When looking for a range hood for your home, one of the most important factors to consider is the sone level. A quiet fan will help you have a comfortable and enjoyable cooking experience in your home. Learn all about sones for your range hood in this article.
A sone is a unit of loudness. Sones are commonly used to measure the noise level of a kitchen ventilation fan. Both kitchen fans and bathroom fans are measured in sones.
Finding a range hood with an appropriate noise level that will meet your cooking needs is critical. Many people avoid turning on their kitchen fans due to their loudness. But, with a quiet efficient variable speed range hood, you’ll cook in peace and quiet and enjoy a clean home too.
The typical noise level for bathroom fans ranges from 0.3 to 4.0 sones, with quieter models being more desirable for a peaceful bathroom environment. Unlike kitchen fans, most bathroom fans move between 50 and 300 CFM of air.
A good sone level for a range hood depends on your preferences and how you plan to use your kitchen exhaust fan. For example, if you are a person that is more concerned with maintaining a more comfortable noise while cooking with your exhaust fan, it is recommended to look for a range hood rated at 600 CFM and a sone level of about 4.
Depending on what you are cooking and how often you cook, you may want to adjust the noise level of your exhaust hood. High-heat, greasy, and fried foods or Asian cooking will require higher power and thus be noisier. Low-heat cooking – or if you want to talk to someone in your kitchen – will require a quieter setting.
If you would like a thorough guide on choosing the right CFM for your kitchen fan, click here. Or, for more information on CFM for electric vs. gas stoves, check out this article.
Because the sone level depends on blower speed, you can easily find a flexible solution for your needs and comfort by purchasing a variable speed range hood.
Since you have the option to lower your speed setting, purchase an exhaust fan with a higher CFM. This will clean your air much more efficiently. In addition, powerful hoods have efficient motors, so when they are run at a lower speed, they are incredibly quiet – often between one and two sones.
A sone rating is approximately equal to the sound of a refrigerator running, or a night in the quiet suburbs.
Two sones produce the same noise as a calm office.
Three sones is comparable to the sound of a turned on television or a radio playing at a comfortable volume level.
Four sones is a sound level where normal conversations take place.
Five sones is a sound level where conversations with added noise take place.
Six sones is the sound level that quiet restaurants produce.
Seven sones is the sound level that light traffic produces.
Eight sones is the sound level of regular traffic.
It’s simple and easy to convert sones to dB and vice versa. Head on over to our complete article on sones and dB to check out a helpful conversion chart.
When range hood shopping, don’t just consider the sone level. It’s important to decide on the best style, CFM, and ventilation that you want as well. That being said, you can’t go wrong with a variable speed hood that allows you to control the sound.
Generally speaking, finding the ideal balance between your range hood's noise level and its effectiveness is key to a satisfying kitchen experience. A cabinet range hood equipped with multi speed settings can adapt to various cooking styles, from light cooking that requires quiet operation to heavy duty cooking that demands more suction power.
The factors that affect your range hood's sone rating include everything from the range hood filters to whether you have an external motor system or remote blower installed.
For those seeking a quiet range hood, it's worth noting that modern cabinet range hoods offer impressive noise control features.
While one sone represents the average sound of a quiet office, the noise generated by your new range hood can vary significantly based on its CFM and installation type. For perspective, the maximum noise level of a powerful range hood might approach that of a typical conversation in a professional environment, while at lower settings it can maintain the peaceful atmosphere of a quieter restaurant setting.
The air exiting through the system contributes to the overall background noise, but with proper installation and multi speed settings, you can reduce noise to achieve the perfect balance between ventilation effectiveness and acoustic comfort.
Whether you're dealing with the demands of a busy kitchen or simply wanting to maintain comfortable conversation levels while cooking, today's range hoods offer the versatility to meet your specific needs.
For more advice on buying the best range hood for you, check out our articles below.
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