[gante]

Hi all,

At the new place I just moved this week the range hood vent goes into the attic. I wanted to install a vent cap to take it to exahust through the roof. Right now I have other priorities and work to take care of first. Is it a big deal if I leave it like that for a few months or is this a safety risk that will require proper installation soon?

 

[Caddyshack]

I would take care of that ASAP.

Picture this...
You have a pot of boiling water on the stove, so you turn on the fan to take the steam away. The steam goes into the attic and accumulates as moisture in your insulation and roof/sheathing/rafters. It won't take long before you lose insulation value and start decay. If it's winter the moisture will accumulate and melt all at once leaving you with a pretty good amount of water up there in spring.

I'd vent it out the soffit unless you can do a good job of flashing/sealing around a roof vent.

Unless of course you don't cook in your house.

Later.

 

[Bob Mariani]

Picture this is that one did not scare you enough. The volatilized oil you are venting is building in the attic. A flash fire from a pan is sucked into the vent. Within 5 minutes your house is gone. Vent it now. Vent it through the roof.

 

[Ron6519]

This seems to be a pre existing condition of the previous owners. I would check out what has happened so far. Is the attic moist around the area? Is there evidence of cooking oil covering insulation and the framing? If there is, I would move it up the list. Especially if you cook a lot.
If not, it does need to be done, but not at "the sky is falling" speed.
Ron

 

[gante]

Ok, this seems to be more critical than I thought. I will make in a priority in my list.

 

[Maintenance 6]

If the duct runs through a cold space in the attic, you should probably insulate the outside of the duct. Ducts like that are notorious for condensation problems that run back down into the living space. Or, if they don't run straight, condensation will accumulate in low spots, causing galvanized steel ducts to rust through. You should use a duct wrap type insulation that is fire resistant.

 

[gante]

If the duct runs through a cold space in the attic, you should probably insulate the outside of the duct. Ducts like that are notorious for condensation problems that run back down into the living space. Or, if they don't run straight, condensation will accumulate in low spots, causing galvanized steel ducts to rust through. You should use a duct wrap type insulation that is fire resistant.

Good advice, will keep it in mind.

 

[Wildie]

If you choose to vent it out the soffit, make sure that any moisture will run to the outside! Not back into the range hood!