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mermom1

More range hood hell- re: height, depth

Mermom1
11 years ago

I'm a newbie on GW and know there are other threads on this topic, but we just discovered a serious problem and I'm hoping for help from all you wonderful, knowledgeable people. Our kitchen remodel is in the final stages and it looks to me like the range hood that is here and ready to be installed will not be right...that is, if I expect to actually cook on my fantastic 36" Wolf gas range top without whacking my head and if we want to be able to get into the cupboards in the corner to one side of the rangetop.

Particulars: I'm 5'5" and DH is 6'2". We will be venting to the exterior, with a couple of bends in the ducting. We have 8' ceilings and the KD installed small cabinets below the molding, mostly to cover the hood venting. We've been told we need a 36" hood with 600 cfm blower. The appliance store (recommended by the KD) said that a Best by Broan would be the best for us, so we ordered it and it's here waiting to be installed. The problem is that it is 18" tall, which puts the lower edge at about 26" above the counter (maybe even less if you measure from the top of the burner grates). Counters & range top are not installed yet, so we have to guesstimate. The hood sticks out a full 24" from the wall, so it covers the whole cooking surface. At that height and depth I cannot see how I can cook (and I plan to be REALLY cooking, if you know what I mean). The edge of the hood will be hitting me at the top of my nose, and my poor DH will have to duck way down. Worst of all, in addition to not being able to cook comfortably, we may be doing some serious injury to ourselves. Another problem is that with the hood sticking out this far, it will be very difficult to access the cabinets on the right, which are in a corner.

Seems like the KD didn't think this out, or else we just need a shorter shallower range hood. Does anyone have recommendations for a good hood that's only 15" tall (which would give us 30" between hood and stovetop- a distance I think we could live with) and maybe a depth of 22' or less??

Comments (7)

  • Fori
    11 years ago

    Can the guts of the hood go in the cabinet? If so, maybe a slideout would work. Slightly less CFM but better to be underventilated once in a blue moon than bleeding. SLideouts also retract when you bump into them.

    This is the GE Monogram slideout from my last remodel. Other brands may have higher CFM but I don't think you really need it 95% of the time:

    Can you do a remote blower? That might work, with a stubbier hood if you can't put the guts in the cabinet.

  • williamsem
    11 years ago

    I have a Kobe chx191 model waiting to be installed in May. 22 inches deep by 9 inches high mounted 27-30 inches above counter recommended. Toos out at 640 CFM, but I think they increased that since I bought it at Christmas. Couldn't pass up the sale though :-)

  • steph2000
    11 years ago

    Ugh. I suppose this is something else I need to worry about in my tiny kitchen with short ceilings... I want a wall-mounted chimney range hood, which should make this even dicier, I imagine...

  • mydreamhome
    11 years ago

    Sounds like you KD wasn't planning for the type of hood you went with. What type of hood do the KD's drawings show? I bet it's one of those shallow generic ones you can pick up at any big box store. That's typically what you see used in the vast majority of homes across the nation especially when placing short cabinets above the range with 8' ceilings. Those uppers need to come out and a wood hood out in place to accommodate the hood you have. The other alternative is to choose an entirely different hood altogether.

  • gwlolo
    11 years ago

    Your KD did not think it through. Your current hood may not work so don't install it. It may be impossible to return after you install. Take a picture of your cabinet to the appliance store to shop. You need 30-36" clearance above cooktop by code. Part of the hood or ducting may need to go into the cabinet.

  • phiwwy
    11 years ago

    Right - what GWlolo said. Do not install. First - how wide is your range? Most hoods need to be 6" wider than the range. I would totally forget the cabinet above - not with a 6'2 DH and your ceiling height. There are 10" high hoods. See if going 36" above your range will be good (otherwise the hood won't capture much, ,it will be more for show). You can certainly get one less deep.

    If all else fails, you can get one any size, depth and height from Modern Aire. We found ourselves in the exact same position - the KD couldn't get anything like what we wanted in a hood so we went for a statement hood. There are lovely SS ones out there in varying sizes.

  • SparklingWater
    11 years ago

    What does your local code say about range burner surface/range top to lower edge of hood minimum? In many locales it is a 30" minimum.

    The 54" guide (36" cab/countertop + 18" counter top surface to lower edge of upper cabinet) plus 12" (remainder of 30" for presumed lower edge of vent hood) puts the vent hood edge at 66" height or 5'6". Right in your eyes as you said. With 8 feet ceilings (96") that leaves a total of 30" to ceiling minus the 18" height of the Broan or 12" below ceiling. Move the Broan lower edge up by 6" to 72" from floor (6'), add 18" height of Broan and you are left with 6" to ceiling which can be covered with stainless ducting.

    Kas, a GW venting expert, emphasizes depth of hood over burners as very important. Perhaps he will weigh in here. For this reason, it may be good to go to 36" for lower edge of the Broan rather than sacrifice it's 24" depth of capture. This 72" (6") height of lower Broan vent hood edge may help minimize your spouse having to bend down while cooking too. That's a great range hood btw. Integrates well with Broan make up air adaptor too. I'd think twice before giving that hood up for placement over your Wolf.

    Is it too late to move your right and left side cabinets 3" laterally to allow better access to them? I often see that on Houzz for this reason (not for capture reasons).

    Hope this helps and that my calculations are correct and clear. I'm a tad math challenged. Good luck to you.