The Do’s and Don’ts of Kitchen Hood Installation

Kitchen hood installation is not an easy task. However, if you are a well-informed person who carries a solid foundation of how these things work in the kitchen, then it might become easier for you. After considering tons of factors like usability factor, placement, the area available,  etc. 

Without doing your homework if you land into the store and buy the most extravagant version of kitchen hood, it might backfire. Because you need a model that fits well in your kitchen. 

Once you have gotten your hands on the right model of the kitchen hood system, next is the installation process. Before starting with that, there are certain things you need to keep in mind. For instance: 

• Within 24 hours of receiving the hood, make sure to unbox the vent hood for any damages. 
• Ensure that the exhaust hood consists of all the parts, and that too in a good condition. 
• Before proper installation, plug in your vent hood to check if it functions properly. 

The Do’s of Kitchen Range Hood Installation 

• It is advisable to vent vertically via the roof of your kitchen. In case, venting directly above the hood is not possible then vent through the sidewall. 
• Keep 36-42” for venting purposes over the BBQ grill.
• Keep 28-36” in between the bottom of the range hood and the top of the cooking surface. 
• Make use of metal HVAC ducting or galvanized steel only. 
• To achieve effective performance, use as few elbows as possible. That too with no more than three 90° elbows. 
• Make use of caulking for sealing exterior openings that are around the cap.
• Make use of HVAC tape for sealing joints present in the vent system.
• Do prepper cleaning of duct to ensure effective airflow.

The Don’ts of Kitchen Range Hood Installation 

• Never reduce the duct size.
• Never use a flexible Duct as it will create friction for the airflow causing it to make noise and reduce its efficiency. Use plastic ducting instead. 
• Don’t terminate the range hood system into an enclosed space. 
• Avoid dead-end to back-vent.
• Avoid using screens on roof jacks or wall caps. This reduces the airflow by around 20-50%.
• Never use plenum boxes.
• Avoid using roof jacks and wall caps with gravity dampers. 

Despite knowing the above-mentioned Do’s and Don’ts, people still make some of the silliest yet most common mistakes while the kitchen exhaust hood installation. 

For your ease, we have gathered some of those common mistakes for you to avoid. 

Common Mistakes to Avoid While Hood Installation

• Check Installation Height:  Many people avoid going through the boring booklet that comes with a range hood. This is the biggest mistake one can make.  Thoroughly go through the range hood manufacturer’s recommendations. 

The installation height can vary from one model to another. You cannot rely on the average estimate. So look for it in the guide. 

• Unstable Electrical Connection:  Usually people forget to carefully inspect their electrical connection before setting it up. This is a major mistake as it can have an impact on your Hood installation. 

For instance, you did not check your electrical connection before installation. Turns out, you had an unstable supply of electricity which is not letting your hood system function. Since you are unaware that the problem is with your electric supply, you assume that the range hood is faulty. 

• Avoid Sharing the Electrical Lines: Sharing electrical lines especially when operating a vent hood system is never a good idea. Most people do this and cause electrical circuits. So avoid sharing the electrical lines of heavy appliances. 
• Lack of Space: Most people do not properly measure the space they are going to install their kitchen exhaust hood. The placement area should be large enough so that it can accommodate your range hood without causing any problem. 

Inspect on Receiving: Since commercial range hood buyers would always want to invest in exhaust hoods of well-reputed companies. This gives them a sense of reliance and they don’t inspect their unit at the time of receiving. This makes you go through the whole process officially. It will be time-consuming and might affect your restaurant’s service.

Kitchen Services, provide competitive price and high quality Kitchen hood installation services in Los Angeles and around. Not only that, we also provide commercial hood cleaning and repair . Contact us today for effortless installation.