Many people report spending a lot of time in their kitchen. Having good kitchen ventilation would mean that there would be no stagnating odors, smoke, or even grease fumes hovering inside your living space. This would ensure a healthier working environment is not just the kitchen but also the house itself.
This guide will help you understand the importance of having a good ventilation system in your kitchen and learn how to acquire it.
What is Kitchen Ventilation?
A good kitchen ventilation system manages the air quality inside a kitchen. To control a particular place’s air quality would mean to remove common household pollutants such as smoke, grease fumes, and various odors from a certain place.
A ventilation system specifically for kitchens includes various equipment that ranges from a filtering system to a canopy. Moreover, there is usually a fan attached in the kitchen or within its ducts that uses air currents to freshen up the air.
Moreover, the air movement discourages the excessive build-up of heat and aids in lowering the overall temperature of the kitchen.
How Kitchen Ventilation Works
Kitchen ventilation works by using various ways to improve airflow within the space. Traditional kitchen ventilation works using specific techniques and even special tools to allow fresh air in the kitchen. Typically kitchen ventilation relies either on the presence of exhaust fans or the use of range hoods.
The significance of kitchen ventilation can’t be understated as it can help avoid the lingering of certain pollutants that might otherwise accumulate on surfaces like the walls and ceilings.
Is Kitchen ventilation necessary?
As you can see, having a ventilated kitchen helps promote better health and air quality inside your home. To gauge its proper worth, it is prudent to evaluate the kitchen ventilation fans and their numerous pros and cons.
Pros
- They allow the movement of fresh air inside the kitchen to replace the existing stagnant air.
- An efficient way to get rid of unpleasant kitchen odors.
- Lowers the temperature of the kitchen as well as the house at large.
- Readily available in the market at different price ranges.
Cons
- Some kinds are considerably expensive to install.
- Kitchen ventilation requires regular maintenance to ensure they are in optimum working condition. These maintenance costs can be costly.
- May interfere with gas stoves that have flames, causing them to blow out.
Kitchen Ventilation Options
There are many different kinds of ways to ventilate a kitchen, including using an air purifier, a range hood, or even the use of a window. Here are some of the most common kinds of kitchen ventilations used.
- Range Hoods: turning range hoods on before cooking can efficiently allow the trapping of air particles from greasy or burnt food. Remember to change the filter regularly for optimum results.
- Exhaust Fans: these fans come in all shapes and sizes and are efficient tools that help in air movement. It causes the fresh air to move into the kitchen, replacing the stale air already present.
- Splatter Screen for Grease Management: a splatter screen can absorb odors as it is lined with carbon. Since it is made of inexpensive materials, a splatter screen can be found easily in the market, particularly in places where kitchen appliances and cooking supplies are sold.
- Air Purifier: your kitchen can be ventilated using an air purifier which is excellent for use, particularly if you have a gas stove. As their name suggests, air purifiers clean the air so that more than 90 percent of air pollutants are removed.
- Using Windows: one of the simplest ways to ventilate kitchens is to open the windows and let the fresh air in. The air that moves in would push out the stagnant, polluted air, thereby preventing the kitchen from being stuffy.
Kitchen Ventilation Requirements
Several requirements need to be fulfilled before you can successfully install a kitchen ventilation system. The codes exist to help protect you within your home and allow you to pursue safe cooking in a healthy environment.
Though the requirements may vary from one city to another, here are some of the most common requirements.
- Compliance with Standards: if you are getting equipment to help in ventilating your kitchen, you need to ensure that those comply with the standards set by your particular state. For some states, having a kitchen ventilation system is essential. Thus many people install range hoods to meet the requirement. For example, the standards ensure that a range hood’s heat output would be within a certain range.
- Makeup Air: when using range hoods for kitchen ventilation, it is necessary to ensure that they use a small makeup air. Makeup air is the air that has been sucked in from adjacent rooms in the house that helps maintain the balance of temperature.
- No Short-circuit Hoods: a common requirement of some cities is that there should be no short-circuit hoods. Short-circuit hoods are those which suck makeup air from the outside environment. The safety requirement dictates that the air should only be drawn in from inside the building.
- Ductwork Specifications: some requirements also extend to the ductwork, dictating what materials are used to make it. Use materials like copper, stainless steel, or even galvanized steel to make the ductwork, sealed with mastic or tape. Moreover, the ductwork itself should have a limited amount of bends for better efficiency.
How much does it Cost to Ventilate the Kitchen?
The cost for kitchen ventilation systems depends on various reasons that include but are not limited to the following.
The quality of materials used: let’s face it, some ventilation systems are more expensive than others as they are made of more expensive materials. For example, exhaust fans made from plastic will always be cheaper than those made from stainless steel.
- Size of the kitchen: if you have a larger kitchen with quality cabinets, you would inevitably require a larger ventilation system. Larger range hoods are more expensive than smaller ones.
- Kind of ventilation system chosen: range hood kitchen vents are more expensive to install and maintain than ventilation provided by exhaust fans.
Typically, installing a kitchen ventilation system costs between 300 dollars to 1500 dollars. The price falls to the higher side if you opt for getting a range hood ventilating system.
How to Ventilate your Kitchen
As mentioned previously, there are numerous ways for you to ventilate your kitchen. The options that you can try range from something as simple as opening a window to getting fancy devices such as air purifiers.
Here are some more options for you to try to keep your kitchen air fresh and healthy.
- Window Fan: this simple tool can’t possibly be overlooked when it comes to ventilating your kitchen. All you need to do is keep a small fan on the window nearest to your kitchen to ensure that fresh air moves right in.
- Air Filters: unlike air purifiers that sanitize the surroundings, air filters ensure the air goes through a filtration process that helps them eliminate pollutants like dust and other allergens that are often present in a kitchen.
Wrap Up
Having a ventilated kitchen is one of the best ways to ensure your living environment is fresh and healthy for you to spend your time in. Many people don’t realize how stale or stuffy their surroundings are until they let some fresh air in.
Moreover, having a ventilated kitchen can help control impurities in the air, reduce room temperature, and regulate the overall air quality.
There are numerous ways in which you can try to keep your kitchen ventilated. Some methods are as easy as simply opening a window or turning on an exhaust fan, while others require some ventilating equipment such as a decent range hood.
There are many options available in the market. Thus you must figure out which kitchen ventilating system is right for you. Stay fresh!