Range hood

[Kim Sheehan]

Finalizing our configuration and trying to decide on having or not having a range hood. Thinking the max fan should a good enough job with windows open. No range hood means one less opening in the trailer for cold/ heat and critters. Thought and advice please.

[diannelgraham]

Originally Posted by Kim Sheehan

Finalizing our configuration and trying to decide on having or not having a range hood. Thinking the max fan should a good enough job with windows open. No range hood means one less opening in the trailer for cold/ heat and critters. Thought and advice please.

I had a hood fan in my 19 but decided to eliminate it on my 21C and go with two Maxx fans. I don't cook any greasy foods in my trailer. I like the fact you get an extra light above the stove if you do this. Having the window cracked and the Maxx fan on out works just fine.

[WillyB]

If you cook inside without the exhaust hood the grease laden vapor would then collect on the underside of the overhead cabinet before reaching the MaxFan. The rising heat would also be in contact with the overhead cabinet.

This is not solid wood. It is a very thin piece of vinyl textured to look like wood that is attached to 1/4" Luan plywood.

We don't cook inside very much but have during bad weather. I'd rather wipe of a painted metal piece.

[Selkirk]

I think it depends how much you intend to use the cooktop/stove in your trailer.

I cook inside very frequently, and would not want to go without a range hood.

I don't eat particularly greasy foods, but find that the filter and fan within the hood still accumulate quite a bit of gunk. It's straightforward to periodically clean it . I would not want to see all that drawn across the upper cabinets/ceiling and through the max fan.

The vent hood has an overhead light built-in.

[diannelgraham]

If your only concern is another opening then go with the range hood, nothing is going to crawl through the opening. I've had my 21C since Dec of 2021 and I travel 6 to 7 months every year. I have never cleaned the underside of the cabinets above the stove except for dusting. I just felt it with my hand and a wipe...no grease or build up of any kind. I eliminated to hood for a different reason. It makes the kitchen area in my 21c much more open and bright and the double light that gets installed is great.

[Ron in BC]

My friend went without the range hood less than a year ago. Last week he was commenting on what a nuisance it was to clean the Maxxfan.

If you sit facing down the counter with a range light on you can often see the grease and water vapor swirl upwards. I'm happy to see it going into the range hood.

As others have said, it largely depends on how much you cook inside. Some folks say they never cook inside.

Ron

[SageRpod]

We didn't have a range hood in our previous two campers and even though we usually cook outside, the times we did cook we wish we could vent out. We use our vent hood even when we simply put a kettle to boil.

[Steve Clark]

Originally Posted by SageRpod

We didn't have a range hood in our previous two campers and even though we usually cook outside, the times we did cook we wish we could vent out. We use our vent hood even when we simply put a kettle to boil.

Yes! Instructions for using the propane stovetop direct the vent fan to be turned on!

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by Kim Sheehan

Finalizing our configuration and trying to decide on having or not having a range hood. Thinking the max fan should a good enough job with windows open. No range hood means one less opening in the trailer for cold/ heat and critters. Thought and advice please.

In my opinion a rangehood is essential for moisture management in the trailer. The propane burners on your stove top produce a ton of moisture. 1.6 pounds of moisture into your space for every pound of propane burned.

C3H8 (propane) + 5O2 (oxygen) → 3CO2 (carbon dioxide) 4H2O (water)

So, where is all that extra weight coming from? In fact, very little of the weight of the water produced comes from the propane itself. By weight, water is mostly oxygen, and the oxygen comes from the air. If we add the molar mass of the remaining molecules, the equation balances nicely:
44 g Propane + 5 * 32 g Oxygen → 3 * 44 g Carbon Dioxide + 4 * 18 g Water
44 g Propane + 160 g Oxygen → 132 g Carbon Dioxide + 72 g Water
204 g Reactants → 204 g Products

This moisture output from propane, in addition to their using up all the oxygen is why I feel catalytic propane heaters like Wave or Buddy have no place in a small space, especially a tightly sealed one like a molded fiberglass trailer.

You're going to have a lot more heat transfer with your MaxxAir fan open than using a rangehood. Using the MaxxAir fan will draw any grease and odors from your cooking across the interior of the trailer.

Add that the rangehood in the Escape is NOT in the way. It extends about 2 1/2 inches in front of the upper cabinets. It is not a head hazard like some people like to promote. I'm 6' tall and my wife is 5'4" tall neither of us has ever hit our heads on the rangehood in our 2020 Escape 19.

I wouldn't even think about not having a rangehood.

Edit: By the way, do you want to have to worry about what you can or can not cook, or if you can even cook at all inside your trailer just because you didn't get a rangehood?

[Kim Sheehan]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Consensus is 'keep the range hood".

[iamunique127]

Our range hood has never been a bother and we use it every time we light the stove, as instructed in the trailer manual from ETI. We seldom cook in the trailer but do perk coffee and boil water. I wouldn't want the humidity rising straight up onto the bottom of the cupboards and dispersing through the trailer until it made its way to the MaxxAir fan.

