I have been browsing the appliance forum for several months and have found all your comments to be so helpful in selecting my kitchen appliances.

Like many of you, the range hood has been really difficult to select since I am concerned about it being too noisy. I like the idea of a variable speed fan that is activated with a dial from low to high instead of buttons with preset settings. The viking range hood - classic chimney wall hood DCH3042 - has this. It is one of the only hoods I have seen that has variable speed.

The specifications say the hood should be mounted a minimum of 30" from the range. This seems like a far distance. I actually preferred 27" based on my current hood. Will I run into problems if I place it closer to the range top?

I need a 30" wall mounted hood and have a 6" duct. The all gas range I've selected is a Dacor. The Dacor wall mounted hood doesn't offer variable speeds.