Make-up air for a kitchen hood, with the filter somewhere you can reach it
What we found
A large kitchen range hood was moving more air out of the house than the house could replace on its own.
Air that leaves has to come back from somewhere. In a reasonably tight house the easiest path back in is down whatever flue is handy, which is the opposite of what you want a furnace flue doing while somebody is cooking.
What we did
Installed a powered make-up air unit that brings outside air in while the hood is running.
The intake hood is on the brick outside, screened and set clear of the ground. The duct and its balancing damper run along the garage ceiling, and the filter section sits in the garage on purpose: changing that filter is a two-minute job there, and an afternoon of pulling down ceiling panels anywhere else.
What can wait
The filter is the only thing on this that needs attention, and it is now somewhere the homeowner can change it without calling anybody.
Service: Furnace installation and replacement
