At KBIS, I took a 1/2 day sort of refresher course on venting. There is not a whole lot new in venting concepts, but, it did reinforce and remind me of the "ick" factor, which I'll explain.
Here's what's happening. First, our kitchen floor plans are more OPEN to other rooms. This means that pollutants from cooking have more opportunity to freely move about your home, hanging out in your furnishings, your artwork, your pillows, walls, flooring, you get the idea. Just as an fyi, grease from cooking turns into vapor and floats in the air as particles for as long as 72 hours!
ADD TO THAT, the tighter construction of newer homes, which can encourage mold growth and trap pollutants, and your health becomes at risk for allergies, asthma, lung disease, and who knows what else. A very impressive ick factor, yes? AND, if that is not enough, indoor pollution is considered to rank within the top 5 environmental risks to the public, according to the EPA.
Hoods now do very cool things. They sense heat and turn on automatically. They sense cool temperatures and turn off automatically. They are much quieter than they used to be. They operate via remote control. Some have hidden controls with a memory feature. They have a delayed shut down mode and a 24 hour anti pollution mode. Some hoods move up and down at the touch of a button to get out of your way, and some hoods move in and out. And, some are energy star rated. Hoods do amazing things these days. Look more deeply when you are in the market for a hood. It's substance, not only style!
More to the story are cfms, duct runs, turns, duct diameters, and other elements and information with which to design a proper venting system, but that is for another day. Today's purpose is twofold: 1) to get you aware of all that is floating in and around the kitchen after you cook and 2) to show you some new hoods (which you really, really, need!)
Please run your mouse over the image to see the brand names.
