skip to main content

OK to vent range hood out wall under an overhang and by patio?

13 years ago

I am thinking more and more that we would like a chimney style hood. I like the look and I like that my fiance would not have to build (yet another) a cabinet to house it. The problem is that we cannot vent it through the roof because a joist is in the way. The exterior wall there has an roof overhang of about a foot or so. The overhang is probably within 1 to 2' of any vent that would be there.

This exterior wall also hems in our patio area. People would be sitting and cooking a few feet from the vent.

Finally, there is an outside wall perpendicular to where the vent would be. It is 4' away.

Would you do it? I am concerned about grease buildup and noise. If so, please join me in hoping that there is not a stud in the way! We just closed that wall a week ago. :)

Featured Answer

asheavenue

13 years ago

In NC there is no code specification for residential hood exhaust vents. I mean, you're breathing the same air inside the kitchen that is being exhausted by the fan. It's not furnace combustion exhaust. And if the exhaust coming from your vent hood is considered to be offensive, you may want to reassess you cooking abilities...

Unless you're doing a ton of deep-frying or wok cooking, grease buildup is not really something you're going to have to worry about. A restaurant hood system will exhaust more grease in a day than most home vents will exhaust in a year.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (12)

weedmeister
13 years ago
I don't think you can do that, nor should you vent onto a patio.

However, if you do it anyway and a wall stud is in the way, you can box in the stud. You cut the stud above and below and build a 'box' of 2x4s around where the vent pipe will go.
formerlyflorantha
13 years ago
It's illegal in our community. Even if you use an electric range and only spray your guests with liver and onions fumes.
Related Discussions
Is it OK to put wall-mount range hood in cabinet
Q
Comments (6)
We ended up with a Broan 'Power Pack' with an external blower. (see link below photo) We had the upper cabinet constructed with a center channel for the duct so we could still have shelves on each side, plus the duct is covered so it looks great. The results are mixed. On the plus side, the appearance is great. The Broan Power Pack (the part that installs in the cabinet) it only four inches high, so it eats very little cabinet space, and it uses just an eight-inch duct, so the channel width is reasonable. (Need a bit extra width in the channel so the installers can tape the duct connections.) With the cab doors closed, everything is covered up. With the doors open, it looks clean and we get the convenient shelf space. And with the 600cfm blower, cooking odors get sucked up nicely. But there are negatives. One is that the Power Pack is cheaply made, but what should you expect for a mere $400?!? (We would have spent more on something nicer, but neither Broan nor anyone else makes something similar with better quality.) Both the fan and lights are controlled by flimsy plastic sliding switches. The housing and the decorative cover bend out of shape easily. And it's difficult, if not impossible, to get the decorative cover to lay flat against the bottom of the cabinet. (Spent only an hour on that issue so far...hoping another 2-3 hours will get it to fit right.) The remote blower (another $400) is in the attic just above the cabinets. I think the installers had never installed a remote blower. They have it sitting right on the joists so some vibration transfers to the cabinets. In the upper cabinet just to the right of the vent hood cabinet, and right below the blower, are drinking glasses. If the glasses are touching each other, we hear the tinkling sound of the glasses vibrating against each other when the blower is on. Separating them fixes the problem. The blower is a bit noisy, but not excessive. But, in some parts of the kitchen you hear an annoying low frequency noise. It's weird. You don't hear it standing at the cooktop, but three feet away you do. The installation instructions include an option to hang the blower from chains attached to the roof supports, which might have addressed the issue. I'm thinking of putting some sort of rubber-like material between the blower and the joists to act as shock absorbers. The point is if you get an external blower, think thru where and how it's mounted. (Note on photo: Backsplash tile is, literally, on a slow boat from China...was on backorder for 2-1/2 months.) Here is a link that might be useful: Broan Power Pack
