Don’t Prevent the Effectiveness of Your Vent


cooking surface clearance design kitchen
Most people realize the primary function of the vent in a kitchen: to eliminate lingering odor and moisture resulting from each meal cooked on the stove. Unfortunately, not much thought is typically given to the mechanics of such an appliance in the design and procurement phase especially since there are other big ticket items that tend to grab your attention. There are many factors that should be considered when designing a vent system for your new kitchen such as ceiling height, proximity to the exterior of the home, size of cooktop, and allowable space for ducting. If your new kitchen will feature an industrial style Wolf range you will also need to account for how to vent this big boy if all burners are firing at once.

blog picture vent option kitchen remodelTypically 24″ should be the minimum space between a protected surface (non-combustable portion of the vent) above the cooking surface. If your vent will have a decorative combustable shroud, at least 30″ of clear space should be given. On the other hand you won’t want to give too much space between the cook top and the vent otherwise the vent will loose its effectiveness. When doing your research be sure to pay attention to the manufactures specs on cooking surface clearance and the overhead vent. In these specs you will be able to find the “sweet spot” for vent location, both minimum and maximum recommendations for that particular unit.

You’ll also be able to get the particulars on all sorts of  details such CFM rating and duct sizing tables. Much of this information can be tedious and confusing but it is vent duct specification kitchen remodel mill creek WA important to who ever will be installing the unit. Before you decide on a vent you should provide these specs to your HVAC Technician and (or) General Contractor just to make sure this vent will function as you intend in your new kitchen.

kitchen design overhead vent cooktop blogYour contractor will also be able to determine if custom ducting might be needed or if an additional blower should be incorporated if the vent requires an increase in power. He can also make recommendations that you might appreciate later. For instance, if you plan on buying an industrial vent to accompany your heavy duty Sub Zero range you might want to consider locating the blower (motor) away from the kitchen (in a crawl space or attic) so each time it is  activated the noise  does not drown out the conversation you want to have in the kitchen. Your contractor will also make sure the proper vent accessories are ordered and there is cohesive communication between the subcontractors that will play a part in tying your vent system together.

The images and diagrams are courtesy of National Kitchen & Bath Association

http://www.nkba.org/


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