Dear Jim: My old range vent hood is noisy, and I want a modern, quieter one. How can I tell what size to get and what features are important? Is it better to just open a window a little instead or does that waste more energy? -Char Z.

Dear Char: New kitchen range hoods are much quieter than the old ones, both by design and from the fact they are new. There is a huge range of features from which to select, and prices range from about $150 to more than $5,000.

To answer your second question first, running a range hood is more effective and efficient than just cracking a window open to vent the kitchen cooking. Opening a window does not ensure the most moisture, odor and grease-filled air is being drawn out the window. Also, it is easy to forget to close the window. Even if a range hood is very quiet, you won’t forget one is running.

When you are doing serious cooking and you have the range hood speed set to high, it might be wise to open a window a little in the kitchen. This will allow outdoor makeup air to be drawn in the window and not from the rest of the house. This is not needed when operating it on low or medium speeds.

Most range hoods are located underneath cabinets so the height above the range is fixed. At this height, generally less than 30 inches, a blower size of 50-75 cfm (cubic feet per minute of air flow) per foot width of the range is adequate. If the duct from the range hood is long and has many bends, it may require a more powerful blower. It should be the same width as the range.

All range hoods have several speeds depending upon your particular cooking needs. Totally variable speeds offer the most control, but in practicality, three to four speeds are generally adequate. Run it on as low a speed as you can to adequately exhaust the air. Lower speeds are less noisy, use less electricity and draw less already heated air from your home.

A nice safety feature to consider is an automatic heat sensor inside the range hood. When it senses an unusually high air temperature, it switches to its maximum speed to quickly exhaust the fumes or smoke from the range.

Consider the lighting options and controls on the range hood. The range hood should supply adequate lighting so you do not have to turn on other bright kitchen lights that use additional electricity. Dual halogen bulbs should provide even, bright white light for viewing the foods while cooking.

Controls with several brightness settings are best and most efficient. Lights which slowly brighten and dim to off are easier on your eyes. A built-in night light is a nice feature so you do not have to switch on the main kitchen light each time you enter.

The following companies offer kitchen range hoods: Abbaka, (800) 548-3932, www.abbaka.com; Broan-Nutone, (800) 558-1711, www.broan.com; Dacor, (800) 793-0093, www.dacor.com; Faber USA, (508) 358-5353, www.faberonline.com; and Vent-A-Hood, (800) 331-2492, www.ventahood.com.

Dear Jim: I thought about diverting the water from the gutter downspouts into storage containers to use for plants when it was too dry. Is there any way to divert the water only when I want to store it? – Paul M.

Dear Paul: You should be able to purchase and install a diverter valve. This may be one similar to those used on cisterns when rainwater is diverted to a second tank after the first one is full.

If you cannot find one, you should be able to make some type of diverter yourself using sheet metal. Downspouts are easy to cut through with shears (wear heavy gloves). It does not have to be a perfect fit to divert most of the rainwater.

Send inquiries to James Dulley, Bangor Daily News, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244 or visit www.dulley.com.