...See More
Is running vent hood ducting through cabinets OK?
Q
Comments (16)
I want to echo Weed's caution about being sure on code compliance when having your vent going out near that window. Last year, when I was doing a re-routed of the vent on my range hood, the local building inspector happened by. (We are on pretty good terms so there was no compliance issue.) I asked him about the rules and got a long dissertation as he handed vent tubing up to me. The gist of it was that the rules for range hood vents are different than for those that directly vent gas appliances (say a water heater power vent). There is some discretion when it comes to venting from a range hood over a gas stove. How far the vent has to be from an opening window also varies with whether the vent is above the opening window, at window level or below window level. I was told the vent that is above an opening window can be closer than one at or below window level. BUT, you want to be sure that, if you open the window while the hood is running, it won't be sucking in the vaporous stuff that was just blown out the vent.
...See More
Help! Range hood height vs. venting
Q
Comments (23)
OK, so now that height has been resolved, next issue! So, most under-cabinet range hoods are made for 12" deep cabinets, but Ikea's cabinets are 15" deep. So Ikea sells these small filler pieces that mount behind the range hood, which we did buy, but when our contractor initially mounted it he didn't put the filler piece in. So the hood is all the way back. We're torn about whether we should have him move it forward and put in the filler piece: on the one hand, I kind of like that it's further back in space, which addresses my issue the hood being low and hitting our heads on it while cooking (and just generally gives the thing a smaller, more discreet footprint). On the other hand, because the hood is meant to be mounted to a 12" deep cabinet, it means that when mounted all the way back, the top of it starts to slope down before the end of the cabinet, instead of remaining flush and starting to slope down at the end of the cabinet, which I think looks a little awkward. What would you do? Move the hood forward so it fits as its supposed to (and install filler panel? Or take advantage of the opportunity to move it back in space? Pictures attached (how it looks now). FTR -- We will likely be installing cover panels on the sides of the cabinets, so the side of the range will actually be covered. Only the front might look a little weird because of the gap.
...See More
48" vent hood - what to put under it.
Q
Comments (7)
Having used both, I personally don't see a huge benefit induction over gas, but that's me. They both work well, I'd be good with either. Thermador has a 48" range with a CSO in it. I have it and like it a lot. It wasn't cheap (~14k?) but they do throw in a pretty good dishwasher along with it. I use the steam oven pretty much daily. In fairness, while the steam oven is very good I don't think it is quite as good as the Miele in wall version (its smaller and a few less features). I haven't used the Miele myself but do have their speed oven. I also think you could probably keep the 36" cooktop you originally planned and just not have as big a hood. Ideally you want the hood 6" larger than what's underneath anyway, so you'd probably want a 42" hood anyway,
...See More
boxerpups
13 years ago
A code issue in most states.
But you could snake that tube and vent at a place that
will not be offensive and work great for you. YOu
will love having a hood that vents!
~boxerpups
sue36
13 years ago
Putting aside code issues, since we don't know the code in your area, one issue with venting under the overhang is if the overhang is vented. Are there vent holes to allow air in? If so, you can't put a vent exhaust under the vented eaves (kitchen or bath vent).

