as well. It's not perfect. You will always smell what you are cooking. What is your suggestion for inner city apartment dwellers?

  • Matthew D
    last year

    Thanks for all this feedback! Turns out I'll need an under-cabinet VaH. I can't seem to find any of the filter components for shipment to the US—all I see are Canadian retailers. Anyone know if I'm just looking in the wrong places?

  • Eileen
    last year

    Hi all - everyone here was extremely helpful on deciding getting the VAH. I was wondering if you guys have any input to the following:


    I purchased the model CWEAH6K30SS last October but I still haven't gotten a chance to use the unit.


    Warranty

    • The initial company that I ordered the unit from only delivered the main body, but not the filters and the duct cover parts. I waited until this October and it was still not delivered from the initial company. In the meantime, I tried another company and hoped I could get it sooner so I ordered the duct cover from another company and it was delivered by the end of October. But there was some confusion on the filter and duct cover (following point) from both companies that I still do not have everything to put the rangehood in use. In this case, how is the warranty counted?

    Filters and Duct Cover Confusions

    • The initial company - when I spoke to the staff on the phone, I was advised to order the main body plus the duct cover and that would include everything that I need.
    • So when I ordered from the second company, I thought the filters would be included in the duct cover. But I only received the duct cover and the filters are not included.
    • I went back and checked the correspondence with the second company and realized that the filters come with the main body.
    • I reached out to the second company again, then another staff advised me that I need to purchase the filters separately. But, the filter is discontinued.
    • Is the filter part of the main body or the duct cover? Is it purchased separately?
    • The initial company that I ordered from has also increased the price by almost $300 just for the duct.

    I really appreciate any advise you could provide! Thank you very much!




  • kaseki
    last year

    Just a guess, but if you tell your tale of woe to VaH corporate, they might be able to tell you what you need and where to get it.

  • Eileen
    last year

    Yea!! I have also contacted VAH!! Waiting on their response.

  • Eileen
    last year

    I was also wondering- when you guys purchased the full unit, other than getting the duct cover, the filter came with the unit, right? (This was what was told to me from the representative) Otherwise the cost of the unit is almost $3k for the CWEAH6K30SS model.

  • regbob
    last year

    I ordered the hood and filter at the same time and they came together. It has been a couple years and my CWEAH hood was the black carbide with some trim added. I did not need the duct cover and it was around $1500.00.

  • Eileen
    last year

    Thank you for your info. That’s a very smart setup! I remember you showed your setup in the discussion.
    Price has definitely increased, and another increase this year.

  • Paul Madden
    last year
    last modified: last year

    Does anyone have any experience of the Fotile Pixie Air with recirculation kit? This is a relatively new product. The recirculation filter looks substantial in size - comparable (in size) to the Vent-a-Hood filter pack.

  • diabar
    11 months ago

    We have had a Vent A Hood ARS for a couple years. Works great. There are two filters in those - both big - a charcoal and a pleated. It is probably time to change our filters. We have a Wolf gas range and could not vent to the outside without putting in duct work along the ceiling. We do a lot of wok type cooking and pan frying, plus steaming, boiling, etc. The 30" hood does a great job of sucking up the smutz. I just wish that is had two speeds, with one for low temp, slow cooking.

  • kaseki
    11 months ago

    One should not skimp on filter replacement when using a gas range. Combustion products including carbon monoxide are not your friends.

  • New York 7a
    6 months ago
    last modified: 6 months ago

    Does anyone have experience with VentAHood ARS PRAH6-K30? Dealer in New York State said it's $786 for the hood, $317 for the filter.

    Initially I wanted to install CWEAH6K30SS, but it requires hood, filter and duct cover even if there's a cabinet on top. Total comes up to $2,875.00 without installation. It's hard to justify this cost. Any input is appreciated!

    Flat:

    CWEAH6K30SS = $1,319

    ARS12/10 = $707

    Duct Cover WDCAND1230SS = $849

    Pyramid:

    PDAH14K30SS = $1,803

    ARS10 = $707

    Duct Cover WDCAND1020SS = $754

  • garyvp
    6 months ago

    I have had the flat 30" with ARS and 18" duct cover (only need 12", but aesthetics, no cabinet) for 11 years. Love it. Not familiar with the model you are looking at but reviewing the specs it seems to have a similar fan assembly and smaller two-part filter - the important parts of their product. And yes, their gear, like the duct cover, is expensive but made well.

  • regbob
    6 months ago

    New York 7a, I have the CWEAH6-K30 pictured above installed under a cabinet. The hood , duct cover and filter are separate pieces so I was able to just get the hood and filter system. Maybe the store you went to has them as a package but you should be able to get just the hood and filter. I have been very happy with the performance. For a non vented hood it is by far the best one on the market. I have it above a 30" induction range and I had a few learning curve problems when first installed. It did a surprisingly good job with the smells.


    diabar I had the same question after my purchase and when I asked about the 2 speeds I was told the ARS hood only has the high setting because that is what is needed to properly remove the grease from the air before it goes through the filter system. It made sense after thinking about it, you would not want the grease getting into the second part of the filter system.

  • Paul Madden
    6 months ago

    This is a much lower cost version...about time!

    It really doesn't appear to be a smaller filter assembly (carbon + pleated paper smoke filters). See:

    https://www.taappliance.com/products/vent-a-hood-ventilation-accessories-recirculation-modules-arslp-12


    I would like to hear more about this new product version if anybody has purchased one recently.

