The best range hood for your apartment is a 600 CFM ductless range hood with variable speed. Depending on your kitchen design, you can go with the more popular under cabinet range hood option or, if you don’t have kitchen cabinetry, you can purchase a wall hood that converts from ducted to ductless.

Do I need a range hood for my apartment?

If you live in an apartment, it’s important to have proper ventilation. In fact, it’s even more important than if you live in a home. Small living spaces fill with cooking fumes quickly and it can be hard to rid the kitchen of cooking odors, whereas, in your home, fumes can travel out to other rooms and dissipate more easily.

This is not to say that ventilating your home is unnecessary. You should always have a range hood in your kitchen, regardless of where you live. But, in small environments like apartments, it can be difficult to keep the indoor air quality in check without an efficient exhaust fan or vented range hood to filter your kitchen air.

If you are in the market for a range hood for your apartment, stay tuned. We’ll discuss the features of the best range hood for your apartment as well as some common questions that people have about their vent hood.

Stick around for our last section, where we highlight five of the best range hoods for your apartment from Proline!

Variable Speed

Variable speed is useful in all situations, but it is especially important in your apartment. Your kitchen is probably in the same room as your main room, which means your hood will be running while you may want to converse with your friends. Low settings allow you to keep talking with your friends and family while cooking in the kitchen.

A 600 CFM range hood is pretty powerful and at this power, you can keep your hood running on a lower fan speed setting. Use the maximum speed for emergencies only to preserve the life of your kitchen range hood.

Whereas without a range hood, you were restricted to cooking lower-heat foods and food that produce a small amount of smoke and grease, you have more flexibility with a variable speed blower or blowers.

If you want to do some Asian cooking or Indian cooking, turn the hood to one of the higher settings. If you’re just going to whip something up in a few minutes, the low settings are great for this.

Type of Range Hood

Regarding the type of hood that you’ll want, you are a little more restricted with your options if you live in an apartment. Most building codes won’t allow for ducted range hoods (we’ll discuss this more later), which rules out range hood inserts. Most island range hoods are ducted to the outside, but some models can be recirculating too.

Instead, you’ll have to choose between the best ductless range hoods you can find. Luckily, you still have a wealth of options at your disposal and you can pick the right ductless range hood for you based on personal preference.

Budget Range Hood

Don’t sacrifice quality to save money, but buying a range hood on a budget is very doable here. We want to be clear in this section that budget does not mean cheap. You can find range hoods under $100 from big box stores, but these large companies aim for quantity over quality. They don’t provide adequate ventilation for your kitchen and do not provide efficient airflow.

You’ll still want to look for a professional quality range hood and it may cost you a few hundred dollars, but the investment will be worth it. Just remember: don’t buy a hood that’s too cheap.

That being said, you don’t have to splurge either. If you are just renting an apartment, you may not want to invest a heavy sum of money into your kitchen remodel because you may be on the move soon.

We don’t ever hear people regretting spending more and getting a quality range hood. However, we hear people all the time wishing they had spent a little more to get a quality hood the first time around. 

Find a reliable, durable hood that will work well throughout your stay and for years to come. And spend what you need to to get it.

Ductless Range Hood

Most building codes will only allow you to install ductless range hoods. But, not all buildings have this restriction; you may be able to install a ducted range hood.  Just check the local regulations and ask your landlord for permission before proceeding with your installation.

If you need help convincing them, here is a step by step plan for exactly how to do that.

Check with your landlord to confirm building regulations.

As we mentioned above, before installing your range hood, check with your landlord to confirm that your building regulations allow for the installation.

I scoured several range hood forums and I found that, in most apartments, you can’t make new holes in the wall to vent your ducted range hood to the outside. Instead, you would have to connect ventilation for the range hood to an existing vent that already runs to the outside. But, this is only possible in very few cases. It can be a hassle to work around and chances are that you are using that vent to filter the air from another kitchen appliance outside your home, too. 

If you aren’t able to find a way to run a vent from your hood to the outside, don’t worry. There are still options for you. Go with a ductless range hood. 

