Kitchen Exhaust Fan Varieties Explained

Installing the right kitchen exhaust fan is crucial for any home cook. Exhaust fans whisk away heat, grease, odors, and smoke from stovetop cooking. They improve indoor air quality by venting these pollutants outside. With so many options available, it can get confusing to choose the best kitchen exhaust fan type for your needs.

There are three main varieties of kitchen exhaust fans: ducted, ductless, and downdraft. Each has distinct installation requirements, ventilation capabilities, features, and price points. Understanding how they work and differ will help you select the ideal model.

Ducted Kitchen Exhaust Fans

Ducted range hoods are the most common and effective type of kitchen exhaust fan. As the name suggests, they vent cooking pollutants outside through ductwork leading from the fan to the outdoors. This direct ventilation makes them superior at clearing smoke, grease, heat, and odors from the whole kitchen area.

A professional generally installs ducted range hoods since they require ducting to be run through cabinets and walls. They come in various CFM ratings (airflow) to match the size of your cooktop or range for optimal ventilation. Larger, more powerful fans are needed for commercial-grade ranges.

Consider potential noise levels when cooking at higher fan speeds. Well-insulated ducting diminishes ventilation noise. Round, smooth ductwork makes the least noise compared to ribbed or rectangular ducts. Choosing a quieter fan motor also cuts down on noise.

Ductless Kitchen Exhaust Fans

As their name denotes, ductless range hoods recirculate kitchen air rather than venting it outside. A set of filters trap grease and odors before the cleaned air flows back into the kitchen. Activated charcoal filters are commonly used to absorb odors.

The main advantage of ductless fans is easier installation, since no ductwork is required. They simply mount to the underside of a cabinet. Ductless fans suit smaller kitchens where concentrated cooking ventilation is adequate.

The filters on ductless range hoods need periodic replacing as they become saturated with grease. Their ventilation is also not as robust as a ducted fan able to expel air to the outdoors. But ductless fans provide a simple, affordable option for basic kitchen exhaust needs.

Downdraft Kitchen Exhaust Fans

As a sleek, built-in exhaust fan option, downdraft range hoods have become trendy kitchen appliances. Mounted either in the cooktop itself or as part of the kitchen island, they pull air downward and channel it through ducting running underneath nearby cabinetry.

Downdraft fans excel when an open kitchen floor plan makes a wall-mounted range hood unfeasible. They take up minimal visual space and keep sightlines open. But downdraft fans cost more and have limited ventilation coverage compared to traditional hoods.

Powerful downdraft fans that extend up when in use deliver the best performance. But the ventilation area remains confined to the cooktop's width. This focused suction works well for casual home cooking rather than commercial-level ranges.

How Do Kitchen Exhaust Fans Work?

All kitchen exhaust fans operate using a fairly straightforward ventilation process. When turned on, an internal fan blade spins rapidly, which creates a powerful suction effect. This draws air, smoke, grease particles, odors and heat up from the stovetop into the hood.

Ducted fans channel these cooking byproducts through ductwork to vent them outdoors. Ductless models pass the air through a filter system before recirculating cleaned air back into the kitchen. In both systems, the constant airflow removes cooking contaminants rather than letting them distribute throughout the home.

Exhaust fans are sized according to CFM (cubic feet per minute) ratings. A higher CFM correlates to more powerful suction and airflow. Standard residential kitchen fans range from 150 to 1200+ CFM. Matching the right CFM rating to kitchen size and stove usage ensures optimal ventilation.

Sizing Recommendations

• 150-300 CFM: Smaller kitchens; electric cooktops
• 400-600 CFM: Medium kitchens; residential gas ranges
• 600-1200 CFM: Larger kitchens; commercial-grade ranges

Higher-end fans offer handy features like dimmable LED cooktop lights, touchscreen controls, filter clean reminders, and timer functions. But the essential purpose remains quietly yet powerfully removing cooking byproducts.

Benefits of Installing Kitchen Exhaust Fans

Given how much heat, grease, smoke, and odors kitchen cooking generates, installing an exhaust fan brings valuable benefits:

• Prevents cooking odors and particles from circulating throughout the home
• Removes humidity, enhancing indoor air quality
• Quieter, more energy-efficient fans improve the kitchen experience
• Properly sized for the kitchen's BTU cooking output
• Filters help capture grease; prevents sticky buildup on surfaces

For cooks using commercial-style ranges, a powerful ducted hood is a virtual necessity. Even for casual cooks, installing a basic ductless fan makes a positive difference in kitchen comfort.

Health Benefits

Kitchen exhaust fans provide health perks beyond basic cooking convenience:

• Alleviates stuffy air that worsens allergies or asthma
• Prevents smoke triggering asthma attacks or lung irritation
• Energy-efficient fans lower utility bills
• Low noise levels don't disturb households
• Removes grease buildup that could cause fires

Given the extensive time many families spend in the kitchen, ensuring good indoor air quality provides peace of mind. Even simple recirculating fans make a constructive difference compared to no ventilation at all.

Types of Kitchen Exhaust Hoods

While fans power the extraction, the hood is the equipment housing that mounts above the stove. Kitchen exhaust hoods come in numerous shapes, sizes, and styles:

• Wall-mounted chimney hoods - Most common style; mounted against wall behind cooktop
• Island hoods - Suspended above a kitchen island cooktop
• Low-profile hoods - Compact under-cabinet models
• Built-in hoods - Concealed within kitchen cabinetry
• Insert hoods - For installation into existing cabinet space
• Telescopic downdraft hoods - Retractable; installed in countertop

Stainless steel offers a sleek, modern look for any kitchen. More economical range hoods use powder-coated galvanized steel or paint. Copper and other metal finishes provide more exotic options.

Hoods consist internally of the fan chamber and air ducts routing fumes either outdoors or into recirculation filters. Baffles and filters trap grease so it doesn't coat fan blades. Hood slopes, angles and height prevent grease dripping into cooking pans.

Consider Proper Hood Placement

Guidelines for optimal hood placement include:

• Mount 18-24 inches above cooktop
• Extend 3 inches past edges of cooktop
• Ducting vents outdoors; use shortest duct run possible
• Duct elbows should curve gently to reduce airflow noise

With good positioning, your kitchen hood will capture and remove the most smoke, grease and odors. Proper installation ensures your exhaust fan operates efficiently.

Commercial kitchens require heavy-duty exhaust hoods to handle the higher heat, grease and smoke outputs. Powerful fans, steel fabrication and fire suppression systems allow restaurants to maintain safe, comfortable working conditions.