  • Paul Madden
    6 months ago

    Actually, it looks like the product has been discontinued. Will Vent-A-Hood continue to manufacture and sell the filters?

  • New York 7a
    6 months ago

    @garyvp, @regbob,

    Thank you for the information. I asked the dealer whether the CWEAH6K30SS hood can be purchased without the duct cover. I will also ask the carpenter what his thoughts are on installation. Our over-the-range cabinet is small (12" depth), so I am realizing that the filter may not fit inside. If this is the case the duct cover will be required.


    @paulmadden,

    Ugh, discontinued parts is bad. Another concern for the model PRAH6-K30 is that it's rated at 2.8 in Amazon. This is not a great score.

  • kaseki
    6 months ago

    With conventional hood systems, the expectation is that the larger particles within the entire grease particle spectrum are collected by the baffles, and the smaller particles are ejected into the outside air, with only modest condensation or impact collection by the duct. To deal with the entire particle spectrum with a filter pack is a challenge, and probably unaffordable in cost for most residential users. If the Amazon rating is based on comparison to outside venting, the result above might be reasonable.

    As a commercial example, the Wells WVU-31CT filter system is described below:

    "Filtration Completely self-contained filtration process reduces emissions below that allowed in NFPA 96 and ANSI UL710B using the EPA 202 test method and includes stainless steel grease baffle filter with grease cup, fiberglass pre-filters, high-efficiency (Particulate Air) filter/ carbon-charcoal filter pack. All filters are easily removable with out tools. Air flow sensors continually monitor air flow optimizing performance and grease removal while an interlock system will not allow cooking appliances to function if filters are missing, clogged or in the event of a fire."

    About $18k. Electric surfaces only.



  • Paul Madden
    6 months ago

    Does the Wells fiberglass pre-filter come before or after the grease baffle filter and what is its composition? In the Vent-a-Hood ARS the HEPA filter comes last, after the carbon charcoal filter. Also, I don't think the ARS has grease baffles just a fan and grease channel catchment arrangement. So the carbon-charcoal filter probably gets saturated with the smaller grease particles and probaly the HEPA`catches some too.

  • kaseki
    6 months ago

    I don't know more than Wells puts on their website. I expect grease baffle filter to be first in the airstream, fiberglass second, HEPA third, charcoal fourth. There might be a rationale for charcoal before HEPA, but I can't think of what it might be.

  • Paul Madden
    6 months ago

    The Vent-A-Hood ARS system is well explained in the following YouTube video. Better non-venting systems are available in Europe but unfortunately not manufactured or sold in the US yet.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1aMpTLdZd8


  • garyvp
    6 months ago

    All the grease is trapped in the fan chamber and tray. But you have to clean the fan louvres every few years. I changed the whole filter assembly after about 6 years and it wasn't that dirty, and no grease appeared on the charcoal unit and the HEPA was sooty. See discussion and Pix 5 years ago.


  • regbob
    6 months ago

    @New York 7a I am sure that the PRAH6 model will work with your 12" deep cabinet, that is what it is designed to be installed in, you might need to cut some of the cabinet to get it in but it should work. Read the installation instructions because it has a couple important installation requirements. The filter is big so you will loose a good amount of storage in the cabinet but the big filter is required for the hood to work as good as it does. When I needed to change the carbon pellets I did not want to pay the price from VAH so bought a 5 pound bag on Amazon for $10-15.00 and now I will have enough to years. My filter had some charcoal dust on the bottom but it was dry and did not need to be changed. This is the only filter part that you will need to get from VAH. It is a little bit expensive but you get many years of use out of it if you are doing normal cooking. Heavy cooking will require it be changed out more often.

  • Victor Battaglia
    3 months ago

    @paulmadden What are the better non-venting systems available in Europe?

  • First Last
    yesterday

    Here's our experience with a 42" VAH ARS hood. It sits 24" above a 36" induction cooktop. Our first experience with a recirculating hood. Its pretty, its well made, its basically useless. Our condo is 94" across with the kitchen at the far end. If I start cooking 2 slices of bacon, within minutes the smell has travelled down a hall, through a door and down another hall into a guest bedroom 94 feet away from the cooktop. The unmistakable smell of bacon permeates the air. We've been using it for about a month now. Suction is fine. Anything we cook, can be readily smelled. Save you money and buy cheap. All this does is sweep the cooktop, carry it up the duct and recirculate it into the room.


    Unfortunately, we now crack our windows at each end to clear the air while cooking. Unfortunate as the prevailing breeze is into the kitchen and out the far end of the condo. But its better than nothing which is how we feel about the VAH ARS hood.

  • kaseki
    yesterday

    @First Last Simmering bacon shouldn't overwhelm the charcoal filter. Does the air exhausted at the top of the filter stack seem to be a reasonable flow rate relative to what is claimed by VaH? Is the bacon being cooked under the hood entry aperture? Plume expansion has to be fully captured. While I'm not a fan of Vent-a-Hood, up-thread reports suggest the unit is better than you describe.

  • garyvp
    yesterday

    Sorry you were misinformed. Their own salesmen told me that even with this hood, if you cook bacon, you will smell bacon, but, the ARS filter kit will greatly reduce the smoke and especially the heavy grease from the air and my walls - almost none since using this. It's far better than anything i had in the past. My country house had a regular external exhaust and it removes the smoke but not the smell, especially bacon.