A kitchen remodel is a perfect opportunity to install or upgrade kitchen ventilation. Why do you need kitchen ventilation? So many reasons — from preventing mold and mildew, to lowering your home’s overall humidity so you don’t feel so warm and have to crank down the air conditioner. Also, a kitchen vent system helps remove odors and smoke from cooking so you have better indoor air quality.

Installing kitchen ventilation is a plus, not only for your comfort, but adds to the resale value of your home.

So here’s what’s involved:

Has Your Home Had Kitchen Ventilation in the Past?

If you have an older home, it may have had ventilation in the kitchen in the past. Perhaps the ductwork is in place and is vented to the outdoors, but it’s not attached to your range hood. Or, you may have a ventilation system that just recirculates the stale air, pulling it up into the system, and sending it back into your home’s interior. Another scenario might involve a ventilation system that is ducted into spaces between joists in the ceiling, or into the attic.

Any of these situations should be corrected during your upgrade.

If you’re trying to match a range hood or other type ventilation to an existing duct, after determining that it does indeed exhaust to the outdoors, measure the exhaust boot and look for a range hood that fits. If you can’t find a match, or if the ductwork won’t fit where you need to install the range hood, you will have to move the ductwork.

Moving or Installing Ventilation Ductwork

This procedure can be somewhat complicated, so unless you’re an accomplished do-it-yourself, hire a professional. The venting system can be run through the wall, into the ceiling and out the roof, or turned down through an eave. If you have a range hood located against an interior wall, run ductwork into the soffit between ceiling joists or above the cabinets, then extend it through an opening in the nearest exterior wall.

For more on kitchen ventilation, contact Powers Heating and Air of Peachtree City.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 770-487-2040.

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