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sal2012

dilemma on kitchen exhaust

6 years ago

Hello ,
We renovated 5 years ago and installed internal Kitchen internal exhaust hood brand name is wolf.
I have reasearch on everything before renovation but exhaust using hood.( my bad).
We used our kitchen exhaust heavenly as we cook all spicy and greasy(Indian)food. The motor has broken twice and I already spend a lot fixing first time and do not want to spend another $1000 more on it.
I am thinking to replace internal exhaust to outdoor exhaust ( which should have been placed first time). I am unable to find any person who can fix this. Some people say it is easy call electrician, and some say call HVAC. When I call HVAC they denied that they don’t do this kind of work. Please help me who will do this work. I also called Wolf to inquire if they carry out exhaust that can replace with internal but leave the hood as it is on the wall. (I think if we took out good then we have more work such as fixing ceiling and paint xtra)
Please help me to locate the handyman who can fix my kitchen exhaust. I am desperate looking for.
I am Newton MA.
Thanks!

Comments (13)

  • 6 years ago

    Is this the blower that is going out? I would look at other things like whether your house is experiencing power surges and damaging the motor or whether there is a lack of free flow of makeup air that could be constricting the motor's free function. You also need to be careful that you are protecting the interior blower from grease buildup. Wolf blowers should last much longer than this unless you have them running all day, every day. You might try re-installing a lower powered blower like 300 cfm maximum and also connecting to a power surge protection device. To retrofit an external blower may not solve your problem of failure if other causes aren't addressed, and it will be expensive in your area of the country.

  • 6 years ago

    First thank you for your response.

    Yes, there is small opening(attached picture) outside.

    No we don’t have surgers issues. Perhaps lack of free air that I am not completely familiar with it as contractor did all work.

    Yes! I can say we most of time run all day long as open floor plan we have and do not want grease around.

    Do you have any recommendations who should I call to fix that?

  • 6 years ago

    Opening that is outside

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Mystery solved. Your blower's life is being used up by constant running. It's time for a new blower. If you want to extend the life of the next one, try running it only when the cooking fumes are being produced. Putting an exterior blower on your vent won't solve this problem, and based on the location of your vent, it would be very difficult to attach the motor in that location anyway because it is a side exit. Exterior blowers are easier to mount with straight-up vents through the rooftop.

  • 6 years ago

    So it jeans I just buy interior blower run only when I am cooking. I cannot install exterior blower as it required vent that goes through the roof top. Or it is too late as house is already built.

  • 6 years ago

    I also have concern with its noise.
    Saying all that I want to keep the hood as it is if I will go with exterior blower. Is that possible?

    The one you shown the pic, is it exterior?

  • 6 years ago

    I just read it is exterior blower only go with broan range hood.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    I wasn't recommending you buy that model. That was just the photo that came up for me in a quick internet search for exterior blowers to show you how large they are. It is a big, heavy unit that you need to somehow attach to the side of your house. You could have weather damage and leaking issues. It will be expensive and require a lot of retrofitting to do, including electrical work. Please realize that your current blowers have been failing because you are running them to the end of their lifespans, not because they are placed where they are.

    Yes, you can keep your Wolf vent hood regardless of what you do with the blower situation. They are two separate units, the hood and blower. If you are having noise problems, I'd recommend getting the 300 cfm internal blower and working with that one for noise reduction. You don't need super powerful blowers running if you're not cooking all the time. Open a window slightly near the kitchen to help provide makeup air, and your blower will function at its best.

  • 6 years ago

    I'm curious how big the fan is, and how big the exhaust pipe is, and how far from the fan to the outside. If it is a big fan and the exhaust pipe is undersized, backpressure could reduce the life of the motor.


    But chances are the problem is simply that it is always on.


    We put LED bulbs in our outside lights, beside the garage. Most everyone in our neighborhood leaves their outside lights on all night, to discourage prowlers. We figured we'd put in LED bulbs, and just leave them on all the time, so we don't forget to turn them on at night. LEDs last forever, right? Wrong! When they are on 24/7, these lasted just under 2 years.

  • 6 years ago

    Thank you everyone!!

  • 6 years ago

    @AnnKH What astounds me is how many LED units have non-replaceable bulbs, like including for under-cabinetry lighting units. Here you are nailing attachment pieces into your permanent cabinetry, and when the LEDs go out, you have to get an entirely new unit which may or may not be in production anymore.

  • 6 years ago

    Thank you!
    My husband was able to find the unit from Wolf manufacturer.

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