Help with oven vent
Hello I have cold air coming into the kitchen through the oven vents- what type of contractor would I call to help with this and can anybody recommend one? Thanks!
Hello
I have cold air coming into the kitchen through the oven vents- what type of contractor would I call to help with this and can anybody recommend one?
Thanks!
Doug,
Find where your oven vent exits the building, block it temporarily with a towel/cardboard and duct tape, if this corrects the problem it means cold air is getting back in and you need a damper in there. If you are unable to locate the oven duct exit then you should be worried, as it is a fire hazard to terminate that vent into a wall or ceiling.
Thanks everyone for all your questions and advice. Upon further research and a trip to the kitchen roof I can clarify my problem.
I have a GE microwave above the stove (with a fan)and it vents
directly up, through the cabinets into the ceiling and immediately outside through a metal pipe (what I was referring to as the chimney- my bad). This pipe has a cap welded onto it, so I can’t easily get in there and see if it has a damper or not, however, when the microwave is closed (almost always) there is not much cold air coming in.
The problem is my regular oven, which is next to the stove. it has vents both above and below the door and on a cold day they are most definitely leaking cold air. As far as I can tell, this oven isn’t connected to the microwave vent in any way.
The only thing I can think of is that there is air leaking into the wall behind the oven and coming out through the vents…does this make sense? I can’t just block the oven vents, though. I am at a loss as to how to troubleshoot it at this point.
HI doug
The problem is cold air dropping down the flu and back in through the duct – it should exit the building directly -and your duct does not have a damper.
Does it run on top of cabinetry or inside cabinetry some distance? Or is it entirely exposed, stainless steel or copper? The concealed one can be corrected easily.
I assume this particular flue is no longer active, even so its not wise to vent into chimneys willy-nilly.
Back40, you don’t have a damper either! but you need at the very least to change your terminal louver to a solid flap, that will make a big difference. I changed one not so long ago for a customer.
Brooklynjennie, an 8-10″ duct usually can handle most stoves, some ‘people’ reduce the designated duct size immediately at fan collar often to fit it through tight spaces, this creates all sorts of problems and can burn out the motor. As mentioned too much of a run of duct,a malfunctioning damper, too many bends or improper bends will affect performance.
Contact me if either or all of you need assistance Bayridgebuilders@aol.com and I will be glad to help in any way I can.
doug, if you mean that the metal duct ends inside the brick chimney then the chimney is accumulating grease and you could have a fire hazard there. The metal duct should properly extend to the exterior of the house – either through the wall or up the chimney. The damper goes on the end of the metal duct just before it exits the house.
I’m puzzled though. You’re referring to oven vents (plural). I’ve only ever vented a cooktop and with one vent. Of course the oven is in the same room so if there’s lots of smoke from the oven, I turn on the cooktop vent.
As far as a vent not removing the smoke, vents can be tricky. A combination of duct diameter, duct length and number and degree of duct bends – all parameters defined by the exhaust fan manufacturer – goes into determining whether a fan will be effective. So just buying a new fan may not solve your effectiveness problem.
HD has most duct sizes but I needed to go to a metal shop for the damper – there’s one on MacDonald Ave around Ave N in Brooklyn.
“does yours seem to suck out the smoke?”
no problem there- the microwave (w/fan) is brand new.
“Until you get the work done, I’ve found that leaving the fan on a low setting helps.”
Hmm, I will try that. The 1st floor of our house (including kitchen) is freezing, the 2nd floor is boiling. Until I eliminate all these cold air leaks I can’t begin to deal with the heating system (steam). Wish I could just turn down some of the radiators.
I have the same problem. My outside vent is the louvred kind and the wind kicks up the louvres and comes in — I was wondering if getting some other kind of vent (presumably just screwed on from outside) could solve the problem?
Until you get the work done, I’ve found that leaving the fan on a low setting helps.
Hi,
to piggy back on this- we have the same type of set up- and the fan doesn’t seem to stuck out the smokey cooking smoke. OP- does yours seem to suck out the smoke?
I am also interested in the damper issue.
thanks
Thanks again.
The kitchen is in an extension on the back of the house, so the duct exits through a chimney a few feet above the oven. Can the damper be put on the end of the chimney or does it need to be installed in the duct (in the wall) just above the oven?
In short, I am trying to determine if it is something an armchair handyman like myself can do, or if I really need a professional….