Cooking with Pro-Style Ventilation

By Gary Huff / Metro Wholesale Appliance
   
The modern client’s dreams are to have that professional looking kitchen and this is why the stainless pro-style kitchen has become popular.

Custom kitchen pro cooking and pro ventilation are high performance appliances and have extensive building recommendations to.

The first major consideration is how much power or CFM should the blower motor have for the range considered. For example I will discuss a 48” pro range with 4 burners with a griddle and a grille.

Usually these ranges have 15,000 BTU per burner and the rule of thumb is 1 CFM per 100 BTU’s, and therefore the total CFM needed would be 600 minimum. When adding a griddle and grille the additional CFM would be 200 each, which falls in line with most manufacture’s minimum recommendation of 1000 CFM.

The second major consideration is the distance from the cooktop or top of the range to the bottom of the hood canopy. The rule of thumb here is a minimum of 30” from the cooking surface to a maximum of 36” or 72” from the floor. The ventilation companies have found that if these parameters are followed, then the heat will be exhausted properly.

The third major consideration is getting low sound levels with peak exhaust rates. To accomplish this:

1. Always make the ductwork in the wall or ceiling larger than the hood connection (rule of thumb 8” to 10” never 10” to 8”).
2. Make sure the ductwork does not exceed 50 linear feet.
3. Do not exceed 4 transitions or elbows.
4. 90 degree elbows should be a minimum of 2 feet apart.
5. Do not place transitions closer than 1 foot from the hood outlet.

The three major reasons why high performance ventilation systems are recommended :
1. The heat from a pro range can produce as much heat as a furnace.
2. Excess moisture in the home causes mold.
3. Grease is the major cause of contamination in the home, because 85% of the grease is carried throughout the house in the form of vaporized grease particles.
Finally clients of custom builders and remodelers are asking for hood canopy’s that are brick or wood and require a power module or insert with a liner. The rule of thumb for proper ventilation is the same, but some applications are limited and the manufacture of the product would have to offer recommendations for completion.