Cutting down a range hood?

9 years ago

I need to get a new range hood for my new (old) GE Monogram range. I'd like to get a chimney-style hood, like this XO one. Problem is, I have a soffit that makes the ceiling really low. It almost looks like we need to go with an under-cabinet style, but we have the duct necessary for regular (not recirculation) venting.

It looks obvious to me that if we were to go with this XO that we would need to cut down the chimney part of it to have it fit under the soffit and be high up enough above the range. There is 47" between the top of the range and the bottom of the soffit. There needs to be at least 27" between the top of the range and the bottom of the hood, which means we would have to shorten the chimney by 6"-7".

Anybody have any experience with this? Is it pretty typical to have to modify an existing hood this way? I wasn't finding any hoods that would fit without cutting. And I'm assuming I would have to hire a pro of some sort to cut it cleanly so it wouldn't look like a hack job.

Attached is a pic of the kitchen. The panel above the current hood is just that: a flat panel that comes off to reveal just the duct behind it.

Featured Answer

gigelus2k13

9 years ago

That chimney is just a glorified piece of stainless steel (of unknown thickness in the case of this XO) bent around two edges and held to the hood with a couple of screws. You can safely take it to any machine shop for them to cut off the excess metal.

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Comments (6)

jwvideo
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
It is not typical to carve up the initial part of a chimney hood, but it is just ordinary sheet metal work which is pretty easy to do. Pretty much anybody with sheet metal cutting tools can do this job for you.

But consider that the XO hood in the link is designed with Italian appliances in mind. Italian stoves tend to be noticably shallower than the Monogram you plan to use. (Think about counterdepth fridges versus standard depth fridges and you get the idea.) The XO is only about 19" deep, which means that it won't cover pots on the front burners for your new/old Monogram. Also, the XO has a flat base rather than a canopy for collecting steam., etc. You might get more bang for your buck with something like a Kobe with a canopy type collector.
pelicanesque thanked jwvideo
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I doubt that a vent exit 2 ft from an openable window meets code. I believe that depends a lot on local modifications to building codes. In a web search, I see numbers between 3ft and 6ft. Presumably, this is more of a worry when talking about a gas range as opposed to an electric heat source. If the vent can't be relocated, the only other fix is to make the window inoperable. out under the floor and then up an exterior chase In my jurisdiction, this wouldn't be approved by the building inspector. They are extremely reluctant to approve any vents that run down at any point. So, depending on who is scheduled to come out to your house, they might make you rip it out anyway. But according to my HVAC guy, they absolutely won't allow residential installations that run down and then up again. Grease will eventually collect in the low spot and is deemed a fire hazzard. Around here, they also have rules about how close to the property line the exhaust can be, and about the position relative to any roof vents for plumbing stacks. I'd recommend @cheri127 check with her local building department. Not all of them are as strict as the inspectors that I have to deal with. καλή τύχη
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pelicanesque
Original Author
9 years ago
@jwvideo good catch on the depth, but damn! now I feel like I'm back to square one...
The Monogram (a 2012 model) is even a bit deeper than our cabinets...the thing's a beast!
pelicanesque
Original Author
9 years ago
Does canopy = under cabinet? Because we wanted to get rid of that panel and open it up, hence the chimney-style hood.
jwvideo
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
No. "Under cabinet" simply refers to the way a range hood is supported. It hangs from something overhead -- can be a cabinet, a shelf, a soffit. It may or may not have a canopy. For example, the hood in my old-house kitchen is a flat-bottomed, cabinet hung vent-hood (It is an old Zephyr Cyclone -- the newer versions look rather like a shallower version of what I see in the photo you posted.) I wound up with this because I chose to keep the old-fashioned, glass-door wall-hung cabinets rather than ripping out and cutting up portions to make the taller space needed for canopied hood. (Can you tell I've got an old house?)

Likewise, wall-hung and ceiling-hung hoods may or may not have a canopy. The XO you looked at is an example of a chimney-style wall-hung hood without a canopy.

Since you plan on taking out the paneled area, above the present shallow hood, you can easily put in wall hung (or ceiling or soffit hung) canopied hood or a chimney-style canopied hood.
duvalljohn1
9 years ago
One thing i would suggest is to see where is your duct located? Is it on the ceiling or on the wall, if it is on the ceiling you might be able to install wall mount range hood. I was on the market for a range hood a few months back, i was just about to remove my cabinet and just purchase a wall mount range hood, when i contacted Kitchenhoods.ca , they asked me a lot of questions , and at the end it turned out that for me was very hard to have a wall mount range hood, because my duct was on the margin whether or not i was able to have it. At the end of the day i was able to have the range hood installed and they even cut it for me for extra 50$ , cutting stainless steel is not an easy task. i Would say to contact them simply because they know what are they doing and the prices they have a very good and the products are very nice.