My appliance supplier recently commented
that most homeowners take
great care in their selection of kitchen
appliances, with one exception:
kitchen ventilation. The choice of a
hood or the specs on an appliance's
downdraft capabilities seem to be left
mostly to chance and dictated by how
much pocket change is left over.
That's a shame in a room as expensive
as the kitchen. And although
most building codes don't specifically
require a kitchen ventilator, it adds
significantly to comfort and cleanliness
by carrying away excess heat,
damaging steam, grease, and odors.
Kitchen ventilators can be broadly
divided into two categories: overhead
hoods and downdraft systems. Downdraft
ventilators can be a built-in feature
in ranges or cooktops, or be purchased
separately for