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Recs for range hoods/vents with upsidedown T shape

CT_Newbie
10 years ago

Hi! Sorry if this is posted twice. I thought I posted it on Sunday but can't find it so I might have only hit Preview, not Submit.

We will likely have a 6 burner gas stovetop, likely Wolf. It will be on an inside wall that is perpendicular to the outside wall. One of the potential contractors said we might need a soffit to get it to vent to the outside. I read the other recent post that seemed to say they had to open up the ceiling to tell if they could vent it through the ceiling vs. the soffit.

Since it will be a large kitchen with white Shaker cabinets, I was hoping the range hood could be a focal point for the wall and would break up all the white. Do people have any specific recs on vents that would fit this situation? I'd also like it to have whatever other features are necessary, e.g., make up air?, low noise. It doesn't have to be the absolute best but should function well. We will probably seldom use all six burners. That said, when I do cook in our current home with our vent that just recycles air, we sometimes set off the fire alarm :( I scanned the Houzz article on what to look for in a vent, but hoping you'll take that into consideration when giving your recs. I'd like something sleek and sexy :)

Lastly, I was wondering if you felt that the vents with some glass got dirty quickly and were hard to maintain. Similarly, if I have glass on the cabinets on the sides of the vent, instead of opaque solid doors, would those have to be cleaned frequently?

We haven't decided on the backsplash but were considering carrera marble subway tile, or again some sort of statement with calcutta gold marble. More on that in another post.

Thank you very much!

Comments (7)

  • kaysd
    10 years ago

    My top choice for an inverted T shape hood is the Imperial WH2000PS. It is available with multiple blower options, with up to 1425 cfm. I would use a 42" wide model over a 36" range. Imperial is a California company that builds its hoods in the US and offers a 7-year in-home parts and labor warranty. The few people on GW who have Imperial hoods seem to be very happy with them.

    If you are okay with 600-700 max cfm, Zephyr makes a few sleek, sexy models: Roma, Modena, Firenze. HTH!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Imperial

  • Mrs_Nyefnyef
    10 years ago

    Just be aware that a flat hood will not capture smoke and grease as well as a canopy-shaped hood. It's personal preference whether you want more the look of the flat hood more than the better capture. Also try to get a hood with baffle filters if possible, though usually the flat hoods come with mesh filters.

  • julieste
    10 years ago

    We have a 30" Wolf AG range and have decided to go with the Zephyr Anzio ( a slight variation on the flat T). Faber has some hoods that are flat look too (and several of these have baffles), but I have had two different sales men tell me that Zephyr hoods are more quiet than Faber. As far as MUA, it is a long thorny, involved question with much of it depending on the locality you live in.

  • Mrs_Nyefnyef
    10 years ago

    CTNewbie - in reading your OP, and your mention of a hood in a large kitchen with white cabinets, I thought of Breezygirl's kitchen, one of my favorites. I hope she doesn't mind that I am posting a link to her thread about her kitchen. She has a beautiful hood.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Breezygirl's kitchen with hood

  • CT_Newbie
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you very much everyone! I am not opposed to a canopy hood if I am understanding you correctly. You're right Mrs. N, Breezygirl has a very nice kitchen. What I like in the T shape is the stack and then it going wider (especially since all the cabinets are rectangular). The hood doesn't have to be as rectangular all around the vent as KSDay's photo (though I do like that look too.) I will check out the other names you mentioned.

    Some of the contractors we spoke with felt that the glass on the hood would require more maintenance than all stainless steel

    Thank you very much!

  • friedajune
    10 years ago

    CT_Newbie - yes, glass will show every spatter from what you are cooking. It depends on your personality whether that will bother you or not. Some people are really good about cleaning the glass after cooking, and they don't mind. Or they don't mind looking at the splatters. Other people would rather only have to wipe the hood once in a while, so they buy a stainless hood. So you know your own self and how you'd feel!

    I'd be more concerned that a glass hood is designed more for looks, and they do look cool. But it won't have the capture area of a hood like pictured in Breezygirl's photo linked above. Also glass hoods have mesh filters, which was also mentioned above. It's again a matter of cleaning habits - mesh will get clogged with grease as you cook, cutting back on the hood's ability to exhaust. If you are cooking something like hamburgers, the mesh will clog significantly. If you are good about putting the mesh filter in the DW frequently, you'll be fine. Baffle filters on the other hand will get the grease in their baffle channels, but their exhaust ability will not be compromised. Of course, baffle filters need to be cleaned too, but mesh MUST be clean in order to work. It is a shame to spend a lot of money on a hood, only to have it not work well simply cause you forgot to clean the mesh filters. That's why baffle filter hoods are preferable, but again if you will be cleaning the filters frequently, then mesh will be fine.

    I know myself, and I know I would not like a glass hood. My bathroom mirrors already make me OCD just from water splashing, LOL, so I def could not deal with a glass hood!

    Another brand for you to look at - the Kobe RA02 line. Cool pyramid shape, great capture area, 24" deep so it will cover the front burners, has rounded corners. A lot of bang for the buck. Popular with the Appliances Forum regulars.

    This post was edited by akchicago on Wed, Jul 3, 13 at 8:41

  • CT_Newbie
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I just saw this post. Thank you very much! Good to know that the mesh can be thrown in the DW. I'm OK with that but not scrubbing glass that gets streaky/spotty. We hadn't cleaned our mesh recirculating vents in two years but when we did, only one section looked rather dirty. We kind of forgot about that maintenance and didn't realize how easy it was to pop them in and out. The section above where we tend to boil water was pretty clean - guess it got steam cleaned!

    I have to say, I am pleasantly surprised by the price of these vents. For some reason, I thought the store person said we'd spend several thousand on a vent but i googled and they were less than $1500. I hope that isn't just a wholesale price that gets marked up x2 for retail

    I like the Kobe too. All of these are great options. Thanks for taking that off my list