Cory Musser
TVWBB Fan
Does anyone use an oven hood in say, their garage for ventilation for the WSM? I was thinking about doing this but I don't know if it would provide adequate ventilation. Any thoughts?
Oven hood in garage?
- Thread starter Cory Musser
- Start date
adam clyde
TVWBB Pro
I'm not so sure it would work. It would need to be really powerful (and even then, may not be enough for the amount of smoke generated when igniting a chimney or something like that... you'd probably have to do that outside).
Also, others will definitely have to weigh in on this since I don't know for sure, but my guess is that you'd still be facing a considerable carbon monoxide threat. You'd have to get some sensitive monitors in there to make sure you aren't poisoning the garage, or house for that matter.
All that said... commercial kitchens obviously have powerful enough ventilations to allow for it. But I'm guessing they aren't cheap...
Also, others will definitely have to weigh in on this since I don't know for sure, but my guess is that you'd still be facing a considerable carbon monoxide threat. You'd have to get some sensitive monitors in there to make sure you aren't poisoning the garage, or house for that matter.
All that said... commercial kitchens obviously have powerful enough ventilations to allow for it. But I'm guessing they aren't cheap...
Craig Castille
TVWBB Wizard
I don't know....but I would think you would need areally good commercial one. Don't think I'd do it though.
It shouldn't be too much trouble if you take a few things into consideration. I dable in homebrewing and looked at a setup for my basement before reality hit.
First is that you need to get the dangerous air out. A blower from simple stovetop hood @200 cfm should do it for a running WSM, but you will need a range hood that captures the gas as it rises. That will probably need to be custom built unless you get into a larger $500+ hood. Sears has a variety.
I'd be wary about lighting a chimney full of charcoal indoors under any circumstances. Getting it going outdoors and throwing it in the WSM when it is ready probably wouldn't be a problem.
Second is replacement air. As you pull all the air out of the garage through the hood you need to at least crack a window so new air gets sucked in. I'd probably put the garage door up 6 inches or so.
A CO alarm that displays digital levels is a must too.
If your doing it to stay warm, remember that the fan is pulling a few hundred cfm of heated air out and pulling in cold air to replace it.
Like I said it can be done, but wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to put the WSM a few feet outside your garage.
First is that you need to get the dangerous air out. A blower from simple stovetop hood @200 cfm should do it for a running WSM, but you will need a range hood that captures the gas as it rises. That will probably need to be custom built unless you get into a larger $500+ hood. Sears has a variety.
I'd be wary about lighting a chimney full of charcoal indoors under any circumstances. Getting it going outdoors and throwing it in the WSM when it is ready probably wouldn't be a problem.
Second is replacement air. As you pull all the air out of the garage through the hood you need to at least crack a window so new air gets sucked in. I'd probably put the garage door up 6 inches or so.
A CO alarm that displays digital levels is a must too.
If your doing it to stay warm, remember that the fan is pulling a few hundred cfm of heated air out and pulling in cold air to replace it.
Like I said it can be done, but wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to put the WSM a few feet outside your garage.
Cory Musser
TVWBB Fan
I really wasn't looking at to keep warm as my garage isn't heated but more to keep it out of the wind. Maybe I should just build a wind screen instead. I thought maybe I could get away with it. But it sounds like it might be more involved than making a screen anyway. Thanks for the advice.
The stuff I posted was for a basement and is probably overkill for a garage. CO "weighs" about the same as air, so it would have wanted to stay in the basement. Its also a living area so I was worried about the family.
If you think of the garage as a windscreen with a roof, I would think a cracked garage door and a powered vent in the ceiling that blows outside would be adequate. A bathroom-type fan may even be enough to get the nasties and smoke out. Just make sure to get a CO detector that displays levels to be safe. Having someone check on you would probably make sense too.
I'm surprised nobody has tried it yet. Then again, I'm suddenly reminded about a post a few weeks back about someone having a grease fire in their WSM. I think they desribed it as flames shooting out of a chimney. Maybe the indoor thing isn't all that great of an idea due to fire versus byproducts.
If you think of the garage as a windscreen with a roof, I would think a cracked garage door and a powered vent in the ceiling that blows outside would be adequate. A bathroom-type fan may even be enough to get the nasties and smoke out. Just make sure to get a CO detector that displays levels to be safe. Having someone check on you would probably make sense too.
I'm surprised nobody has tried it yet. Then again, I'm suddenly reminded about a post a few weeks back about someone having a grease fire in their WSM. I think they desribed it as flames shooting out of a chimney. Maybe the indoor thing isn't all that great of an idea due to fire versus byproducts.
Lou Tarnay
TVWBB Fan
I've toyed with this idea as well. In the end I gave it up too. I'm not honking my own horn here, just qualifying my statements. I'm the construcction project manager for a small college here in Oregon.
