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HOODMART BLOG

Why Hood Overhang and Mounting Height Actually Matter for Your Restaurant
• October 06, 2026
Categories: HOOD FACTS
A commercial hood that looks right is not the same as a commercial hood that works right. Two of the most common installation variables that get eyeballed instead of calculated are overhang and mounting height, and both have a direct, measurable impact on whether your hood actually captures what it is supposed to capture. Getting either one wrong does not always fail inspection immediately. It just means your kitchen runs hot, smoky, and greasy until someone figures out why.
What Is Hood Overhang and Why Does It Matter?
Hood overhang refers to how far the hood extends beyond the edge of the cooking equipment on each side. It is not an aesthetic preference – it is a functional requirement tied directly to the hood's ability to capture heat, smoke, and grease-laden vapors before they escape into the kitchen.
• The standard minimum overhang is 6 inches on all open sides of the cooking equipment
• Wall-mounted hoods on enclosed sides may have reduced or no overhang requirement on the wall side
• Insufficient overhang allows cooking effluent to roll out from under the hood edges and into the kitchen
The overhang requirement exists because heat and smoke do not rise in a perfectly vertical column. They spread as they rise, and the hood needs to be large enough to intercept the full plume before it escapes the capture zone.
How Cooking Equipment Type Affects Overhang Requirements
Not all cook...

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How a Commercial Kitchen Exhaust System Actually Works: From Hood to Rooftop
• October 02, 2026
Categories: HOOD FACTS
A commercial kitchen exhaust system is one of those things that gets specified, installed, and then largely ignored until something goes wrong. Which is fine, honestly - that’s exactly what a well-designed system should allow. But understanding...

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How a Hanging Ventless Hood Works Without Ductwork or a Roof Fan
• September 14, 2026
Categories: Ventless Hoods
If a contractor has told you that venting your kitchen is impossible without cutting into the roof, they were working with the wrong hood. A hanging ventless hood handles grease-laden vapors, smoke, and odor capture on its own, no ductwork, no roof f...

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Why Your Commercial Kitchen Loses Heat, Comfort, and Money Without Proper Makeup Air
• September 10, 2026
Categories: HOOD FACTS, Hoods
If your kitchen runs uncomfortably hot despite a functioning exhaust hood, your back door flies open on its own, or your energy bills seem disconnected from anything you can identify, there is a reasonable chance the culprit is not what you think it ...

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Kidde vs. Ansul: Which Fire Suppression System Is Right for Your Commercial Kitchen?
• September 04, 2026
Categories: Fire Suppression
Every commercial kitchen is required to have a fire suppression system installed above cooking equipment. Choosing the right one affects installation time, inspection outcomes, and long-term reliability. HoodMart carries both Kidde and ...

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