How do I build a really cheap range hood?
January 24, 2020 10:37 AM Subscribe
I have a secret workshop in a dirty old factory and I need a large hood for ventilation (40" or so). I already have a blower and ducting. I literally just need the physical hood part. I have $80.
I though maybe about buying a big rubbermaid tub and cutting a hole in it. But I'd prefer something a little more sturdy. This does NOT need to be attractive at all. Nor does it need to meet any code specifications. I just need a hood above a cooking surface.
I though maybe about buying a big rubbermaid tub and cutting a hole in it. But I'd prefer something a little more sturdy. This does NOT need to be attractive at all. Nor does it need to meet any code specifications. I just need a hood above a cooking surface.
Call a local junkyard or scrapyard and see if they have anything. You might even try an auto scrapyard if you think a trunk door or the like coud be made to work. The outer case of an old appliance might even work, like a mini fridge or a water heater.
posted by sexyrobot at 11:04 AM on January 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by sexyrobot at 11:04 AM on January 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
Metal trashcan? Maybe some really large aluminum roasting pans if you're looking for a rectangular shape.
posted by hydra77 at 11:09 AM on January 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by hydra77 at 11:09 AM on January 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
Steel window wells? Two of them, stuck together as if on either side of an imaginary wall, would basically be a big metal Rubbermaid with a hole in it.
posted by teremala at 11:11 AM on January 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by teremala at 11:11 AM on January 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Buy two halves of a section of rectangular stack duct that match your dimensions. Cut a small hole in the top of one piece for your blower and ducting. Cut a bigass hole in the top of the other piece for your hood intake. Assemble, cap ends (You could also make caps out of the bigass piece you got from cutting the intake hole, just need to make/buy a simple break), seal seams, and bob's your uncle. You may be able to get used duct segments super-cheap at a salvage/refit store, but they're already not that expensive at a bigbox.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:25 AM on January 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:25 AM on January 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
Big wok from restaurant supply? I know they make 30", not sure if they go as big as 40"
posted by punchee at 12:00 PM on January 24, 2020
posted by punchee at 12:00 PM on January 24, 2020
Home Depot sells some shockingly cheap range hoods. $64 for 42" wide.
posted by gregr at 12:45 PM on January 24, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by gregr at 12:45 PM on January 24, 2020 [4 favorites]
Indeed, I'd just get an actual range hood from a re-use place. I see them all the time at my local.
posted by aspersioncast at 1:10 PM on January 24, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by aspersioncast at 1:10 PM on January 24, 2020 [3 favorites]
Best answer: This does NOT need to be attractive at all. Nor does it need to meet any code specifications. I just need a hood above a cooking surface.
You said 40" or so, which suggests you may have some serious cooking plans. If you will be cooking food using fats or oils, or generating a lot of sooty smoke, then it may be worth your while to buy an actual hood that has integrated grease traps. If you use a halved oil drum or fridge carapace you'll have a good capture area, but the aerosolized grease will get sucked into your ducting, where it might catch fire, attract rats, or just drip back down onto your cooking (ewww). Baffle filters are better than mesh filters—they will slow down your airflow less and be quieter. I see hoods like this at my local building salvage center for tens of dollars. Or you could buy new baffle filters for not much and mount them in your hypothetical oil drum.
posted by mumkin at 12:11 AM on January 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
You said 40" or so, which suggests you may have some serious cooking plans. If you will be cooking food using fats or oils, or generating a lot of sooty smoke, then it may be worth your while to buy an actual hood that has integrated grease traps. If you use a halved oil drum or fridge carapace you'll have a good capture area, but the aerosolized grease will get sucked into your ducting, where it might catch fire, attract rats, or just drip back down onto your cooking (ewww). Baffle filters are better than mesh filters—they will slow down your airflow less and be quieter. I see hoods like this at my local building salvage center for tens of dollars. Or you could buy new baffle filters for not much and mount them in your hypothetical oil drum.
posted by mumkin at 12:11 AM on January 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thank you all!
We are going with an animal water trough from the farm store.
Mumkin, it's not grease, just water vapor.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 10:44 AM on January 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
We are going with an animal water trough from the farm store.
Mumkin, it's not grease, just water vapor.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 10:44 AM on January 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
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posted by pipeski at 10:41 AM on January 24, 2020