Do You Own a VENT A HOOD Exhaust Hood Over Your Stove??

Question

there is what seems to be a complex internal cleaning process because the oil that is sucked up by the fan is collected in a internal collection unit. and there are other maintenance issues as well. do you do this maintenance on your own?? will vent a hood dealers do it for a price?? for those remodeling, Vent A Hood is just outstanding though the unit we have is so loud, you cant hear the phone. But it sucks up cooking oil like a dream.

Answer

I too own Vent-A-Hood, but I have to say that after reading about how Chef Thomas Keller has someone clean the hood in his kitchen everyday (perfectionist that he is), I tried to do the same for about two days and decided that three Michelin stars would not be coming my way anytime soon regardless of the state of my VAH.

Answer

This is an old post but I thought I'd reply to hopefully help someone avoid the problems that I have due to buying a Vent-A-Hood.
First: Although this "Magic Lung" nonsense looks great on paper, it doesn't work.
They tell you that: "The Magic Lung® housing snaps apart for easy cleaning in the dishwasher or with warm, soapy water. Moreover, the Magic Lung® is the only ventilation system that collects the grease in the easily cleaned housing rather than in hard-to-reach areas behind a mesh or baffle filter".
And go on to say: " The Magic Lung® blower system is designed so that if the motor is running properly, the system will liquefy grease in the sealed blower housing and create a pressure barrier, lowering the risk of an attic or wall fire".
Well I've had a 42 inch dual blower Vent-A-Hood over my 36 inch Viking Range for two years now. Here's what REALLY happens:
The grease that collects (along with the dust because there is no filter) in the housing does NOT just remain in the housing. It gets everywhere. Both blowers get completely covered with grease and dirt. The grease also is blown up the vent causing the vent to become filthy too. This thing takes HOURS to clean. I should know. I started cleaning mine at 4PM today and I'm not finished yet and it's 7:30. I took a break to write this.
As far as their statement that "the system will liquefy grease in the sealed blower housing and create a pressure barrier,".....this is laughable. Sealed blower housing? There are two flimsy plastic flaps that create about as much of a seal as a piece of scotch tape on a fire hose.
As far as the claim that it's quiet: It's not. True, if you only have it on low speed it is fairly quiet. But unless you are only simmering something on one burner, low speed is not going to do much. High speed is loud.
Another problem is their customer support. It's non-existent.
I had installation and technical questions when I bought mine and it took weeks to get an answer from them.
Also after mine was installed I had to call them again because it was vibrating. They sent out a service tech who told that the housing was not sealing against the hood. The fix? I have to buy and install weather stripping everytime I clean it.
I should mention that I am a mechanic and very technically capable. I'd hate to think how the average person would deal with this.
Well that's my Vent-A-Hood review.
I have to go back and continue cleaning it for another hour.

My advice is this: Due some research and buy something else. And don't do what I did and rely on the hype that the manufacturers and sales people push. Check out installed units and talk to people who use it.

Joe

Answer

I'm with Joe on this one. I'm not the cook, but I'm the guy that cleans the hood. I'm also the guy who, in spite of a degree in physics, fell for the line spun by VentaHood. I should be ashamed. Ours is old -- about 15 years -- and it only has one speed (the right speed for getting the grease out of the air!!). It's noisy. Neither the cook nor I like it. 
I confess, I don't clean it often, and when I do, the fan 'squirrel cage' usually needs to be cleaned. It's hard to get off, it's hard to clean, and it's hard to put back on.They could have designed that better! My planned solution is to buy some of the metal filters for a Sears hood and jury rig a mounting for them.

Answer

Hi,
Has anyone had this problem with their VAH? Mine is about 15 years old. The main problem is that the underside paint is peeling terribly, so much so that I am worried about the paint falling into my food. Anyone ever had this problem? Any ideas short of buying another one?
Thanks,
Anne
Anne

Answer

I just have to say, that I have been selling these hoods for 30 years, and they are the least service-issue hood we sell and the quietest. If yours is loud I will bet you my house that it is an install problem........it always is when we hear this complaint. Call the manufacturer and they will help.......they are an amazing team. They have been making these hoods for over 70 years, and they've got it right............truly.

Answer

I know this comes too late to respond to the original poster....but, in defense of Vent a Hood, I've had mine for 26 yrs over my stove (single) and over my gas grill (double blower/grill in kitchen). My hood is about 10' long. I use my grill at least 4 times a week for all these years and I've never had a problem with the hood...other than the grease build up. My hood vents through the roof and I've actually had commercial restaurant steam cleaning from the roof down and from the hood up. They cover all electric and it's worked fine....but after so many years, I do finally have to replace the single. My question...do you know if they sell just the snap on motor/blowers and has the style changed in 25 yrs?

