Tell Me About Range Hoods, Please

[Pat Germain]

I bought my new-construction home a little over nine years ago. I really like the house. But one thing I can't stand is the stupid range hood. It doesn't vent outside. It just sucks up any smoke from cooking and blows it toward the ceiling. Thus, if I'm browning some chops or steaks, the kitchen fills with smoke and all the smoke alarms go off. Then it takes days for the smoke smell to dissipate.

I decided it's time to install a range hood that actually vents outside. But I don't know much about them. My range sits against an outside wall which I think makes things easier. I don't need anything fancy; just effective. I've seen range hood vents which are basically like elongated clothes dryer vents. Are those OK? I'm thinking they might be a problem when the weather gets below zero.

Do you think I could install the new range hood myself? I'm a pretty handy guy. I have a recriprocating saw, jig saw and many other tools. I don't know if there's anything tricky about it. Nor do I know if any bizarre code rules might apply.

I would appreciate any info you could share. Thanks!

[Jim Becker]

Pat, I installed the hood over our range myself, although in our case, I had to have some custom duct work fabricated to fit between the ceiling joists to get to the outside wall. In your case, it's going to be pretty easy unless you have a masonry wall. :) The outside termination for a through the wall installation typically has louvers that close when the fan isn't operating. (Needs cleaned occasionally to insure grease buildup doesn't prevent the louvers from closing properly) Installation is easy, frankly. The trickiest part for me was getting the electrical wires in exactly the right spot due to close clearances and a low, 6'10" ceiling.

I chose a Broan hood (stainless) to match the look of the appliances as well as the accompanying and matching SS backsplash. It was priced better than the unit from DCS that "matched" our range. CFM is key for this application just like it is in dust collection. Our range required a 1200 CFM fan due to the grill. If you have a typical cooking system, you don't need to go that high, especially if you have a 30" range, rather than a 48" unit like we do.

[Joe Pelonio]

I wonder why they bothered to put one in at all if it's not vented outside.
I replaced mine, these days there are a variety of them costing as much as thousands with designer finishes. We went with a simple stainless steel to go with the stove. When the smoke failed to exhaust when I tested it, I discovered that the fan had been installed backwards at the factory!

It also has a light which is very useful to check on cooking pots without turning on all of the ceiling lights. I recommend smooth metal duct, for easier cleaning.

[Dave Johnson29]

I decided it's time to install a range hood that actually vents outside.

Not too hard to install. We had the same kind of stupid hood.

I pulled it out and removed the little fan and then cut a 7" hole (I think) and made a flue adapter. I pop riveted some aluminum angle to make ledges for much bigger area filters. The cupboards at the side of the hood concealed the rivet heads. I moved the light fitting right to the front behind the front panel.

I bought some flexible aluminum ducting and ran it up through the short cupboards above the vent, across the top of the rest of the cupboards to an outside wall.

I put in a 7" 220v inline fan (about 1,500-cfm from memory) and got a metal wall-vent with flap from HD to finish it off outside. The fan blows the flap open so it closes automatically.

I then made a wood frame from 1" x 2" and covered it with 1/4" drywall. Shot some texture on it and painted it to match the wall. I lined it well with heavy sound deadening insulation and dropped it over the duct.

I would love to show you pics but I no longer live in that place, but the ex says it is still working wonderfully. :rolleyes: :)

It souds like a lot more work than it actually was.

[Jerry Bruette]

Pat, whatever you do, or whichever brand you decide on for a range vent make sure you check the sound level. The one we have sounds like a tornado and I hate the darn thing.

I understand the ones with squirrel cage fans are alot quiter than the ones with regular fan blades.

Jerry

[Steve Rozmiarek]

One thing to consider, speaking as an ex-restaurant owner, bigger hoods can move a lot of air, and without a make up air system of some sort, can do goofy things in your house, like suck air down chimneys to replace the air vented outside. That's bad for a lot of reasons!

