Basement brewing electric PID controlled, 5500 watt element.
I have a 410 CFM fan, 14 inch run from a window to the fan with no hood. the fan is appoximatly 38 inches from the fan to the top of the boil kettle.
The Question is do I really need a hood.
I had a kitchen hood I normally use but it has a problem with both dripping (open window other side of the room ) and hight. Planning on raising the hood so my friends can look at the pots with out hitting their heads. took it off to experiment with no hood and to get it ready to raise up, unless this experiment seem to show i dont need the hood. Doing a 60 min boil with the boil pot with 8 gallons of water.
Will be happy to hear other peoples comments.
thank you
If you’re basement gets all steamy, you need a hood. Kitchen hoods aren’t that effective. A curtain at a safe distance around the boil kettle does a much better job than a kitchen hood.
I use a double size bucket and set the fan directly on it with some split tubing sandwiched between the two. I designed a goose neck in the tubing so air velocity pushes any drips past the curve, then as air flow slows, the condensation cannot drip back into the kettle.
If you have access to water and a drain you might try one of the steam condenser systems that are popular these days.
I did a 60 minute boil the results are:
Got a little condensation on a cold water pipe right next to the fan, I figure I can wrap that. other than that it doesn’t seem to be bad. Will do a full brew sometime soon with HLT, Mash tun and Boil pot to see how that works out.
update: redid the way I have the duckt fan mounted, moved it closer to the window wich is 8 inchs from the window to the fan with all 6 inch ducting. I am looking to build a larger and hopfully more effeciant hood. The plans are it will be 24 inches by 48 inches and maybe about 12 inch sides. I have looked at the meterial needed and going to decide on plastic or galvinized. The plastic is a 24 X 48 inch piece and will be cheaper and easier to build with so I am thinking plastic is the way to go. The galvanized one is 36 x 48 but will be harder to work with in that it will need to be cut and maybe even bent. I dont have or even dont want to spend too much on this. I have seen some on amazon etc but they all want around a thousand dollers for them.
Now your thought about this.
It sounds like you have a plan. Good luck with the implementation.
I had a similar problem, with a kitchen vent installed in my brew room, which proved to be totally ineffective even for electric brewing. Tried to use it on one test run, and haven’t run it since. Was thinking of installing something like Brewbama did, but then tried a box fan in the window. The brewkettle gets moved as close to the window as possible. It does the job for my situation. I’m lucky enough to live in a great climate, so no worries about freezing in the winter. 
Again, this is for electric brewing.
I’ll let the previous comments influence your decision.
One thing to keep in mind when employing a hood. It either needs to be wide enough so that the condensation that forms in it will not drip back into the boil kettle and reintroduce DMS in the condensation droplets back into the kettle If you are using a circular hood, you can install a condensation ring and a drain hose in it to direct the condensation drips away from the kettle to a nearby drain or bucket if the drain is not close to your brew system.
I personally do not use a hood, but I do not brew in my basement. I have a dedicate room for my brewery that has a window to the outside about 6 feet from my boil kettle and I brew with propane not electricity. I have a large window fan that pulls out any carbon monoxide (CO) and brewery steam and vents it to the outside. Obviously with an electric system you will not generate any CO.
I built a condenser and it works great- saved myself a whole lot of alterations to my home and cash. Highly recommend going that route for typical homebrewing set-ups indoors.
chinaski: more information on the condenser please.
One of the questons I have about making a hood. Is there a problem or difference with making one out of plastic instead of galvinized? Plastic is cheaper than a flat galvinized that would need to be bent, also cutting would be harder.
other than the stated I would like your views of plastic as a hood.
I built mine after reading this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/boil-kettle-condenser-no-overhead-ventilation-needed.636955/
Somewhere there is an excellent documentation of the parts list- not sure if its on that thread or not. Brundog is the originator of the design for homebrew scale. Commercially available kits are sold now as well.
Plastic should work too. Like metal you need to make sure the corners have minimal leakage to be sure it draws air into it from below rather than through the corners. The only limitation might be heat so be sure it sits high enough to not warp or melt.
Paul
I wouldn’t operate without a vent hood and make sure if you get one to keep it clean. I faced so many issues when I open my store and I had to install air-conditioning systems. It’s not only that you have to be in compliance with all the HVAC regulations for hospitality, but you also need to consider the budget that comes in play. For me, it seems like a better idea to buy used air conditions. However, I ended up needing an air duct repair which luckily enough was not that expensive due to a good contact that I got from a friend.