Our vent exhausts into the back yard near our back deck. There is no heat or smoke issue. You can smell what is being cooked inside.
tracie.erin
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks everyone. It's an open-air patio, not enclosed. The overhang does have vented soffit :( Also, I've never had a vent hood before. The smells of my cooking are not bad but they do linger, thus the hood.

Boxer, what do you mean snake the tube? With a chimney style hood there can be no snaking until you get past the drywall. My problem is that there is a joist in the way. Actually, a ceiling joist, not a roof joist. We are trying to avoid cutting joists. Is there some way of snaking that I'm not aware of that will make a chimney style hood work?

I know I can get an undercab hood or an insert and angle it within the cabinetry to avoid the hood. The chimney style would be better for the aesthetics of the plan and let more light into the adjoining room.

I'd like to ask him to move the troublesome ceiling joist and reinforce to in order to fit a roof-vent chimney mount style, but that's where the roof slopes to its cramped little end and will be a &(&*^% to do.. I guess we'll see. He does like the chimney style as well, so I'll let him decide if he wants to deal with the joist or not.
brickeyee
13 years ago
Placement of no required kitchen exhausts is not tightly regulated in most building codes.

It is not like commercial work or a required bathroom vent that may contain a lot of moisture and is used frequently.
brickeyee
13 years ago
You also may not even need to work in the attic to put a through the roof vent in (though it is often easier with attic access).
marcolo
13 years ago
Thanks everyone. It's an open-air patio, not enclosed. The overhang does have vented soffit :( Also, I've never had a vent hood before. The smells of my cooking are not bad but they do linger, thus the hood.

You're a little water molecule, short and stout.
The pasta water boils and you dance about.
You get sucked up in the hood and then you go out.
Now you go up in the attic through the soffit and you cause mold and damage to the rafters and sheathing
with-out a doubt.
Dee dee dee deeee.
boxerpups
13 years ago
Hi tracie-erin,
I am sorry I did not mean to be confusing.
Here are some images of what I mean. Maybe they can
help you.
~boxerpups

Soffits with hoods and ways to work with them...

Not a chimney hood but you can see how they worked
with the soffitt

Here is a link that might be useful: Chimney hood discussion gw
katsmah
13 years ago
Check for any code issues first. The 2009 residential code does not allow flex for range hood venting. Depending on your location, they may have additional restrictions. My contractor had to redo our venting because of the new codes.

http://publicecodes.citation.com/icod/irc/2009/icod_irc_2009_15_sec003.htm
tracie.erin
Original Author
13 years ago
Hi again everyone - thanks again so much for your responses. It sounds like some people think this is OK, but most are saying no. That's OK. I was leaning no but was wondering if I was letting my natural tendency to imagine the worst take over. We will either move the joist or go with something similar to the lovely images boxerpups noted. Thank you for the advice and the laughs.

In other news, we have moved some of our "for-now" cabinetry into the new kitchen space, which means we can tear down an old wall and put in flooring. We are swapping the DR and Kitchen. We are DIYing everything and coming up on two years of this (and other) projects in June. My fiance is making our cabinets. I only have 3/4 of the sink wall, a floating rangetop, and have been missing ovens since January and flooring since we moved in, but it is still so exciting to see it all come together! Lurking here, reading the helpful advice, and seeing all the beautiful finished kitchens really helps me keep going and provides continual inspiration.

Related Stories

KITCHEN APPLIANCES What to Consider When Adding a Range Hood

By Toronto Interior Design Group

Get to know the types, styles and why you may want to skip a hood altogether

KITCHEN DESIGN What to Know When Choosing a Range Hood

Find out the types of kitchen range hoods available and the options for customized units

KITCHEN DESIGN 8 Industrial-Luxe Kitchen Hood Styles

By KitchenLab Interiors

Make a Statement with Show-Stopping Metal Range Hoods

KITCHEN DESIGN A Cook’s 6 Tips for Buying Kitchen Appliances

By Christine Tusher

An avid home chef answers tricky questions about choosing the right oven, stovetop, vent hood and more

KITCHEN DESIGN How to Find the Right Range for Your Kitchen

By KitchenLab Interiors

Range style is mostly a matter of personal taste. This full course of possibilities can help you find the right appliance to match yours

Kitchen Design: To Hood or Not to Hood?

KITCHEN DESIGN Modern Storage and Sunshine Scare Away the Monster in a Kansas Kitchen

By Mitchell Parker

New windows and all-white cabinetry lighten a kitchen that was once dominated by an oversize range hood and inefficient cabinets

KITCHEN DESIGN How to Choose the Right Hood Fan for Your Kitchen

By The Sky is the Limit Design

Keep your kitchen clean and your home's air fresh by understanding all the options for ventilating via a hood fan

MOST POPULAR Kitchen of the Week: Swapping Out the 1980s for the 1890s

By Becky Harris

Beadboard-backed open shelves, a hearth-style stove surround and a roomy table are highlights of this Massachusetts kitchen

HOUSEKEEPING How to Clean Your Range and Oven

By Bonnie McCarthy

Experts serve up advice on caring for these kitchen appliances, which work extra hard during the holidays

Sponsored

NME Builders LLC

2 Reviews

Industry Leading General Contractors in Franklin County, OH

More Discussions

Klearvue cabinet measurements

2

help with counter/backsplash decision

13

Adding prep sink; single or double for cleanup?

1

Small kitchen with angled wall

4

Pendant Suggestions for updated kitchen

1