Do You Have to Have Ventilation for Countertop Gas Cooktop?

Why Ventilation Is Needed

• Cooking on a gas burner produces heat, cooking smells, moisture and a small amount of gases as a byproduct of the gas burning. Removing these from your kitchen is done with a ventilation hood. Just because a cooktop uses gas is not the only reason ventilation is needed. Ventilation hoods are even found in homes with electric stoves to remove the cooking odors produced. The type of cooking fuel is less important than the fact that heat, moisture and odors are created during cooking. These must be removed through ventilation, but some gas cooktops require less obvious venting than others.

Location of Counter Cooktops

• Gas cooking surfaces need to be placed away from doors and windows. Otherwise, drafts can extinguish the flames during cooking. Countertop gas cooktops can be placed on a counter where you would set a stove or on a kitchen island. The location you choose will help you pick the best ventilation method.

Exhaust Hoods

• Exhaust hood vents are like the type you would use over a stove and oven combination. These should be 6 inches longer than the cooktop is wide, according to "Residential Interior Design: A Guide to Planning Spaces" by Maureen Mitton and Courtney Nystuen. This ensures that 3 inches of hood will hang over the counter on either side of the cooktop for proper ventilation of moisture and heat from the gas burners. When locating the cooktop, place it on the counter along an exterior wall to make building the outdoor vent for the exhaust hood easier.

Downdraft Venting

• Downdraft vented cooktops are more flexible in terms of where you can place them. They can be used on an island in the middle of the kitchen. These cooktops force the excess heat and moisture from above the gas cooktop through a filter and down under the cooktop. Tall cooking pots can block the downdraft vents and prevent proper ventilation. If the gas cooktop placed on a counter will be a second cooktop, place an exhaust vent over the main cooktop if you frequently cook in large, deep pots.