[pkgman51]

I like having the range hood in our 19 to evacuate steam and cooking odors. I don't like banging my head on the darn thing. I haven't yet come up with a solution, a different hood that doesn't stick out so far. But, for us, we think the hood is better than not having it.

[Jim Bennett]

I would never go without a range hood fan either.

I want the moisture, smoke and oils to go straight out. I know I have mentioned it before, but being a renovation contractor I removed many older hood fans and the amount of gunk inside them and on the piping to the exterior was most often just terrible. I know that the fan will see more use in a home, but still the results are the same even if lesser.

I would not want any of this to exhaust over the interior of my trailer or get on the Maxxfan either.

I personally don't see a good reason to not have one.

[brroberts]

The hood is definitely good to have. I’ve never bumped into it, but did put corner protectors on the sharp metal corners just in case I ever do.

[Selkirk]

I believe the vent hood currently installed by ETI is sourced from Heng's. It is a considerably lower profile/slimmer design when compared to the unit supplied on older trailers (prior to 2020 or thereabouts).

I've never had an issue bumping into it, etc.

[Radar1]

I considered deleting the range hood on our 2020 19' because they used to stick out more. Ended up getting it after seeing pictures of the newer style. Glad I got it, I don't normally cook inside but sometimes I do, and I'm glad the steam and vapors go directly outside rather than traveling through our camper.

[Perry Butler]

We're all different and have different needs and wants.

Yes, Terry and I both hit our heads on the Hengs hood that came with our 5.0. I'm 5' 9" and Terry is 5' 4". At the recommendation of others here, we ended up putting kid table bumpers on the two corners to prevent bleeding. We're far from being the only one's who had that problem.

In 2021 or 2022, I removed the hood and installed a decent light above the stove. Contrary to what others have stated, the moisture was NOT trapped underneath the cabinet, because the hood was missing. We ran our Maxxfan 24/7 and the moisture moved to the Maxxfan like it should and we didn't have any grease buildup on either the cabinet underneath the stove, nor did we have any grease in our Maxxfan. We easily camped 400 or more nights without the hood and that grease buildup others are worried about never happened.

In the two winter trips that are about 90 days each, the two June trips that are around 25 days, and the fall trips around 45 days each, plus we have a seasonal campsite that is used 2-3 times a week when we're not traveling with the camper, so easily 400 nights of cooking without the hood.

In the winter 90% of the cooking is inside, in the fall >50% inside, but rarely in the summer do we cook inside. We had plenty of days to see if there was a grease buildup that would be worrisome. There never was. There is a difference of opinions between those who have actually removed the hood with good results and those who only speculate.

Our Bigfoot is a different matter. We have no fan in the kitchen/living room area, and really don't have enough room to install a fan in that area. Ironically, the purchaser of our 5.0 decided not to want the 5.0's fan that was removed. I'd already purchased the fancy 2 speed fan with light (can't remember the model) that many purchased in 2019-2020 that was never installed. That wonderful, quiet fan was installed in the stainless Hengs hood from our 5.0 and is now sitting in place in the Bigfoot.


Guess what, neither Terry or myself have hit our heads on the corners on that same fan in our Bigfoot that we hit our heads in the 5.0. The upper cabinets in the Bigfoot are a little lower than in our 5.0, so I'm guessing that explains the difference.

Again, we're all different and have different needs and wants..

Food for thought,

Perry

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Perry Butler

In the winter 90% of the cooking is inside, in the fall >50% inside, but rarely in the summer do we cook inside. We had plenty of days to see if there was a grease buildup that would be worrisome. There never was. There is a difference of opinions between those who have actually removed the hood with good results and those who only speculate.

Curious, did you wash the vinyl and cabinetry before you sold your trailer or did you just look at it and because the grease wasn't obvious and evident you didn't think it was there?

All I know, is I've painted enough kitchens in homes over the years, there's no way I'd ever do without a range hood. I don't want moisture or 'grease' to be drug over the cabinetry and vinyl before it goes out. Even perking coffee has oils from the beans.

But to each his own. Just be sure to use critical thinking skills and not someone's opinion to make your decisions...

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Curious, did you wash the vinyl and cabinetry before you sold your trailer or did you just look at it and because the grease wasn't obvious and evident you didn't think it was there?

All I know, is I've painted enough kitchens in homes over the years, there's no way I'd ever do without a range hood. I don't want moisture or 'grease' to be drug over the cabinetry and vinyl before it goes out. Even perking coffee has oils from the beans.

But to each his own. Just be sure to use critical thinking skills and not someone's opinion to make your decisions...

It's shocking how much different the paint under the kitchen light fixture looks when you take it off. You have no idea that things were that dirty just by looking at it. You don't notice it, because it builds up slowly.

[alanmalk]

I deleted from the build list the "oversized" range hood in our 2015. An extra light took its place and we gained some visual space. We have a hard and fast rule: If the stove is on then a window is cracked and the Maxxfan is on. All cooking of meats and most everything else is done outdoors.

Rain or snow calls for PB&J.

(I really do like PB&J.)