Imagine you're spending quality time in the kitchen, sipping drinks, making something exotic. And if your range hood starts howling like a beast at that moment, your mood will be ruined.
Therefore, you should always check out the sones of your range hood before buying it. This way, you can ensure your kitchen has a peaceful environment and you have a good quiet range hood. But how many sones is a quiet range hood? Is there any specific idea?
Well, that's what we will discuss here today!
Table of Contents
What Is a Sone?
A sone is just a unit of measurement used for the perception of sound. By contrast, decibel ratings tell us about the amount of sound intensity created by any object.
For instance, the sound made by a running refrigerator is around 1 sone. And 2 sones are equal to a buzz you can hear in a calm office. Furthermore, regular traffic makes about 8 sones of sound.
Quiet Range Hood's Sones Range
The sones produced by your range hood vary from situation to situation. It depends on how long the motor has been running, what fan speeds you're using, and do you maintain it well or not.
Normally when we talk in a room, we create about 9 sones, and the running lawnmower produces around 90 sones. So if your range hood emits sones up to 4-6 sones, you're good to go. You won't get annoyed that much.
However, most range hood, even the larger ones, makes 6-8 sones depending on the machine's power output. And some hoods will create just about four to five, even one sone. So if you feel bothered by noises that much, you can easily go for the ultra-quiet ones.
Is 65 Decibels Loud for a Range Hood?
Well, 65 dB is pretty loud or a regular range hood. If we convert it to sones, we can see that it produces around 13 sones! However, the amount of sound pressure created by the machine also depends on the running speed.
So is 65 dB loud for a range hood? The answer is right in front of you!
How Loud are 6 Sones?
You have seen electric fans running at full speed, right? Well, that sound is about 6 sones. A typical range hood creates noises around that amount, so you are less likely to feel irritated while spending time in the kitchen.
Are Sones and CFM Related?
Yes, CFM and sones are related to each other as sones are measured at the hood's highest speed, aka CFM. If the label on your range hood says it will make 5 or 6 sones, that's the sounds it will create while running with full power.
The higher CFM you get, the louder sones you will get with your range hood. Therefore, if you don't want to make your kitchen a living hell, purchase a hood that comes with 600 CFM or so.
However, while cooking normal meals, you don't have to run your range hood at maximum speed. Hence, the noise level will be quite low.
But if you are cooking something out of the box, such as Indian food, you will need to turn on the machine with full power to get rid of the curry smell and greases.
The Bottom Line
So, how many sones is a quiet range hood? Hopefully, you have got your answers!
Just keep in mind that you will only get a louder sound when your hood is running aggressively. You may only have to run the hood with full power when there's a lot of smoke or smell in your cooking space.
So if the label says it creates about 6 sones, don't hesitate to buy it — that's not going to be your usual setting unless you are into culinary adventures!