Is the Code Enough? Part 2

In our last post we highlighted codes around exhaust fan performance. In this post, we are going to look at kitchen ventilation, specifically range hoods. The codes pertaining to kitchen ventilation have a bit more “gray” area then with bathroom exhaust and in some areas a range hood might not even be required. We’ll start there. This is where you will definitely want to exceed the code. We have spent a good amount of time in previous posts detailing the benefits of a range hood, so going without one in our opinion is just not an option. One reason that could be given for not requiring a range hood is because of other exhaust in a kitchen. While having an exhaust fan anywhere in the kitchen is better than nothing, unless the fan is located right at the source of contamination, it just won’t be effective. Think about this, if the exhaust fan is in the center of the kitchen and you are cooking, where are the contaminates going? Yep, you are standing in the direct line of airflow that has all the contaminates in it.

Another popular code states that you need at least 100 CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) of airflow. At least now you are exhausting air, so that is getting us closer to where we want to be. Unfortunately, 100 CFM is not a lot of power for over a cooking surface. A lot will be determined by your cooking habits. If you are just warming up some soup or using one burner to cook some eggs – 100 CFM might be fine. If you have two or three burners going, you will need more power. There is also a considerable jump in needed airflow from using a gas cooktop from electric. Just the nature of gas burning is going to produce more harmful contaminates that need to be exhausted.

Some people at this point might jump to the conclusion that to be safe, I am going to get the most powerful range hood on the market and suck every last bit of air out of the kitchen. While this would solve the issue of any contaminates staying in the air, it also has some negative effects. There is a balance between exhausting enough air and exhausting too much air. In some states if you go beyond a certain CFM level you need to introduce make-up air. Simply put, you need to replace the amount of air you are taking out of the home with fresh outdoor air. You will hear it called air balancing. The CFM level that cannot be exceeded is usually in the 300 CFM to 500 CFM range.

Here is the good part. Most range hoods have two or more speeds so you get at least two chances at getting the CFM right. Think about how you cook, what size cooktop you have, does it have anything like a griddle or grill top? Then you can make a better determination on what kind of power you need. Look to match your “everyday” cooking habits with a lower speed then have those higher speeds for times when you need it. As always, we suggest consulting with a professional who knows the codes in your area before making any decisions.

Building codes are in place to ensure safety and health and we are very thankful that we have men and women working very hard to keep up with them and pushing the industry forward. The next time you hear the phrase “meets code” just stop and think  - is meeting the code all I really want to do? For more information about Air King range hoods visit www.airkinglimited.com.

Is the Air Inside Your Home Safe to Breath? Part 1 – The Kitchen

According to the American Lung Association, approximately 85% of Americans don’t realize the air in the home can be hazardous. In some cases it can be up to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air. That’s a bit concerning. The question is, what makes the air so bad? In this two part series we’ll take a look at the biggest culprits inside our homes.

The Kitchen. The kitchen can be the largest area of contaminates inside the home. Anytime you are cooking, there will be a source of particulates going into the air. This can be smoke, grease, carcinogens and so forth. This is just part of cooking. The way to combat these contaminates is with a properly functioning range hood. The key is the proper functioning part.

Vented to the outdoors: First and foremost, the range hood has to vent to the outside. There are many range hoods on the market that pass the contaminated air through a filter then recirculate the air back into the kitchen. While these are somewhat better than nothing, they just are not going to provide the level of air filtration that is needed.

Turn it on: The range hood has to be turned on. Yes we know, they can be loud and cause the pets to run and hide but there are now many solutions on the market that operate at a fraction of the sound of older range hoods. Air King has a complete line of range hoods that provide proper ventilation at quiet sound levels.

Power: The hood needs to be powerful enough for the cooking you are doing. If the hood can’t keep up with contaminates coming off the surface that means they are going into the air you are breathing.

Keep it running: The hood should run for an extended period of time once the cooking is completed. Typically there are still a lot of residual particles and contaminates that are still in the air even when you finish cooking. The goal is to get every last bit out of the home and away from the air you are breathing.

There has been a lot of research as well as building codes being implemented concerning Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). More and more studies are pointing to the kitchen as being the most important location to properly ventilate. One of the building codes now calls for an exhaust fan to be running continuously inside the home to make sure the air is being exchanged. Air King has developed products to place that continuously operating exhaust fan in the kitchen. The ECV, ECQ and LE series all have a barely audible low speed that runs continuously then have additional speeds when more ventilation is needed – like when you are actively cooking. The science behind this product is that if the kitchen is the biggest contaminate of the home, why not place the primary source of ventilation there? This takes care of any particulate matter during cooking as well as any residual particulates after cooking. It just makes sense to fight it at the source and prevent any infiltration into the rest of the home.

To learn more about Indoor Air Quality and how you can properly ventilate your home, visit www.airkinglimited.com.

To duct or not to duct – what type of range hood should I purchase?

While there are hundreds of different styles, forms and features to choose from when it comes to a kitchen range hood, there are basically two types – ducted or ductless (recirculating).

A ducted range hood will exhaust the air through a grease filter then to the outside of the home through ductwork attached to the range hood. A ductless range hood will pass the air through a grease and odor filter inside the hood and recirculate the air back into the room. Now, which is better? Without a doubt a ducted range hood is far superior to a ductless one. Ducted range hoods will completely remove the contaminated air from the home and provide much better indoor air quality.

So why would anyone use a ductless range hood. There are two reasons why. The first reason is in certain applications running ductwork to the outside is just not logistically possible. This is especially true in large apartment/condo complexes. In these situations having a ductless range hood is better than not utilizing anything.

