We did a retrofit in an existing 'wood hood'. I qualify with quotes because the hood doesn't really extend as far out over the counter as it should (it is about 6 inches short of competely covering cooking surface). The hood previously had a Nutone NSPM25WW blower that only seemed to make noise rather than really exhaust. Did a bit of carpentry on the hood to allow installation of a Zephyr Tornado I power pack and a SS liner. Due to the depth of the hood, the liner insert required some onsite trimming, a bit daunting but handled with a circ saw and abrading blade. All DIY, looks great and the 600 cfm is a major improvement. Remain concerned with the hood depth as this is over a Bluestar cook top with front burners putting out 22k btu each...only a matter of time till the hood gets cooked! Some pics linked.... Here is a link that might be useful: Power Pack Install

If you are getting a grease buildup on the hood, the first thing to do is to assess the actual ventilation. Your ductwork may be blocked, or too small, or the fan may not have enough CFM's, or even just your filter needs cleaning. Good quality ventilation doesn't really allow much grease to escape the capture area. Never use any type of oil soap or anything with ammonia on your cabinets. It can weaken the finish, and if you ever need to re-paint, you'll need to prime with a specialty primer rather than just recoating with the existing paint. The best thing to use on cabinets is a wrung out microfiber cloth with a bit of Dawn mixed into the water that you wetted it with. That will grab any grease and dirt. But don't forget to rinse.

Noise is dependent on several factors: Size of duct work (should be at least the recommended size/diameter, any less and it will definitely be louder and less effective) Location of fan (remote is quieter) Number of turns in the run b/w the hood and the outside (the more runs the louder and less effective it is) Total length of the run b/w the hood and the outside (the longer it is, the louder and less effective it is...so a cooktop on an outside wall is much better than an inside wall or island) We have a Vent-A-Hood (model SEPH18-242 http://www.ventahood.com/hoodmodels.jsp?id=43). We got the "emerald lip" in case anyone bumped their head on the edge...which I don't remember happening even though we're tall! Yes it does make some noise, but you can carry on a conversation with someone in the kitchen when it's on high w/o raising your voice. (1) it's definitely quieter than our old fan (2) we have 3 or 4 turns (3) we convert from an 8" round duct to an 8-1/2"x6" rectangular duct (4) we have over 11' b/w the hood and outside (5) we have a standard fan location, not remote [if I had it to do over, I would get a remote fan] HTH!

Tigerdunes: I attached a picture to better explain the situation. The intake PVC pipe is still in place and not detached. The screen inside of it keeps freezing over when downwind from the exhaust PVC pipe next to it. (top picture attached). It looks like the screen holes are too small, therefore collecting ice easier and/ or it needs to be angled down further (bottom left picture). The technician took a round already stamped piece of metal off of the side of the furnace. (bottom right picture) He said this will take air from the furnace room and keep the furnace running if/when the pipe freezes over again. Yes, thermostat is working with outside temp at 3F and holding inside temperature at the moment; but has taken 5+ hours to regain 13F inside. Thanks again.