A hood fan provides ventilation and removes smoke and odors during cooking. Barrel-shaped fans are quieter and more effective, while rotary fans are cheaper. Ducted systems are most effective, while recirculating fans are less so. Downdraft fans are less effective than hood fans.
While cooking is an enjoyable experience for many people, the by-product of cooking is often not. Many have experienced a kitchen filled with smoke, oil splatters, and strong odors while cooking. A hood is an appliance that provides ventilation, air circulation and the removal of smoke and/or odors during the cooking process.
A hood fan is made using a rotating fan, just like a traditional home fan or barrel fan. The barrel-shaped fan is generally quieter and more effective than a rotating hood fan. However, the rotary type impeller is usually less expensive. Whether rotary or barrel-shaped, the fan draws in the air inside the unit, expelling it outside or recirculating it into the room.
The most effective hood fans are ducted or vented systems. In fact, these systems remove smoke, steam and odors from the cooking area. As the fan draws the air from the stove, it is filtered and then conveyed outside through a system of exhaust ducts.
A hood fan that doesn’t use a duct system is often called a recirculating or non-vented hood fan. A recirculation system draws in the air, cleans and filters it before it is recirculated into the room. Due to the fact that air is not actually removed from the cooking area, range hood recirculating fans are not as effective at eliminating the negative effects of smoke and odor as range hood systems are.
A range hood fan is most often located above the stove or directly behind it. Many hoods that sit above the stove are often combined into one unit that includes a microwave oven and lighting. While these combo units offer space-saving convenience, they aren’t as effective as self-contained hood fans.
Consumers who have stoves located on kitchen islands or who don’t want a large range hood above the stove can select a downdraft fan. Downdraft fans are typically found behind the back burners of a stove. When not in use, the downdraft fan retracts into the stove or countertop area, flush with the surface. When in use, the ventilation unit opens behind the stove and sits above the cooking surface.
While downdraft units are less visually intrusive than a traditional range hood, they aren’t as effective as kitchen fans due to their typical location behind the stove. Even the downdraft fans that sit in the center of the stove, near the burners, don’t work as efficiently as their hood counterparts. The downdraft fan has to work harder than an overhead fan because it tries to reverse the upward direction in which smoke and vapor naturally move.
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