Non-ducted range hood maintenance

[Cropduster172]

We've had two different brands of non-ducted range hoods in our primary home. The first two were identical installed in two different homes ...they were Maytag non-ducted. The current one installed is a Broan. When you don't or in our case can't have a duct to vent outside, you have to use these charcoal filters... different designs for different brands
All of the manufacturers preach that you cannot clean the charcoal filters, only the metal mesh filters.
I have been cleaning and reusing both for years now and it's been working just fine.
I've read a bit about the science behind activated charcoal and it's air/contaminant filtering properties. I'm not so sure about it.
The replacements are $30/pair and it's recommended to replace them after 30 hours of cooking...so it's $1/hour to have charcoal filtration?
I don't think so. I've placed the metal mesh filters in the dishwasher and I clean the charcoal ones in the sink with Dawn and Simple Green...rinse thoroughly and set them on the deck to dry.
Anyone else with non-ducted range hoods? Thoughts?

 

[Kestas]

I never saw the point with non-ducted hoods. Every home our family lived in, my dad would modify the hood to vent outside.

 

[UncleDave]

We've had two different brands of non-ducted range hoods in our primary home. The first two were identical installed in two different homes ...they were Maytag non-ducted. The current one installed is a Broan. When you don't or in our case can't have a duct to vent outside, you have to use these charcoal filters... different designs for different brands
All of the manufacturers preach that you cannot clean the charcoal filters, only the metal mesh filters.
I have been cleaning and reusing both for years now and it's been working just fine.
I've read a bit about the science behind activated charcoal and it's air/contaminant filtering properties. I'm not so sure about it.
The replacements are $30/pair and it's recommended to replace them after 30 hours of cooking...so it's $1/hour to have charcoal filtration?
I don't think so. I've placed the metal mesh filters in the dishwasher and I clean the charcoal ones in the sink with Dawn and Simple Green...rinse thoroughly and set them on the deck to dry.
Anyone else with non-ducted range hoods? Thoughts?

I dont think a simple cleaning will unstick the contaminants the charcoal catches.
You may be able to get more hours out of them but at some point the carbon is exhausted.

 

[Capt W]

A little over a year ago I removed our (non-ducted) range hood and hung an over-the-stove GE microwave. Still not ducted, so the same principle is at work. It has two bottom-mounted mesh filters and an internal charcoal filter. Besides the obvious mesh filter cleaning in Dawn & water, I've so far only inspected the charcoal filter at 6-month intervals and it still looks like brand new. My user manual states:

"The charcoal filter should be replaced when it is noticeably dirty or discolored (usually after 6 to 12 months, depending on usage)."

I have a few (Amazon knock-off) filters on the shelf (2 for $20) ready for use when needed. Just not yet.

 

[Cropduster172]

I never saw the point with non-ducted hoods. Every home our family lived in, my dad would modify the hood to vent outside.

That's great if the homes floorplan would be conducive to such a modification. I'm not cutting into the kitchen wall, running ductwork down into the basement and core drilling a poured concrete foundation to vent the duct. That's why they make non ducted models. But if your dad always did the work, you wouldn't know that.

 

[UncleDave]

Depending on the construction after a degrease some can be oven baked at around 200 for 45 minutes or so, this might get rid of some of the contaminants, but you are then releasing them back into the ecosystem. Ultimately they become loaded with contaminants.

 

[doitmyself]

I'll offer my zero experience opinion in this fray. The charcoal activity is chemical one more than physical. It works somewhat similar to how water softener resin removes impurities from water. Once the available absorption surface area on the charcoal is used up, its shot. Unlike the softener resin that you can rejuvenate, the charcoal you cannot.

The 30 hours of cooking use is maybe based on some tests?? Hard to know. I cannot imagine washing the charcoal does anything more than remove surface grease. It does not reactivate the chemical ability (1000 + degree F required)

 

[ecotourist]

That's great if the homes floorplan would be conducive to such a modification. I'm not cutting into the kitchen wall, running ductwork down into the basement and core drilling a poured concrete foundation to vent the duct.

Our range hood is on an inside wall. The vent goes upwards into the attic and then out an end wall about 15' away. Wouldn't be easy to retrofit but that's how ours is routed. Opening the kitchen wall could have been done when we renovated the kitchen.

The vent inside the wall/behind the kitchen cabinets is rectangular, and probably fills most or all of the space between the studs.

 

[repairman54]

All a non vented hood does is keep steam off the bottom of the over the range cabinets and catch some airborne grease fumes in its filter. And provide a light over the range top.
Same with non vented OTR microwaves.
Hard to tell if the charcoal filter really reduces odors if any at all since they are so small. IMO just there for marketing.
Had the privilege's of working on them for decades. You wouldn't believe how much grease will build up internally in the OTR micro's with poor filter maintenance. Vented or non vented.
As said metal filters in the dishwasher is the easiest way and simplest way to regularly clean them. Looks slightly dirty put it in the d/w.
One reason kitchen designers should put ranges on exterior walls, to exhaust fumes with minimal duct work.
I've serviced them all, OTR, downdrafts, periscope, etc. Even with good filter maintenance a ton of grease passes through.
I lived in an apartment with a downdraft Jenn Aire in a island, what a joke venting wise.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

We've had two different brands of non-ducted range hoods in our primary home. The first two were identical installed in two different homes ...they were Maytag non-ducted. The current one installed is a Broan. When you don't or in our case can't have a duct to vent outside, you have to use these charcoal filters... different designs for different brands
All of the manufacturers preach that you cannot clean the charcoal filters, only the metal mesh filters.
I have been cleaning and reusing both for years now and it's been working just fine.
I've read a bit about the science behind activated charcoal and it's air/contaminant filtering properties. I'm not so sure about it.
The replacements are $30/pair and it's recommended to replace them after 30 hours of cooking...so it's $1/hour to have charcoal filtration?
I don't think so. I've placed the metal mesh filters in the dishwasher and I clean the charcoal ones in the sink with Dawn and Simple Green...rinse thoroughly and set them on the deck to dry.
Anyone else with non-ducted range hoods? Thoughts?

You're not cleaning the charcoal filters.