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philwojo

Question on recirculation venting

philwojo
12 years ago

Not sure if this is the right place to post this or not, but I'll start with it here.

My wife and I are considering a 36" Bluestar range top (as posted in another thread). We live in a townhome and currently have a GE range with a microwave above that vents. We are not sure if it is vented to the outside or recirc.

But we know that with the BS we will need way more venting, and want to do it. We, however, are not sure if the townhome HOA (home owners association) will allow us to vent to the outside if we are not already. I am going to check with them to find out for sure.

So, I am posting to get feedback in a worst case where the HOA won't let us do that. What are everyone's thoughts on a vent hood with a recirculation kit for a BS 36" range? This would NOT be on a island, but on a shared wall with another townhouse unit.

I just spoke to a BS rep about an "event" in my area and he stated they are supposed to have a BS vent with recirc soon. I don't really even know what brand we want, I am just more looking for feedback on the recirc. stuff in general as I really don't know anything about it.

thanks,

Phil

Comments (5)

  • weissman
    12 years ago

    Not a great idea to get a powerful range without venting it to the outside. If the HOA says no, check your local laws - sometimes they supercede HOA rules, particularly where local code often requires external venting. Some HOAs have tried to prevent owners from putting up satellite dishes but federal law trumps that.

  • _sophiewheeler
    12 years ago

    Recirculating leaves you with all of the heat, all of the steam and moisture, and most of the smoke and smells produced by cooking. It only filters some of the grease if you have a really good system. All of that wonderful stuff floats around your home, grabbing onto the fabric surfaces. It's biggest benefit is it creates air flow that moves it out of your way so you aren't blind while trying to sear your ahi tuna, but you're still left with all of the other issues that even an open window doesn't help with that much.

    High power ranges are not suited to multifamily dwellings where you cannot have external ventilation.

  • philwojo
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks for the postings, that is what I was thinking, but wasn't sure.

    I know all about fighting my HOA, I had to go to the FCC to be able to put up my standard antenna on my roof. Thankfully I won that fight, but I don't really want to go through another one to be honest.

    I haven't asked them yet, I was just preparing for the worst.

    Phil

  • westsider40
    12 years ago

    Oh, Phil, I might actually be helpful. As IR from your other post you are in the west suburbs of Chicago. I'm in the northern burbs and just finished a gut reno of our single family home kitchen.

    Our old 1960 vent was broken but it did have a highway out thru the roof. We never used our old vents b/c the cold air whistled down into the room. Our vent was stuffed with plastic bags to keep the heat in.

    I called our superb HVAC company and they put in new ventilating ductwork and new things on the roof. They had two guys on the roof. I was impressed. Moreover, the moved the heating duct outlets in our kitchen floor to create heat under a newly placed cabinet, after having removed them from a wall(which we covered up with cabinetry and table/chairs.

    Here's the double kicker as the reward for your patience in reading this tome. They are located in northwest suburbs, maybe Rosemont, and charged considerably less than I expected.

    They are good, very good. They have replaced our old heating system with excellent, efficient units. Nice to deal with. They do annual checks on our heating and again on our a/c. They do the work for the various municipalities in their area Trustees and Boards pick this company. I could not have a better recommendation.

    Another point, you might be able to get a clue about the extent of your current setup and see if there are existing vents, even not good looking ones, already in place. hth westsider on the northside

  • philwojo
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks westsider, I'll keep that in mind after I talk to my HOA and see what, if anything, we can do.