Answer

My wife and I have owned a dual-fan Vent-A-Hood for about 11 years now. Although it does its job nicely, it is a bit hard to clean. I can deal with nearly the entire cleaning process until I get to the two little flipper panels that are mounted directly above both fans. The two small panels that get blown into an upright position while the fans are blowing, and then "should" flip down to cover the vent passages when the fans are shut off.

I still can't seem to get those two little flippers very clean...if cleaned at all. Any suggestions? They are so saturated with very sticky grease and tend to stick in the up position from time to time.

Thanks folks...great blog.

Gramps.

Answer

Over the past 20 years or so, we've remodeled three or four kitchens and put pro-style or real commercial ranges in all of them, with 48 or 60" VAH's above, and have been pretty happy with all of them. All the ranges have been pretty high output and I am known for kicking up lots of smoke and grease.

The VAH's clean up as advertised, at least for me. I don't know why it would take a whole day. They snap apart with two buckles over each blower unit and go right into the dishwasher. While they are on the potscrubber cycle I hit the back wall with some 409 spray; the hardest part is climbing up on the stovetop.

I don't find them particularly loud; the loudest part is the air rushing through the vents, not the sound of the motor. The biggest annoyance is that on our oldest unit, I can't replace the low-output fluorescents with the newer halogens. We did have one fan out of balance; it was a thirty second fix with an Allan wrench.

Every time I do another remodel, I look for alternatives just out of curiosity, and when I see the $$ vs. air-draw equation, I just shake my head in bafflement.

Answer

We have an old school vintage NuTone exhaust fan like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuc4MVwmBQc

I found the one in the video in at neighborhood Dumpster day, and it sold within a week online. People keep emailing me to see if I have another one (I don't), but I think it's funny that this is such a hot item. 

It works well, and is easy to clean. It just goes into the wall above the stove. Not much to it, really, and ours is original to our 1949 house. There's something to be said for a durable workhorse like that.

Answer

I put one in years ago, then moved before I got much use out of it. While I had it, I thought it was terrific! I'm planning to put one in where I live now.

What do you mean maintenance issues? You remove the grease trap and wash it. That's all.

Answer

We have had a Vent-a-Hood for over three years. The easiest way to clean the hood is to remove the cover(s) as instructed by the manufacturer. Place them on newspapers and wipe off, wipe out any excess and pooled grease with paper towels. Then spray the various parts (including the plastic flaps) with WD-40 and wipe them off with fresh paper towels. WD-40 cuts the grease and makes the cleaning waterless (no rinsing needed). WD-40 also works well on the exterior stainless areas as well as on our range top backsplash.

Answer

If the unit is loud the best thing to do is return the unit..

Answer

It sounds like everyone is making this much more difficult than it is. Definitely do not use WD40. You would be introducing a petroleum product into your cooking area. My hood vents a 6 burner Wolf and we cook 90% + of our meals. Because the hood is used so extensively I clean it about every 3 months. Not to promote a specific product but Dawn Grill Cleaner works great. Remove the grease tray beneath the blower box, 2 thumb screws, soak the grease with the grill cleaner and let sit 10-15 minutes. Remove the blower box, 2 latches 1 on each side, and do the same. Remove the fans, there is an Allen head set screw in the shaft housing, I think it is 1/8th inch, soak and scrub with a nylon brush. These can also go in the dishwasher. Clean the parts that have been soaking with a scrub brush and rinse with hot water. Reassemble and you are done. It takes me about 1 hour. The grill cleaner also works great on the hood itself which I clean more often. I love this hood and have had it for over 4 years.

Answer

I have cleaned the squirel cages, once, and it was not a pleasant task. The hood is about 9 years old. After removing all the housing and figuring out how to remove the squirel cages, I discovered that they were directly connected to motors (which plug into outlets). Since they cannot be submersed, they have to be hand-cleaned. The grease was thick and hardened from years of neglect. Additonally, the blades are delicate. Too much scraping and the painted surface is removed. It was impossible to remove all the grease buildup, but I did a pretty good job. I then discovered that due to pressure applied during the cleaning process (they weigh about 3 lbs each and are awkward to handle), the balance was no longer perfect. Meaning, they wobble a little when turned on. Finally, I attempted to clean the trap doors that open to the duct but since they cannot be removed. I had to do this while they were attached. Since they are thin and delicate, I warped them enought so they do not close completedly when the unit is turned off. I am happy with the hood itself (does a good job), but would consider replacing the motors (squirel assembly), before I would ever try cleaning them again.