Again, the specific regulations will depend on the building code in your area. And your landlord will be sure to have thoughts and opinions as well.

How do I choose a range hood?

Choosing your range hood may seem like a daunting task; you have to consider size, power, the type of hood, noise level, the type of filters…the list goes on. But we’ve packed all that information and more into a seven minute video below.

If you liked this video, check out our YouTube channel where we discuss range hoods, range hood maintenance, installation, and much more.

Do I need makeup air for my apartment range hood?

Your local building code should state whether you require makeup air in your apartment. Most building codes require makeup air for hoods over 300 or 400 CFM. Otherwise, you won’t need makeup air.

If you are not constrained by building codes, you don’t need makeup air unless you own a really powerful hood, or installed a powerful hood in a small kitchen.

Read more about makeup air here.

If you need a makeup air kit for your apartment or home, we always refer customers to this great makeup air kit from Amazon.

How many CFM should a range for my apartment hood have?

Your range hood for your apartment should have about 600 CFM. While this may seem like a lot of power, you will never be left wanting more and more power is a great safety measure, too. In fact, you’ll likely only need about 400 CFM for most cooking tasks in the kitchen. But rather than purchase a 400 CFM hood that you use on max power all the time, 600 CFM is a great option because the less powerful speeds are much quieter and don’t put as much strain on the motor over time.

If you’re having trouble deciding on the best CFM based on your cooking habits, click here and we can help you decide.

What is the quietest range hood for my apartment?

The noise level of your range hood will depend on the cubic feet per minute, or the rate that your hood moves air. At Proline, our 600 CFM ductless range hoods run at an ultra-quiet 4.5 sones.

4.5 sones are about equivalent to the noise of a normal conversation. Keep in mind that this is the sound level at max speed. And I mentioned earlier that you will likely run your range hood on lower speeds exclusively, and save those higher speeds for the more intense cooking tasks. So in reality, you’ll be enjoying three sones or even less while your hood is running.

A general rule is that as the blower speed increases, the noise level increases. But there’s more to this. We always like to tell our customers this scenario:

Let’s say you have two range hoods, one that runs at 600 CFM on the second speed and 1200 CFM at max, and one that runs at 600 CFM on maximum speed. The max 600 CFM hood has a smaller motor, so it will produce more noise. But, the 1200 CFM hood will have a larger or more efficient motor.

So, the 1200 CFM hood will be much quieter on the second speed than the 600 CFM hood will be on its max speed.

Be sure to keep this in mind as you shop for your ductless range hood, if noise is a big deal for you.

Speaking of shopping for your range hood, here are some of Proline’s best range hoods for your apartment.

Best Proline Range Hoods for Your Apartment

At Proline Range Hoods, we sell a wide variety of range hoods because we want our customers to find one that suits all their needs. We have dozens of ductless range hoods available for you, and we’ll go through some of our best in this list.

All of our ductless range hoods can also be ducted to the outside for those who have the go-ahead to install ductwork in their apartment

But at the very end, we’ll throw in a few of our hoods that exclusively duct to the outside, just to give you a few more options to choose from.

PLFW 520

The PLFW 520 is one of our most popular wall mounted range hoods. This innovative range hood can be converted to ductless with your purchase of charcoal filters, making it a great option for your apartment or condo.

At max power, this hood runs at an ultra-quiet 4.5 sones, which you’ll barely notice while in the kitchen! It features a single 600 CFM blower that can be adjusted to six different speeds.

Take a weekend when you have some time to try a bunch of different foods and cycle through the different speeds on your hood to find out what works best for you!

This hood comes in 24”, 30”, 36”, 42”, and 48” so it can accommodate large and small apartments.

Buy Now At

“I just did a complete remodel of my kitchen which also included a vent hood over my gas stove. I removed my new over the stove microwave that was also a vent hood and replaced it with the Proline PLFW 520.24 over the stove vented hood. I needed a special size, and after many reviews of many companies, Proline came up glowing. Perfect size, made of stainless with a very good price and excellent shipping. I would include a picture, but I have not finished the tiles on the wall where it is mounted, so I will post when I have that done as well. I have already spread the word to friends to check out the site.”

