Factors To Consider When Buying Vent Hoods - By: Alice Shown

Commercial vent hoods are an important element of the commercial kitchen. These are instrumental in removing smoke grease and oily vapors that are generated in the kitchen in the course of food preparation.

The ventilation system in any kitchen - commercial or otherwise - is designed for safety as well as functionality. The vent hood keeps the air in the indoors clean. In this way, they prevent oil vapors from settling on the other pieces of equipment and furniture within the kitchen.

Vent hoods come in a wide variety of designs. Some of the hoods may even be customized to accommodate logos and colors so that they match any dcor.

Vent hoods may be classified into different types depending on the functions. These are:

1. Grease hoods or Type I hoods

2. Steam hoods or Type II hoods

As the names suggest, grease hoods are used to capture and remove excess grease and oily vapors in the kitchen. Steam hoods get rid of steam generated by dishwashers working at very high temperatures.

When buying vent hoods, it is important to buy the size that corresponds with the size of the cook top. So, small cook tops require compact vent hoods while large cook tops require correspondingly large vent hoods. In commercial kitchens, canopy style vents are the most popular. According to the International Mechanic Code, both Type I and Type II hoods must extend at least beyond 6 inches of the edge of the cook top on all sides. A maximum of 4 feet distance should be there between the surface of the cook top and the lower surface of the hood.

The basic component of vent hoods is a fan and a metal encasing. The fans inside vent hoods are of two types: centrifugal or rotatory. Depending on the kind of action, the vent hood may perform any one of the following functions.

1. The vent hood draws vapors from the outside and passes this through a grease filter before the air is passed out through a duct.

2. In case the outer duct is not present, the air is circulated through the filter and introduced back into the room.

In heavy duty commercial kitchens, the first variety is more desirable. However, these are more expensive when compared to the other
variety.

In commercial kitchens, it is desirable to have vent hoods with different speeds. This is because the cleaning and purifying action of the vent depends on the amount of air circulated by the fan inside the vent. The higher the CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) of the vent hood, the better its cleaning capacity.

One of the less important aspects of buying vent hoods is the noise factor. The amount of noise that the fans make can get irritating during peak hours. So, if the noise is kept low, it is a blessing. Another nice touch is the presence of a light in the hood.

About the Author

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