First the practical concerns. The volume of exhaust created at time of ignition and for the period when the unit is "hot" and cooling (that is above the normal operating temperature) will be very high. We must remember that we are not just exhausting hot air or relatively low combustion fumes from natural gas. We are trying to exhaust gas from wood combustion. Much more toxic than what comes from a stove or oven! You will need a very stout fan during these periods in order to stay out of trouble. I'm talking about a duct fan in the 650-2000 cfm range. These are not cheap. Make-up air is easy in a garage. Just leave the door fully open during these higher exhaust periods (common sense). The hood should be as close (low) over the lid as you can make it and still be able to do your cook. After the unit settles down to it's operating temp., you can close your garage door MOST OF THE WAY. It should still be open 6"-12"(big opening, lots of air available even when mostly closed). I would have the garage door fully open any time I went in to check on the cook. A rate-of-rise or infrared smoke alarm would be very prudent as well (also not cheap).
As for the non-practical concerns, I think that your local building official will require very stringent installation conditions in order to do this work legally. This is if he allows it at all. In most jurisdictions in the USA you can not LEGALLY install a range hood before obtaining a building permit. That doesn't mean that someone has not already done a good job of doing this without a permit! Unfortunately, I can't do the same given my job and relationship with the local bulding officials!
Sorry to be such a wet rag.
Cheers
First the practical concerns. The volume of exhaust created at time of ignition and for the period when the unit is "hot" and cooling (that is above the normal operating temperature) will be very high. We must remember that we are not just exhausting hot air or relatively low combustion fumes from natural gas. We are trying to exhaust gas from wood combustion. Much more toxic than what comes from a stove or oven! You will need a very stout fan during these periods in order to stay out of trouble. I'm talking about a duct fan in the 650-2000 cfm range. These are not cheap. Make-up air is easy in a garage. Just leave the door fully open during these higher exhaust periods (common sense). The hood should be as close (low) over the lid as you can make it and still be able to do your cook. After the unit settles down to it's operating temp., you can close your garage door MOST OF THE WAY. It should still be open 6"-12"(big opening, lots of air available even when mostly closed). I would have the garage door fully open any time I went in to check on the cook. A rate-of-rise or infrared smoke alarm would be very prudent as well (also not cheap).
As for the non-practical concerns, I think that your local building official will require very stringent installation conditions in order to do this work legally. This is if he allows it at all. In most jurisdictions in the USA you can not LEGALLY install a range hood before obtaining a building permit. That doesn't mean that someone has not already done a good job of doing this without a permit! Unfortunately, I can't do the same given my job and relationship with the local bulding officials!
Sorry to be such a wet rag.
Cheers
Jerry N.
TVWBB Emerald Member
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Cory Musser:
I really wasn't looking at to keep warm as my garage isn't heated but more to keep it out of the wind. Maybe I should just build a wind screen instead. I thought maybe I could get away with it. But it sounds like it might be more involved than making a screen anyway. Thanks for the advice. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I would agree with you Cory, a wind screen would be easier to make that a ventilation system would be to install. I'm sure it would be cheaper too. Look at this post. Look at the photo's in the first post. It's a great enclosure. You could attach that to your garage.
I really wasn't looking at to keep warm as my garage isn't heated but more to keep it out of the wind. Maybe I should just build a wind screen instead. I thought maybe I could get away with it. But it sounds like it might be more involved than making a screen anyway. Thanks for the advice. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I would agree with you Cory, a wind screen would be easier to make that a ventilation system would be to install. I'm sure it would be cheaper too. Look at this post. Look at the photo's in the first post. It's a great enclosure. You could attach that to your garage.
Cory Musser
TVWBB Fan
Yeah I've seen that enclosure before. I love it. I don't know if I'm handy enough to build something like that but I'd like to try.
You can see how I conquered the dreaded CO, CO2, and steam issue in my basement brewery by looking here: http://twistedspine.org/brewery/
It could be done in the garage but you'll still need to leave the door open to provide make-up air. Personally, I wouldn't bother with it. Buy a BBQ Guru and a Silver Bullet Smoking Jacket and you'll cook just fine in below zero, windy weather.
When I moved this summer, I setup my brewery in the garage. The only hassle is carrying carboys down the basement steps, but I solved the safety part of that problem with Better Bottles (PET plastic carboys).
Don't kill yourself
It could be done in the garage but you'll still need to leave the door open to provide make-up air. Personally, I wouldn't bother with it. Buy a BBQ Guru and a Silver Bullet Smoking Jacket and you'll cook just fine in below zero, windy weather.
When I moved this summer, I setup my brewery in the garage. The only hassle is carrying carboys down the basement steps, but I solved the safety part of that problem with Better Bottles (PET plastic carboys).
Don't kill yourself
Matt Miller
New member
I sell commercial kitchen & welding hood systems. Buying a commercial system is expensive. However, you could always have a local sheetmetal shop build you a welding hood, run some "snap-lock" ductwork, and install a centrifugal fan on your outside wall or roof. You would need about 100cfm per sq/ft of hood to get a good exhaust system going.
Just thought I would throw in my 2 cents.
Matt
Just thought I would throw in my 2 cents.
Matt