How to Install a Vent Hood

A vent hood keeps the moisture and heat from becoming overwhelming in your kitchen while cooking. If you don’t already have this useful device, consider installing one. While installing a vent hood is more complicated than other home improvement projects, a home owner experienced with do it yourself projects should be able to easy complete it.

Start by finding out the recommended distance between the hood and the range. This varies according to the manufacturer, so check your directions. Then you should install the hood liner by screwing in cleats on either side of the range on the kitchen cabinets. Attach the hood liner to the cleats, screwing into them but not the cabinet. You’ll want to make sure your cleats are wide enough to make a snug fit.

With the hood liner in place, you should place the hood with light and fan in the liner. Make sure you can easily access the wiring later and secure the vent into the vent hood liner. Looking above the vent hood, find the place where you intend to run the duct to the exterior of your home. Check for studs and avoid them, but be sure to make it as easy to connect the duct to the vent as possible.

Mark the size of the hole you need to cut using a pencil on the wallboard. The hole should be Ã?½” wider than the ductwork required by your vent hood. Using a reciprocating saw, cut the hole out of the wallboard. Remove any insulation behind the hole, and drill a hole from the center of the hole you have just cut to the outside of your house.

Go to the exterior of your home and locate the pilot hole. You must then expand that hole to fit the duct cap that will be located on the exterior of your home. Measure carefully and then cut the hole using the reciprocating saw.

With a hole cut through the exterior wall of your house for the vent hood exhaust, you can then install the connecting duct work. Start from the inside, with the first piece that will connect to the outlet flange of the vent hood. You can use metal snips to trim the ductwork to be the appropriate length. Any ductwork that must be joined together should be sealed with duct tape and sheet metal screws.

The ductwork should extend through the hole of the wall but stop short of protruding past the exterior of your home. To cover the hole you will need to install the duct cap. To do this, use silicone caulk on the area where the duct cap will meet the exterior wall. Be sure to use enough to make a good seal between the exterior wall and the cap flange. Secure with a few roofing nails through the duct cap and into the exterior wall. Then wipe away any caulk that has extruded from the hole.

When inside, you should connect the vent hood to the electricity in your home. To do this you must tap into a circuit in your home. If you are unsure how to complete this step, call an electrician who will be able to do the job easily.

With the vent hood attached to a power source, you can then attach any decorative hood pieces that your vent hood came with. Most of these pieces cover the ductwork and can be painted or stained to match your kitchen d�©cor.

Having a vent hood in your kitchen can be very helpful, but you don’t have to be the person to install it if your home is lacking one. Call a handyman to do the work for your if you don’t have the time or inclination to complete this project.