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Exhaust Fan in Backsplash - is this up to code?

12 years ago

Can anyone here fill me in on cooktop and cabinet placement in kitchens that have an exhaust fan on the wall behind the cooktop, rather than the usual placement above the cooktop and built into a range hood, or alternately a downdraft in or behind the cooktop?

I see this in older houses quite often. I'm fairly sure the cabinet(s) directly above the cooktop have to be at least 30" above the countertop, but do I need some sort of metal cover underneath so the underside of the cabinet isn't a combustible surface like particle board or wood? Is the wall fan strong enough to use with a built-in barbeque grill like those made by Gaggenau? (which I want to use).

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Comments (7)

ideagirl2
12 years ago
You need to ask your local planning dept or whoever it is that grants building permits. None of us here can answer a question about what your local law allows. But I doubt a wall fan is enough for that. How high is the fan? Could you just install a good there, since the hood would vent sideways through the wall anyway?
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User
12 years ago
You need some type of grease capture mechanism for fire safety reasons. And NO WAY is such a setup remotely OK for any type of grill setup. You need a large overhead capture area and a lot of CFM to be able to deal with the smoke produced by a grill.
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Thanks again all for the replies. Things did not work out as planned, but maybe it's for the better. The helper showed up late, so I tried to look at the task myself. Decided to cut the caulking out between the wall and the countertop behind the cooktop. It allowed me to insert the backsplash downward enough for me to muscle the entire backsplash in place from under the hood. I preemptively shaved some drywall off where the gap is smaller than the thickness. Glad that I did because although I did it with the intention of trying out/dry fitting, I ended up having a hell of a time to back it out. Actually, it was so hard that I gave up. So, I simply brought the top forward to give me enough room to squeeze some adhesive in. Due to the awkward access, I just did snake pattern. BTW, the bottom two screw holes are behind the countertop and not accessible. The top two screw holes are so close to the hood and cabinets that I simply cannot go straight in. And when I tried, they were not hitting studs anyway, and I can't get the drywall anchor in. So, I'm mostly relying on the adhesive now to hold the backsplash. That's it. No removal in the future! When the helper finally arrived, he was surprised to see that I already finished installing the backsplash.
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lee676
Original Author
12 years ago
The fan is about 12" to 24" above the stovetop, and maybe 6" under the bottom of the wood wall cabinet. Looks something like this:

They are still made, and they do accept a filter. I don't know the CFM though.

So basically I should remove the fan, fill in the wall, and install a proper high-CFM range hood?
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carybk
12 years ago
Have you cooked with the current set-up? How does it do at getting rid of the smells? Aside from code, are you happy with the functionality?

For us, one of the best parts of renovating was that we installed a real hood with exterior vent-- it was totally worth the money and the fuss to be able to cook whatever, however, without worrying about stinking up the house.
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palimpsest
12 years ago
I don't know that ventilation is specified by International Building Code at all. A recirculating vent is not really ventilation but(partial)grease capture, for example. However there are requirements for distances to non-flammable materials. There are also manufacturer's specifications.

In any case I would remove that fan and place a properly exhausted ventilation hood.
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lee676
Original Author
12 years ago
Just to be clear, the wall fan does exhaust to the outdoors (almost directly). It's in a house I'm looking to move into if a proposed offer doesn't fall through.
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palimpsest
12 years ago
I don't know what your climate is but, in a cold winter climate those direct-thru-the-wall fans are unpleasant to operate in the winter because you open a large damper to blow the air out. I looked at a house with one and they also had it covered on the inside with plastic during the winter. These have become very uncommon with only a few manufacturers making replacements for them and I think there is a reason for that.

It would be better than nothing but I would plan on replacing it with a conventional range hood at some point.
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