If you plan to renovate your kitchen, you want to choose highly functional cabinets and countertops so that you can utilize your space in the best manner possible. A major part of keeping your new kitchen and entire home clean and healthy is proper ventilation.
Proper ventilation ensures that pollutants from fumes produced while cooking are removed and that the air remains clean and safe for you and other residents in your home to breathe. Open windows or fans can improve airflow in the kitchen. A range hood is an appliance specifically designed to extract odors, moisture, grease, smoke, and other pollutants.
Remodeling your kitchen can provide the perfect opportunity to install a hood that can more effectively keep this room ventilated. A design expert at Cabinet Discounters can discuss ventilation options as part of an overall kitchen design. Please call to schedule a consultation.
Why Prioritize Efficient Ventilation in My Kitchen?
When cleaning your kitchen, you may notice grease stains that can spread and cling stubbornly to your stovetop, counters, and walls. Grease, smoke, and other fumes produced when cooking will create toxins that will spread through the air as well. These pollutants can then settle throughout the kitchen, making more of a mess that you will need to clean later.
Breathing these harmful particles without proper ventilation can exacerbate allergies, asthma, or other respiratory concerns in susceptible individuals. Efficient ventilation can therefore make your home a healthier space for everyone living there. It will also be cleaner and more comfortable to use while cooking as well.
Do I Need a Permit to Install a Range Hood?
Installing a new range hood in your kitchen can vastly improve the air quality in your home. Cook surfaces with a high BTU rating may require a high-powered hood. Homeowners will need to consult with their appliance specialist to determine what CFM rating is required for their particular appliance.
CFM refers to how much air is moved in cubic feet per minute. Hoods that exceed 400 CFM pose some special problems. They require large ducts and make up air.
Make up air refers to a separate vent with a damper that will open to add fresh air into your kitchen when the hood turns on. This keeps the air pressure within your house balanced as well as properly ventilated.
Installation of these high CFM units and make up air systems require building permits. Consult with a home design expert to discuss ventilation and design of your new kitchen.
How Do I Maintain My Range Hood?
Getting the most benefits from your range hood will mean you have to properly maintain this appliance. Over time, the hood will collect pollutants in its filter. You will need to change this filter regularly to keep it functioning as well as possible.