How would you connect new range hood?

House Repair Talk

Help Support House Repair Talk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

o2284200

Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2012
Messages
227
Reaction score
11
Hello all,
Removed old range hood, and preparing to install a new range hood only, no microwave. However, the existing range hood & refrigerator are currently sharing a breaker and there's no ground on existing wiring in kitchen, from panel. The new range hood will be hard wired and instructions say "requires a 120V 60Hz electrical supply, and connected to an individual, properly grounded branch circuit, protected by a 15 or 20 ampere circuit breaker or time delay fuse. Wiring must be 2 wire w/ ground.". How would you connect new range hood to existing wiring?

Existing range hood & refrigerator are currently sharing this 20A breaker:
range%20hood%20electrical%20breaker.jpg


Existing range hood wiring with no ground, inside kitchen, from panel:
range%20hood%20electrical%20existing.jpg


New range hood wiring from unit:
range%20hood%20electrical%20new.jpg
 
Photo #1 appears to have 2 conductors connected, IE. 2 circuits powered from the same breaker.

Is tis true?

Are there any open breaker spaces?

Photo #2 needs to show the cabling being fed through the connector.

What is the operating current of the hood, or the make and model #?
 
Sometimes in older wiring, the ground was folded back and clipped to the metal box. It could also be held under the clamp where it enters the box. Look carefully to make sure it is not just hidden. If there really isn't a ground wire present, you will need to run one, in which case, you may find it just as easy to run a new cable ( I use the word "easy" in a relative term).
A couple of slightly wider pix may help us see your situation.
 
Snoonyb said:
Photo #1 appears to have 2 conductors connected, IE. 2 circuits powered from the same breaker. Is tis true?

Are there any open breaker spaces?
Thanks!
True, the 20A breaker has both the existing range hood & refrigerator, connected to it.

There's a similar breaker beneath it, which is OFF, as it's connected to a non-existent vacuum motor.

Photo #2 needs to show the cabling being fed through the connector.
You mean this?
Existing black and white range hood wire being fed into conduit, in panel:
range%20hood%20electrical%20conduit.jpg


What is the operating current of the hood, or the make and model #?
Zephyr Hurricane Model# AK2536; Specs say the following:
AC INPUT = 120V - 60Hz
AC POWER = Max. 230W, 2.1 Amps
 
Last edited:
Sometimes in older wiring, the ground was folded back and clipped to the metal box. It could also be held under the clamp where it enters the box. Look carefully to make sure it is not just hidden. If there really isn't a ground wire present, you will need to run one, in which case, you may find it just as easy to run a new cable ( I use the word "easy" in a relative term).
A couple of slightly wider pix may help us see your situation.
Thanks!
I don't see anything folded back and clipped, as you describe.

Wider shot of existing range hood wiring (blue arrows) inside kitchen:
range%20hood%20electrical.jpg


Wider shot of sub-panel, where existing range hood black & white wires are being fed into conduit, at red arrow. Photo #1 20A breaker that is connected to both existing range hood & refrigerator is on top left. The breaker beneath it, is the one turned off, which is connected to the non-existent vacuum motor.
cooktop%20electical%20panel.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thanks.

Photo #2 shows the conductors protruding from the connector, but does not show the cabling entering the connector.

If there are conductors connected to the breaker designated for a non-existent appliance disconnect them, safe-off with a wirenut and move the circuit feeding the hood to that breaker.

A 2nd option is to change the breaker to a breaker similar to the one across from it.
 
Last edited:
Thanks again.

Photo #1 of post #5 answers my question.

The hood is fed through metallic flexible conduit and if that run is from the panel, you have a ground, so connecting the hood, without separating that conduit, will effectively continue that ground.
 
Thanks again.

Photo #1 of post #5 answers my question.

The hood is fed through metallic flexible conduit and if that run is from the panel, you have a ground, so connecting the hood, without separating that conduit, will effectively continue that ground.
No, no...Thank YOU! :thbup:
Yes, the hood is fed through metallic flexible conduit, run from the panel. That said, how would you connect the new range hood's 3 wires to the existing 2 wires?
 
Standing facing the cabinet or area the hood will be mounted, there is a knock-out near the right rear corner and that will be where the flex is connected. Beneath that there will also be an electrical connection box accessible inside the hood body, which may require some disassembly.

With the breaker off feed the conductors into the hood, tighten the nut holding the flex connector in place, twist and wirenut the conductors, color for color, together.

There is not a specific wiring diagram for the appliance, however generally the green conductor is bonded to the chassis or body of the appliance, and can simply be wire-nutted of inside the hood connection box, by tightening the flex connector effectively bonds the hood to the ground in the sub-panel.

Had the hood not been powered through flex, but by romex, the ground would need to be functioned vie an individual conductor, ERGO, the green conductor
 
I think he's trying to say that the metal sheathing on that cable will be the ground. Connect the ground wire at the hood to the metal connector at the end of the sheathing.
 
Back
Top