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zirconx

Need advice on kitchen ventilation

zirconx
12 years ago

Not sure if this is the best forum for this, if not I apologize.

I am wanting to add a ventilation fan to my kitchen. I've talked with half a dozen handymen/contractors about getting this done, but of the few I can actually get to show up, they either don't want to do or say they will but then never show up again. So I'm trying to figure this out myself and will probably do most of the work myself.

We have a microwave mounted above the stove, with cabinets above the microwave. The microwave has an exhaust fan but it doesn't go anywhere, its the "recirculating" type. The stove is *not* on an outside wall, unfortunately. So it seems like our only option for venting the microwave fan to the outside is to cut through the cabinets, then run along the wall for 4 or 5 feet above the cabinets, and then drywall around the ductwork. I have 3 problems with this method - it will be expensive, since I won't be doing most it (I can't do drywall), the bump on the wall containing the ductwork will be ugly, and it won't ventilate much air anyway. From what I've read, microwave fans don't move much air.

So I've been considering an inline fan mounted in the attic, and a inlet grill on the ceiling. What do you think of that idea? I would probably use an intake grill like this:

{{gwi:1406653}}

and a Fantech inline fan. Then hook up a variable control on the wall near the stove. But there are at least 3 different lines of Fantech fans that look like they would work - FR series, FG series, and the FX series. Would one be better than the other?

Also not sure how many cfm to get on the fan, but I'm thinking somewhere around 400-500. The kitchen is 14x22.

I know this won't be as good as installing a real hood over the stove, but I think that would probably triple the project cost, and I'd have to mount the microwave somewhere else, loosing space.

Thanks for any input.

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