If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, you are probably familiar with kitchen exhaust fans and  hoods that are built over the grills or griddles.   These serve as an excellent means to filter any smoke or grease coming from the cooking surface and to keep the kitchen odors down.  Also practically speaking, these commercial kitchen exhaust fans make sure that in the event of a fire or more specifically a smoke incident, the kitchen and restaurant remain unaffected.   The good news for home owners are that similar technology exists for modern home kitchens and its relatively affordable and easy to install yourself.

How to Rate Kitchen Exhaust Fans?

Kitchen exhaust fans are used to improve the quality of the air within the house, especially in the aforementioned room. They are also used for decreasing the level of humidity within the house by removing moisture. This is particularly important since high levels of humidity can damage the materials the building is made of, and they may also cause the growth of mold. The mold itself can affect the health of people living inside the house. The most common types of fans are impeller and blower types. The majority of exhaust systems contain exhaust fan and ducting. There are some houses that have central exhaust systems wherein there is one fan that draws moisture from a few rooms within the house via a network of ducts. The kitchen exhaust fan, in most cases, houses a fan and fan engine within the exhaust hood. Nevertheless, research suggests that most fans are very noisy, are not energy efficient, move very little air and require a lot of energy.

If you’re considering buying a new kitchen exhaust fan, make sure the new fan will be the quietest and most energy efficient option within the appropriate size range. You can check the noise level if you take a look at the label on the fan. Although some manufacturers downplay these values, Home Ventilation Institute (HVI) ratings can provide you with exact and correct information regarding these values. As always, you get what you pay for, so you will have to pay more for quality fan. It is also wise to choose a fan that has replaceable parts.

Low Noise Kitchen Exhaust Fans – The Best Option

In comparison with other fans (for example, fans for the bathroom), kitchen exhaust fans  must move more air. This also makes them noisier, but they can be quiet when they’re set on low speed. Kitchen fans shouldn’t discharge outdoors, and the filters within that are usually made of carbon should be replaced often. Grease can coat the carbon, making the fan ineffective. Regarding their maintenance, in most cases they have other medium grease filters that are washable. Some better filters have a small area of mesh over the surface area that can be cleaned in the dishwasher. Additionally, the grease trap should be cleaned or replaced frequently. Some models allow for the fan removal, but not the engine.

A Few Tips for Installing Kitchen Exhaust Fans

Using kitchen exhaust fans can sometimes be dangerous since, within the exhaust, there is a chance that a fire will occur.  While installing the fan, make sure it doesn’t make too much noise or cause a lot of vibration. Anti-vibration pads are handy solutions if this is a problem.

Finally, when purchasing a fan, be careful to avoid 90° bends within the exhaust piping. Most written instructions suggest that 90° bends could create significant restrictions regarding the way the fan exhausts the air out of the kitchen.

If by chance you already have an exhaust range hood over your current cooking surface, here is a nice video that shows how to replace and install a new range hood.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVlSt68LWpE&

As you can see, kitchen exhaust fans are basic necessities for every kitchen, and we’re sure you’ll enjoy shopping for  the many varieties and styles available in the marketplace for your choosing.