i asked this over at the appliance forum a few months back. do a search as there are many good responses. the only problem is i STILL couldn't tell you. obviously i have yet to purchase mine! good luck and when you figure it out maybe you can explain to me in layman's terms.

Yes you can go with a remote blower and I would recommend it. History says Modern-aire will give you good recommendations. You will want a 10" vent pipe (or equivalent) going up. I put in Abbaka for my situation and would recommend them. I believe Modern-Aire supplies the Abbaka external motors for their applications. Depending on the attic space, you may be able to put in a silencer as well.

We installed an "insert" with an external 1200 cfm motor, Here are some pics. Email me if you have any questions

Steve

OK another dumb question here...but how does a 10 inch pipe fit in between a wall that is only 6 inches thick? Or does it have to be round?

Many of your questions would be better answered in person on site by a HVAC tech. Nothing beats several in home estimates from experts!

I agree with live_wire_oak. All your basic questions can be answered elsewhere and with a little web searching here and everywhere.

To fit a 6" cavity, a duct can be rectangular. E.g. ? 6"deep by X"wide. No law requiring round. No physical reason why round would be a million times better than another shape.

1. Call Modern-Aire.

2. Go to the HVAC forum and the appliance forum.
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/hvac/
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/appl/
In each forum, the forum-specific search box works well.
It's at the bottom of the list of 30 recent threads, the start page of each forum.

3. Summary: using the same human skill that brought you this far, keep web searching. Later, when you find out more and you have something to add to the discussion, post it here.

HTH
-david

Now I feel about 3 inches tall. I have posted on many of the more technical forums in the past and I certainly do know how to use the search feature. The ONLY reason I posted here is because in general I find the kitchen forum to be:
1. friendlier
2. way quicker to respond
3. less technical and more intune to aesthetics

All I wanted was a simple answer. I apologize for asking to be "educated" since I really don't need or want all the technical details. I think I now know all I needed to know: the vent CAN go out the back, make a 90 degree turn, and go up through a RECTANGULAR box through the attic.

I did a search on HVAC on hood vents, and one of the people there referred a poster to the kitchen forum since so many here are very knowledgeable about hood vents in general! Maybe they thought the same three things you just listed.

No reason to feel chastised -- ventilation is one of the more daunting things to deal with in the kitchen -- conflicting views, almost impossible to test the thing or know how it should work in your home, and then all the specifics and specs for top, center, rear, single or dual ducting, the sizes, the turns, the motors and blowers, the remote options and silencers, baffles or screens, power, control and lighting options, widths and depths -- and you haven't even gotten to the gazillion different looks that are possible.

You can get a lot of good answers on this forum, but specifics are sometimes better addressed by specific forums. And sometimes you need someone who can see your space, the construction issues and help you figure the right sizes, shapes, turns, etc. That's what live oak was getting at.

You need to look at the particular vent hood or insert to see where it is designed to exit. Some ducts run out the back. Some hoods have the option of going either way and some might have to be ordered one way or the other. If you are going to run a rectangular duct, you will need to make sure you have room to transition it because the exit on the hood is most likely round.

Sounds like you have a pretty good idea what you want to do. Before you order the vent, I would suggest printing out the specs and having a couple of folks come look at your space and make sure they don't see any problems with your plan. They might have a suggestion for making things easier or prevent a major headache later.

I didn't mean to make you feel chastised! I only meant that a HVAC expert can see your home and how it's constructed in person and that's going to be your best bet for specific information that is applicable to your situation. Generalities are fine to get a handle on whether a contractor is telling you the truth, but some things can only be done well in person. Estimating your ductwork run is one of those things.

you can go directly into a wall. you can go straight up. you can use round pipe. you can use rectangular. Turns will affect its ability to pull the air out, effectively increasing the length of pipe. The specs will usually speak to the maximum length of pipe, or how many CFM per foot or some such.

ncamy, the 10 inches refers to the diameter of the round ducting. I purchased ducting and damper for my ModernAire hood at a local HVAC supply shop. It cost about $80. The ducting was 12 inches long and my contractor trimmed it to fit through the 6 inch thick wall.

HTH,

Erika

Live Wire: You didn't chastise me (but I was feeling kinda bummed about the guy who tried to give me a tutorial on how to use this board and basically told me to come back and post when I had something to say!) I will talk with experts in person and I know my contractor will be of great help as well.

It is a new build and not a remodel and right now I'm still in the design stage. That's partly why I was asking the dumb questions. You see if it wasn't possible to go through the wall and up, then perhaps we would need to reconsider the vaulted ceiling now. Or perhaps we would need to think about putting in soffits. I just generally needed to know if there would be any special framing necessary to use the barrel hood. I guess you'd say I'm not real good at setting my heart on something (i.e. the barrel hood) only to find out later it won't fit, it's too expensive, etc.

Thanks for all of the information.

Don't pay any attention to David. He can offer some good info, but he's a bit brusque. It's not you, it's him.

As one of the obsessive ventilation posters over on the Appliance forum, along with davidro, live wire, etc, I'd echo the thought that searching that forum may be useful. Here for example is one of my favorite threads:

help with ventilation

However, it's clear that my attempts to help kateskouros were in vain (sorry Kate!). Thus, my second, and likely, best suggestion. Contact Modern Aire. Ask to speak with Jeff Herman. He has been an absolute gem to me and many others. He will patiently walk you through any and all questions and convince you that you can indeed have your barrel hood exactly as you want it. There are others at MA who are also good resources, but Jeff is absolutely "the man." If you have trouble reaching him by phone, email me and I'll get you in touch with him directly.