The Home Ownership Thread

[otc]

How big of a CO risk is there really?

I would guess that a vast majority of people live with a standalone stove that vents back into the same room and no outside ventilating hood. It's dumb to shove that stuff into the wall, but the alternative was to probably just leave it in your kitchen.

 

[jgold47]

Can't vent into nothing. Either outside or back inside. It's not about CO it's about comfort. Shooting grease into a wall cavity is a terrible idea.

 

[otc]



Can't vent into nothing. Either outside or back inside. It's not about CO it's about comfort. Shooting grease into a wall cavity is a terrible idea.

That's what I meant--I'm surprised the contractor was concerned about the CO issue at all considering where it goes if you don't have a vent system...but he sure as hell should be worried about sending all of that grease from the vent hood into the walls.

 

[imatlas]

If you have a gas range and one of those vent-less hoods, how significant is the CO risk?

 

[Ataturk]

If I recall correctly from the warnings on my greenhouse heater, not very. That is, unless you heat your house with the stove and run it constantly for days. People do that, though.

Obviously it depends on how big your house is and how well sealed it is. The range might also have a cutoff to keep it from suffocating you.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

Mine recirculates, its on my list of things to change but it's quite involved.

I open a window when cooking on the stovetop.

 

[otc]



If you have a gas range and one of those vent-less hoods, how significant is the CO risk?

Barely existent. Every apartment I have ever lived in has had a gas range and no hood at all (I bought a recirculating hood in my current place to control the grease a bit and provide some light but it is probably the only one in a 30 unit building). And hell, a lot of newer large buildings are designed with the kitchens nowhere near an exterior wall so you don't even get a nearby window.

The stove/range doesn't have any sort of cutoff...maybe some modern ones do, but not the ones that they have been putting in non-luxury apartments for the past 50 years.

I'd love to be able to vent outside...but that would be mostly for grease and heat control.

 

[aravenel]

God I would love an actual exhaust for my stove.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

I'm very tempted. Unfortunately there is no way for me to find out how feasible it is short of removing either the drywall or cutting a hole in the side of my house.

 

[Ataturk]

I have one of those downdraft vents that don't do anything. I'd like to get one that pops up over the stove.

 

[otc]

I think my recirculating one that I installed a little while ago does something.

It definitely shines a light on my range which is nice...but I do think that it pulls some of the grease out of the air and the activated charcoal does pull out some of the cooking smells. The grease screens are washable, but I don't know that I will want to keep buying charcoal filters (which also cut down on the volume of air being moved and thus probably limit the grease removal).

I wish it could vent outside, so it could pull heat with it, but winter is almost here so it isn't a big concern. Maybe my building would let me punch a hole in the wall, but I don't really want to ask them...venting outside would give me slightly higher airflow and much better grease/odor handling (since you no longer have to catch it all in a filter or trap if it is going straight outside).

 

[RedLantern]

Got my chimneys swept over the weekend. Woke up yesterday to some strange noises coming from downstairs. The chimney sweep left the damper open and a pretty decent sized bird was down there freaking out. Soot and bird poop everywhere. Thankfully I called the business and they guys are back over here cleaning it up.

 

[Ataturk]

A chimney cap or a damper down inside the fireplace? 'Cause it seems to me if it's the latter you were spared having a dead bird fall on you when you opened it up...

 

[RedLantern]

No, they swept both chimneys, then attempted to sell me caps at the princely sum of $150 dollars each, which I declined as I am more than capable of putting on a $30 chimney cap myself.

 

[Ataturk]

That's the spirit! Take advantage of how you can actually walk on your roof. You could easily put a third story on my house the damn thing is so steep. Blocks the morning sun to my back yard -- would like to have that for the greenhouse in the winter.

I decided to go cheap on that, by the way, so it's just going to be pvc and plastic sheeting, to be dissembled and stored in the spring. Kind of an eyesore, but at least it's a four-month-a-year eyesore instead of a useless oven for the other eight months. It'll look something like this: