Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
gleapman_gw

Is it OK to put wall-mount range hood in cabinet

gleapman
11 years ago

We want a low-profile, under-cabinet range hood, but the blower assembly on the high-end, low-profile models takes up about the bottom 16-17 inches of the cabinet above the cooktop. So if the hood is 24 inches above the cooktop (as the specs recommend) and the bottom 16 inches of cabinet houses the blower, the first usable shelf in the cabinet is 76+ inches above the floor.

If we installed a wall-mounted hood with a low-profile, flat hood and fully housed the chimney in the cabinet, the first usable shelf would be about 62 inches above the floor...much more convenience. I realize the chimney takes up more space than just a vent hose, but it's worth the trade-off. Also, the chimney would be more attractive than a hose when the cabinet is opened.

We're fully remodeling our small kitchen and cabinet space is at a premium.

I guess there might be an issue of accessing the blower for service (do you normally need to remove the chimney cover?). Otherwise, is there any technical reason (fire hazard, codes, etc) not to do that?

Comments (6)

  • bill102
    11 years ago

    In my parent's kitchen they used a shallow range hood which had the blower mounted on top of the hood. The blower intruded into the cabinet and was boxed in. The duct, which went straight up, was also boxed in.

    The parent's cabinets were custom built but I don't see why a stock cabinet couldn't be modified. You might want too make sure there is a air gap in between anything burnable.

  • GreenDesigns
    11 years ago

    You need an insert and remote blower.

  • gleapman
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks. An insert is a good idea, but is kind of a last resort.

    It may be that I just don't understand them well enough. Just not sure about the performance, since the insert would be just 11-12 inches deep. I would think that the air flow caused by the blower on the roof would be enough to capture anything coming from the front burners. But from all I've read and heard, the experts think it's important that the hood be directly over the burners to capture everything. My understanding is you don't get that with an insert.

    Would appreciate more thoughts on inserts.

  • Tigui
    11 years ago

    Have you completed this project? I'm curious to know how the venting issue turned out. I have a similar issue in my kitchen. When we built, purchased a downdraft gas stove and that venting system has been a nightmare. When in use, it directs the flames towards the center of the cook top, therefore, changing the whole cooking dynamic. Needless to say, we stopped using it. We figured it would be no problem to purchase a 900+ cfm range hood but now we find we don't have enough clearance between the upper cabinet and stove top (33") for a heavy duty hood. I've been considering the purchase of a wall range hood (about 4" thick/high) with motor sitting on top. The motor/vent has a stainless steel cover (which is removable) and I'm wondering if it's OK to install inside the upper cabinet and vent right outside. With only the 4" thickness I would still have about 29" to spare between the stove top and bottom of hood. I have looked at inserts but all of them have a large metal hood that is permanently fixed to the bottom and none would fit in my cabinet since it's only 12 in deep. If anyone has any other ideas or comments I would appreciate them.

  • le0thelion
    7 years ago

    Hi I know this is an old post but I can't find this exact scenario anywhere online! I have this exact unit an cannot install it in a 12" depth cabinet. How did u do this? This insert is 17.5". Thank you for your response.

Sponsored
Prime Custom Kitchen & Bath
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars43 Reviews
DC Metro's Award Winning Custom Design, Build, and Remodeling Company