Hi, I just purchased a Grand Comfort 550 cook stove and was wondering if I should get a stove hood/exhaust fan for it. I know it has a stove pipe but what about all the moisture and odors generated from cooking that won't go up the stove pipe? If so, how many CFMs should it have?
Stove hood (exhaust fan) for wood burning cook stove
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No there would be to much risk from pulling a negative pressure that close to the stove
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
Do you have an externally vented range hood now? If so how much do you use it. We don’t. The microwave fan just sucks it through the grease grill and blows it out the top of the microwave. I’m getting to the point that I think exhaust fans cause more problems than they solve.
Thank you so much for your replies. I really appreciate the time you took to help me with this . It's amazing how little information there is out there on this topic. I have been trying to find get information for some time now. Could you please tell me what kind of risk the negative pressure would cause? Would it pull the fire up? And to answer the other person's question, we are just building our house so we don't have anything yet. We are going to have a small electric stove next to the wood stove and we have to have a stove hood for that one by code. After reading your response about the negative pressure, it occurred to me that we could have a small stove hood over the electric stove and encompass that and the wood stove in a custom metal Hood. That way at least the hood would catch some of the moisture instead of it spreading around the house. Do you think that's a good idea or should we just not put anything above the wood stove? Thanks so much!
The hood could reverse the draft and pull carbon dioxide into the house which could possibly kill you. Make sure you have some CO2 detectors in the kitchen.
Thank you for that. Sounds dangerous. Would the carbon dioxide come from the smoke going up through the chimney or from gas in the house? We dont have gas in our house, just electricity.
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
CO carbon monoxide is deadlier than CO2. Both are byproduct of combustion. So the exhaust fan sucks air out of the house. If enough air is removed from the house your could reverse the draft on the chimney/flue and smoke a would come out if the stove into the house. We don’t have CO2 detectors we have CO. Code requires fresh air vent if the range hood is above a certain CFM. But that means you have designed a path for cold air to get directly into your home.
Geez, that sounds complicated. We also have a small electric stove that will be next to the wood burning stove and it has to have an exhaust fan by code. And as you said, if its over 400 CFMs we have to have a makeup air system that brings outside air back into the house. It sounds like we should talk to someone who could help us figure this out. Does anyone know who that would be? A building scientist or someone like that?
It's not very complicated. A stove works by directing the airflow into the air inlet, combustion chamber, and out of the chimney. If that goes the other way around because air is being sucked out of the room, then dangerous gases come out of the air inlet.
I would first ask your local code compliance office.
Then a fire department.
They deal with legality and safety of installs.
I would first ask your local code compliance office.
Then a fire department.
They deal with legality and safety of installs.
If required by code you certainly could install a vent hood for the electric range. But absolutely never turn it on when the wood stove is running
Wow, I never would have known that. I sure appreciate your advice. You'd think they would tell you all this when you buy a stove. And thank you for the explanation, Stoveliker. That makes sense. I will definitely reach out to the permit office. They also have a fire prevention department. I don't know why I didnt think of that before. But no matter what they tell me, I will be sure to not have any exhaust fans on when I use my wood burning stove. You guys have been so helpful. Thank you!
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