How Does A Range Hood Work With 6 Principle?

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A range hood makes your stay in the kitchen and the house comfortable by making the cooking area cleaner than would otherwise be. If you’re looking to purchase one soon, you should familiarize yourself with the various models in stores. There are usually three main types of kitchen hoods. Whenever shopping for one, you should consider how does the range hood work, and how well it’ll suit your kitchen. This question points us directly to the three types of range hoods. We shall explore these first then look at the components as well as the working principle of the hood.  Now Lets we know how does a range hood work by the 6 principal.  

What are the Main Types of Range Hoods by Operation?

Depending on the working principle and installation, there are three types of range hoods. These are:

Depending on the working principle and installation, there are three types of range hoods. These are:

1. 1Ducted range hood
2. 2Ductless range hood
3. 3Convertible range hood

Ducted Range Hood

A ducted range hood removes the air from your kitchen and vents it to the outside via a duct. This is very efficient at cleaning the air inside. It is either horizontal or vertical to the outside. The end that protrudes outside is fitted with a roof or cap to keep dirt, water, and debris from entering the duct system.

Ductless Range Hood

As the name suggests, this type lacks connection with the outside. Instead, the air is recirculated through a set of filters, usually charcoal filters, though some have HEPA-grade filters. The charcoal traps solid particles suspended in the air and odors to a significant degree. These range hoods are not usually as effective and quiet as the ducted ones.

Convertible Range Hood

This is a relatively new type of kitchen hood. Given that ducted hoods are the most common type, the choice is rather limited on ductless hoods. A convertible range hood affords you the flexibility of installing a ductless hood in spaces designed for ducted hoods.

The Working Principle of Range Hood

A ducted range works by blowing air from your kitchen (mostly from above the stovetop) to the outside. Fresh air then rushes in through the ventilation system, doors, and windows to replace the evacuated air. This is the basic operation principle.

To achieve this, a ducted range hood works by the interplay of several components that makes up the system. Below are the basic parts and their functions in purifying the air.

The Main parts of a Range Jood

All range hoods consist of some or all of the following parts. Some are just for luxury while others are the basic components.

• Blower
• Duct
• Lighting
• Filters
• Controls
• Circuit board

1. Blower

The blower is the primary part of the range hood. It consists of an electric fan, a fan attached to the motors, and a protective enclosure. There are three basic types of blowers, namely:

• Local blower
• Inline blower
• External blower

A local blower is found inside the hood. Most range hood manufacturers use the local blower type.

An inline blower is found anywhere inside the ductwork. The aim of placing a blower further away from the hood is to reduce blower noise that can be audible within the house. These types are quieter than the local blower.

Blowers also have different capacities. Most residential blowers have between 400 CFM and 1800 CFM. The higher the CFM value, the higher the power.

An external blower on the other hand is installed outside the house, typically on the roof or wall. It is the most expensive system to install but also the quietest. In fact, you may not notice when it’s on.

2. Duct

The duct is usually a part of the ducted type of kitchen hoods but is also present in the convertible types. The duct is just but a vent connecting the hood and the outside, while housing the blower and any other necessary part. This vent directs air and hot fumes from the stovetop to the outside. The blower located either at the hood or within the duct further pushes the air. A ducted may not need to work with an in-house air conditioning unit, unlike with a ductless hood.

3. Lighting system

The lighting is not an essential part of the range hood but is slowly becoming a trend to have lights underneath the hood. The lights illuminate the cooktop as you prep your meals. This reduces the chances of the food burning. You could use only this lighting when cooking in the kitchen to ease your power bill.

The most modern range hoods have an automatic lighting system that switches on whenever you attend to your cooking meal and turns off when you leave the cooktop area.

4. Filters

Air sucked by the blower is forced through a filter or a set of filters to rid it off grease and smoke particles. When the ductless range hood circulates this air, it is usually clean and free of any odors.

The filters used are mostly charcoal, good at trapping grease and smoke. These filters should be cleaned at least once every three months. Failure to clean the filter timely lowers the efficiency, and the motor draws more power to suck through the clogged filter.

Ducted range hoods do not need filters as theirs is just to vent the air to the outside.

5. Controls

A basic range hood will have an ON/OFF switch. There may also be a speed selector and an overhead light switch. All these buttons are placed at the control panel. Whereas these are very manual switches, it is common to find vent hoods with interactive LED touch screens. Of course, these are premium types that may cost upwards of $2000!

The more modern hoods are remotely controlled with hand-held pendant switches. Other controls found on advanced models include:

• A clock
• Time delay function
• Heat lamp control
• Timer for cleaning hood filters
• Mode select (four-speed, six-speed or fully adjustable)

6. Circuit board

A circuit board is the memory and brain of the system, especially the advanced models. Cables that supply an inline or external blower originate from this component. It also interprets your inputs on the screen to perform your desired actions.

Other types of range hoods are installed differently, though they employ the same basic principle, i.e. either ducted or ductless. These include:

• Downdraft range hood.
• Microwave range hood
• Commercial vent hood

A downdraft range hood is just but fans installed behind the typical kitchen range. As the name says, a downdraft sucks the air around the stovetop downwards and forces it into a duct fitted with filters. The air is filtered and recirculated. Updraft range hoods perform better than the downdraft range hoods by sucking the rising fumes.

A microwave range hood can be ducted or ductless. These usually have low power fans (as they are basically microwaves with a fan ducted to the outside or to a filtration duct).

Commercial vent hoods are just like the residential types, but with higher capacities. Whereas a residential unit can do up to about 2,000CFM, a commercial vent hood can be as powerful as 6,000CFM.

Watch Here How Does A Range Hood Work ?

Wrapping it up

Any range hood in the market works by one of the two principles discussed in this article. Whereas some expensive models have fancy features, a budget range hood is quite affordable and serves just as fine. When you go shopping for one, put into consideration what functionalities you need against the nature of your kitchen space. A recirculation (ductless) hood is a better choice for those in rental apartments, for example, but a ducted range hood is best where noise must be avoided.