Do Outdoor Kitchen Islands Need Vents?
I purchased my very first home not too long ago, and the property I bought has an outdoor kitchen, which I am unfamiliar with. I noticed that the outdoor kitchen island of my new property doesn’t have a vent. So I am wondering whether outdoor kitchen islands need vents.
It is mandatory by law that your outdoor kitchen islands structure must be vented. Depending on the design and the layout of your outdoor kitchen and the island of your outdoor kitchen, there are many different types of vents for different types you can add to your outdoor kitchen.
When I learned about the outdoor kitchen islands on my new property and that the grill in my outdoor kitchen island was not vented, it made me wonder why. I researched whether it is necessary to have a vent in an outdoor kitchen island and what to do if I don’t have one. I will share what I have learned with you in the section below.
Do Outdoor Kitchen Islands Need Vents?
I learned that it is mandated by law to have a vent in any outdoor stove, grill top, or BBQ installed in outdoor kitchen islands when consulting with outdoor kitchen designers who specialize in professional kitchen installations.
If your outdoor kitchen island is fitted with gas appliances, it will need to have vents fitted. Vent panels prevent the build-up of any gas in your outdoor kitchen island. When using natural gas to fuel your island in the outdoor kitchen, the vent panels must be placed 4-6 feet apart and as high as possible on the outdoor kitchen island as natural gas rises.
Suppose you use gas appliances in the island of your outdoor kitchen, which isn’t properly ventilated. In that case, the gas build-up on the island can cause serious and fatal injuries and severe property damage when ignited.
Ventilation is highly important because it helps the gas to escape and prevents gas from building up in case of a gas leak. If the island of your outdoor kitchen is fuelled by propane, the vent panels must be placed 4-6 feet apart and as low as possible on the island as propane is heavy.
If the cooking appliances in the island of our outdoor kitchen are electric, you will also need ventilation installed. But the vents for electrical appliances differ from those used for gas and propane appliances.
Skyflame venting panels can be installed for various grill types, and a fire pit can be built into your outdoor kitchen island. Skyflame venting panels can be used for the ventilation of a fire pit or a fireplace built into the island and for the use of gas barbeque islands to prevent a gas leak with a gas appliance.
Vent Types For Different Grills In Outdoor Kitchen Island
There are various different types of vents from different manufacturers for the appliance or grill on your outdoor kitchen island. The layout and the design of your outdoor kitchen islands will be the deciding factor in the type of vent used for your outdoor kitchen.
If your outdoor kitchen will be built under an enclosed area like a porch or patio or any other solid and closed structure with a roof over it, it will require a hood over the grill for ventilation. If it is an island with a gas or propane grill, it will require vent panels for ventilation that will need to be installed according to manufacturing specifications.
Different Type Of Vents For Outdoor Kitchens And Islands
The following are a few suggestions for vents that can be used in an outdoor kitchen or kitchen island. These vents are available through different retailers and chain supply stores:
- Stainless steel vent panel 15″ by 4- ½” for outdoor kitchen island.
- Stanbroil stainless steel venting panel for grill accessory 15″ by 4- ½”.
- Sunstone vent-s 15″ by 4- ½” stainless steel venting panel.
- Stanbroil stainless steel venting panel for grill accessory 15″ by 6 ½” vent for outdoor kitchen island using a gas or propane grill.
- Zline 36″ convertible vent outdoor kitchen approved wall mount stainless steel hood.
- Blaze outdoor 42″ 304 grande stainless steel vent hood with 2000 cfm blowers, higher instillation, and adjustable light. And commercial style baffles.
- Imperial VTO611 6″ heavy duty outdoor exhaust vent with intake hood conversion 1-pack brown.
- Feirywater stainless steel venting panel for outdoor kitchen grills, 15″ by 6 1/2 “.
The list of vent options is just a few ideas to help you plan your outdoor kitchen island. So that when planning or designing your outdoor kitchen island, you will remember the importance of ventilation when it comes to the safety of yourself or anyone using the grill, especially when it comes to the use of gas or propane grill equipment.
Ventilation is not only important with an outdoor kitchen island not only for gas-related issues but also to reduce the amount of smoke you will inhale while grilling your delicious meals on your outdoor grill.
Importance Of Installing Vent Panels To An Island With Gas
When planning your outdoor kitchen island, it is very important to establish the type of grilling equipment installed on your outdoor kitchen island when building. As for different grill and equipment types, there are different building requirements and specifications.
If you decide on a gas griller, the planning and building of the structure of the island must include the preparation and installation of gas vent panels before construction of your outdoor kitchen island begins to prepare for the gas griller’s installation on completion of the island.
The installation of vent panels is highly important as gases can get trapped without the necessary ventilation allowing gases to escape, which can be very dangerous as this can cause an explosion.
Conclusion
It is mandatory by law that your outdoor kitchen island needs to have vents. There are different types of vents for different island designs and grill types or appliances used on the island. With gas and propane appliances, the vents are built into the island according to the requirements of the grill installed.
The vent will be mounted above the appliance for electrical grills to absorb the smoke that the grill produces. The same ventilation for electrical appliances can also be used for a fire pit or a fireplace built into the island.
References
- https://www.thisoldhouse.com/yards/21017981/read-this-before-you-put-in-an-outdoor-kitchen
- https://homeguides.sfgate.com/venting-requirements-island-cooktops-105219.html
- https://www.amazon.com/Skyflame-15-Inch-Venting-Kitchens-Stainless/dp/B07DB6ZKRK
- https://www.napoleon.com/en/us/grills/view-all
- https://www.amazon.com.au/Stainless-Outdoor-Islands-Boone-Hearth/dp/B01LWLUQDT
- https://www.amazon.com/outdoor-kitchen-vent/s?k=outdoor+kitchen+vent
