This 30" insert was perfectly sized for our situation being small enough to fit into the available space while still allowing enough room to install the correct venting. We didn't want a recirculating fan even though there are a few that aren't short on power. In fact, this vent could be ducted in that way, if you had no other choice. At 600 CFM that would be a lot of hot air pouring back into our kitchen.
The fan is 45" above the 30" Wolf range but the capture area in the "pass-through"is appropriate for the extra height. As the fan has more than enough ability to vent what is typically produced, including the wok on an umpteen btu burner, we can run it at a lower speed. This makes it very quiet, while the rheostat control knob makes it easy to select whatever fan speed is best. In the same way, the lighting is completely flexible.
Appearance matters, disappearance is even better. What you do see—if you look up—is just fine; but, as this is an insert, it does not hang down into the space above the stove. There is no hood. Yay! Most are not worth looking at, require extra cleaning, and get in your way. Delete.
With the insert being so high above the stove, we elected to install the Wall Switch Kit. This disables the controls on the fan itself and moves them to a convenient wall...obviously. They work in the same way and are of a much better quality compared than what is available in big-box hardware stores. We checked, as spending another $80.00 took a little convincing. It's heavy duty and made in the USA, as is the fan itself. Therefore, we expect long service with no problems.
The only fly in the ointment is the quality of the instructions. They might as well have been written in Mandarin to achieve the level of uselessness they did. In comparison to the installation manuals provided by Casablanca and Hunter for their ceiling fans with lighting, the four brief bullet points were laughable. Since tech support consists only of e-mail, we had to bother their technician four times to be sure we knew which wires and boxes were which. A few drawings would make make installation much easier. I wanted to take away a star for this failing, but did not want to make the product itself appear to be less than it is.
Pros: Stainless; solid construction; easy to clean; quiet but effective; good lighting; made in USA.
Cons: Inadequate instructions; wall switch kit an extra expense. Mary. Lexington Park, MD. Fri Jul 10 2015
