Does a rangehood need to vent outside?

[AJP0708]

Hello! We are looking to buy a house but the existing range hood isn’t connected to outside there are also some marks on the wall/ceiling above the range hood. Would there be a reason not to have the range hood connected to an external outlet? That could potentially cause us issues? I would prefer it to go outside - would it be costly to replace it/connect it outside?

thanks so much -  total rookie here! 

[EricL]

Hello @AJP0708 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's marvellous to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your rangehood.

It's perfectly alright to ask these types of questions. There are two types of rangehood. First is the recirculating type, this filters all the cooking smoke and odours and pumps the filtered air back into the kitchen. The second type is the ducted type, it still filters the smoke but is directed outside of the house.

If a rangehood is not properly ducted outside, you start developing a grease buildup on the ceiling causing it to get stained.   

There could be any number of reasons the rangehood was not ducted outside. But what is important is that this particular error be rectified, especially if you are installing a new rangehood. I propose getting a quote from a registered electrician and find out if they are willing to install ducting for a new rangehood. Please make sure to get a minimum of three quotes so that you'll know what the going rate is. 

Let me call on our experienced members @redbournreno @craftyhopper and @lifestylebymari for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[MikeTNZ]

Hi @AJP0708,

Thanks for asking this question, it is a very important one.

As @EricL mentioned not ducting a rangehood outside with the non-recirculating type of rangehood can end in disaster.

I'm not trying to scare you in any way, yes there can be a build-up of grease residue in your roof space, but this can

start a very nasty fire in the roof, should a pot catch fire on the stove/hob below.

As a  volunteer firefighter of 22 years, these things are a thankfully rare occurence, but, in saying that, once grease starts burning

it is very hard to extinguish in a roof without a LOT of damage.

Personally, I would never not duct a rangehood or any fan type thing to the outside of a building, it just makes sense to do it once and

do it properly for peace of mind.

Cheers,

Mike T.