How to Install a Range Vent Without the Side Cabinets

Hold the mounting bracket of the hood up against your kitchen wall where you intend to install the vent. Mark the wall where the bracket will screw into it. Draw an outline on the wall with the marker where the vent hole must be placed. Mark any cutouts required for electric cables.

Drill holes into the wall with the drill, marking the corners of the hole for the vent. Press the drill forward until the bit breaks through the exterior wood or siding on your home. Cut holes in the drywall for the vent and electric cables using the craft knife.

Draw lines connecting the four drilled holes on the exterior of your home with the marker and a straightedge. Cut through the wood or siding with the reciprocating saw, opening up the hole to the exterior. Remove any drywall or insulation caught inside the hole so you have a clear path from the exterior of your home into the kitchen.

Turn off power to your kitchen at your fuse box. Supply power to the range hood by running cable from the closest electrical receptacle or junction box up to the hole you cut for them in the wall. Run the 3-wire NM cable from the hole you cut in the wall for the range vent down to the receptacle. Expose the wires inside the NM cable by peeling back the rubber coating with the wire cutters. Connect the black circuit wire in the NM cable with the black wire in the receptacle. Connect the white NM wire to the white neutral wire lead in the box. Tuck the wires away inside the receptacle and screw the face plate back on.

Remove the knockout covering the range hood’s electrical wires. Mount the range hood bracket to the wall using masonry screws. Drill the screws into wall studs, since you have no side cabinets to use as support.

Attach the duct cap to the exterior of your home by pushing it into the hole you made until it connects with the range hood. Screw it into place, then apply a bead of caulk all the way around the cap where it connects to your home’s exterior.

Connect the wires inside the range hood to those in the cable you ran to supply power. Match the wires by splicing the white wire in the cable to the white fixture lead, the black wire to the black lead and the ground wire to the green lead. Secure the spliced ends with wire nuts. Tuck the wires away and replace the knockout.

Attach the rest of the range hood to the mounting bracket. Turn on power to the kitchen at the fuse box.