Cook like a pro: Variety of products available to provide pro-style ventilation

By Gary Huff

Metro Wholesale Appliance

The modern client’s dreams are to have the professional-looking kitchen, and this is why the stainless steel, pro-style kitchen has become popular.

Custom kitchen pro cooking and pro ventilation are high performance appliances and have extensive building recommendations too.

The first major consideration is how much power or CFM should the blower motor have for the cooking range. For example, I will discuss a 48-inch pro range with four burners, a griddle and a grill.

Usually these ranges have 15,000 BTU per burner and the rule of thumb is 1 CFM per 100 BTUs, and therefore the total CFM needed would be 600 minimum.

When adding a griddle and grill, the additional CFM would be 200 each, which falls in line with most manufacturers’ minimum recommendation of 1,000 CFM.

The second major consideration is the distance from the cook top, or top of the range, to the bottom of the hood canopy. The rule of thumb here is a minimum of 30 inches from the cooking surface to a maximum of 36 to 72 inches from the floor. The ventilation companies have found that if these parameters are followed, the heat will be exhausted properly.

The third major consideration is getting low sound levels with peak exhaust rates. To accomplish this:

• Always make the ductwork in the wall or ceiling larger than the hood connection (rule of thumb 8 to 10 inches, never 10 to 8 inches).
• Make sure the ductwork does not exceed 50 linear feet.
• Do not exceed four transitions or elbows.
• Ninety-degree elbows should be a minimum of two feet apart.
• Do not place transitions closer than one foot from the hood outlet.

The three major reasons why high performance ventilation systems are recommended:

• The heat from a pro range can produce as much heat as a furnace.
• Excess moisture in the home causes mold.
• Grease is the major cause of contamination in the home, because 85 percent of the grease is carried throughout the house in the form of vaporized grease particles.
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Finally, clients of custom builders and remodelers are asking for hood canopies that are brick or wood and require a power module or insert with a liner. The rule of thumb for proper ventilation is the same, but some applications are limited and the manufacture of the product would have to offer recommendations for completion.