Range Hood Types: Under-Cabinet, Wall, Island, Insert and Downdraft

A range hood is chosen in two steps. The first is technical: how much air it must move, how the duct gets outside and whether makeup air is needed. That is covered on the range hoods and ventilation page, which carries the Washington code numbers. This page is the second step: which physical type of hood suits your layout, how the types differ in capture and noise, and what to compare between models.

The types compared

Wall hoods: under-cabinet and chimney

A range on a wall is the easiest to ventilate. The wall behind and the cabinets beside it contain the rising plume, and if the wall is an outside wall the duct can be very short.

An under-cabinet hood mounts to the underside of a wall cabinet. It keeps storage above the range, though the duct takes part of that cabinet if it runs upward. It is the quiet, practical choice when the hood is not meant to be a feature.

A wall-mount chimney hood replaces the cabinet with a canopy and a vertical cover that hides the duct. It gives up storage and becomes a focal point. Check the chimney cover against your ceiling height: covers are made for a range of heights and may need an extension, or cutting, for a tall or low ceiling.

Canopy depth matters

Within either type, a hood that is deep from front to back and has some volume inside holds smoke and steam for the fan to remove. A slim, flat hood relies entirely on fan speed. When two hoods have similar airflow ratings, the one with the deeper canopy usually captures more at a lower, quieter speed.

Island hoods

With no wall or cabinets, room air currents push the plume sideways before the hood catches it. Island hoods are therefore specified larger than a wall hood for the same cooktop, and mounting height is less forgiving. They are also the most visible type, hanging in the middle of the room in the sightline across the kitchen.

The duct is the hard part. It has to travel through the ceiling to an outside wall or up through the floor above, and the joist direction and whatever is over the kitchen decide whether that is simple. Sort this out before committing to a cooktop on the island. The kitchen islands page covers the other consequences of putting the cooktop there.

Inserts and custom hoods

An insert, also called a liner, is the working part of a hood sold without a decorative shell: blower, filters, lights and controls in a metal box. It is installed in a surround made of wood, plaster, metal or cabinet panels, or hidden in a cabinet over the range for a nearly invisible result.

The insert is what has to meet the ventilation rules. The surround has to respect the clearances in the insert's installation sheet, particularly the distance from the cooking surface to any combustible part of the shell. Three points to settle early:

• The insert model comes first. The surround is built to its dimensions and its mounting method.
• Access. Filters must come out easily, and the blower must be serviceable without dismantling the shell.
• Controls. Some inserts have controls on the underside, some use a remote or a wall switch. Decide before the tile goes on.

In JDI Construction's published planning ranges, a custom plaster or metal hood adds $3,000-$9,000 to a kitchen project before sales tax. That is a planning range, not a quote. How a custom hood fits different looks is discussed under kitchen styles.

Downdraft

A downdraft vent rises from the counter behind the cooktop, or sits flush beside the burners, and pulls air down into a duct below. Its appeal is an uncluttered view: no hood over an island or in front of a window. Its limits are physical. Heat and steam rise, and a vent at counter level captures little from a tall pot or from the front burners.

The blower and duct take up most of the cabinet below the cooktop, and the duct has to run under the floor to an outside wall, which is far easier over a crawl space than over a slab. Washington also sets a higher airflow minimum for downdraft than for a hood. See the ventilation page for that figure.

Recirculating kits

Many hoods can be converted to recirculate with a charcoal filter kit, returning the air to the room instead of ducting it out. HVI, the Home Ventilating Institute, describes the limit plainly: non-ducted filters trap some of the grease and odors from normal cooking, but the humidity, smoke and heat are all recirculated back into the home.

Microwave-hood combinations

An over-the-range microwave has a small fan and filter in its base. It saves counter space and removes the need for a separate hood, which is why it is so common. As ventilation it is the weakest overhead option: the underside is flat and shallow, it does not reach over the front burners, and its fan is modest. If you cook lightly it may be enough, provided the unit is rated as a hood and ducted. If you sear, fry or cook on gas, a real hood and a microwave placed elsewhere will serve you better. The alternatives are compared under microwave options.

Noise: reading sone ratings

Hood noise is rated in sones. HVI describes the sone as an internationally recognized unit of loudness on a linear scale: double the sone value is double the loudness. As an everyday reference, HVI equates one sone to the sound of a quiet refrigerator. That makes sones easier to compare than decibels. A hood rated at 6 sones is twice as loud as one rated at 3.

• Find the rating at working speed. A single headline figure may be for the lowest setting. Ask for the sone rating at the airflow you will use for everyday cooking.
• Look for certified ratings. HVI publishes certified airflow and sound ratings in its products directory, and Washington's code requires hoods to carry HVI or AHAM ratings.
• The duct affects the sound. A duct smaller than the hood calls for, or one with extra elbows, makes any hood louder and less effective.
• Consider a remote blower for a large hood in an open kitchen.

Washington sets a maximum sone level for kitchen exhaust. The limit is on the ventilation page.

What to check on the spec sheet

• Certified airflow at each speed, and the sone rating at each speed.
• Duct outlet size, shape and position (top or rear), and whether a damper is included.
• Maximum duct length and number of elbows the manufacturer allows.
• Mounting height range above the cooking surface, for your type of cooktop.
• Canopy width, depth and height, and for chimney hoods the ceiling heights the cover suits.
• Filter type and whether filters are dishwasher safe.
• Lighting type and whether it dims.
• Number of fan speeds and the control type.
• Electrical connection. The circuit question belongs to your electrician and the kitchen electrical code page.
• For inserts: required clearances to the surround and the liner dimensions.

Who should choose which

• Range on a wall, storage matters: under-cabinet hood, or an insert hidden in the wall cabinet.
• Range on a wall, hood as the focal point: wall-mount chimney, or a custom hood over an insert.
• Cooktop on an island, frequent cooking: a generously sized island hood, with the duct route confirmed first.
• Cooktop on an island, light cooking and the open view matters most: downdraft, accepting its limits, where the floor structure allows the duct.
• Small kitchen, light cooking, no counter to spare: an over-the-range microwave rated as a hood and ducted outdoors.
• Gas range or high-heat cooking: a deep wall hood with capacity to match, and a makeup air check before you buy.

The hood type and the duct route are decided together, during design, before cabinets are ordered. At JDI Construction our team traces the duct path through the framing as part of that work. To see how we handle a full project, visit our Vancouver kitchen remodeling page.