A range hood vent handles steam, flame, and grease effectively through filter and motor. In addition, it removes toxins in the air and protects you from allergies.
Finally, it can remove the smell of your cooking food and give an elegant style to your kitchen.
How to install a range hood vent through exterior wall? You can install a range hood vent through an exterior wall by marking a hole in the center of the placement area by using a hole saw or a driller. Create a hole on both sides of the wall and attach a vent cap on the exterior surface. Insulate the surface below the vent cap by attaching a PVC sheet through caulk or tape to prevent the introduction of moisture and dust in the kitchen. Furthermore, attach a vent duct to the inner side of the vent cap and fix it with aluminum. Connect all the wires and put a hood vent in its place and tight the screws to secure it at its place. Finally, put its motor and filter in the vent system to start its function.
A pyramid chimney-style range hood is the most elegant and suitable for spacious kitchens. Additionally, the size of the hood depends on the space above the stove.
Moreover, the airflow inside or outside the kitchen determines which range hood is suitable for the kitchen.
What is a Range Hood Vent?
A range hood is an appliance used in the kitchens and present over the stove.
Its function is to capture the cooking surface’s smoke, steam, and grease.
You can find multiple sizes and shapes of the range hood vents like round, triangle, and square.
A ductless range hood system allows air recirculation in the kitchen, but a range hood with a duct system allows efficient air filtering and expels the fumes outside.
Similarly, range hoods with a ducted system are more effective and look professional.
However, a ductless hood is better than having no hood because it allows air recirculation. It expels unwanted odors and the gases like carbon monoxide.
The filters get dusty after a specific time and require cleaning. You can clean the hood filters every 2 to 3 weeks to ensure the smooth working of range hoods.
What are the possible locations to install a range hood vent?
You can add range hood vents to your kitchen in different ways, like connecting the duct to the ceiling or passing the chimney through the wall to the exterior side. Moreover, you can put the hood vent under the cabinets also.
The islands hoods are present in the kitchen center over the stove, bypassing the duct system through the kitchen roof.
Island hoods look elegant and add to the beauty of the kitchen.
Some kitchens do not have a proper strong ceiling so that a vent can pass through it, so people prefer wall-mounted hoods in such kitchens.
How to connect a range hood vent through an exterior wall?
It is not a difficult task to install a range hood vent over the stove in the kitchen as it seems to be. First, prepare yourself for the work by wearing gloves and a mask because the wall drilling produces a lot of dust.
Make an access hole on an interior side
You can start by marking a point for the hole on the interior side of the wall.
Then, create an access hole of almost 2 to 3 inches by using a hole saw to see whether wires and pipes of gas and electricity are present behind the wall or not.
You can use this device for a wooden wall and a hammer for a brick wall.
You can move further in the installation process if you observe no wiring at a place of vent installation, or you can change their route.
Drill a pilot hole and cut the wall
Drill a pilot hole on the inner wall for lining up the hole from the inner to outer side by using a drill of metal.
You can sometimes face problems cutting the wall due to its thickness, so you must cut it from both sides.
The drilling point on the interior side helps mark the hole to quickly cut the wall from the outside.
Moreover, a hole saw contains a drill bit in the center that helps create a hole in the middle. It cannot cut the wall but defines the boundary and aligns the hole.
First, you can use a round shape hole saw for generating a hole in the wall if your range hood vent is round. Secondly, you can draw multiple holes in the wall to outline the vent.
The number of holes varies, but ideally, 8 to 9 holes are created. I preferably utilized a reciprocating saw for making a hole in the wall for my square shape vent.
Install vent cap
Add a vent cap on the exterior side of the wall to prevent the entry of air and rain inside the kitchen.
You can add an insulation sheet of PVC before attaching this cover to the wall to protect the range hood from the entry of dust particles and for air filtration purposes.
I am using a square-shaped hood with a flap inside, and this flap opens up when it is turned on.
You can secure the cover by attaching PVC with caulk on the wall surface. I have applied tape to secure the PVC on the exterior wall. After that, connect the vent cap with the help of an aluminum sheet or screws to tighten it up with the wall.
It prevents the leakage of air and smoke from coming from inside the kitchen.
Add duct of the hood vent to cap
Duct dampers are present in the range hood setup attached to the vent cap after fixing the lid on the exterior side.
Cut a piece of the damper by keeping the diameter of the hole in mind.
Attach the duct with the vent cap and secure it by using tape. Check the size of the duct and ensure that it gets fixed properly to avoid problematic situations after the installation of the hood.
Connect wires of the range hood to the wall
Black and white wires are present with the hood that needs to be connected with the electrical wiring to make it functional.
You can connect the black wires with the black one of the switch and the white with white wires accordingly. The secure connection ensures the proper working of the range hood.
Fix a range hood to vent duct
Add a range hood to the duct and fix it with the help of screws. It is better to mark the holes to attach them perfectly in the center before attaching the range hood.
Put screws in the holes and attach the hood vent and tighten them; otherwise, the hood can make noise. You may need help at this step to fix the vent correctly in position. Then, put the screws to attach them to the wall surface.
Add filter and the motor
Put a filter in the range hood vent by choosing an appropriate product like a charcoal filter, stainless steel, or aluminum mesh.
Then, they can keep the air clean in the kitchen by filtering the bad odors and throwing them out to the exterior side.
Moreover, Charcoal filters are present in the ductless range hoods and are found in smaller kitchens of the apartment and a townhome.
Stainless steel filters are more cost-effective and are efficient in filtering the air. However, my friend tried mesh filters that are more reliable and efficient in sucking smoke from the inside air.
Furthermore, you can fix the motor in the hood after connecting all the system parts. These exhaust fans or a ventilation system suck fumes and blow them out.
Why is it essential to install a range hood vent over the cooking platform?
A range hood is essential for a kitchen as it cleans the air by removing fumes and cooking exhaust. Additionally, it improves the cooking experience and indoor air quality. Finally, it makes the cleaning process more manageable and adds style to your kitchen.
Moreover, the lighting system in the range hood provides maximum light on the stove.
Therefore, it can improve the visibility of grease stains on the cooking area. In addition, the presence of grease attracts wild critters on the surface area.
A ventilation system helps remove bacteria and mold from the surface to decrease the chances of asthma and other allergies.
In addition, it eliminates the smell of burning food and lowers the temperature inside the kitchen due to cooking flames.
Similarly, it minimizes the level of moisture in the kitchen. Further, it captures the moisture to avoid cracks in the walls and kitchen ceilings.
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