Kitchen exhaust fan.

[Molly Brown]

In the houses from the early part of the last century the kitchens have a chimney in the ceiling for ventilation. It is a simple four cornered five inch deep indentation. I=92m sure most of you have seen them at one time or another. A while back a company was selling retrofit electric exhaust fans. It was a square flat piece of steel with a fan and grid in the middle that mounted on the opening and connected to electrical lines that you had to run in the attic. Does anyone know if anyone still makes these retrofit exhaust fans or who the company is or was that made them?

[J_Heffron]

No, I have not seen what you are talking about. Please post a photo if you can. I'm curious! What did this chimney attach to? Did it actually vent outdoors? I have worked in many older homes from the early 1900s and never saw what you describe. Where are you located? May be a regional thing.

[ransley]

If you are refering to an exterior blower they are as common as a door on any restuarant, I think Broan is just one manufactuer, I was looking at removing my above stove blower and going outside because the outside units can be many time more powerfull and many times quieter, shop and compare by cfm they produce.

[Bob F]

It attached to a wood cooking stove.

[hrhofmann]

I have seen old stove hoods from that era, my grandparents home had one, but never an opening in the middle of the ceiling like you described. If you are handy, you should be able to put something together using a ceiling-mounted bathroom exhaust fan.

[Molly Brown]

My problem is going to be justifying the time it will take me to put something together, especially if they later finds out that there was a company that still makes them; I=92m going to wind-up with egg on my face.

[DD_BobK]

I beleive I have seen what you're descrbing

I think of it as more of a "formed ceiling cooking hood", the slopes & indentation wind up in a hole in the ceiling that goes up through the attic (via a vent duct) and out through the roof.

Do you have to have this particular fan or are oyu just looking for powered ventilation?

I'd put an exhaust fan in the attic attached to the "hood" & vented to the outside.

The house I saw this thing in was a ~1920's house in SoCal.

cheers Bob

[Molly Brown]

Thank you DD_Bobk. Yes that is exactly what I am describing. In the retrofit that I have the whole thing is covered with decades of paint, the pull switch is bad, the motor is covered with decades of cooking grease and there is no grease filter. I was hoping that someone still made a more modern version of these retrofit exhaust fans so that I don=92t have to replace the switch, the motor and rig a grease filter to go over the whole thing.

[Tony]

If you are talking about a wall fan that has a chain to open the vent and that triggers a switch to turn on the fan, I'd like to get one if you tear it out.