A rangehood is an essential kitchen appliance intended to reduce heat and to remove odors and smoke while cooking, leaving your kitchen and home clean. As well as improving air quality, using an effective rangehood will also reduce the time needed to clean your appliances and kitchen area as grease and other contaminants are removed instead of being left to sit on your appliances and surfaces.
But you can only enjoy these advantages if you have the right range hood size and installation.
How big does your rangehood need to be?
Factors to Consider
You need to consider four things to determine the size of rangehood you need for a specific cooktop
- The size of your cooktop
- The type of cooktop
- What you cook
- The location of your cooktop/rangehood.
1. The size of your cooktop.
The size of your cooktop in length and depth will determine the size of rangehood that you will need. Ideally, you should purchase a range hood that is at least as wide and as deep as your cooktop. If you have a standard 60cm electric cooktop with dimensions of 600mm wide and 400mm deep. Your rangehood should also be at least 600mm wide and 400mm deep. \
If you do not have a rangehood that is big enough for your cooktop, it will not remove smoke and odors effectively the way a suited rangehood will. Additionally, your rangehood may be doing more work than it is designed to do so and will require additional maintenance and cleaning.
Why should you get a larger rangehood?
● Safety. When you cook for hours or accidentally leave your cooktop on and unattended, the additional coverage will prevent smoke from filling your kitchen and triggering your smoke alarm.
● Easy Maintenance. A wider rangehood than the cooktop reduces the grease that accumulates in the area surrounding your cooktop and in the hood itself. Therefore, you need less effort to scrub off the grease and grime.
● Prolong the life of your rangehood. If a rangehood is working harder than it was designed to, the life can be reduced as it starts to run into problems.
2. The type of cooktop.
The type of cooktop that you have will determine the height that is required for your rangehood installation. This factor refers to the space between the surface of your cooktop and the bottom of your range hood.
In Australia, the prescribed minimum height above a cooktop is 600mm. Depending on the type of cooktop you have, however, will vary the suggested height.
If the gap between your cooktop and rangehood is too large, the rangehood will not be able to remove smoke as efficiently as its needs to. Alternatively, if the gap is too low it can cause a number of problems or safety hazards.
For example, the recommended height is larger for cooktops that exert high levels of heat such as a wok burner. This is to prevent high heats damaging the rangehood and to avoid potential fire hazards. Induction Cooktops on the other hand also need ample space to avoid condensation, which in turn can damage and reduce the life of your rangehood.
Recommended Heights for different cooktops.
| Cooktop Size | Recommended Height |
| Electric Cooktop | 650mm |
| Gas Cooktop | 650mm |
| Wok Burner | 750mm |
| Induction Cooktop | 750mm |
3. What you cook.
What kind of cooking you do will also effect the buying decision when installing a new rangehood. For example, if you plan to cook a lot of high fatty meats and meals your rangehood will need to work harder to dispose of the air compared to if you were boiling water. If you need to do more with your rangehood, you will require a more powerful rangehood. The unit that measures a rangehood’s capability is called extraction rate.
What is extraction rate?
The extraction rate is the speed at which a rangehood draws in air and is expressed in cubic meters per hour (m3/hr). The higher the extraction rate, the more air and therefore smoke and contaminates are being sucked and extracted through the rangehood. Rangehood extraction rates range from 700m3/hr to 3000+ m3/hr.
4. The location of your cooktop
The position of your cooktop is another important consideration to make when selecting a range hood. The location of your cooktop and its surrounding environment will determine what rangehood you are able to install. Additionally, the ability to access or install a venting system will determine what rangehood options you have available. For more information on this topic, you can check out this article that covers the different types of range hoods and exhausts and what is right for your kitchen.
Summary
There are so many rangehoods available to suit all types of kitchens and uses. Although the installation of a rangehood can add to the aesthetics of your home, remember that its primary purpose is to provide your kitchen and home with clean air and to prevent grease from sticking to your surfaces and appliances. Choosing the most suitable rangehood for your kitchen is crucial.
If you are unsure what range hood is best suited for your kitchen or design, give us a call and we can make the process a lot easier!
