Blue Star 36 inch range. Do I really need a 1200CFM hood?

7 years ago

I am planning a 36" RNB in my kitchen remodel. My appliance rep and Blue Star recommend a 1200CFM hood. I calculate 980 requirement, Blue Star acknowledged they round up are they sell 300, 600, and 1200 CFM.

My contractor/HVAC person are appalled at a 1200 CFM for a homeowner. Building inspector seemed mostly focused on clearances and and makeup air.

I honesty don't envision using more the 3 burners at a time. Would 600 CFM hood be sufficient?

Featured Answer

Milo Pompeii

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

There are many people here who can comment on the math. My HVAC person did that and installed MUA.

Because of our cathedral ceiling and the hood being at the low point, the hood will have to have an internal blower. (Trust me, we tried.). The Wolf representative pointed out that you need enough CFMs to work if everything is at full power, but if you don’t need full power that much, the higher CFM fan allows you to run at a lower, quieter speed (variable speed blower) for a lot of everyday cooking for 2 people. They make a 900 CFM blower, which is what we went with for a 36” rangetop with a griddle (40”hoodliner in 43” cabinet).

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Comments (6)

PRO
Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
7 years ago
The cfm specified by the range is the minimum requirement per code.
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kaseki
7 years ago
Take the entrance aperture area of your hood and multiply by 90 CFM/sq.ft. to get desired actual air flow (CFM) for good containment (no effluent escaping the hood). Multiply by 1.5 unless you know your hood's blower fan curve and all of the pressure losses getting from the blower to outside and back to the blower. MUA of some sort is always needed; no air is removed by the hood that isn't replaced.
PRO
Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
7 years ago
RE: clearances

Most issues that people run into are the upper cabinets set closer than 18" above the counter/range surface in the 6-inch area on either side of the range, or the hood set too low.

Read the instructions.
domovanmom
7 years ago
Right. That is what the building inspector said they would be looking at. Also, MUA. Interestingly, Blue Star does not publish specifications for ventilation. They make recommendations based on International Building code. They only make specifications for height above cooktop for instance.

Ultimately, I will likey get the 1200cfm hood. I don’t want my home to be unsafe and would never risk safely over a few $. Though my gut tells me it is overkill.
Milo Pompeii
7 years ago
Hire an HVAC professional. They will know City codes. Work with them and get a solution for your unique situation.

You’ll have to do it anyway.