135 Kitchen Hoods and Vents

By containing rising gasses, grease and air, a range hood helps eliminate the buildup of residue and odors and provides ventilation while cooking. To determine what type of vent hood is right for your kitchen, consider your cooking needs, space and preference.

If you’re shopping for a range hood, start with some of these helpful recommendations:


What types of range hoods are available?
Under Cabinet Range Hoods: These hoods are installed beneath the cabinet above your stove top. They save space and are often installed with a light to illuminate what you have cooking over the stove.
Wall Mount Range Hoods: Hoods are attached to the wall when there are no cabinets above the stove. Since they are standalone pieces, they’re often available in a wider range of styles and finishes.
Island Range Hoods: These are similar to wall mount range hoods, but are installed on the ceiling.
Hood inserts: This type of hood can be installed horizontally on their own in the ceiling or with a custom constructed vent hood.
Downdraft: These space saving hoods sit at the back of the stove top and pull the air back and out of the room versus up.


What size should your range hood be? Ranges usually come in 30”, 36” and 42” sizes. You’ll want something that’s large enough to accommodate your needs, but not one that will overpower the kitchen. It’s possible you already have an opening in your kitchen and don’t have much leeway in terms of size: if that’s the case, simply measure the opening from left to right to determine which size is appropriate for you.

What type of filters should you consider? Filters are an important accessory to range hoods, and the right one depends on how you use your stove. Choose from the following:
Charcoal filters: These filters bond with the contaminants and remove them from circulation. They generally need to be replaced every three to six months.
Baffle filters: Made of stainless steel, baffle filters are set on an angle to the incoming air and collect grease. Therefore, they require avid cleaning to control oil buildup.
Oil cups: These removable cups collect grease and oil and must be emptied after becoming full.
Aluminum mesh filters: Catching grease and oil through a fine aluminum mesh, these filters need continuous maintenance to work properly.
Stainless steel mesh: These are the same as aluminum mesh filters; they simply replace aluminum with steel. These also need to be cleaned frequently.


What types of exhaust fans are available? An exhaust fan is either rotary or centrifugal. Rotary (like a traditional-bladed house fan) are the least expensive, yet tend to be noisy. Centrifugal fans, which are barrel-shaped and rotate on a center axis, are quieter, move more air and work best with ducted range hoods.

How do you read sones? A sone is a measurement of sound output, however, it’s how a sound is “sensed” versus decibels or volume. One sone is the rough equivalent of a quiet refrigerator running. The lower the sone value, the more comfortable it is for the listener.

How should you determine the correct CFM? CFM stands for cubic feet per minute, and is used to rate and compare air movement. A higher CFM means more air moved out of the house, however, that doesn’t mean you need the highest CFM available in your kitchen range. Your range style will come into play: overhead range hoods naturally capture rising gases and steams, so they need a less powerful fan than downdraft which work against the air’s natural flow to exhaust the stove area. In general, island mount styles require 50-150 CFM for every foot of width, and wall mount styles require 10-40 CFM per foot.

What features might you want to consider for your range hood? A light is a helpful addition to vent hoods that are above the stove top, and some hoods come with heat sensors to speed up the fan or sound an alarm if what you’re cooking on the stove becomes too hot. Some also come with an automatic timer shutoff feature to control how long you keep your hood running.

Check out our wide selection of range hoods to help you decide which type will work best in your kitchen.

Find kitchen hoods and vents design ideas here.