Broan-NuTone 403004 Stainless Steel Under-Cabinet Range Hood, 30-Inch

The main kinds of range hoods are under-cabinet, wall-chimney, island, downdraft and ductless. Under-cabinet ones mount beneath the bottoms of wall cabinets, and the ductwork is found inside a wall, ceiling or soffit. With these hoods, the exhaust and fumes get directed outside.

You can also use wall-chimney range hoods when you don’t have cabinets over your range, and the vent stacks will be exposed and mounted to the wall. Kitchen island hoods get mounted to (and vented) through ceiling ductwork.

Figure out how the hood needs to be ducted because you’ll want it to match your range’s configuration. The choices are non-vented, vented or convertible, but some range hoods are ductless, so the primary filters trap grease, oil and exhaust, filter it and redirect it back into the kitchen. Most of these have optional carbon filters to cut down on smells.

Downdraft range hoods reverse the direction of fumes and smoke and send them into ducts beneath the floor. Many range hoods are sold with different connection options since all kitchens aren’t built the same.

You’ll see “CFM” and “sone” in the range hood product descriptions. CMF refers to cubic feet per minute. The higher that is, the more air that gets exhausted. Sone is a measurement unit for loudness, an important thing to look for because no one wants to listen to a noisy fan: look for a lower rating here.

You’ll want at least two fan speeds, and you can get as many as six. A built-in light is also an excellent feature; high-end models have control panels, remote controls and other bells and whistles that aren’t always necessary but pretty nice.

• Before buying a range hood, understand what kind you need for your kitchen and measure carefully beforehand. The new one should be as wide as the cooktop, but an additional 3 inches on each side is best.
• One sone equals the sound of a softly humming refrigerator when there is no other noise.
• The three primary range hood filters are baffle, charcoal and mesh. Stainless steel baffles are best for heavy-duty cooking, aluminum mesh is fine for everyday cooking, and charcoal ones are usually found in ductless range hoods.
• Not all range hood filters are dishwasher safe, and some are not permanent and need to be replaced from time to time.
• If you want help choosing or installing a range hood, reach out to an HVAC contractor.