How to Insert a Range Hood

Insert a range hood to keep your kitchen's air clean.

If you want more visibility and less smoke around the burners of your stove, insert an overhead range hood. The hood assembly includes a light to help you see your food. The fan and filter inside the hood circulates the air to remove odor and smoke before it can move to the other rooms of the house. You can insert your own range hood without any specialized knowledge or tools, but you may need an assistant to hold the range hood up while you work.

Things You'll Need

• Volt meter
• Range hood
• Pencil
• Level
• Electric drill
• Mounting screws (should be included with hood assembly)
• Screwdriver
• Wire caps

Instructions

1. Inspect the kitchen cabinet above the range to see if it meets the necessary requirements for an exhaust hood. There should be a cutout in the cabinet that is large enough for the hood, along with electrical wiring that extends at least one foot past the cabinet opening. If the wiring needs work, call an electrician instead of attempting to do the work yourself.

2. Go to the home's circuit breaker box and turn off the switch for the kitchen. Go back inside and test the wires with a volt meter to make sure the power is off before you start working.

3. Ask someone to hold the range hood against the kitchen cabinet so you can decide on its location. The hood should be placed as close to the middle of the range as possible. Mark the location of the hood with a pencil. Lower the hood and use a level to see if your proposed location is straight. If not, repeat this step until you have marked a straight line.

4. Have your assistant lift the range hood up to the wall again so you can mark the position of the mounting screw holes. Lower the hood and drill holes for the screws with an electric drill.

5. Look for a metal panel on the rear of the range hood assembly. This panel covers the electrical wiring and may be held on with retention clips or screws. Pry off the knockout plug in the back of the hood with a flathead screwdriver or butter knife.

6. Insert the ends of the electrical wires through the hole in the range hood that had been covered by the knockout plug. You may need to have your assistant lift the hood as you handle the wiring. Pull the wires tight so there is no slack caught between the cabinet and the hood assembly. Secure the hood assembly to the cabinet by inserting the screws into the holes you drilled. Tighten the screws until the hood is straight and does not wobble if you push on it.

7. Attach the wires from the home to the wiring inside the range hood assembly. Connect the home's black wires to the hood's black wires and the home's white wires to the hood's white wires. You will see two sets of black and white wires on each side. One set powers the hood's fan and the other powers the light. Cover your connections with wire caps. Loop the home's green ground wire around the hood's ground screw.

8. Tuck all of the wiring inside the range hood assembly and replace the metal cover. Tighten the screws or clips that hold the cover in place. Go to the circuit breaker box and turn the switch to the kitchen back on.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear safety goggles and a face mask when using an electric drill or any other power tools.

References

• How to Insert a Range Hood