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Can a range hood vent go out the side of the house to the outdoors, or do they have to go through the roof?
I was thinking if I could just run it right out through the back of the wall it would be outside right there, and probably be a shorter run that way. Plus it would be one less thing to worry about leaking or keeping up on my roof since the roof will be metal. Right now I have a range hood with the charcoal filter that just pulls air up and then spits it back out the top into the room. I don't like it at all, it isn't efficient. I hate laying in bed at night and can still smell whatever I cooked for dinner hours ago...
Seems to me the better way IS to go straight out, although you may not like looking at the outside of the vent; just depends on whats outside there. I rarely turn the charcoal range hood on because it seems useless to me, too.
one of the issues I am having is that when you turn it on, if it is vented outside, it will suck heat or air conditioning, either one, and blow it outside. I use my fan quite a bit and I cook a lot. Obviously to blow air out, it has to draw air IN from somewhere, well not very energy efficient on the electric bill to pump conditioned air right out the door. Seems there is just not a good answer.
Every downdraft stove we have ever had vents directly through the wall. There are gravity and spring loaded dampers that minimize the air loss when the blower is off.
We have folded kitchen towel over the vent when the range top is not in use. The first one we had was capable of extinguishing a range fire - current one is not that powerful - wish it were.
Unless you are cooking all the time (like a restaurant), I would not worry about the cold or hot air being pumped outside. Some air exchange exists in every house.
If the house were totally air tight - the off gassing from all the plastic, cleaners, sheetrock, toothpaste, bleach, dish washing chemicals, etc. would cause us even more health problems than we currently have.
If you have not insulated every exterior wall duplex outlet and switch, it can leak as much air as a one foot square hole in a wall.
