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Installing a Range Hood
By Kevin Ireland
You may think of it as a luxury or a once-in-a-while way to get rid of smoke from a pan of burned bacon, but in truth an exhaust hood above your stovetop is a valuable device in the kitchen. A good hood gets rid of heat from your stove in the summer and steam boiling off your Saturday night pot of spaghetti. Most important, though, it cuts down on grease and grime on your walls and keeps the air you breathe cleaner.
To work properly, a range hood should be 24 to 30 inches above the stovetop and should extend at least 3 inches beyond each side of the range. You can handle exhaust from a hood in several ways, depending on where your range is located. We recommend that you use ductwork that's as short and as straight as possible. Long ducts that turn corners make it harder for the fan to draw away smoke, grease and fumes. The steps on the next pages work for a stove located against an exterior wall. (If your stove is on an interior wall or island, installing a range hood is probably a job for a contractor.) |
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You can install a hood in just a few hours with pretty basic tools. The hardest part of the job is probably choosing among the many hood designs and features that are available. When you shop for a range hood, though, ask about these points:
Ducted exhaust. The least expensive units simply draw the fumes and smoke up from your stove, run them through a coarse filter and then push them back into the room. This is better than nothing, but sending fumes out of the house through a duct is far better yet. (We list a hood that can be used either way.)
Low noise level. How noisy a hood is depends on the design of the fan, the speed and quality of the motor and the type of filter the unit uses. Generally, the more powerful the motor, the more sound the unit generates. Even so, better units can deliver all the exhaust power you need while making about as much noise as a humming computer. |
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Exhaust power. For an average-size stove, the Home Ventilating Institute recommends a unit that exhausts between 120 and 150 cubic feet of air per minute (CFM). This is conservative. Double the figure if you do heavy cooking.
Easy-access, sturdy filters. Look for filters you can remove easily and wash in your dishwasher.
Lights and multispeed fan. Some models offer incandescent or even halogen lights to help you keep an eye on what's cooking. Also, some units come with multispeed motors, so they can operate quietly under normal conditions, yet kick in at higher (and louder) speeds when you have to get rid of heavy smoke. |
Step by Step
1. Prepare the hood for mounting. Set the hood upside down and use a screwdriver or socket wrench to remove the filter and the bottom cover. Many units come with a metal duct connector-damper stored inside them for shipping. If yours has one, remove it.
Inside the hood, you'll find several knockouts. Choose the one that fits with your plans for venting the exhaust. Most hoods are vented upwards, through a cabinet, and then out through a wall. Use a hammer and screwdriver to punch out the knockout you'll need to use. (In this example, it's the one at the top of the unit.) Screw the duct connector-damper to the back of the hood. Note: the opening in the hood should leave you some leeway left to right. This lets you shift the connector a bit to fit it around a wall stud or pipes.
2. Mark and cut the duct opening. Measure the back of the hood and the opening with a tape measure and mark the position of the opening on the wall, or have a helper hold the hood in place while you use a pencil to trace the opening onto the wall. Use a carpenter's level to adjust the hood before you mark its position. (You may want to check out our article on how to measure and mark accurately.) |
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Next, turn off the power to the area. Then use a drywall saw to cut away the section of the interior wall that you marked. You're halfway to getting the exhaust out of your kitchen. Now you need to make the hole go through the wall to the outside.
Use a power drill fitted with an extension shaft and a 3/8-inch spade bit or masonry bit (depending on your house exterior). Use the corners of the opening you cut in the drywall as guides, and drill four holes through the exterior wall and siding exactly in line with those corners. Take extra care with this step; otherwise, the outside opening won't be the same size as the one inside.
Finally, working from the outside of your house, use a jigsaw or reciprocating saw to cut from each drilled hole to the next. |
3. Hang the hood and connect the electricity. You'll need to hire an electrician to run electricity to the hood, or you can do the job yourself. If you decide to do it yourself, make sure the power is off in the area where you're working. Then fish your cable to the hood location. Use 14-2 NM (nonmetallic) cable.
Have a helper hold the hood in place while you screw it to the underside of the wall cabinets. Then connect the wiring inside the unit. Finally, turn the power on and test the hood's fan and light. |
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4. Seal the wall cap. Outside, apply a bead of silicone caulk around the underside of the wall cap. Slide the end of the wall cap through the wall to the inside and connect it to the duct connector-damper on the hood. If a clamp is supplied, tighten the clamp to hold the two parts together. Otherwise, apply duct tape to seal the parts. Screw the wall cap to the exterior siding. Back inside, replace the cover and filter and you're done. Time to break out the steaks and celebrate!
Kevin Ireland was formerly managing editor at both American Woodworker magazine and Rodale Woodworking and Do-It-Yourself Books. He was raised in a fixer-upper and has rebuilt three homes in the last 16 years.
TOOLS AND MATERIALS
Screwdriver set or socket wrench set
Range hood
Hammer
Duct connector-damper (if not included)
Tape measure
14-2 NM cable
Carpenter's level
Silicone caulk
Drywall saw
Wall cap
Heavy-duty drill
Duct tape
Extension cord
Extension shaft
3/8-inch spade bit or masonry bit
Jigsaw or reciprocating saw
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