I would encourage you to use a hood that vents to the outside rather than one that recirculates dirty/smelly cooking exhaust through some filters. You will never regret using a system that kicks the dirty stuff outside.

We have a fairly basic Vent-a-Hood, which works great. It is only 30" wide-- customer service rep at Vent-a-Hood suggested that we select the dual-fan option, but I decided to use just a single fan... and it is more than adequate.

I looked at those options for heating outside air and discharging it into the kitchen to make up for exhausted air-- they look clever and will no doubt do the trick. You don't even have to exhaust them into your kitchen-- you could put them anywhere in the house, so long as they turned on with your range hood, right?

Amazer98:

If you follow the thread, you'll see that I decided to switch over from a recirculating hood to one with an inline blower that vents to the outside.

You are correct about the make-up air system.    It can bring air into whichever part of the house you'd like to locate it.    I'll likely have mine installed in the basement.  



John

Posted By Litawyn on 02 Feb 2012 01:39 PM
Amazer98:

If you follow the thread, you'll see that I decided to switch over from a recirculating hood to one with an inline blower that vents to the outside.

You are correct about the make-up air system.    It can bring air into whichever part of the house you'd like to locate it.    I'll likely have mine installed in the basement.  



John

Oops, I must have missed that comment as I skimmed over the earlier posts.  Anyway, I think you made the right decision. BTW, what are you using to heat your house-- a propane modcon boiler or oil burner?  Radiant heat?

Posted By Amazer98 on 02 Feb 2012 01:44 PM

Oops, I must have missed that comment as I skimmed over the earlier posts.  Anyway, I think you made the right decision. BTW, what are you using to heat your house-- a propane modcon boiler or oil burner?  Radiant heat?

Amazer98:

The house will be heated primarily by an efficient wood pellet boiler.    This will be backed-up by an 11,900 Btu heat/cool pump that will also be providing A/C when needed in the summer.    In the winter, I'll also be relying on a south-facing soapstone floor in the dining and laundry rooms that will be absorbing passive solar heat in the daytime and heated up when necessary (at night) by a small electric radiant heat system beneath it.    Since the pellet stove will be at one end of the house, I wanted a way of keeping the opposite end of the place warm on a really cold night so I could keep the heat in the place balanced at a minimal cost.

You'll find the specs and floorplans for the place here:  www.litawyn.com



John

Very pretty design-- I like the front gable above the porch!

Posted By Amazer98 on 02 Feb 2012 02:03 PM
Very pretty design-- I like the front gable above the porch!

Thanks.    I won't be painting the place orange for sure, but it'll still have the same overall design and proportions you see in that photo and be around 1/3 larger.   

The original house is 874 sq ft; my modified version will be 1,197 sq ft over a full basement.



John

That's a nice part of Maine you're living in-- I've sailed all around Penobscot Bay with a old friend who lives down in Falmouth. Love it up there!

It's a beautiful part of the country.    I feel fortunate to live here.


John