Help! Derailed by last-minute range hood snag!

10 years ago

Hi, all,
We're in the final stages of a lengthy renovation and just discovered a problem. Apologies in advance for length and cluelessness. I'd thought until last night that I'd gotten away with not understanding all this stuff.

I'm using our existing 36" CC with 6 burners--no grill. I tend to do a lot of boiling, braising, sautÃ¯Â¿Â½ing, some searing but not a lot. No woks.

We've always lived in old rentals that had little or no range hood but we made it this far, and I've never liked the look of them, so in designing this kitchen I asked that the hood be as unobtrusive as possible. We have no upper cabinets but dh and I are both around 6' tall. I don't lean over the stove to look in pots.

We planned to use a 600 cfm Prestige insert (34 x 15 x 14) within a plaster column. The vent (not sure if 6 or 8) goes up to the 9' ceiling, turns 90 and vents outside about 3 feet away. Here's my problem:

We have a marble backsplash (installed yesterday, of course) that runs to 26" above the counter. The bottom of the range hood column and a shelf the length of the kitchen are meant to sit right on top of that. Last night I heard that the insert requires that the hood be installed at 30". So now we're all in an uproar.

Any thoughts on whether:

1. Original hood is truly so undersized as to need to reconsider the whole plan.

2. Height is so cockamamie as to truly need to reconsider the whole plan. I know 26" is low but figured because the open shelf is also there and it's only 17" deep finished that would be okay.

In addressing the above, I guess we either:

1. Find out for some reason it's ok to proceed as planned (I think unlikely as it looks like code follows makers installation recs?)

2. Keep the current plan but get a different insert to make it legit. Any recs on compatible size and makers who allow for a low installation like that?

3. We should get a wholly different insert--possibly even differently sized--at a new height and deal with remaking the whole backsplash etc at this point. I'm cringing thinking of the contractor's face.

Lastly, I cook a great deal but am willing to give up some performance to not have to look at the hood all the time when I use them so infrequently. That said, I don't want to go to the trouble of having one that is entirely useless. I don't want to deal with MUA and we live in a very old, leaky house. I think that's it. If anyone can help me think this through it would be very much appreciated.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

Mgoblue85
10 years ago
I think the standard rule is 30-36" above the cooking surface, but I'm not an expert. Not sure there is actual code to dictate height but you should check in your city/state to be sure. It varies.
User
10 years ago
There are too many variaables that only your code inspector can green light. In general though, all hoods and inserts have minimum and maximum height distances from the surface that they cover. And width too. Your contractsr and inspector are gonna have to put their heads together on site. But, it's probably best to dance with the one who brung ya as it's already on site. But, given the chance to change, I probably would as the size you've given doesn't seem to provide adequate coverage to your cooking surface below. And it just barely provides enough CFM. Where is your KD in all of this? That's who should have read all the specs and planned something code compliant. And who should have told you that you can't have what you want because it's not functional.
Related Professionals
Ballenger Creek Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · East Islip Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Kalamazoo Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Manchester Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Palm Harbor Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Hopewell Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Charlottesville Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Elk Grove Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Gilbert Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Kuna Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Vancouver Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Weymouth Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Harrison Cabinets & Cabinetry · Milford Mill Cabinets & Cabinetry · Saint James Cabinets & Cabinetry
Zivman
10 years ago
I think they can be installed as low at 24"... check specs. that said, the general rule is normally 30" and as high as 36". being 6' I would think you would want to stay at the 30" (or higher)

personally I would just install it at 30" and see what you think about the backsplash. have them splice in a piece if possible or just paint it. you are talking only 4" it isn't "that" big of a deal
weissman
10 years ago
If anything, going lower will give you better capture so it may not be a problem. The reason most people mount it a bit higher is to avoid banging your head and to allow tall pots to fit underneath it.

One important question - you say it's an insert - is it surrounded by flammable material? In that case the distance from the burners is important and may be a code violation.
nf85
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks, everyone. No KD. The HVAC consultant had specified 400, and I'd upped that to 600. After reading more here I'm as concerned about the depth (now 17") as the height. I'm comfortable trading off some performance, but in this arena I find it so hard to figure out where the line is for too much. Thanks again for the input.
uther
10 years ago
If it helps you to see a picture, my hood is 28" above the cast iron grates on the stove and it sticks out 20" from the wall. It is never in my way when I'm cooking. I'm 5'7" tall.
live_wire_oak
10 years ago
When people bend forward over the stove, their head moves down. Plus, they can be seen. That's why the lower mounted hoods are less of a problem for head banging than those mounted higher out of your field of vision. Those tend to be the ones that get walked into.