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elginsgirl

Hood vent help!

We just had our hood installed and had to choose a height between 30-36” above the cooktop. Having no experience we went with 33”. When the installers arrived and held it up it looked too low so we bumped it up to 35”. The installer was tall and his head lined up to the hood and there was a platform placed above the cooktop for protection so I was looking at the distance between that and the hood. It was a very quick “where do you want it?” type of deal. Drilling into the tile was necessary for this install and I need help deciding if I should leave as is or pay for him to remove and reinstall. One caveat is he drilled several holes into the tile and moving it down might expose those tiles which would mean tile work as well. What would you do?

Comments (20)

  • last year

    What are the specifications for your range (or is that where the 30 - 36" came from)?

    How does it feel when you stand in front of it, pretending to cook? Imagine stirring something on a back burner.

    Have you cooked anything yet? Does this height seem to do a good job capturing cooking odors/steam?

  • last year

    The 30-36” came from the spec sheet. It was just installed today, but I made dinner and it worked properly/functioned well. There’s no chance of bumping my head which was a concern if it was too low. I will have to stand on a stool to clean the outside of it, but we have 9’ ceilings so I do that to wipe/reach the top cabinets anyway. I think aesthetically it just looks way too high, but is that enough to go through the hassle of a redo?

  • last year

    Aesthetically too high.

  • last year

    It doesn't look too high in your pictures. You will have to deal with the vent as well. Here a picture of your current set-up and one where it is moved about 3 inches down.

    The vents I see on Houzz look as high or higer than yours.

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  • last year

    I definitely think it looks better slightly lower, but probably not worth the money or hassle to move it. You’re right though there are some photos that show them even higher than mine.

  • last year

    My Wolf Pro Island hood is at 35.5 inches, and my head only clears because I have shrunk over time. Obviously, people vary in height and hoods vary in front-to-back depth. You can choose mounting height for performance, aesthetics, your personal usability, or salability to potential house buyers who are taller. Lower can improve plume capture, but the side cabinets help with that even at 36 inches.

    Had the hood overlapped the cooktop by a few inches each side as is generally desirable, its wider appearance would have better matched the higher placement. Very wide hoods can look good even at 7 feet (4 ft from the counter top).


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  • last year

    it looks great! leave it as is & enjoy your new kitchen.

  • PRO
    last year

    I think it s fine and often new chnsges take time to get used to relax it functioned well when used and enjoy the kitchen . So glad the cabinets are to the ceiling . I use a long set of tongs sometimes to do my hood without getting out the step stool BTW

  • PRO
    last year

    Good choice

  • last year

    Update and I’m so disappointed. After all the insight here I thought it is what it is and it’s fine, but then I grab the installation instructions and it says no higher than 34”!! This is visually where I like it and the installer (with 5 star reviews on Yelp) specifically told me between 30-36”. Sure I should have looked myself, but I trusted his knowledge and he even came over for an inspection to read the spec sheet prior to the install. There was a charge for both the pre-inspection and of course the install. I don’t mind that at all, however, you gave me wrong info and now I’m frustrated.

  • last year

    I'm sorry Nichole, I am just trying to figure out what you are dealing with. You said earlier the specifications said 30-36" but the installation instructions said no higher than 34"?

    Your hood was installed by an installer you hired, at 35" and you told us you were worried if you moved it lower, it might expose holes he had drilled.

    I understand your frustration, because I think we all have had projects that frustrate us, but I don't see here, where anyone led you astray.

    Or did I miss something?

  • last year

    There was a pre-inspection first. He came out read the spec sheet, looked at the space, asked the preferred height within 30-36”, explained what they would need for installation, collected payment and left. It was my understanding he got the info from the spec sheet. Afterward we scheduled the install and chose a height within the 30-36” range. Between the initial visit and the install I did what research I could never thinking twice to confirm the info provided to me. It wasn’t until tonight that I looked at the specs myself and found it’s actually 24-34” max. Again, this is a 5 star company and everything went smooth, but I have to call to clarify why the discrepancy in what I was told
    and what the spec sheet calls for. If it was hung within the requirements and I didn’t like it that’s one thing, but it’s hung above the max height reducing efficacy. Now its not just visual preference as I mentioned in my initial post.

  • last year

    If the specs say 34" max and you're at 35", you might like to call your installer again and discuss this. I'm a little bemused why he collected payment before he did the work; I've never encountered that.


  • last year

    Exactly my point! Why was I given the wrong info? I’m calling in the am to clarify. The pre-inspection visit was a service call charge. The installation fee was paid after job completion.

  • last year

    Oh, good about the fee payment correction; that sounds much better!

  • last year

    I'm sure one could prove, using computational fluid dynamics, or by doing a live test with schlieren photography, that 35 inches very slightly degrades capture performance over 34 inches, and somewhat significantly relative to 30 inches.

    But we are missing the more important issue; what is the rated flow rate and actual dimensions of the intake aperture (hood base)? Is the blower internal or external?

  • last year

    Back from a digression ....

    If the blower flow rate is increased slightly, and can be increased slightly, it likely will make up for that errant inch. (If it's internal, then it likely can't be increased unless another model blower will fit. Alternatively, the internal blower can be removed and a stronger external blower used on the roof or wall.)

  • last year

    In the grand scheme of things, is 1" going to make a difference? You're not going to drop dead from cooking plumes because the hood is 1" higher, nor is your kitchen going to be exponentially grimier because of it. It's fine. Leave it be.

  • last year

    I reached out to the installer and he said it meets code and even though the counter to the the hood exceeds 34” the grates to the hood do not. He also said ours has a high CFM so he isn’t concerned, but if it were an inexpensive low CFM hood he would want it at the minimum height. This was clarification enough for me and I didn’t even think to ask where the 30-36” came from. Moving on to the next project. Thank you all for the help!

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