Figure out how high your range hood needs to be before it’s too late. (And what to do if it’s already too late.)
A good range hood not only adds style to your kitchen but also sucks the smoke and odors out of your home… provided it’s properly mounted.
There’s more than one factor to consider when deciding where and how to mount the range hood in your kitchen. But few are as important as its height—that is, the distance between the stovetop and the bottom of the hood.
When equipping a kitchen, the right height of the range hood makes all the difference. A range hood mounted too high will have a hard time extracting all the fumes; one mounted too low can easily get damaged and poses a fire hazard.
So how can you get the height of your range hood right?
What’s the Ideal Height for Installing Your Range Hood?
Range hood manufacturers give an ideal height range instead of a specific height because no two kitchens are alike. If you mount your range hood within this range, it can pull smoke out of your kitchen without sitting dangerously close to the burners.
Most range hoods should be mounted at a height of 20 to 24 in (51 to 61 cm) above an electric stove, 24 to 30 in (61 to 76 cm) above a gas stove, and 30 to 34 in (76 to 86 cm) above an induction stove.
Remember that this is only a rule of thumb and you should never base your installation on it alone. For specific instructions (and the ones that you should follow), refer to the manufacturer’s recommendations for the make and model of your range hood.
Did You Mount Your Range Hood Too High or Too Low?
In an ideal world, you would have worked with a good interior designer and an equally good contractor to build your kitchen, and everything would have turned out perfectly from the first round.
But you and I know that even when you’ve found the right people, things can sometimes go wrong. And when it comes to selecting and installing range hoods, things often do go wrong! I take it this is the case since you’re here—so let’s talk about your options.
Replace your range hood with a shallower one. One of your options is to return the range hood in question and try to find one with a shallower depth. That way, at least you won’t have to replace or remove the upper cabinets.
Change the upper cabinets. The other option is to keep the range hood but replace the upper cabinets, assuming you can find shorter cabinets in the same style and color as the ones you just installed (it’s challenging, I know!).
Remove the cabinets. Finally, there’s the option of removing the upper cabinets above the range hood altogether and tiling the wall with the same tiles you used for the rest of your kitchen. This would allow you to adjust the height of the range hood as needed.
Does the Mounting Height Really Matter?
Having read all of this, some of you may be wondering:
If you installed your range hood incorrectly, should you do anything at all?
The long answer short is, probably yes. An range hood placed too high is a decorative piece that doesn’t extract the exhaust gasses in the kitchen. A range hood mounted too low is a fire hazard. In either case, it’s best to take action and fix the problem.
