Eigenvector wrote:
What to do here. My new house has a wall vent instead of a hood for the
oven and I'm not sure what to do here. There is a painted metal lid on the
outside of the house and a fan inbetween. The only issue is that the
original owner duck taped the whole thing over and I think its been that way
for about 20 years. As much as I love the idea of peeling back the layers
to expose all sorts of spiders, ants, termites, and maybe even a bird I
don't want to basically create a 1 1/2 foot hole in my already air leaky
house.

Anybody have any experience with them and whether it is something I might
want to restore and get working again, or should I crack out the saw and
replace it for good? I do want a vent for the oven, if only so my house
doesn't smell like sauteed onions and baked cod.

if there is a space for a range hood, i wouldn't hesitate to install a
real hood. they are not big ticket items. hardest part can be getting
a wire to them, but if you have a fan then you should have electricity
close. the through wall fan sounds like someones brilliant idea that
didn't work or why would it be covered?