Kitchen Large Electric Appliances - Quiet and efficient range hood?

We want to replace our under-cabinet 36-inch range hood, but not with the brand we have now (I don't know if it's OK to say on the forum, but this is our second of this brand in 8 years - the salesman said it was much better than the last one, but I don't see much difference). The kitchen can't be closed off, so the whole house smells like whatever is cooking, even with the fan on the highest setting, and the sound is, well, it's like a small propeller plane taking off. I don't mind spending a little extra if I can find one that really moves air out AND is quiet. In the appliance stores you can't actually turn them on and see what they're like. Every brand advertises that it's the greatest, and the salesmen seem to have their own agendas. How do you choose? We'd appreciate any advice. Thanks.

johannamarie,

There is a good selection of fans available that are both fairly quiet and draw a lot of air.
You will however have to spend a bit more money than what your more commonly sold units cost.
Here is a link to the Broan site where you can compare their models.
http://www.broan.com/display/router.asp?docid=53&CategoryID=508

As an example their common everyday fan which may be like yours is 100 cfm of air movement and 8 sonnes of noise.
Their "quiet model is 200 cfm of air movement and is 4.5 sonnes.
The super deluxe fan they sell is 360 cfm and is 5.5 sonnes.
Broan is only one of many brands you can buy with many different quality levels in their product line.

There are other things you can do to minimize cooking odors.
Making sure the filter and fan assembly on your current fan are clean. If you remove the fan motor/blade assembly you may be surprised to find the fan caked with grease.
Cook odor producing foods on the back burner if possible to allow less steam to escape in front of the hood and keep pots and pans covered as much as possible.
Slightly open a window that is across the room to allow a draft towards the hood.
Order those really good but strong dishes from a take-out joint. :D

Gregh is totally correct. I have included a quote from Broans website explaining what Greg said. Good luck.







What do the CFM and Sone ratings mean?

CFM stands for Cubic Feet per Minute of exhausting air flow. The higher the number, the greater the amount of air that is exhausted using the Range Hood.

A Sone is an internationally recognized unit of loudness. Sones are a linear measure like inches. Doubling the Sone value is equivalent to doubling the loudness. To get a sense of what one Sone represents, one Sone is equivalent to the sound of a quiet refrigerator in a quiet kitchen. Typically, the Sone level is measured at maximum CFM (speed), however, some newer products are also being tested at normal CFM (speed) settings to provide consumers with typical sound level information.

Thank you both for the info. We've been comparing, and I think we'll end up much happier. I appreciate your help.

I'm not sure how much air my Thermador moves, but when I use it, I have to turn the heat up... it sucks the heat right off the burner.. good thing its not a gas stove..