Dear Mr. Electrician: How do I install a chimney hood in place of my existing kitchen hood?
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Answer: How you install a chimney hood will vary according to the manufacturer. It is important to read the installation instructions before you purchase the hood. Check the manufacturer’s website.
REMOVE THE OLD HOOD
Turn the power off at the circuit breaker box to the existing kitchen hood. Remove the cover under the hood to expose the electrical wiring. Use a non-contact voltage detector to confirm that the electrical power is off.
Carefully disconnect the wires inside the hood. Do not cut the wires. You may need all of the wire when installing the new chimney hood. Normally there should be a cable connector where the electrical cable enters the hood. The connector can be one of several types. If it is a plastic connector, you can cut it with diagonal pliers. Be careful not to cut or nick the cable or wires.
If there is a metal connector, loosen the locknut and remove it completely. If the locknut is on the other side, loosen the screws on the cable connector.
The old hood will probably have screws driven into the back wall as well as into the side cabinets. Have someone hold the old hood while you remove the screws. The hood should drop down. Carefully pull the hood away from the wire in the wall. Be careful to not damage the wire.
The existing wire may not be long enough to relocate for installing the new chimney hood. Cut a hole in the wall using a compass saw at a forty five degree angle inward. Cutting at an angle will simplify patching later.
With the wall open, look inside for cable staples or straps on the hood wire. Remove the staples or straps to get more slack from the wire.
If the wire is still too short, you may have to install an electrical box to make splices to extend the wire to the location for installing the chimney hood. Any electrical junction box must be accessible after the hood is completely installed, so plan the location of the junction box carefully.
If necessary, you can bring the existing wire down to behind the stove and install an accessible junction box recessed in the wall behind the stove.
INSTALLING A CHIMNEY HOOD
Install the chimney hood according to the installation instructions. Pay close attention to the location of the electrical outlet or cable drop for the new hood. It must be precisely located.
For this chimney hood installation I had to add a piece of wood inside the wall to line up with the hood support bracket that would be carrying the weight of the entire hood.
There were two brackets that needed to be mounted onto the wall and ceiling to install the chimney hood. They had to line up precisely and the electrical outlet had to fit behind the chimney.
Use an old work metal or plastic outlet box to install an electrical outlet inside the wall. Some chimney hoods may have room for a surface mounted electrical box and electrical outlet.
Normally I would have waited until the kitchen wall was finished with paint before I attempted to install the chimney hood. However in this case the owner was planning to paint the kitchen herself when she had the time. So she had me install the chimney hood so it was functional.
You have be careful to not make any marks or dings as you install the chimney hood sheet metal. They will be visible.
The installed chimney hood depicted here was not vented to the outside. It blows air out the sides on the top part of the chimney. You can’t see the side vents in my photos.
My article about replacing a standard kitchen hood may be of interest to you.
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