Can I turn my wall mounted canopy rangehood into an island rangehood?
January 11, 2015 8:44 PM Subscribe
I'm very unhappy (in a FWP kind of way) today! I bought this rangehood ages ago, too long ago for the store to take back. When it arrived, i only checked that the model i ordered was the model that arrived but didn't realise until we opened the box this weekend that I originally ordered The Wrong Bloody Thing. I need an island rangehood, but this one is a canopy rangehood that needs to be fixed to a wall. Is there any way I can turn this into a ceiling mounted rangehood?
I can't return or exchange it. Begged very nicely on the phone with the manager. I would prefer not to take a big loss by selling it on ebay etc. and I like this rangehood very much. A new model has replaced it so even if it wasn't too long ago for the store to take back, its exchange value plus restocking fee would is nearly $800 less than what we paid.
Is there some way to add a bracket or something so that it can be suspended from the ceiling instead of mounting it to a wall?
I can easily move my island, & therefore the cooktop, to sit against a wall and mount this thing to the wall if its the most sensible thing to do but I love the current layout of my kitchen. The island is in the centre, surrounded by barstools that my kids and friends can hang out on while i cook and talk to them. I want to keep that if I can. I love it so much.
Has anyone seen the same silly mistake and it's corresponding clever solution?
I can't return or exchange it. Begged very nicely on the phone with the manager. I would prefer not to take a big loss by selling it on ebay etc. and I like this rangehood very much. A new model has replaced it so even if it wasn't too long ago for the store to take back, its exchange value plus restocking fee would is nearly $800 less than what we paid.
Is there some way to add a bracket or something so that it can be suspended from the ceiling instead of mounting it to a wall?
I can easily move my island, & therefore the cooktop, to sit against a wall and mount this thing to the wall if its the most sensible thing to do but I love the current layout of my kitchen. The island is in the centre, surrounded by barstools that my kids and friends can hang out on while i cook and talk to them. I want to keep that if I can. I love it so much.
Has anyone seen the same silly mistake and it's corresponding clever solution?
Just build a half wall down from the ceiling to mount it on. Depending on how the kitchen is structured, this might be a bit tricky to pull off well, but it could look OK.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 9:28 PM on January 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 9:28 PM on January 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
it depends on how good a carpenter you are and a bit on how your ceiling in the kitchen is constructed and how high it is. it's meant to be fixed to a wall, which means you need to build something wall-like to attach it to. there's no reason why you couldn't frame out a wall that goes from the ceiling down to whatever the range hood needs to be. if the range hood is constructed how I think it is then it is probably meant to attach along the back at about the width of the instrument panel in the front... so in principle your "wall" need not be any wider than that dimenison. the catch is that the wall needs to be rigid enough that bumping into the range hood doesn't make it move or, god forbid, fall off the ceiling. so, the wall may need to be deeper than a standard interior wall and framed differently and the top will need to be braced in between the floor joists in the ceiling. if you are willing to sacrifice the metal sheath which hides the fan assembly i.e. the metal column going up, you could build your "wall" as a column that the range-hood fits into.
either way, this requires to carpentry. there isn't going to be a bracket that will hold up this range hood. i've never installed an island range hood (only wall mounted ones) but i can say almost with certainty that it is built around a rigid metal frame which brackets in between the joists of the ceiling. essentially i'm suggesting building the same thing out of wood.
i would feel fine doing what i suggested, you are going to need to tear up the ceiling to run venting for the range hood anyway... but it's clearly a project.
posted by ennui.bz at 9:29 PM on January 11, 2015
either way, this requires to carpentry. there isn't going to be a bracket that will hold up this range hood. i've never installed an island range hood (only wall mounted ones) but i can say almost with certainty that it is built around a rigid metal frame which brackets in between the joists of the ceiling. essentially i'm suggesting building the same thing out of wood.
i would feel fine doing what i suggested, you are going to need to tear up the ceiling to run venting for the range hood anyway... but it's clearly a project.
posted by ennui.bz at 9:29 PM on January 11, 2015
I doubt you can just suspend that from the ceiling; I expect it depends on a wall for some structural support and stiffness. (The manual should explain what's needed.) But as others have said, you can just create that support with lumber.
posted by slidell at 11:39 PM on January 11, 2015
posted by slidell at 11:39 PM on January 11, 2015
In the long run you're probably better off taking the financial hit and replacing it with the right type of hood, even if that means you buy a less-fancy island hood. It's surely possible to hang a truncated section of wall from the ceiling, but it would look bizarre and the hood might not work as well. Building such a half-wall or moving the range against a wall would incur other costs too, like the additional carpentry, changes to cabinetry and moving electric or gas lines.
posted by jon1270 at 3:05 AM on January 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by jon1270 at 3:05 AM on January 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
I would prefer not to take a big loss by selling it on ebay etc.
Thing is, the cost of adapting it to work as an island hood might actually exceed the loss you'd take selling it on ebay or Craigslist. I think it will be best, in the long run, to take the hit and get a hood made to hang over an island. You actually might be surprised how little of a loss you'd have to take reselling it.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:55 AM on January 12, 2015 [4 favorites]
Thing is, the cost of adapting it to work as an island hood might actually exceed the loss you'd take selling it on ebay or Craigslist. I think it will be best, in the long run, to take the hit and get a hood made to hang over an island. You actually might be surprised how little of a loss you'd have to take reselling it.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:55 AM on January 12, 2015 [4 favorites]
You're going to lose a lot of the visual impact/appeal that the suspended model would have if you try to make this one do. I would sell it and get the right model.
posted by beagle at 8:10 AM on January 12, 2015
posted by beagle at 8:10 AM on January 12, 2015
A clever builder/ carpenter could fabricate a sheet metal back for the hood, reinforced with plywood, and bracketed or otherwise attached to the ceiling. It will cost, and it will only be as perfect as you pay for.
talk to the vendor, explain the situation, ask them to exchange it. They might.
posted by theora55 at 8:50 AM on January 12, 2015
talk to the vendor, explain the situation, ask them to exchange it. They might.
posted by theora55 at 8:50 AM on January 12, 2015
Kludging this hood is a terrible idea. It would be ugly and unsafe. Don't do it.
posted by ovvl at 6:32 AM on January 14, 2015
posted by ovvl at 6:32 AM on January 14, 2015
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posted by Mitheral at 9:14 PM on January 11, 2015 [1 favorite]