Use a dressmaker's tape to measure around the pipe. Approx. 19 inches equals 6'' Diameter. Approx. 22 inches equals 7'' diameter.

(Circumference = pi times diameter.)

If the ducting and electrical are already in place, then the job is usually not that complex. That is, so long as you're willing to a lend a hand to hold the hood in place for a moment while DH measures, drills, and installs screws.

i installed my own Viking 30" hood with a 600 CFm motor. You should not hesitate to purchase any power equipment you need for the install, as it will be far cheaper than having someone do it for you...and you end up with more powertools when your done!!

I mounted the hood, ran the electrical, and cut through the wall to run the exhaust duct. the only part i had a contractor do (my neighbor), was to cut through the exterior brick..in retrospect, i could have bought a tall ladder and a small hand held diamond saw and done it myself..

just read the install instructions over and over again..frequently the install directions only make sense AFTER you've installed the hood!! be preapred to put the hood up and take it down several times...YOU CAN DO IT!! but be patient, be prepared to by some tools to get the job done..

if you need guidance as you do it, just post back here and we can help out..

Thank you all for the feedback. Well, it turns out we have a 6" duct. Thanks Ci lantro for your formula to measure. I really had my eye on the KOBE 30" range hood that has baffle filters and it was in our price range $700.00. The other models (KOBE and Zephyr)that work with 6" duct all have the oil containers and we are not sure we like that. Should I just get over the oil containers and get a vent that will work with a 6" as opposed to a 7" duct and have to add an adapter to make it work.

Heartsurgeon, thanks for the feedback on installing. My husband and I are pretty handy and we have accumulated quite of bit of tools with other DIY projects. You just gave us the vote of confidence to tackle one more. It looks like we will have to get the cabinet ready for the new vent.

Kobe makes hoods with baffles that work with 6" ducting. Here's one.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kobe hood

"Use a dressmaker's tape to measure around the pipe. Approx. 19 inches equals 6'' Diameter. Approx. 22 inches equals 7'' diameter."

That works but I think its easier to measure the diameter. Approx. 6" equals 6". Approx 7" equals 7".

Weissman,

You are the best. I found this range for $725.00. A little over our budget, but it has everything we want. We are learning that everything seems to be just a couple hundred dollars over budget. LOL

Thanks

I installed my 42wx18hx27d Thermador hood singlehanded, but I'm stubborn.

I have my 54" Vent-A-Hood installed except for completing the duct work through the roof. Hopefully will get to that in next couple of weeks. That included moving the electrical. And yes I did it myself. Absoulutely no was here to help. That is one heavy son of a ..... Where there is a will there is a way.

My hood install looked alot like the one pictured above.

Couple of pointers:
read the installation directions OVER and OVER. Be prepared for lots of "dry fitting" before the final mount.

Some unexpected "things" that came up during my install.
1)If your putting in a stainless backsplash that runs from the range up to the hood...put it in before you mount the hood..you can hide the upper and lower ends of the stainless behiond the appliances that way.

.BUT be careful when putting up the hood, cause stainless scratches REALLY easily when your pushing sheet metal around.

I purchased a brushed stainless steel panel, cut to size from a local sheet metal (HVAC) fabricator..cheaper than buying from Viking..be sure they cut it with a machine cutter, and not by hand..cutting by hand leaves a "wavy" ripple in the stainless panel. Only the machine can cut it flat, without distorting the stainless.

We remodeled, and had custom cherry cabinets built. The carpenter put them in square and plumb...but the wall behind the cabinets WASN"T plumb! So I had to get some cherry colored silicone caulk to fill in the gap behind the cabinets.

Then, when i mounted the hood, plumb with the cabinets, there was a 1/4 inch gap between the backsplah and the hood..oh well..it's not really noticable.

when i created the appropriate cutouts in the cabinetry above the hood, where the right angle duct work ended up, it was a very cramped area to work in. I found a cheapo mini-sawzall (Handisaw by Black and Decker http://www.blackanddecker.com/ProductGuide/Product-Details.aspx?ProductID=15523) that was critical in cutting out the cabinet, drywall, and plywood sheeting behind the wall. It was small enough to fit inside the cabinet, and allow me to get the cutting done. I also used a chisel and a drywall saw to get the job done, but the Handisaw made life much easier.

i placed a 90 degree angled vent pipe directly to the top of the hood, and ran it straight out through an exterior wall. I was lucky because I did not have any wall studs in the way..if you run into a stud..i'm not sure how best to proceed. I cut out a circular hole through the drywall, the exterior plywood sheet, and ran into the exterior brick. I drilled a hole through the mortar to the outside. stuck a piece of paper over the brick marked the location of the finder hole (which was off center, and marked out the circumference of the duct on the paper. I made a mark on the paper to indicate which end was up. This allowed me to outline on the brick outside, where i would have to make a hole.

I had never cut brick, so i hand a neighbor do it for me..he basically used a small circular diamond blade (3-4" i think) on a small handheld saw, and cut out the brick. it wasn't very pretty, but it was all covered up by the exterior vent hood.

Duct tape to connect all the pieces together.

i finally used some expanding urethane foam to "caulk" around the duct to seal off the exterior from the house. Be sure and buy the foam that has "low expansion" and use it SPARINGLY. The foam expands LIKE CRAZY and can actually distort or collapse the vent pipe!! Put i WAY LESS than you think, and give it 24 hours to stop expanding, then add more foam with a second application, if you must.

when you cut the brick, tape off the inside of the tunnel you've created to the vent hood, because brick grit will rain into your new appliances, and you will have a hard time getting all the grit out of your hood/vent/range...

good luck and god speed!

I am replacing my 300CFM Microwave hood with 600CFM under cabinet hood. The new one has 7" round duct and the existing duct is 5 1/2" flexible duct which goes through the wall. By using the existing flexible duct, I know the performance of the hood is decreasing and the noise level is increasing.

If I install a new galvanized 7" round duct, it has to go on top the existing cabinet with a 90" elbow. The 7" 6 feet long galvanized duct will be visible in the kitchen. Is there any other option?

Thanks for sharing your ideas?

maxl