[Pat Germain]

Hey, great info, guys. Thanks! To summarize,

- My range is only a 30"; a smaller hood should do. But I think I would like to get a stainless steel hood. I plan to upgrade the range to a SS model as soon as possible

- Glad to hear I can probably do it myself. I'll check into the Broan

- The current hood is an extremely cheap "contractor grade" example. I don't think it's worth modifying

- I agree. What's the point of a range hood that just blows the smoke at the ceiling?

- I was in fact concerned about creating a vacuum situation. I will definitely look into that

- I will also check into squirrel cage fans. I don't like noisy fans either

[Brad Beam]

I put in a variable speed external vent 600-1200cfm. Sucks out all the smoke and is quiet

[Dave Schreib]

When we built our house we wanted to move a lot of CFMs to (900?) and wanted the fan to be quiet. The solution was to go with one that had the blower "in-line" with the duct work. The fan is not in the hood above the stove, it's in the duct between the stove and the exterior wall (about 15 ft away). Works great and is very quiet. Access to the fan mower is in the ceiling in the garage.

[Mike Cutler]

Pat

Just about every range hood that exhausts outside, has a "vent kit", and usually has some basic instructions about vent requirements.
As for code compliance. Most likely a local discussion. I know that I can vent mine out the roof, or out the wall, but there were restrictions for horizontal runs of duct and fan CFM ratings, and length of the final riser, and distance of the stack above the roof, and the range hood couldn't be exhuasted through the soffet if it went out an exterior wall.

I have a GE Monogram 36" direct vent hood over a center island.

[Dave Lehnert]

I have a vent-less hood from Lowes. It has two filters in them. I always thought it worked very well. Never noticed smoke in the house.

If you are able to vent outside, it would be the best.

[Mark P. Miller]

When venting outside, it's a good idea to include something like this in-line with your ductwork.

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/5C523?cm_mmc=Google%20Base-_-HVACR-_-Fans-_-5C523

Especially if you live in a place with cold winters.

[Lee Schierer]

One thing not mentioned thus far is that your existing range hood may have the option to be vented outside. The range hood I purchased for our house when I remodeled the kitchen could be installed either way just by changing a baffle. Look up the model number on the name plate that should be attached on the inside on the internet and see if it can be ducted or ductless. It might save you the cost of a new hood.

[Pat Germain]

Thanks for the link, Mark. I'm thinking that would be a good idea for those below zero days here in Colorado.

Thanks for the tip, Lee. I'll check to see if my existing hood can be vented. But again, it's an extremely cheap hood and I'm not sure it's worth the trouble.

[Ben Franz]

One earlier reply recommended flexible ducting - the Uniform Mechanical Code does not allow flex duct in any concealed, inaccessible location and not for grease vents. It's a little more work, usually (sometimes a lot!), but you should use rigid ducting, well sealed with a foil tape. If you are considering a microwave/vent combo, I'd suggest not. The vent is underpowered and doesn't have an effective "sump" to capture the smoke and fumes. I'm partial to higher end hoods (Thernador, Vent-a-Hood, etc.) because they're quieter, easier to clean and more effective. The cheap stuff at the BORG will disappoint you. Perhaps a trip to a good appliance retailer is in order - they can lay out your options easily.

[Jim Becker]

Pat, our Broan is variable speed and goes down to a very slow and quiet speed for when that is appropriate and everywhere to a gentle roar. I would have loved to be able to do a remote fan setup to reduce the sound level, but that just wasn't in the cards for our kitchen setup. The unit also has outstanding halogen lighting as well as heat lamps for keeping things warm on the shelves off the backsplash.

Here's a picture from right after things were installed.

http://sawsndust.com/images/kitchen-remodel/kr-tile-2-280.jpg

[Bob Rufener]

Broan is a very quality product. They have a web site that may give you some valuable information. www.broan.com (http://www.broan.com)

They also own Nutone which is another major manufacturer of home ventilating equipment.

[Pat Germain]

Pat, our Broan is variable speed and goes down to a very slow and quiet speed for when that is appropriate and everywhere to a gentle roar...

Wow, great kitchen, Jim. Thanks for sharing the picture. I would very much like to install a nice, high-end range hood such as that. I'll see how far the budget can budge.