Range Hood Installation – 9 Easy DIY Steps Anyone Can Follow!
- Simon Clark
Nowadays, a range hood is a must-have kitchen essential. Range hoods are usually installed by professionals, but the application charges can blow your mind. However, you can install one yourself as well. So, continue reading to find out how to install a range hood.
Tools
- Drill machine with long bits
- Long-nose pliers
- Lineman’s pliers
- Wire stripper
- Tin snips
- Drywall saw
- Jigsaw
- Voltage tester
- Screwdriver
- Fish tape
- Hammer
Materials
- Range hood
- Ducts and duct tape
- Cable and clamps
- Caulk
- Wire nuts
- Wall cap
- HVAC foil tape
What You Will Get Here
How to Install a Range Hood? – Step by Step
Removing the old one
To remove the old one, locate all the wires attached to it. Remove all the wire nuts to detach the electric connection.
Lose all of the screws that are holding the fixture. Don’t just remove the screws at first, because there might be a chance that your hood falls on the stove which could prove costly.
Ask someone else to hold and lift the hood a bit, so you can easily remove the screws and detach it.
Cut a hole
First, you need to make a hole in the wall for the duct. Measure the duct size to carve the exact size out of the wall. Otherwise, instructions will be provided for the cutout size of the vent on the template.
Before making a hole in the wall, make sure there is no electric connection or wiring comes in the way of the hole. Then use a drywall saw cut the hole.
Locator Holes
Use a drill with a long pit fixed on it to make a slot for the electric wiring. These locator holes will go through the other side of the wall.
Add a flex duct if there’s a stud hinder the direct path of the duct. If the flex duct is not an option, then install the header. Cut a 14×28 inches hole in the wall for header, which will be covered by the hood and cabinet. Cut the stud 6 inches above and 4 inches beneath the duct hole. Lastly, build a header of two 2×4’s wood pieces around a ½-inch plywood between them.
Cut Through Siding
Go to the outside wall and look for the four locator holes on the wall that you drilled. Connect these four holes with a pencil or something to make a rectangle shape.
Before cutting, check if the size of the duct matches the hole size. Then, run your jigsaw on rectangular shape mark to cut through the siding.
Run Cable
Keep in mind whenever you are doing something with electricity, turn off the power supply. Make a little hole in the wall right next to the duct hole for the cable and run it through that hole.
The duct cutout can help your hands reach the cable easily. This easy access will help you at the time of the final wiring, but don’t forget to clear the duct path from the cable.
Fix the Duct and End Cap
Cut a piece of the duct that covers the wall’s length from the inside wall to the outside wall. Fix the end cap to the duct using a bead of caulk and screws.
There are two ways to apply a bead of caulk:
- On the outside around the hole
- Around the rim of the wall cap. Then, slip the duct into the hole.
Clamp Cable to Hood
Before connecting the cable clamp, look for the cavity around the duct and fill it with insulation. This stuffing will save the wall around the duct.
Sometimes, a sudden tug can detach all the wiring inside the hood. To avoid this problem, use clamp and strip to the cable with the hood.
Hood installation
You can screw a hood into the wall or the above cabinet.
For mounting it into the wall, it’s better to use mounting brackets and drill the screws perfectly. Use a nail set and hammer if the wall is tiled.
For mounting it into the above cabinet, drill the screws half-way. Sometimes, the workpiece used in the cabinet is thin, then consider adding wooden blocks to provide mounting screws better gripping.
Position the hood so that the duct and hood’s damper unit matches the path, then fasten the screws.
Final touch
The next step is connecting the wires from the circuit with hood’s wires for electric supply. You will have two wires in the cable coming from inside the wall: one is black, and the other is white.
Attach the circuit’s black wire to the black wires of fan and light, and do the same with the white.
Then green grounding wire from the wall will be attached to the grounding screw on the hood.
Tips & Warnings
- Don’t forget to wear a dust mask and safety glasses.
- Turn off the power supply before setting a range hood.
- If you have a house wiring map, that’s perfect. Before making holes, walk through the map and see if there’s anything in the cutout path.
- Before making holes in the wall, inspect the wall for any pipes or other elements.
- After you splice the wires, Use wire nuts inside the hood instead of wrapping any tape.
Conclusion
There you go! That’s everything you need to know about installing a range hood yourself. Just remember to follow the safety precautions to avoid any damage.
Good luck!
FAQs
1. How much does it cost to install a range hood?
Ans. Normally, under-cabinet and wall-mount range hoods are the two standard installations. They both cost somewhere between $200 and $500 because of their similar installing procedure. If you know how to fix it, you can save hundreds of bucks.
2. Do range hoods have to be vented outside?
Ans. That’s your call. Vented range hood’s fan sucks the toxic air and carries that outside through the duct. On the other hand, the unvented fan sucks the toxic air, takes that to the air purifier inside the hood to filter, and recirculates it in the air.
3. Do I really need a range hood?
Ans. If you’re a kitchen person, you would know how difficult it is to stand in the heat, smoke, and steam. The humid atmosphere inside the kitchen can cause serious health issues. So, to eliminate the toxic air, install one.
