Buy an under-cabinet range hood: what should you keep in mind?

When buying an under-cabinet range hood, you should ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you want to install the range hood underneath the kitchen cabinet or on the wall?
• Which exhaust system do you have at home?
• How wide should your range hood be?
• Which extraction rate do you want in your kitchen?

You install an under-cabinet range hood underneath a cabinet or on the wall. Do you use the exhaust ventilation system? Keep this in mind when you install the exhaust ventilation pipe.

• Underneath the kitchen cabinet: the ventilation pipe goes outwards through the kitchen cabinet.
• On the wall: you'll see the ventilation pipe on the wall.

Before you choose an under-cabinet range hood, it's important to check the current exhaust system in your house. There are 3 possible situations:

• Exhaust ventilation system: the range hood exhausts the air outwards.
• Recirculation system: the range hood filters the air and blows it back into the kitchen clean.
• Central exhaust system: the range hood is connected to the central exhaust system. Don't have room for a ventilation pipe? Consider converting the appliance into a recirculation range hood. The hood will filter the cooking fumes and blows clean air back into the kitchen.

Because you don't install an under-cabinet range hood in a cabinet, you don't have to measure the niche dimensions. There are 2 types of under-cabinet range hoods, 60cm wide models or 90cm wide models.

Keep the following things in mind:

• Width cooktop: it's important that your range hood is as width or wider than your cooktop. Otherwise, the appliance won't be able to exhaust all the cooking fumes.
• Required extraction rate: an under-cabinet range hood has a lower extraction rate than a wall range hood. Check which extraction rate you need for your kitchen in advance.

To install an under-cabinet range hood, you need measuring tape, pencil, drill, and plugs. Check which drill is suitable for your wall. Always check the included installation manual from the supplier. For some exhaust systems, you need extra accessories:

• Exhaust ventilation system: you need an exhaust ventilation pipe. Check the product page to see which diameter you need.
• Recirculation system: you need carbon filters or a recirculation set. On the product page, you can see which one you need to convert your range hood.

Affordable, under-cabinet range hoods often include synthetic grease filters. After a while, they're full and you have to buy new ones. If you prefer not to have this, you should choose a model with aluminum or metal filters. When these are dirty, you can easily clean them with some soapy water. You won't have to buy new ones all the time with these.