The Ultimate Range Hood Installation Guide

Range Hood installation isn't rocket science. It's quite simple actually, but before you begin you need to make sure that you know what you're doing. Therefore, planning the installation is a must. So, if you want to know how to install a range hood the following article will surely be of help to you. But keep in mind, the instructions manual that comes along with every Range Hood that you buy also possesses detailed instructions as to what needs to be done.

Safety - Your top priority

If you're staying in an apartment you may need permission from the society before you are allowed to install a range hood. Therefore, before you buy one make sure that you have the necessary permissions. Once that's done, you need to make sure that you're well equipped and safe:

1. Wear Rubber Gloves as they're non-conductors of electricity and would help you in case of any short-circuits
2. Before you begin make sure that you turn off the main power supply and lock up the panel box to ensure that no one switches it on by mistake.
3. Before you take hold of the wires, test them to be certain that they're not live wires.
4. If you have any kind of doubts about the wiring of your home, consult a licenced electrician as they would be able to help you out.

Range Hood Installation - General Instructions

Do you already have an old Range Hood installed

If you've already got an old range hood installed at home, it's a blessing as the work involved would be much less than installing one from scratch. First and foremost you would need to get rid of the old one. To do this, locate the electrical connections which would generally be under the cover. You would need someone to support the weight of the hood while you unscrew it.

Clearance Check

You need to make sure that the new range hood that you install takes care of all the cooking fumes and the best way to do this is by allowing a clerance of 20 - 30 inches above the cooking range.

Electrical Connections

Having the electricial connections all setup before you begin the installation is crucial. If the wires aren't long enough make sure that you add more and make it at least 15 inches protruding from the wall as this is needed in order to connect it to the range hood with ease.

Look for the wiring on the hood

Open your instructions manual and look for a page where they've mentioned about the wiring and where it's placed in your particular model. In most cases all you need to do is flip over the range hood on a table or platform and remove the covering panel at the bottom in order to find the wiring. But, before you do this make sure you check your manual.

Mounting your Range Hood

The most important step of range hood installation is the process of mounting the hood.  As you may already know there are basically two types of hoods: Ductless and with Duct. If you're planning a vented installation you need to make sure that you've constructed vents that lead to the exteriors and not your attic as this is the mistake most people commit.

Before you can fix the hood in place you need to mark the spot on the wall so as to have precise placement of the range hood. You would need someone to help you out and mark the screw shaped holes on the wall. Once this is done, you need to drive screws into the respective spots and then place the hood upon them. Make sure that the screws you use are the ones provided with the installation kit or recommended for the particular model as you need stability for the hood to funciton well. If you have problems inserting the screws due to lack of space (Probably a cabinet is coming in the way) then you could try placing blocks of wood and installing the hood on these blocks.

Vent Alignment

Before you completely fix the range hood and the mounting screws you need to make sure that the vent aligns with the ductwork of your kitchen. If you're certain that everything is in place then go ahead and tighten the mounting screws completely.

Wiring - The last step

The last step when it comes to installing a range hood is getting the wiring done right. So, let's take a look at what you need to know about wiring your range hoods:

Black and White wires

You've already got about 15 inches of wire protruding from your wall (hopefully) as already mentioned before. Now these are going to be two kinds of wiring one black and the other white. If you open up your range hood you will notice that the fan and light also have a black and white wire each. The fan is the main part of your range hood and you have to connect it. The light is optional and you don't need to connect it if you already have sufficient lighting in your kitchen (Helps you save power).

Green Wires too?: The Green wire is nothing but earthing wire that is used to protect against any kind of short circuits. You need to attach it to the green grounding screw that you see. Attach the white wire from the bulb and fan to the white wire from the main electrical connnection and do the same with the black wires. That's it! you're all set.

Finally screw the hood in place and turn on the power. If you've got a vented installation make sure that the air is being blown out through the duct (Go outside and see if you feel the air pass your hand).