Range hood installation: how to? what do i need? how to choose?

[kamas]

What do i need in order to install a range hood? How do you attach it to the wall? see the photo, it should be installed directly above the oven. There is a white range hood you see in the photo, see how the air duct goes up? Can I install a new hood above the black oven and share the same air duct with the white hood?


Will the angle of the air duct be a problem and reduce airflow too much?

Any ideas about what to look for in a range hood or recommendations?

[lizzzi]

Bumping to follow. I need one, too.

[Spork]

warning: Not an expert.  Continue reading at your own risk.

I don't think you can share duct work.  Range hoods I've seen specifically call for a duct size and are generally fitted with exactly the size specified.  (In other words, if it says 6" duct, that is what it has.  It isn't fitted with some oversized duct "just in case" you would want to add a second one in the future.)

In most cases I think finding a space to run the new duct is going to be the tricky part.  It might be easy, depending on how your house is set up.  But it might involve opening up drywall spaces, cutting through wall or roof and properly waterproofing the exhaust.

[lthenderson]

What do i need in order to install a range hood? How do you attach it to the wall? see the photo, it should be installed directly above the oven. There is a white range hood you see in the photo, see how the air duct goes up? Can I install a new hood above the black oven and share the same air duct with the white hood?


Will the angle of the air duct be a problem and reduce airflow too much?

Any ideas about what to look for in a range hood or recommendations?

Tools needed to install a range hood depend greatly on what type you buy and whether or not you will be able to reuse your old duct work or not. The installation directions will tell you how to install it but most have a bracket that screws to the studs in the wall or the underneath of the overhead cabinet or both and then the hood clips into it. Like the other poster said, you really need to read the instructions to see if you can reuse the old duct work. It looks like a fairly big duct so I'm guessing you can but manufacturers have different specs on run distance, number of elbows, etc that you can use before you reduce the airflow too much.

[Spork]

Like the other poster said, you really need to read the instructions to see if you can reuse the old duct work. It looks like a fairly big duct so I'm guessing you can but manufacturers have different specs on run distance, number of elbows, etc that you can use before you reduce the airflow too much.

I read the post not as "can I re-use" but "can they share".  In other words, I read it as "2 range hoods with one 6 inch duct."

OP -- are we talking re-use?  Or trying to share?

[kamas]

Like the other poster said, you really need to read the instructions to see if you can reuse the old duct work. It looks like a fairly big duct so I'm guessing you can but manufacturers have different specs on run distance, number of elbows, etc that you can use before you reduce the airflow too much.

I read the post not as "can I re-use" but "can they share".  In other words, I read it as "2 range hoods with one 6 inch duct."

OP -- are we talking re-use?  Or trying to share?

I am actually trying to share. So i want TWO range hoods, with the same duct work. See the white hood already is setup. I want to get a new hood to put beside that, and I want it to share the same air flow ducts as the existing hood. I was thinking I can maybe just attach the new one to the existing one with a simple flexible duct like clothes dryer's have: like this:  http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-4-in-x-8-ft-Dryer-Duct-PM8X73DS/100050673


It does not have to travel far. The current hood goes up a few feet to the outside of the house, maybe 6 feet total or less.

[Spork]

I don't think that works.

For one: If you were to run both at once, you won't get the throughput you want.  I also don't think you want the ridges in the walls of the flex duct.  Those will slow down the air and will get all sorts of grease trapped in them.  Straighter ducts are also going to be superior to curving ducts.

I'm pretty sure most fans will want more than a 4" duct, too.  Higher CFM fans will want 6-12 inch ductwork FOR ONE HOOD. You'll need to read the specs for the hood you plan to install and start from there.  But I wouldn't recommend trying to share. 

I don't pretend to know building codes here.... but I'll guess what you're talking about is also a code violation.

[former player]

There are 8 hob rings there, and from what I can see it doesn't look much like a private house.  So quite possibly large gatherings of people in this building?   Don't take any risks with a potentially dodgy installation, it's just not worth it.  And if this is a commercial/social gathering space, the regulatory requirements may be different from those in a private building, so make sure you are aware of what regulations apply.

Also, after installation, make sure that there is correct cleaning and maintenance.  A big cause of fires is grease building up in extractor systems, and there is obviously frying going on in this situation, so it is something to keep a close eye on.

[BudgetSlasher]

I am in the process of planing a kitchen remodel and while we have not gotten to the ventilation specifics (which depends, in part, on the kind of stove chosen and in our case the placement of the stove).

From just general understanding (and installing the duct work for my basement home-brewery hood). I do not think that two hoods on common ducting is a good idea. If you use pusher fans (in the hood pushing out) you are just as likely to blow exhaust out the other hood as you are outside (unless they are both on at the same time), if you use a puller fan (outside pulling air out) you will be dividing the airflow between two hoods and, depending on your CFM requirement, may not get enough flow.

I would also not that I have never seen flexible dryer duct used in any hood configuration, it is likely that it will have low spots were conendation will collect, probably grease too, I do not even like it for dryers.

[lthenderson]

Like the other poster said, you really need to read the instructions to see if you can reuse the old duct work. It looks like a fairly big duct so I'm guessing you can but manufacturers have different specs on run distance, number of elbows, etc that you can use before you reduce the airflow too much.

I read the post not as "can I re-use" but "can they share".  In other words, I read it as "2 range hoods with one 6 inch duct."

OP -- are we talking re-use?  Or trying to share?

I am actually trying to share. So i want TWO range hoods, with the same duct work. See the white hood already is setup. I want to get a new hood to put beside that, and I want it to share the same air flow ducts as the existing hood. I was thinking I can maybe just attach the new one to the existing one with a simple flexible duct like clothes dryer's have: like this:  http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-4-in-x-8-ft-Dryer-Duct-PM8X73DS/100050673


It does not have to travel far. The current hood goes up a few feet to the outside of the house, maybe 6 feet total or less.

I didn't catch that they were wanting to put up a second one to be used along with the first. I'm in agreement that they shouldn't share a duct. I would buy one large one to replace the white one and extend over the other range.