Kitchen vent fan removal/ sealing?
etemte
| Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on
Good day,
I’m doing a kitchen renovation that requires me to close off and properly insulate an old kitchen ventilation unit that is plumbed directly through the roof.
The unit being removed is an old Nutone round fan with roughly a ten inch opening for the fan and a large duct running straight about 2′ up then penetrating the roof. I will have no use for this fan in the new kitchen layout, so I simply want to close it off and insulate the area.
My home has a rubber membrane roof that’s in pretty good condition, so I’d like to leave it intact if possible.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Replies
best to get a roofer to patch it for you once you remove it, nothing worse than a new reno being flooded by not doing something you figured you could put off ..
I should add that the vent has a completely functional roof cap. I investigated getting a roofer out to patch the membrane, but have had difficulty finding someone
skilled at rubber membrane repair who was willing to tackle such a
small repair for a reasonable sum. I was hoping there would be a way to literally cap the vent pipe with something watertight, remove the pipe a bit below roofline, use spray foam or something similar to fill the pipe, and fill the hole in the joint space with the same insulation as the rest of my attic.If I were doing this work as a contractor I would certainly work to get my clients to agree to have the roof done. However, as I'm the client, I hope to postpone that roofing work if possible, even if it means living with a less-than ideal solution for a year. Thanks!
I'd just leave the roof cap until your roof needs to be redone. The only possible issue with that if you leave it open on the inside is that you short circuit the soffit/ridge venting. You could just take some al foil, remove the vertical piece in the attic and seal it. The roof cap should keep water out of the venting. Is your roof flat or low slope?For the penetration between the kitchen roof and the attic, you should seal this and insulate like the rest of the attic.
My roof is low slope, 2/12, I believe. Thanks bluegoat!