594389 Sun Feb 08 07:17:37 -0800 2009 18 41 Cookware 0 4397880 Kitchen remodel is coming along nicely and next up is choosing a range hood. The range will be a free-standing gas range that (according to the specs) is 26 1/4 inches deep (wall to front). The two range hoods I'm looking at are a Zephyr that is 24 inches deep and a Kobe that is 20 inches deep. At max speed they both pull around 750 cfm. I'm just wondering if/how the 4 inch difference in depth might make a difference in performance. Thanks. Sun Feb 08 07:17:37 -0800 2009 10753 Philly Ray 1 4398009 Always go with the widest and deepest hood you can fit well. It will improve the capture of smoke and grease. Chances are that you will use the front burners more than the back ones so the extra depth will really help. Sun Feb 08 08:26:48 -0800 2009 4397880 89493 scubadoo97 2 4398286 In total agreement. Go for wider and deeper unless you don't do any major cooking. I have a 1200 cfm hood that's 36" to my 30" stove and though it does a really good job of capturing the smoke from my wok (which lives permanently on one of the front burners) I still wish sometimes I had gone with a 27" deep hood instead of a traditional 24" hood. That way it would have captured the smoke better from the front a bit better and would also grab some of the heat and smoke that comes out when I'm opening the oven door to check on a particularly sizzling roast. Sun Feb 08 10:54:09 -0800 2009 4398009 12327 PegS 2 4398473 I agree up to a point. A deep hood set too close to cooktop is a head-knocker. My preference is for a very large hood at least 6' off the floor, with a fan strong enough to compensate for the vertical clearance. But compromises are part of the game, and this won't work for everyone. Sun Feb 08 12:15:19 -0800 2009 4398009 58743 alanbarnes 3 4398782 I agree with your comments. I put a 42" wide, 18" high by 24" deep hood over a 36" rangetop and ended up moving it up to 36" over the rangetop since I wanted head clearance and I'm only 5' 8". That was the maximum recommended height. The choices were 600 or 1200 cfm interior motor or 900 cfm and 1200 cfm exterior motor. I went with the 600 cfm interior thinking that 1200 would be overkill. The 600 works fine but in retrospect I should have gone with a 900 or 1200 exterior motor just for the reduction in sound but fearing more escalation construction cost chickened out as remodeling creep had already taken a toll. Sun Feb 08 14:43:38 -0800 2009 4398473 89493 scubadoo97 4 4398791 attached at photo of my setup Sun Feb 08 14:46:31 -0800 2009 4398782 89493 scubadoo97 1 4398061 What is your vertical clearance? Are you close to the minimum or maximum height recommended? If you are staying low you may appreciate the extra head clearance from the 20". IMHO, the height affects the performance faster than the sq. ft. capture area. Sun Feb 08 08:49:51 -0800 2009 4397880 264226 toomanypots 2 4398179 I believe that either hood can be mounted between 27 and 30 inches above the range. I'm only 5'5", so I won't be going too high so I can reach it comfortably. So if we go 27, that would put the bottom of the hood at 63 inches off the floor (range is 36 inches high). If we go 30, then it would be 66. Sun Feb 08 09:53:43 -0800 2009 4398061 10753 Philly Ray 1 4398448 BTW, what cooktop is this going above? What is your total BTU output, and do you do heavy fume work, like PegS mentioned? Sun Feb 08 12:03:45 -0800 2009 4397880 264226 toomanypots 2 4398525 This is the range it is going over (BTU listed on the link). I normally use 2 burners at one time, but one of them is usually the power burner with a cast iron grill pan on it for chicken breasts, hamburgers, etc. That does produce heavy fumes, as you can imagine. http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=SPECPAGE&SKU=PGB910SEMSS&SITEID=GEA&TABID=2 Sun Feb 08 12:44:15 -0800 2009 4398448 10753 Philly Ray 1 4399016 Well, this may be a no-brainer, but with the 20'' deep vent hood, go as low as your cook staff (!) can stand. With the 24'' more headroom will be needed, but again, 'go as low as your cook staff (!) can stand'. My 20'' deep 600CFM vent is 28" above the counter, and 4" back from the front edge of the counter. 30" vent hood crammed above a 36" 5- burner cooktop. Similar BTU's to your GE. Haven't seared meat yet, but there's a cool breeze at the back of my neck when the fan's on high. Sun Feb 08 16:05:14 -0800 2009 4397880 264226 toomanypots 2 4399042 Ok, I've been keeping price out of the equation since I want to go with the hood that will work the best. The 20" deep Kobe hood is $940 The 24" deep Zephyr hood is $1170 How does that factor in to you? Sun Feb 08 16:14:20 -0800 2009 4399016 10753 Philly Ray 3 4399098 "... since I want to go with the hood that will work the best." Several posts here show a preference for wider, especially for fume work, not just heat removal. If you have the room for the 24" depth. the choice seems obvious. Can you reach the 24" controls at a height that won't hit your head? Is one any more aesthetically pleasing than the other? Will you cringe at the sight of a behemoth above your head? Are the answers to the above 'yes, Zephyr, and no'? You could be done without other people guessing what to do with your money. Respectfully submitted... Sun Feb 08 16:41:00 -0800 2009 4399042 264226 toomanypots 1 4399176 Here's a pic; the first online Sun Feb 08 17:06:35 -0800 2009 4397880 264226 toomanypots 1 4434853 So, what did you pick? Fri Feb 20 02:03:33 -0800 2009 4397880 264226 toomanypots 2 4439373 I decided on the 24" deep Zephyr. While there were plusses and minuses for both hoods, I just felt that the extra 4 inches of forward coverage would help especially when I'm using the grill pan. And that is one of my main needs for this hood. Since my old hood did not vent outside and wasn't very powerful to begin with, the whole house used to get smoky. This new hood will be vented outside and is more powerful. Sat Feb 21 12:19:41 -0800 2009 4434853 10753 Philly Ray 3 4439393 cool... I look forward to your review when it's in! Sat Feb 21 12:27:56 -0800 2009 4439373 264226 toomanypots 1 4523470 Philly Ray, Which 24 inch Zephyr are you looking at? I noticed only one, the venezia, which was $1500 list. I would love a 24 inch at your price. Fri Mar 20 14:22:42 -0700 2009 4397880 43484 dpastor 2 4525115 I did get the Venezia for $1100 at a local appliance store in Philadelphia. Sat Mar 21 09:15:21 -0700 2009 4523470 10753 Philly Ray