Range hood installation in Ottawa

Under-cabinet hood

The standard 30-inch hood screwed to the underside of the cabinet above the stove. It is the simplest install when a duct and an outlet already exist: remove the old hood, transfer or fit the damper, connect the duct, wire or plug in, level and secure. The complication is the duct. Many Ottawa kitchens from the 1970s to the 1990s have a hood that recirculates through a charcoal filter with no duct at all, and adding one means cutting through the cabinet and the exterior wall.

Over-the-range microwave with a hood

A microwave that doubles as a hood, hung on a wall bracket and bolted up through the cabinet above. It needs its own dedicated 120-volt outlet inside that cabinet, a bracket fixed to studs, and a duct that leaves either out the top or out the back, with the blower inside rotated to match. It takes two people and a template. For problems with an existing unit, see microwave repair.

Wall-mount chimney hood

The stainless canopy with a chimney cover that runs up to the ceiling. It mounts on the wall with a bracket into studs or a backing plate, and the chimney hides a round duct that goes up and out through the roof or turns and exits the wall. The mounting height above the cooktop matters (typically 24 to 30 inches for electric, more for gas), and the chimney sections are cut to suit the ceiling.

Island hoods and insert (built-in) hoods

Island hoods hang from ceiling joists with a duct through the attic; inserts sit inside a custom cabinet or a plaster hood. Both are quoted after a site look, because the ceiling structure and the duct route decide the job.

• The right duct. Rigid metal duct sized to the hood outlet (usually 6 or 7 inches round, or 3¼ × 10 rectangular), with as few bends as possible. Flexible foil duct traps grease and is not acceptable for a kitchen exhaust.
• A backdraft damper at the hood and a proper exterior cap with its own flap, so Ottawa winter air does not pour back into the kitchen.
• Sealed joints with foil tape (not cloth duct tape), and insulation on the duct where it runs through unheated space, so it does not drip condensation in January.
• Correct height and level above the cooktop, per the manufacturer’s spec for gas or electric.
• Electrical. Most hoods plug into an outlet in the cabinet or are hard-wired to a junction box behind the hood. Where a new outlet or circuit is needed, we tell you before the day so it can be arranged; the install itself does not include running new house wiring.
• Testing. Every speed, the lights and the damper, plus a smoke or tissue test at the exterior cap to confirm the air is actually leaving the house.
• The old hood and packaging. If you want them taken away, ask when you book and we confirm whether haul-away is available.

A recirculating hood pulls air through a charcoal filter and pushes it back into the room. It takes out some smell and none of the moisture or heat. A ducted hood removes all three. In a tightly built Ottawa house that is closed up and heated for half the year, a ducted range hood is one of the few ways to get cooking moisture out before it ends up as frost on the windows.

If a duct is feasible, we recommend it. If it is not (some condos, some interior walls), a good recirculating hood with fresh filters is the fallback, and we will tell you which situation you have.

A hood whose fan is dead, whose lights have failed or whose switches have stopped working is often repairable for less than a new unit. Our range hood repair in Ottawa page covers those repairs, and the fault pages range hood fan not working and range hood light not working explain what fails. Typical repair pricing is on range hood repair cost in Ottawa.

Where the hood is more than fifteen years old, undersized for the cooktop, or you are changing to a wider range, replacing makes more sense, and we can do both the removal and the new install in one visit.

• Width: at least as wide as the cooktop; 30 inches for a standard range, 36 for a 36-inch range or a heavy-use gas cooktop.
• Airflow: for a typical electric range, 300 to 400 CFM is plenty; a gas range or a professional-style cooktop wants more. Above roughly 400 CFM, building rules can call for make-up air, which is a conversation to have before buying a 900 CFM hood.
• Noise: look at the sone rating at the speed you will actually use, not the maximum.
• Gas ranges: the hood height and CFM guidance is stricter. If you are installing a gas range at the same time, the hook-up is gas work, done in Ontario by a TSSA-certified technician with a leak test (in Gatineau, gas work is confirmed when you book). If you ever smell gas, leave the house and call Enbridge Gas, Gazifère in Gatineau, or 911 from outside. See stove installation in Ottawa.

Installs are quoted in writing before work starts, once we know the hood type, whether a duct exists, and the wall and ceiling construction. A like-for-like under-cabinet swap on an existing duct and outlet is the low end; a chimney hood with a new duct through a brick wall or a roof is the high end. Book the install with the model number and a photo of the current setup, and we come back to you with a written quote.

If you would rather have a technician look first, book a diagnostic visit; its fee is credited to any repair you approve. Warranty terms for a hood install come with the written quote, and hoods we install can be serviced afterward by the same team. We work from 7 AM to 9 PM, and a visit booked between 9 PM and 7 AM carries a $100 flat after-hours fee.

Hoods go up in kitchens across Ottawa: Centretown, the Glebe, Westboro, Alta Vista, Gloucester, Orléans, Riverside South, Manotick, Barrhaven, Nepean, Kanata and Stittsville. Across the river: appliance installation in Gatineau, Hull and Aylmer; en français, installation d’électroménagers à Gatineau and réparation de hotte à Gatineau.

The parent page for all of our installation work is appliance installation in Ottawa. Other appliance guides: fridge installation, stove installation, dishwasher installation and washer and dryer installation. We have served Ottawa kitchens since 1995, in English and French.