Answer

I have a PRH18-236 Vent a hood that is about 4 years old. I ordered it in a black finish which is still good. I am not able to clean it. If I could stand on my counter directly up under it, it might be possible, but my range is there and will not support my weight. Plus I would have to be on my knees and that would hurt. How does one reach up there and unscrew what needs to be unscrewed when it is too high, too far and very full of grease. I thought maybe you just draped the entire kitchen and blasted it with steam. I did not receive any manuals with it. Are they available on line anywhere? Thanks for suggestions.

Answer

I purchased a tilt out Vent-A-Hood in February 2010. It's a beautiful looking product and we've been pleased with its operation. That is, until recently when the light bulb on the left hand side of the light bar stopped working. I figured the bulb had simply burned out so I removed it and replaced it with a newly purchased bulb but the new bulb didn't work either. I then took the bulb that I know is working from the right hand side of the light bar and moved it to the left hand side and it that one didn't work either. At this point, its apparent that either the left hand socket or its wiring are defective so I removed the socket from its bracket and could see that one of the two wires going into the socket was charred and detached. This explains why the light wasn't working. The next step then is to replace the light socket and associated wires and hope that that fixes the issue. In order to do this, the light bar that houses the socket and its wiring need to be removed. That light bar is held in by two screws so just remove those two screws, remove the light bar and you have access to the wiring and sockets. 

Simple, right? 

Wrong!! 

The screws are installed from the rear of the hood so that the heads of the two screws are sandwiched between the wall and the back of the hood. THE. BACK. OF. THE. HOOD. This means that the entire hood has to be uninstalled in order to remove the two screws. I'm not kidding. This hood is so poorly designed that if one of their light sockets burns out, which obviously it will, then you will need to uninstall and then reinstall the entire hood. Whaaaaat? I couldn't believe they'd design such a product so I called Vent-A-Hood directly to confirm with them and I was right. When I conveyed my obvious frustration to them with the poor design their message back to me was essentially "too bad". They explained to me that designs of many products sometimes require a consumer to uninstall something in order to repair it - the analogy they provided was how it was necessary to remove a dishwasher to repair it. Really? A dishwasher compared to a vent hood? Let's ignore the fact that a simple design change on VAH's product eliminates my issue but that's not the case with a dishwasher but okay, let's pursue the analogy just for kicks and giggles. 

I have basic skills and was able to uninstall my dishwasher in the past within an hour. It's not that hard. On the other hand, I took a look at my vent hood and determined that it's at least a two person job and is likely beyond my skill level because besides being installed over a glass cooktop, it is sandwiched between cabinets on both sides. The local Vent-A-Hood service provider told me that they are going to have to think about whether they'd be willing to do such a job because it's a very difficult job to uninstall and reinstall one of these hoods and will take two people plus a carpenter to complete it. I'm not kidding. The people who install these for a living are telling me that the job might be too difficult for them to perform. Even if they agree to do it I can only imagine how much it's going to cost me. I have no idea what I'm going to do if they won't do the work. Seriously, what are my options then.

So how's that dishwasher analogy looking now? Not so good, that's how. 

The problem with all of this is that both Vent-A-Hood and their service administrator, Eastern Marketing, are completely unapologetic, they're sticking by their five year warranty despite the ridiculously flawed design and I'm afraid they will have no other suggestions for me about how to fix this if the service provider refuses to do the work. 

The moral of this story? Do not purchase Vent-A-Hood's tilt out vent unless you want to wind up where I am now.

Answer

I don't underage the fuss about cleaning this hood. I'm obsessive when it comes to cleanliness in my kitchen and have had only Vent-a-Hoods in my kitchen for years & in different homes. I Love it!
About 45 minutes and armed with Original Barkeeper's Friend (thankfully now in soft form), works beautifully! 
(On non -painted surfaces of course)

Answer

We bought a used Euro model (two-fan Premier Magic Lung) at Habitat for Humanity Re-Store for $200. Cleaned it up the best we could, installed it and it works like a dream. For the first time since replacing our crappy builder-grade hood (for the same price as a brand new crappy builder-grade hood), we were able to cook bacon without setting off the smoke detector. Cleaning is as easy as they say - just unsnap it all and wash it up. Simple. To the guy who complained that it took hours, I say: it's not a hospital room. It doesn't need to be perfectly sanitary. You're making a big deal out of nothing.

Anyhow, I'll probably be replacing some parts like the fans, switches, stuff like that just to make it look pretty, but the unit is solid and works great as is. My only objection to the advertising is that it isn't as quiet as they make it sound. It's loud enough that it is bothersome to people watching TV in the other room. But hey - if that's the worst I have to deal with, so be it. Love my hood.

Answer

We just had a magic lung vent a good installed and it seems to be blowing air into the house on the right side. What is wrong?

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Do You Own a VENT A HOOD Exhaust Hood Over Your Stove??

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