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What Should I Consider When Buying a Wall Mount Range Hood?

Amy Hunter
Amy Hunter

A wall mount range hood is an excellent way to clean the air in your kitchen, which is desirable for a variety of reasons. A well-designed wall mount range hood removes the stale kitchen air that causes odors to develop in the home. A range hood also keeps the kitchen cleaner, by removing grease that is circulating in the air. This grease will eventually settle on the cabinets, appliances and other surfaces, creating a sticky residue.

Wall mount range hoods are typically ducted, which means that the hood has a vent that runs from the range hood to the outside. When the range hood is turned on, the air inside the kitchen is pulled through the range hood and expelled outside the home. Ducted range hoods, such as wall mounted range hoods, are a more efficient choice than ductless range hoods. Ductless range hoods filter the air rather than remove it from the kitchen, so they often do not do as good a job of clearing the air as ducted range hoods.

Range hoods filter out pollutants that cause odor to develop in the kitchen.
Range hoods filter out pollutants that cause odor to develop in the kitchen.

When shopping for a wall mount range hood, there are two things to consider. The first is the amount of noise it generates and the other is the amount of air it cleans. As you may expect the quieter the range hood is and the quicker it filters the air inside the kitchen, the more expensive it will be. The important thing is to balance your needs, desires and budget.

A stainless steel hood may be purchased to compliment other kitchen appliances.
A stainless steel hood may be purchased to compliment other kitchen appliances.

The amount of noise that a range hood generates is measured in sones. The lower the sone number, the quieter the range hood is while it is on. It is important to choose a range hood that is not disruptive. If it is too loud, you will avoid using it. If you do not use the range hood regularly, you will miss out on the benefits of having it.

The amount of air that is cleaned by the wall mounted range hood is measured by cubic feet per minute (cfm). The higher the cfm number, the more powerful the range hood. Of course, bigger is not always better. If you have a small kitchen or do not cook much, you may not need the most powerful fan available. In fact, the most powerful fans are often the noisiest. A kitchen design professional can help you determine what size wall mount range hood makes the most sense for your particular situation.

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    • Range hoods filter out pollutants that cause odor to develop in the kitchen.
      By: Nevermore
      Range hoods filter out pollutants that cause odor to develop in the kitchen.
    • A stainless steel hood may be purchased to compliment other kitchen appliances.
      By: Piotr Pawinski
      A stainless steel hood may be purchased to compliment other kitchen appliances.