Building code in our area requires at least 30" from the stove burner to the bottom of the hood. You have to check with the code in your area, but 18" wouldn't even allow you to stand over the stove and stir the pots! Go back to your cabinet plan - something is definitely wrong! Good luck...

Your hood will have the minimum and maximum distance in the specs. Check the installation guide that came with it or look it up on the VAH site. 18 inches seems way too low to me.

Mine is rated for 24-30 inches over the range but I had to take it to 32 inches.

VAH says 24-27", I will bring it up with the contractor.

I have a a 9" under cabinet Vent-A-Hood in my kitchen. It's mounted 27" above the cooktop. I provided the cabinet maker with the specs for the range hood and specified the mounting height. The cabinets above the range hood were sized accordingly.

Did you specify to the cabinet maker or contractor that you were installing a 9" tall range hood? If not, they may have assumed that you were installing a standard builder's grade hood, which are usually around 5" tall, and mounted above the cooktop at 22" or 24".

The most important hood height specification is your cooktop's. What cooktop/range do you have? Its instruction manual or installation instructions will specify the height it requires to the hood, but typically most say 28"-32" depending on cfms.

18" height between the cooktop and hood is a mistake and must be changed.

Your OP leaves me scratching my head--I'm confused when you say "kitchen installer". Where did the "kitchen installer" get the wrong-sized cabinet? Where did you order the cabinets? Did you get a cabinet plan/layout when you placed your order?

I did send the link to the 9" months ago.

I got clarification, it would be mounted 22" above the counter. Seems tight to me.

I did send the link to the 9" months ago.

I'm sorry, I don't know what that means.

...mounted 22" above the counter. Seems tight to me.

As already noted several times in this thread, the distance should be closer to 30".

I'll repeat my earlier question - what is your range/cooktop? Its installation/instruction manual should specify a distance to the hood. If you don't have the manual, they can be found online if you'd provide your brand and model #.

I'll repeat my other earlier question - where (or why) did your kitchen installer get the wrong sized cabinet? Did you get a cabinet plan when you placed your order? If so, what did the cabinet plan show for the cabinet over the cooktop? If it showed a 22" distance, that's a mistake that any cabinet store, including a big box store like HD or Lowe's, should not have made, because a 28"-32" height would be more standard and is often imbedded in the kitchen cabinet planning software.

Bluestar RNB-30. Can't find any specifications for hood height in the manual.

I sent the contractor a link to the hood a few months ago.

Mkiv808 - Actually, page 6 of the Bluestar RNB Installation Instructions specify a 36" distance between the cooktop and the hood. I think 36" sounds a little high, but these are powerful burners. You may want to post on the Appliances forum what other people have done, and if 36" height is absolutely necessary.

Also, page 10 of the Installation Instructions says the hood should be 6" wider than the range (i.e. 36" wide). There is often discussion on this topic on the Appliances Forum and this forum, and most people agree that 36" wide is ideal, but 30" wide is do-able too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bluestar Website Manuals Page

They are going to fix it for me. They suggested a cabinet that will bring it to 28" above the cooktop.