Kitchen through-wall exhaust fan questions

[tony]

We're going to install a through-wall kitchen exhaust fan in an outside wall above the stove and have some questions. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

We expect to spend around $50 for the unit. Does anyone have any recommendations for a unit?

They're available in different (CFM) exhaust capabilities. Assuming that the more powerful is not only more expensive but noisier too, what's the optimum output that won't make a lot of noise?

Is it possible to suppress some of the noise and vibration by putting something (rubber?) around the hole where the unit touches the sheetrock?

Are these exhaust fans supported solely by the sheetrock inside, and the wood around the hole in the wall on the outside? Do they need to be anchored to a beam?

Again, thanks for any advice. I tried to find out this information on consumerreports.org but they don't cover these fans.

[tony]

We're going to install a through-wall kitchen exhaust fan in an outside wall above the stove and have some questions. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

We expect to spend around $50 for the unit. Does anyone have any recommendations for a unit?

They're available in different (CFM) exhaust capabilities. Assuming that the more powerful is not only more expensive but noisier too, what's the optimum output that won't make a lot of noise?

Is it possible to suppress some of the noise and vibration by putting something (rubber?) around the hole where the unit touches the sheetrock?

Are these exhaust fans supported solely by the sheetrock inside, and the wood around the hole in the wall on the outside? Do they need to be anchored to a beam?

Again, thanks for any advice. I tried to find out this information on consumerreports.org but they don't cover these fans.

[PeterD]

Personally I don't see you will find anything suitable for that price. You need the fan, duct, outlet (all fire rated, as it is near the stove, so no PVC/plastic) and insstallation. You do mount to studs, sheetrock is suitable for holding paint and an occasional light picture frame...

Noise is a factor of quality, a higher quality unit will be quieter.

BTW, consumer reports is worthless for something like this...

[HerHusband]

We bought a Broan "Allure" series range vent a few years ago we've been happy with:

We chose the black color, and you can barely hear it running on low speed. It is audible on high speed, but even that's not bad.

Noise is generally lower on models that cost more. :) Our Allure model is fairly quiet, but it's the lowest model in their "quiet series". If you have more to spend, they offer even quieter models.

It usually comes down to the motor quality and fan/impeller design. Range hoods with cheap motors and unbalanced impellers make a lot of noise and vibration. The spendier models usually have larger fans that turn at a lower speed. This reduces noise and vibration.

The difference between junk and a high quality hood is usually not very significant. A range hood will probably last at least 10 years, so why not spend an extra $100 ($10 a year) and get something you'll use rather than avoid because of the noise.

If you buy a quality range hood and mount it properly, you shouldn't have any vibration.

Most range hoods are simply screwed to the underside of an overhead cabinet. The hoods themselves are quite light (I would guess less than 20 pounds).

If you do not have an overhead cabinet, you might have to look into other hood styles. The Broan site I listed above should get you started, then you can compare other manufacturers to see what works best for you.

Anthony

[tony]

PeterD wrote in news: [e-mail]:

So what would you recommend? Is there anyth>

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[tony]

HerHusband wrote in news:Xns9DF254CBE82B2herhusband@81.169.183.62:

We're putting in a through-the-wall ventilating fan, not a range hood.

Something like this:

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[PeterD]

I'd strongly suggest not mounting such a fan over a range. Eventually the inside would become grease coated, and then the fire hazard that creates will turn around and bite you where you sit...

Maybe locate it as far away from the range as you can?

[tony]

PeterD wrote in news: [e-mail]:

It goes inside the wall, not over the range. From what I understand these used to be a common method of exhausting cooking fumes. I'd assume that they have some kind of removable grille/filter for trapping grease.

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[PeterD]

The original post said: "wall above the stove"... I don't think it can be any clearer than that. Again, this installation presents some problems that I'd not want on any property that I owned.

Your assumption of a filter for grease trapping is not reasonable.

But, have it your way. Good luck.

[HerHusband]

I remember seeing vents like those in old buildings, but there are reasons they are no longer used. I don't know the safety issues, but from a practical standpoint I doubt a wall vent would be very efficient at exhausting cooking vapors.

As it is, an over the range hood is not super efficient as it sits so far from the stove top. Unless you have a jet engine above the stove, the fan just isn't strong enough on it's own to suck in all the steam and whatnot. That's where the hood itself comes into play, helping to catch and funnel the rising steam to the fan that can then exhaust it. Without the hood, a significant portion of the cooking vapors will simply rise to the ceiling.

As a point of reference, look at the vents restaurant kitchens use. It's not a fan in the wall, it's a much larger hood to capture more of the rising vapors and a stronger fan.

By the way, if you're trying to avoid the overhead range hood, one other option is a "downdraft" range. I know Jenn Air made (makes?) these, and I would guess other manufacturers do also. The proximity of the vent to the cooktop and a more powerful fan actually worked rather well. It was fun to watch steam rising off a boiling pot of water being sucked sideways and down into the range vent. Of course, a downdraft range costs a heck of a lot more than a range hood and has it's own issues (like installation).

Anthony

[Art]

Remember the op is looking for an exhaust fan for less than $100. I think you just blew his budget 20 times over... ;)