The second reason is not as good of one. Installing ductwork in a home is an added cost, so unfortunately if the builder or home owner is trying to cut costs a bit, they will not take the extra step to run the ductwork. The good news is that if this was the case, ductwork can be added fairly simply if you have attic access. Easy ways to tell if you have ducting or not are to first open the cabinets above your hood. If you see ductwork, you have a ducted range hood. The other way to tell is to turn your range hood on and feel if any air is blowing back into the kitchen. If it is, you have a ductless range hood.

If you have a ductless range hood and are able to run ducting to the outside, we would highly recommend doing so. While this might be a project a handy homeowner can accomplish we do caution that you will be cutting a hole to the exterior of your home. If not done and sealed properly, this could lead to water leaking into the home and causing damage. Air King always recommends consulting a professional if you are unsure about any aspects of the installation. To learn more about Air King’s selection of kitchen range hood visit www.airkinglimited.com

The trouble with kitchen range hoods – troubleshooting your kitchen range hood

Kitchen range hoods provide a vital function to the indoor air quality of the home by exhausting contaminants produced during the cooking process out of the home. But they are only effective if they are working. There are many reasons that range hoods might start to have issues or stop functioning all together. The good news is not all of them mean you need to replace the entire range hood. Here are a few troubleshooting tips:

CAUTION: Before starting any maintenance make sure the power to the hood is turned off.

If the hood has completely stopped operating: Check to see if there is power to the fan. A circuit might be tripped. Next, see if your range hood has any type of function that might automatically turn it off like a delay timer. Another cause could be the wiring was not done correctly. This usually only applies if it is a brand new installation. If after checking all of those without solving the issue, you probably need to replace the motor or entire range hood.

The range hood lights are working but the fan is not: Some range hoods (typically higher end models including many Air King models) are equipped with a replaceable safety fuse that protects the motor. A failed fuse could be the result of a power surge such as a lightening strike or could mean the motor needs to be replaced. Replace the fuse according to the instructions included in your owners manual and if it fails a second time it indicates that professional service or replacement is needed.

The range hood is working but the air is moving slower than normal: More often than not, this is because there is a build-up of dirt on the fan motor/blade, filters or an obstruction in the ducting. Common obstructions include bird’s nest in the roof or wall caps where the air is being exhausted out of the home. Removing any blockage in your ducting or cleaning the inside of the range hood and filters according to the instructions in your owner’s manual will hopefully solve the issue.

The range hood is operating louder than normal: First you will need to identify what type of noise it is making. If it sounds like it is operating normally just louder it might be because of some of the same issues described in point #2. If it is more of a rattling sound it may be because the motor has come loose. Most range hoods have a housing with the motor attached to the housing with some type of mounting bracket. Over time the screw(s) holding the motor to the housing can work themselves loose. Tightening these might solve the problem. Much in the same way, it could be that the screws or nail holding the range hood  to the cabinets or wall have worked themselves loose or the ducting has disconnected. This might be a little tricky to determine as it might mean gaining access to the interior of the hood. Other causes could be a weld has broken loose on the range hood housing. Visually inspect the hood to see if you can identify and places where the metal has separated. Unfortunately, that can’t be easily fixed and the whole range hood will need to be replaced. If you hear more of a scraping sound it is probably the fan blade hitting the housing. This can happen if the blade was damaged during cleaning or if it has worked itself loose. Check to see if you can fit the blade back onto the motor shaft. If not, you might need to replace the blade, the motor or the entire range hood depending on the extent of damage.

As always, Air King highly recommends consulting a professional for all maintenance issues. To learn more about other helpful tips visit the FAQ section at www.airkinglimited.com

This is a Smoke Free Area – Ventilating your kitchen

It’s time to start cooking dinner. You think about what to make then prepare all the food to be cooked. You turn on the oven or cook top and start cooking. Here’s the question – did you think to turn your range hood on?

The kitchen can be one of the largest areas of indoor air pollution of the home. Think about it. When you cook you are generating smoke, gas fumes (if you have a gas range), putting grease into the air as well as all kinds of odors. That’s just if you cook everything correctly! We haven’t even added if something is burnt during the process. There are plenty of reasons as to why you don’t turn the range hood on – it’s too loud, I didn’t think to do it, all it does is put the smoke back into the room, etc. All of those reasons can be solved.

A properly functioning kitchen range hood can be a critical piece in maintaining Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). While the original function of a range hood was to protect the undersides of your cabinets from burning, they have evolved to be a vital piece of good ventilation. It is highly recommended (and in some areas of the country mandatory) that the range hood be vented to the outside of the home. This provides the best ventilation situation, taking all the contaminates generated during the cooking process and exhausting them completely out of the home. Some range hoods recirculate the air back into the room through a grease and odor filter. These are known as ductless range hoods. While they are better than not using a range hood at all, they are not ideal as they do not fully ventilate the area.

The most common excuse for not turning the range hood on is the amount of noise it makes. We agree that there are a lot of hoods out there that you feel you need to have earplugs on to use. There are also a lot of options that are considerably quieter. The sound is measured in Sones. As a comparison, 4 sones is about the sound of a normal conversation. Air King offers one of the largest selections of energy efficient, quiet operating range hoods on the market today with normal operating sound levels of around 1 sone. Having a new range hood installed can typically be done by a homeowner in an afternoon although there are many factors that can add to that time including if ducting needs to be replaced or new ductwork needs to be added.

Air King always recommends consulting a professional if you are unsure about any aspects of the installation. To learn more about Air King’s selection of kitchen range hoods, please visit us at www.airkinglimited.com.