What to Consider when Buying a Hood

Range hoods might seem like a utilitarian, boring way to spend money in a kitchen, but they can be essential for odor removal and ventilation. This guide will take you through some of the many options you may have when buying a range hood.

You must first choose between a vented/ducted and a non-vented/duct mode. The air from a vented hood is forced outside your house, making this the best way to remove smoke completely and smell, drawing in fresh air to support combustion, especially for gas cooking.

With a non-vented hood, the air is pulled through an aluminum filter to remove grease and a charcoal filter to remove odour and then recirculated back into the kitchen. Most Newmatic hoods can be configured into a vented or recirculating mode within minutes.

There are a variety of types of range hoods to suit different installation needs. Your kitchen layout (and the lengths you’re willing to go to change it) may dictate whether you need a Slim Hood, Island hood, or Wall hood.

If your cooktop is on an island, the best way to vent it is with an island hood. These are mounted to the ceiling, which may or may not contain the ductwork. In other kitchens, wall hoods are the most common type by far.

To be most effective, a hood must be at least as wide as the cooktop it will be venting. Standard widths are 60 or 90cm.

The airflow of a range hood is measured in cubic meters per hour. The higher the number, the more air a hood can vent, which doesn’t necessarily correlate to actual capture performance.

As you’d expect, the trade-off for higher airflow is noise. Hood range noise is measured in dB. Compare the noise levels between the units you’re considering.

Multiple fan speeds are the most helpful feature to look for. Newmatic hoods are typically equipped with 3 speeds. One for high-speed, powerful-but-noisy venting, and another for less urgent, quieter venting, and one more in between.

Another useful feature, an exhaust timer, can automatically shut off the exhaust hood after a set period.

Integrated lighting is standard for most range hoods for durability and energy conservation; all Newmatic hoods are equipped with LED illumination.

Some high-end Newmatic hoods may be equipped with a mood light to enhance the aesthetic value of the hood when it is not working as an extractor.