best replacement range hood

[solismaris]

Is there a consensus on the best replacement hood for the standard rv range? Quiet, good flow, lighting, drop in replacement for standard (loud) unit?

[Dave_H_M]

Geo is on the right track. Those 12V computer fans are fantabulous.

[solismaris]

Hmm... The Fabulous kit looks interesting but was not the one I had in mind. And it wasn't the Hengs either. I had bookmarked something about a year ago that I thought I had learned about in these forums and hoped to upgrade this year. But sadly I lost the bookmark and I can't find it searching the forum.

Does anyone have other recommendations? The one I remember was not an upgrade kit but a complete replacement of the entire unit.

[Gdetrailer]

solismaris wrote:
Is there a consensus on the best replacement hood for the standard rv range? Quiet, good flow, lighting, drop in replacement for standard (loud) unit?

Replace the motor/fan with a 12V computer style fan and don't look back..

What you are looking for is the highest CFM (airflow) rating with the lowest noise level in DB. Typically slower speed fans (4,500 RPM and less) will result in the lowest noise level and still have decent air flow.

THIS one while a bit pricey at $25 is 3,000 RPM with sound rating of 43.5 DB air flow is 187 cu meters/second which is about 109 Cu Ft per second and that is not a slouch.. It WILL be far quieter and move more air than the junky fans in RV hoods.

These fans are also designed to be used with a PWM controller for speed control, but you can bypass that just by using the red and black wires and the fan will run at max speed.

Lots of other fans available, just need to search for a fan that will fit in the existing space once you remove the old fan motor.

For additional lighting, add some LED strips around the inside of the hood.. Lots of 12V strips sold on a reel to choose from..

[LJAZ]

If you're replacing the range hood anyway you might consider the Fabulous Operating Products range upgrade kit. Its made by the same people who were the original owners of the Fantastic Fans. Remove the fan housing the frame and install their upgraded unit. It's got a quite 3 speed fan moves a lot more air and has an LED light with 2 brightness settings. It also has a vent that can be opened/closed from the inside. Cost is around $200.
I did this upgrade a couple years ago because DW loves to cook and was constantly setting off the smoke alarm. After replacement no more alarms.

My original hood was a Hengs brand with the fan box spot welded in place so replacement was a bit tedious but not complicated. Other brands have the box screwed on which makes replacement much more plug and play.