Janet wrote:
>
> The exhaust fan in my kitchen died recently.
>
> Unfortunately, everything in our kitchen has to fit into custom cabinetry
> installed by the previous owners, so that when something goes it is a
> nightmare to replace. The hood over the cooktop is one of those decorative
> wooden things with tiles around the edge. After extensive research, and
> talking to a lot of appliance salespeople whose general response was a
> shrug, I seem to have located a unit that I can have installed without
> tearing out the hood or the existing ductwork, which runs up to and then
> through the ceiling to the outside.
>
> Now, I do a lot of cooking that produces heavy-duty steam, smoke, and smell.
> (The cooktop has a grill in the middle, I do a lot of things in a wok, I
> cook Indian food, I make giant pots of stock that simmer for a day, and so
> forth.) The old unit--a Thermador squirrel cage thing, circa 1980--was
> grossly inadequate, and led to the accumulation of greasy dust on various
> surfaces in the kitchen. In addition, the ceiling in my kitchen is high, and
> the kitchen is not closed off from the rest of the house, which is a big old
> house with high ceilings. My dream fan was always one of things that is
> mounted outside the house, but I discovered that it would require larger
> ductwork, which would be a big job involving going into the ceiling, so
> that's out.
>
> The unit I've found moves about 400+ cubic feet per minute. This seems to be
> the most powerful unit that can use 3 1/2x10 ductwork, which has a capacity
> equal to 6" round, according to the appliance people. I'm wondering if
> anyone here can offer an opinion, based on their experience, as to whether
> this fan is going to be adequate to my needs. (It is over a 36" electric
> cooktop--unfortunately, I would SO love to have gas--so BTUs are not a big
> concern.)

Also check the SONES ratings for the exhaust fan, too. The lower the
SONES number, the less noisy the exhaust fan motor will be. Nearly all
vendors now have product specifications on their websites, so comparing
different exhaust fans is relatively easy (most of the time).

I replaced my vent hood exhaust fan just a couple of weeks ago. It was
a typical Broan model that was 30" wide & 17" deep with a standard
3.5"x10" vent. The old exhaust fan had a SONES rating of 6.5 and my new
one is around 4, so that was an improvement right there. And, it's
definitely less noisy (and more efficient!) than the old one.

For many years, I wondered why my (old) exhaust fan didn't work well. I
learned the reason when the hood was replaced. Imagine my surprise when
I discovered that the 'idiot' who installed the old exhaust hood years
ago (before I purchased my house) never punched out the opening in the
hood for the exhaust to go through the vent! DUH!

I'm a very happy camper now and the exhaust hood finally works as it
should! Whew <G>.

Sky
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