I'm looking to install a vented range hood for the electric range in my kitchen.
The kitchen has only one outside wall, which is mostly window, with a cast-iron radiator and a chimney for my oil-fired home-heating boiler for good measure. There's only about 6 inches between the top of the window and the soffit.
So… Are there any code or practical restrictions on how close the external vent for a range hood can be to a window? Either horizontally through the wall to one side of the window, or downward through the soffit over or beside the window?
(The house is solid brick, circa 1920, Toronto Canada)
Best Answer
there are not many specific guidelines . all there is in the obc is this:
and
however, if you are looking for advice:
in a solid masonry wall, a penetration through the wall for a vent stack or discharge should not be within 300 mm of a window or door lintel (this way you avoid a collapse of the hole from a transferred overhead load.
if you have masonry lintel (caternary arch type), i would be very wary of doing a penetration anywhere near the foot of the arch without an engineer looking at it. masonry lintels can exhibit huge horizontal compressive forces on a solid wall a long way horizontally from the foot. you usually have to sleeve the interior of the penetration hole with a thick steel pipe section to take the load.
if you can't go through the wall for whatever reason, just go up. you can either vent
a) directly up through the attic space, then through the roof (just remember to use insulated pipe and a proper roof stack, cap and waterproof boot
b) up into the attic space and come out through the eave with a soffit drop vent port (just make sure to use insulated pipe and a drop vent with a baffle valve).
do not, under any circumstances use flexible metal duct. its not legal and it makes for a huge cleaning nightmare over time with a kitchen exhaust. only use rigid galvanized steel duct pipe
hope that helps