Sheila S.

PLFW 544

Like the 520, this 544 model features a high-efficiency blower that produces just 4.5 sones. It also can be converted to ductless with just one set of charcoal filters. The similarities don’t end there; this professional-quality exhaust fan features six speeds so you can enjoy a wide variety of food. Branch out beyond ramen, grilled cheeses, and noodles. Those meals are fit for broke college students, but you can do better with this sleek vent hood. 

Buy Now At

“I purchased a heatherlea condo, and remodeling a kitchen with a small footprint isn’t easy especially when it comes to range hoods. However, with the various sizes Proline carries and their ability to ship fast, we received a modern-looking range hood that makes our kitchen look exceptional!”

Tony M.

PLJW 185

The PLJW 185 is our highest selling model. Our most popular size is 30”, which means that people love the coverage this hood offers over their 24” or 30” kitchen range.

The 185 is our shortest under cabinet model. It is just five inches tall, but still moves 600 CFM of air like most of the other hoods on this list. Other hoods at this height produce 400 CFM or less but the modern, efficient blower technology in our 185 model allows us to give you the 200 extra CFM.

This model converts to ductless using a recirculating kit that sits on the top of your range hood. You can purchase your kit here.

Check out how the recirculating kit looks on some of our customer’s 185 range hoods.

Learn more about the 185’s high-end features below. You can also see how this hood stacks up against our competition in this detailed comparison article.

Buy Now At

“I cannot say enough good things about Proline. When redoing a condo I contacted them to ensure the color of the stainless steel would match our Viking appliances. They mailed me a sample of the stainless steel, at no cost; it was perfect. We chose Proline because they had the best CFM with the least amount of noise. The price was also the best, no one was even close. The range hood was a great purchase. Their customer service and tech support were very responsive. I have two family members who also purchased Proline range hoods.”

Daniel K.

PLJW 113

I’ve been repeatedly saying that 600 CFM is a great fan speed for your ductless range hood. It’s true; you can’t go wrong with 600 CFM. But what’s better than 600 CFM? 900 CFM! The PLJW 113 is one of our most powerful under cabinet models thanks to two efficient blowers that work together to give you great power.

Buy Now At

“I purchased the Proline range hood PLJW 113.36 about 5 years ago. The hood arrived well packaged, fit and finish was excellent, easy to install. After installation, very quiet even at high speed. Two (2) days ago I had a problem with the control panel responding, called Proline and was very pleased with the excellent customer service The person on the phone was very pleasant, great people, great company to do business with, and they carry an outstanding product. Highly recommend doing business with the folks at Proline Range Hoods.”

Ivan O.

PLJW 109

The PLJW 109 is one of the most versatile range hoods we sell here at Proline. This stainless steel hood comes in either 1000 or 2000 CFM. For your apartment, 2000 CFM is just way too much, so you’ll want to go with the 1000 CFM option if you like the style of our 109 model.

2000 CFM is great for 54” and 60” hoods, for professional cooks who are seemingly always in the kitchen and for the most dedicated cooks that prepare food for a lot of people. If your family loves their fajitas, roasted chicken, Asian dishes, or other high-heat foods, 2000 CFM will vent the heaviest greasy air, smoke, and steam produced from cooking out of your home. You can even enjoy desserts like pies and brownies which will produce a lot of smoke, especially if they’re made in bulk.

Buy Now At

“I have purchased a number of Proline Range Hoods for my apartment remodel complex and have been pleased with both the quality of the product as well as the promptness and service provided. I highly recommend this company.”

Craig D.

If you made it this far into the article, thank you. You might be pleased to know that we have a couple of “best range hood” series on our blog. Check them out below.

Best Range Hood For…

Asian Cooking

Indian Cooking

Best Proline Range Hoods

5 Best Wall Mounted Range Hoods

5 Best Under Cabinet Range Hoods

5 Best Island Range Hoods

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