How Much Space Do You Need Between a Cooktop & Vent?

Ventilation

• Ventilation hoods are vital parts of a kitchen. Without ventilation, all the steam, smoke and greasy heat that are a a part of cooking on your stove have nowhere to go. The steam can lead to moisture damage to your cabinets. Grease can coat walls and cabinets, making your kitchen look dirty. Unvented smoke lingers in the air, causing your kitchen to smell bad. A vent over the cooktop protects your kitchen and makes cooking more pleasant.

Standard Hoods

• A ventilation hood should be about 24-to-30 inches above your stove’s range. This is far enough away to avoid intrusion into your workspace, but still close enough to funnel away smoke and steam. The more powerful your ventilation hood, the more space you can put between it and a cooktop. A 16-inch hood should be 24 inches away; a larger hood can be the full 30 inches. Choose your vent size by your cooktop. The width of the vent hood should be longer than your range by about 3 inches on each side.

Microwave Combinations

• If you are considering installing a microwave over your cooktop, it must be at least 30 inches above the range. Any lower, and you put yourself at risk for injury from steam or burn from hot pots while cooking. When choosing a microwave, look for one that has a built-in vent. This will help pull steam and smoke away from your workspace and keep it from dirtying your kitchen.

Considerations

• Whether you choose a ventilation hood or a microwave that vents, remember to run it whenever you are cooking on your stovetop. Vent hood can be designed to blend into your cabinets so they match the rest of your kitchen. They can also be elaborate showpieces, drawing attention with decoration on a specialized hood.