There are several things to keep in mind when installing your outdoor range hood. We want to help you through that process smoothly and keep you from making any crucial mistakes that will cost you time and effort.
Here are some of our best practical tips to consider when installing your outdoor range hood.
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Range hood size is especially important with outdoor hoods since grills produce lots of intense heat, smoke, and grease. It is critical that you purchase a range hood that is large enough to cover at least six inches beyond your range on each side.
For example, a 60” outdoor hood will provide nice coverage for your 48” range.
Without a hood that is 12 total inches larger than your range, your outdoor kitchen will become smoky and greasy quickly. Instead of catching all of the cooking exhaust, most of it will sneak past your vent hood and stick to surrounding surfaces.
For the same reason that you need a hood larger than your range, you’ll want to mount it far away from your range as well. 36” and 42” away is the optimal range. Any closer, and heat from your grill may damage your hood. Any further away, and most of the cooking exhaust and grease will escape into your cooking space, instead of venting into your hood and in another area outside your home.
With an outdoor range hood over a grill – or sometimes two grills – a lot of air will be moving through the ductwork. Make sure that your ductwork is large enough to let all this air move through smoothly. With small ductwork, you will choke the air inside the vent. Then, grease and pressure will build up which will reduce the life of your hood and can cause issues in the long run.
Here’s a duct sizing chart to help you with your installation. For outdoor range hoods, especially the ones rated at 2000 CFM, the safe bet is to go with at least 10” duct.
For indoor and outdoor range hoods alike, it’s important to ensure that you have enough room to install ductwork.
But, for outdoor range hoods, this is even more important.
For example, if you don’t have the room to duct to the outside with your indoor hood, you can always purchase one that is ductless.
But, we do not recommend purchasing a ductless outdoor hood. Since you’ll be cooking over a grill, it’ll produce a lot of smoke and you want to vent that elsewhere to ensure your health and safety. A ducted hood is needed to protect your outdoor cooking space and eliminate strong cooking odors.
We’ve talked a lot about the amount of cooking exhaust that your grill will produce – and with this tip, it’s again important. Rigid ductwork is definitely the way to go because it is much more durable and moves air better than flexible ductwork. Flex ducting simply won’t last long and it may require replacement after a short period of time.
Installing an outdoor range hood will be quite similar to, but not exactly the same as installing an indoor range hood. Use some of our videos below for reference as you progress through your installation.
If you have any questions about your outdoor hood installation, don’t hesitate to contact us at (877) 901-5530. But, we recommend consulting a professional as well since every installation is slightly different.
The installation process depends on the design of your kitchen, the type of hood you’re installing (wall, island), the surface that you are mounting your hood to (brick, sheetrock, etc.), where you can run your ductwork, the length of your ductwork, and many other factors.
If you’d like more information, take a look at more of our articles on outdoor range hoods below.
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